Konica 12000

[wonderings]

We have a new Konica 12000 with just about every finishing add on module you can get. We have had it for maybe 4 months now. Trying to get my operators to get used to doing daily calibration. When I was running digital I had a Versant 2100 and would use Command Workstation for colour calibration. It would do the daily calibration through the built in unit (can't remember the specific name for this module) and would also use the hand held spectrometer for monthly calibrations. The techs for the Konica are telling me it needs to be done through the print engine ie the connected screen attached to the Konica and not Command Workstation. This seems backwards to me in terms of simplicity. Much easier to run this stuff through the connected computer with Command Workstation rather then go through the screen and menus that are far from user friendly on the Konica. The answer the techs gave me as not super clear to me in terms of an answer on what I should be used. I get answers along the line that it should be done through the engine first and then if you want through Command Workstation.

Does anyone have a clearer answer on this? Is it really useless to use colour calibration through Command Workstation? I have trouble believing Command Workstation runs through the calibration, but that they never really set it up to use the IQ in Konica presses to make actually colour calibrations.

 

[SoggyWinter]

Your Fiery RIP is doing the job rendering based on an input and output profile, so accurate profiling will have to include building a profile for the Fiery software/hardware stack. I'm not familiar with the Konica iron and its software, but I will say that I have yet to encounter a digital press tech who is practioner knowledgeable about RIP software and profiling.

 

[LeGerbs]

When it comes to calibrating most machines as SoggyWinter said it comes down to the software IE Fiery doing it for you digitally. Our shop only runs older KM machines at the moment as we've swapped over to the c9210's from Ricoh for most of our printing. Our KM 6100s have built in IQ that "Calibrates" itself but it just ends up looking like an oversaturated mess 99% of the time. We have since disabled the IQ for color and it only runs auto registration. Using Fiery Color Profiler Suite which we got a license for it's much more accurate color for our needs.

Realistically if you want to calibrate machines you need to instead profile the machines with different paper stock. Every profile typically lasts about a year until you'll need to make new ones. We currently have 3 profiles for all of our machines Gloss, Satin/Matte, and Uncoated. We calibrate them for our KM machines every day with a sheet fed spectrometer
*EDIT* We also recalibrate any time we change out any components on the machines IE Drums/Chargers etc etc.

Our practice is pretty overkill but we rarely need to screw with color curves on prints due to it.

 

[Robohopar]

We run our calibrations through the IQ and it’s “okay” for the most part but we don’t do any highly complex color matching jobs. We also run the gamma and crest density profiles within the KM itself for each stock. Important to do those.

 

[wonderings]

Your Fiery RIP is doing the job rendering based on an input and output profile, so accurate profiling will have to include building a profile for the Fiery software/hardware stack. I'm not familiar with the Konica iron and its software, but I will say that I have yet to encounter a digital press tech who is practioner knowledgeable about RIP software and profiling.

profiles are made already, I am talking about then using the calibration to maintain consitency with print colours by running the colour calibration on a daily basis. Tech's almost make it sound like it is useless doing it through Command Workstation. The method of running calibrations through the press controller itself is much more convoluted and not user friendly in my opinion coming from running some Xerox presses in the past. On my old Versant, with profiles created I would just start the day running a calibration through Command Workstation. Once a month I would have to do a deeper calibration using a spectrometer. doing this I maintained fantastic colour consistency having a lot of custom spot colours that I was matching months and years later. It was a simple process and easy. I am being told it does not work that way with the Konica, but in a very unclear way as to why and what the calibration is doing through the press rather then doing it through Command Workstation.

 

[pippip]

I know nothing about Konica but in command workstation when you hit ctl+alt+c (or server then calibrate in the menu) does the fiery calibrator have the IQ listed as a measurement device along with the spectrometer?

 

[wonderings]

I know nothing about Konica but in command workstation when you hit ctl+alt+c (or server then calibrate in the menu) does the fiery calibrator have the IQ listed as a measurement device along with the spectrometer?

I will have to look and see. I imagine it does as when I run the calibration from Command Workstation it prints out the pages from the right tray with a measurement swatch page.

 

[SurfPunk]

At our locations we are using KM C4080's, we use the the IQ for regular color calibration (not experienced color managers). We are using Creo servers, the process is very simple, but for initial color profiles and major color issues we always work with a hand held spectrometer. We do match colors using the composition form the printers, everything converted to CMYK, I don't buy the spot color capabilities of the KM printers, when our colors are dial we create G7 color profiles.

Thanks!