Plate Curves to press

[prepresscolor]

Is there a program or excel sheet which allows you to enter the results of a linear press-run in order to come up with a "plate curve" to counteract dot gain?
This is something that we have done manually and visually for years but I would think that by now someone has come up with a reliable program for this.

[disbellj]

I have one that inputs Lab values (from a spectro that scans the press sheet run from linear plates), and gives dot gain changes needed to match a source press (this source press can be GRACoL2006_Coated1v2, ISOcoatedv2, or another printing condition). I use the Lab values obtained from the official profiles, using Photoshop and Absolute Colorimetric Intent (instructions on Bruce Lindbloom's website re: LabDotGainCalculator1 and LabDotGainCalculator2).

In fact, since doing this, I have figured out that I could:
1. Use IDEAlliance Curve software (cost) or the freely downloadable NPDC graphs from www.gracol.org (free) to set up presses/plates to G7.
2. Use PerfX Press Curves to set up to standard (cost).
3. Just have used Bruce Lindbloom's calculators and not rebuilt them, and then manually did the subtraction of the dot gain of the two printing conditions to get the difference (move I needed to make) (free).
4. Use my Excel calculator (free).

Number 1 is recommended most. #2 is next, and only if you want to waste time trying to understand a little of what's going on behind the scenes would I recommend #3 or #4. Pick your poison.

Don

[prepresscolor]

Thanks Don!
I'll give these solutions a workout.