Hexacrhome Workspace

[imagesetting]

We are considering a Hexachrome workflow, for large format production, I assume ICC profiling can deal with Hexachrome - if we are to profile in house I assume there are industry targets available supplied with most profiling software ?

Our primary purpose of the O & G is to better match Spot Pantones on output on 8 colour large format printers (CMYK Lc Lm OG).

I assume Adobe CS 5.5 can work OK with Hexachrome profiles.

Unless the client possessed a proofing device with Hexachrome, it may cause some confusion on their side - if they wished to take full advantage of the 8 colours with Bitmaps, ideally they should leave the conversion to the 8 colour to us, what would be the best colour space for them to capture images in.
I assume you can have spots with any colour space, although I can only see RGB or CMYK as an option in Indesign ? - ie a file that they can hand to us with this all in.
So as not to overcomplicate matters for certain clients, would it be best to suggest CMYK for Bitmaps and Spot for pantones without any conversion there end.

Where would the conversion best occur, mapping the Spot into the Hexachrome colour space, at the application level or in the RIP.

How well are RAL swatches supported with all this ?. We've very rarely had a design agency quote us RAL numbers, mostly always Pantone Ref's, which comes first in the specifying race RAL or Pantone, if all your work is coloured perspex signs, and you want a few exterior posters or exhibition prints, you'd match to the RAL surely ?
I suppose thinking about it, designers like to sit in airless airconditioned offices specifying from what they see most in their daily work - printed matter (and is that still the case in our digital world).
Hopefully RAL and Pantone would be weel supported Gamut wise under Hexachrome.

It seems machine manufacturers service two mainstream markets - sign making, and litho printing - the former is solvent based for exterior (ie Mimaki, roland), and then the latter - very high end with Pigmented ink with Epson 11880, canon, and HP.
I guess you need two machines to service both markets accurately, does the Epson GS6000 fill the gap - how many clients are going to complain about a lack fo Vivid Magenta and 2 or blacks effecting a van graphic?
Have the likes of Mimaki and Roland moved away from Hexachrome simply because theres no demand, or has the CMYK gamut really increased as manufacturers have perfected more modern CMYK ink sets ?

 

[gordo]

Pantone abandoned Hexachrome over eight years ago.

Best, gordo

 

[airyk]

When we did Hexachrome years ago, the photoshop images had to be RGB and then the HEX plug in would convert them to HEX.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

We are considering a Hexachrome workflow, for large format production, I assume ICC profiling can deal with Hexachrome - if we are to profile in house I assume there are industry targets available supplied with most profiling software ?

Our primary purpose of the O & G is to better match Spot Pantones on output on 8 colour large format printers (CMYK Lc Lm OG).

Is there some confusion?

Hexachrome is a press process. It is not an inkjet process.

Yes, x900 series Epson printers use OG inks to expand gamut.

How spot colours are output is usually from a RIP, there is a lookup that converts from the lookup table values for the spot into the device space of the printer. Generally these RIP driven printers are profiled as CMYK devices, even though they use inks such as Vivid Magenta, Lt Cyan, Orange, Green etc.


Stephen Marsh

 

[chevalier]

Your best bet is to design/convert files to a profile that uses Epson's maximum gamut. I doubt sRGB, AdobeRGB or other standard color spaces are going to cover the maximum gamut of an Epson X900 series. I suspect a profile is out there somewhere.

Remember this is a subtractive process and the range is determined not only by the inkset and printer but the substrate as well.

 

[michaelejahn]

When I worked for Compose Systems, we sold a solution that converted spot color plates as 1 bit TIFF color separations - and then output them to the Epson to simulate these spot colors. The product sits between any RIP that can export 1 bit TIFF files and the Epson - the Product we sold was named "Star Proof".

Compose Color Blog: With Star Proof 6 spot color matching is a breeze

While Pantone has abandoned Hexachrome, and while Hexachrome is indeed a system designed to print with 6 inks, the Hexachrome concept was originally designed to enable the user to better simulate Pantone Spot colors using the 6 Hexachrome inks. The Epson - with Star Proof - can be set up to simulate spot colors and the Hexachrome printing process. One of the best people I know to do this sort of thing is Alvaro Rodríguez - he works for The Color Management group.

This may be way more money than you would like to spend, but it is by far the best approach to simulate Pantone colors. Another "service" you might look into is Absolute-Proof

About Gimlé Ltd | Absolute Proof

Good luck on your Project !

 

[picolorj]

Your best bet is to design/convert files to a profile that uses Epson's maximum gamut. I doubt sRGB, AdobeRGB or other standard color spaces are going to cover the maximum gamut of an Epson X900 series. I suspect a profile is out there somewhere.

Remember this is a subtractive process and the range is determined not only by the inkset and printer but the substrate as well.

Indeed,
I'm working with a EPSON 7880's colorspace that is wider than sRGB colorspace (except for greens and blues). It is very precise (about matching monitor to print), but the paper (high glossy coated) does not absorbs all ink, of course - we can easily remove the black result with our finger nails.



The space represented on color is my EPSON profile's. The gray is the sRGB one.

Sorry about my english.

 

[prepresscolor]

Congratulations on ALL your assumptions! Let me know how they all work out for you. As I found out a few years back, Hex color places you in a "no man's land" of tech support. You are on your own. It can be done, done well, but that is what makes some Professionals better than others. You will find that there are lots of avenues for information, you will need to make yourself, your own best "expert".
Good luck!

 

[chevalier]

Has anyone here any experience with Esko Equinox and Color Engine

 

[onwsk8r]

If you look up your gamut charts, you'll see that Epson x900's gamut is extremely close to that of Adobe RGB (with other Epsons - excl GS6000 - being close) and it also covers that vast majority (99% IIRC - probably all except metallics and fluorescents) of PMS colors. It's also encompasses CONSIDERABLY MORE than hexachrome, so using a hex workflow would essentially be dumbing down your colors.
That being said, are you and your customers using wide-gamut monitors (like Eizo or equiv)? If not, what you see on the screen won't compare to your prints anyways.

If you just want to take full advantage of the gamut of the printer, you've already shot yourself in the foot using hexachrome. As was said earlier, Pantone abandoned hexachrome years ago so there is no official support; the only time it could possibly make sense to use it is if you're using a 6-color press process or maybe an Indigo with 6 colors.

Why not use Adobe RGB to take full advantage of the printer's capabilities instead?

As far as getting your spot colors correct, your ability to properly use your software is really the most important part, with your RIP being second. If you're using a RIP that will accurately reproduce your spot colors (or any colors), your colors may be reproduced correctly, otherwise your only hope is dumb luck.

Summary:
- Hexachrome will not take advantage of the full gamut of your colors, it's disastrous to try to work with, and every professional I've ever met "knows" to avoid it.
- sRGB will do a decent job, but Adobe RGB will do the best possible job.
- Spot color reproduction is the job of the RIP. The printer does not print in spot colors, so they have to be converted to whatever process at some point in the printing process. If your media is properly profiled and your rip is working as it should, your spot colors MIGHT come out right, supposing you know how to use all of the appropriate software

 

[rich apollo]

imagesetting,

1st, even though a lot of the new inkjet devices have the extra inks, they're not really Hexachrome devices. You'll drive, and profile, them as if they're regular CMYK devices.

2nd, the extra magenta, black, and cyan inks don't do anything to increase gamut. They're there to smooth out blends and to lessen the grainy appearance that can result without them. The light colors are in play only in the highlight and quarter-tones; then the full strength colors take over.

3rd, you can't use a Hexachrome image in any Adobe app except Photoshop without plug-ins.

I don't know what RAL numbers are. Could you explain?

For large-format inkjet Hexachrome isn't necessary, or even applicable. To take advantage of the gamut of your large format device embrace a RGB workflow.

 

[Bondi_dan]

Hi Rich Apollo,

I am not an expert on this, but RAL is an automotive paint mixing (formula) system kind of like the way Pantone is for print.

See this:

RAL (color space system) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Customer of mine was getting something resprayed grey on a 1980s Honda 750 bike and he knew the paint RAL number, do not recall how i found the information but (somehow) I was able to convert RAL to Lab and tell him how neutral the grey was and the L* value too.

Nice to catch up.

Regards,

Dan