Mais conteúdo relacionado Semelhante a CMIC Summit 2013: Ink reduction for food packaging printers (20) CMIC Summit 2013: Ink reduction for food packaging printers1. © Cross-Media Innovation Center – RIT
CMIC Summit 2013
Ink reduction for food packaging
Eddy Hagen
General manager
VIGC
2. Industry Challenge
• Producing food packaging is a challenge,
certainly carton printed with lithography:
– Ink setoff can create migration
– Oxidative inks dry very slowly (multiple days)
– UV inks contain photo initiators, all of them were
black listed in the EU a few years ago
– Many designers LOVE a 400% black…
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3. Audience Survey
• Do you see a difference between the 4
samples that are distributed?
– 1: I don’t see a difference
– 2: I do see a difference, but all samples are
acceptable (i.e. I would not reject the job)
– 3: I do see a difference, one of them is unacceptable
(i.e. I would reject that one or claim a discount)
– 4: I do see a difference, multiple samples are
unacceptable
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4. VIGC
• Flemish Innovation Center for Graphic
Communication (Belgium)
• Practical solutions to real live problems
– Inspired by questions from our members
– Search for the root of the problem
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5. VIGC
• Some examples: deviations between
spectrophotometers
– Everybody thinks his/her device tells the truth
• Discussion between screen printer and his customer
– VIGC study in printing companies (2008)
• Deviations up to 3.77 delta E*ab
• Differences between different brands
• Maintenance is an issue
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6. VIGC
• Some examples: overprinting in PDF
– 2011: many questions from printers: discussions with
designers about the content of a print ready PDF
• Usually: Adobe Acrobat vs Mac OS X Preview
– PDF Viewer test + PDF Viewer Check
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7. VIGC
• Some examples: transparency blend space
– 2012: VIGC Output Essentials
• Workflow tool for designers (free!)
• Step by step
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8. The origins of our ‘Max TAC’ project
• Meeting with a food packaging printer
– Complaining about the designs he receives: way too
much ink (350% or even higher)
– Ink dries very slowly: only after a few days 100% dry
• A real risk for contamination / migration!
– Coating is not a solution: only top layer is dry
• Die cutting: knives cut through the wet ink
• Folding: edge might touch inside when folded
– UV ink: all photo initiators blacklisted at that time
– The root of the problem: designers are not aware of
issues with high TAC
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9. How black is black?
• Immediate result of meeting: tutorial file
– Show the different possibilities of ‘Rich Black’
– Show the influence of varnish
• Some designers want a matte varnish (specific tactile experience!)
but then complain that the black looks dull…
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10. How low can you go?
• Nobody could answer me…
– Conventional wisdom: 350%, 300% is already ‘low’
• Launch X-Rite i1 Publish: initial tests
– Small vs large profiles
– Dozen profiles, increments of 20%, from 320% to
180%
– Conversion of multiple images, not only pictures with
deep black
• Visual evaluation on monitor
• Visual evaluation inkjet proof
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11. First print test
• 6 images, up to 9 different renderings
– VIGC: 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, 320%
– ECI ISOcoated v2: 330, 300%
– Adobe CoatedFogra 39 (330%)
– Basiccolor ISOcoated v2 (330%)
• Evaluation by a few seasoned printers (active
in high quality and in food packaging)
– They could barely see a difference… and were
amazed by that…
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12. More quality testing
• VIGC50 XCS (eXtreme Color Suite)
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13. More quality testing
• Print/Easyfairs 2011
– Trade Show
– 18 participants
• Nobody would have rejected any one of the prints!
• Technical director mid sized printing company: “If you would sent
this job to 4 different printers, the prints would look much more
different”
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14. More quality testing
• Measurements vs visual perception
– We are addicted to numbers, loups and calculations
most people don’t understand (e.g. delta E)
– What matters: do you see a difference?
– Matte coated samples – image C (the one with the
highest deviations)
• 320%: L = 11.91
• 300%: L = 12.47 (0.56 difference with 320%)
• 260%: L = 13.97 (2.06 difference with 320%)
• 220%: L = 15.06 (3.15 difference with 320%)
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15. More quality testing
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• Measurements vs visual perception
– What matters: do you see a difference?
• Most (all) people have a hard time seeing a difference when
presented this way: with a small white border
17. VIGC Max TAC profiles + kit
• ICC profiles available for free
– 220%, 260%, 300%, 320%
– Fogra39L (coated), Fogra47L (uncoated)
• VIGC Max TAC Evaluation kit available for
purchase
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18. But… old habits die hard
• “Ink reducation doesn’t work!”
– The main issue: highlights (small dots) in CMY
• Film based workflows vs Computer-to-Plate
• Question: what about flexo?
– 4-color printing on 2- or 1-color presses, with visual
control by press operator vs 4-color presses with
measurement systems
– “100% K may cause picking”
• Quality of paper has improved, due to higher press speeds
– So: historical reasons!
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19. But… where to convert?
• What is the best place/worklow for ink
reduction?
• Use the right profile from the beginning!
– And only convert 1 time!
– If designers delivers CMYK PDF: they should use a
low TAC profile!
– But they don’t care… or they don’t know…
• Educate!
• Use the right incentives!
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20. But… where to convert?
• Ink reduction software / ‘color servers’ come
with a risk…
– PDFs with transparency: first convert, then flatten or
the other way around?
– Topic recent GWG meeting
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21. But… where to convert?
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22. But… where to convert?
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23. But… where to convert?
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• The designer must do his job right!
– And the printer must respect what the designer did…
– But probably the designer needs to be educated…
• And the printer does have a responsability there!
24. Conclusion
• Challenge conventional wisdom!
– There are still opportunities for innovation in
conventional printing
• 260% TAC is not distuingishable from 320%,
220% is in most cases acceptable
• Measurements vs visual perception
– And how do we do that visual perception…
– Be realistic!
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25. Conclusion
• Holistic approach!
– The designer should use the right profile, but he has
no immediate benefit
– Trying to fix stuff isn’t the right choice: do it right the
first time!
• Similar to fixing errors in PDF files: yes, you can do that, but why
are people creating PDF files with errors in the first place?
– Education!
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26. Future Research Questions
• Ink reduction for spot colors
• Ink reduction for flexo
• Measuring vs seeing: what are realistic
tolerances?
– In a P2 environment (500 lux), not P1 (2000 lux)
– ‘Average user’, not a trained specialist
– How to compare colors, proof vs print?
• See the VIGC Max TAC samples with/without the white border
• Similar to Farnsworth Munsell 100 Hue test: physical vs online
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27. Audience Survey Results
– 1: I don’t see a difference
– 2: I do see a difference, but all samples are acceptable (i.e. I would not
reject the job)
– 3: I do see a difference, one of them is unacceptable (i.e. I would reject
that one or claim a discount)
– 4: I do see a difference, multiple samples are unacceptable
10/10/2013
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