Reducing ink key percentage @ cp 2000

[Bill Rothwell]

Is there a simple way of a setting @ the consol of touch screen cp2000 to reduce all incomming ink profiles by a pecentage of your choice from prep? Right now, all of our incoming ink setting from prep I have to manually cut each color profile 30% before starting the job or the ink will be to heavy. I can do this very simply in our other heidelberg presses with the cptronic consol.

[RGPW17100]

Heidelberg sells an ink optimizer for their pre inking software. If you make a shift of more then 5 percent the optimization key will light up. You just press the button and it will re set your print curves for you. Problem is this program is around $5000

[Ret Heidelberg Instructor]

A lot depends on how old the press is and what version of software your CP 2000 has loaded on your press. You can go to the Service screen and find the characteristic curves feature and make new curves in each color to lower the percentage and then save it and have it selected. When the Pre-press data comes over to the press it will be filtered and the reduction should be applied to the ink values.
There was also a feature on later software that allowed you to pre-set the percentage of fountain roller sweep that you wanted. The default from Heidelberg was always a value of 20%. The keys would be set relative to the 20% value. If you enter a higher value of say 40% ink sweep than the ink key value will drop to a lower value but still maintain the same consistency. eg Ink fountain roller set at 20% and keys opened at 60% or Ink fountain roller set at 40% and keys will set at 30-35% (estimated). If the Ink fountain roller value is not highlighted than the Pre-press software will calculate the Ink sweep value and the key settings.
I can also add that if your press has remote service with Heidelberg and you are paying for it get them to connect with your press and get an Instructor to help.There was a feature called Color Assistant but it came with a price tag. It would take the values that the operator was correcting after the Pre-press data came over and if activated it would do the corrections for the operator to get the job closer a lot faster. I will also add that the press rollers and dampening system in the units must be set properly to optimize the values. If the press is out of whack and not optimized it won't matter what Pre press sends, you will be fighting with it.

Hope this helps.

[mazengh]

Isn't the ink optimizer from heidelberg what is called color assistant or is it a prepress software? where can i find more information on color assistant?

[Ret Heidelberg Instructor]

Color Assistant software, if it is there is on the CP2000 interface. Depending on what version of software you have (If I remmber correctly) it had to be a number 40.3 or something. Heidelberg constantly upgraded their software package. You had to buy the license for it and then it would be activated in the Service menu. To be sure contact Heidelberg and give them a serial number for your press and they can tell you what software you have and whether or not it is upgradable. Remember that CP 2000 has been around for some time and has been re-vamped and upgraded and includes such features as Intellistart.

[Bill Rothwell]

Thanks for all the information everyone. I just had an instructor in today from heidelberg and he showed me in the caracteristic curves how to make a copy of the existing standard heidelberg curves (which are not alterable) and then you can change the curves anyway that you need in the copied form, in my case I just had to reduce the ink diodes by 30% and save the standard after renaming it. Then you can highlight that standard and use it for your standard for all incoming jobs. Thanks again for eveyone's input.

[marktonk]

Color Assistant is used for optimizing the Printing Characteristic Curves and runs on the CP 2000 or the Press Center press consoles. The name Color Assistant actually was prepress software back on the Hell DC3000 scanner, it aided the scanner operator with color setup.

Regards,

Mark

Isn't the ink optimizer from heidelberg what is called color assistant or is it a prepress software? where can i find more information on color assistant?

[Ret Heidelberg Instructor]

Glad to see you got the problem addressed and corrected. Sounds like it was a simple fix.