Truflow / Epson color matching

[dwokz]

Few questions... Using "TruFlow Workflow" / "Epson 9800 Printer/proofer"

1) What is the best papers to use uncoated and coated for press matching proofs off the Epson 9800?

2) From what I understand pdfs are ripped to .tifs in the process and the tiff is what the 9800 (gmg rip) uses to print with behind the scenes. If I want to use the light process colors to simulate actual spot colors close, how can I acheive this given it is ripping to a tif? Is there a better way to get spot colors to render closer to the actual spot instead of a straight 4color build?

3) If I want Gracol to be my standard. Proofing on glossy stocks and printing on a coated stock is fine. What about simulating how it will look on an uncoated sheet as it would look on the press? I have seen swop coated and uncoated profiles but I do think I have seen the same for Gracol.

4) Lastly, I would like to make content only proofs off our Konica 550 to assemble and finish to the finished product and use the Epson to create Color approval prints. Good idea / Bad Idea? If I want to do this what is the easiest way to ensure that I don't have issues with text or transparencies looking totally different. Convert pdf to a tif and print that to the Konica? I want the least conversions and step involved but do issue that could relate to content. Again it is a content only proof I am looking for and I do realize I could run a backed up epson but, would be much simpler if I could just run it on the Konica on the actual stock.

Any feedback on all or some would be appreciated.

dale

 

[dwokz]

Had problem posting sorry if this shows twice.

 

[TerryWyse]

Few questions... Using "TruFlow Workflow" / "Epson 9800 Printer/proofer"

1) What is the best papers to use uncoated and coated for press matching proofs off the Epson 9800?

There are lots of "best" papers you could use...and now that you've asked, every paper vendor will be posting here telling you that THEIR'S is the best!

For my money, Epson Standard Proofing Paper (240) is very good but GMG's Semimatte 240 is also very good, if a bit pricey.....but that paper has the advantage of having calibrations and proof standard profiles all ready built for that paper. It would take a custom calibration set-up for the Epson paper which you'd hire a GMG consultant like myself to do for you....it will cost you some bucks but there'd be a point where the paper cost savings you'd realize would balance out this expense.

2) From what I understand pdfs are ripped to .tifs in the process and the tiff is what the 9800 (gmg rip) uses to print with behind the scenes. If I want to use the light process colors to simulate actual spot colors close, how can I acheive this given it is ripping to a tif? Is there a better way to get spot colors to render closer to the actual spot instead of a straight 4color build?

Sending TIFFs to GMG is a typical workflow but now that the PDF RIP engine is integrated into the main Colorproof application since version 5.x, you can simply export PDFs out of your Trueflow system and have true spot color support. GMG has, as do most high-end proofing RIPs, a custom spot color look-up-table or library that will convert from the PANTONE L*a*b* values to the needed *Epson* CMYK device values to give you an accurate color match. The key is that for PANTONE color matching, GMG will take full advantage of the large color gamut of your Epson 9800 and not restrict it to "press" CMYK values. Depending on the PANTONE color and whether it's "in-gamut" for your printer+paper combination, you'll get anywhere from a very precise match to a very reasonable color match.

3) If I want Gracol to be my standard. Proofing on glossy stocks and printing on a coated stock is fine. What about simulating how it will look on an uncoated sheet as it would look on the press? I have seen swop coated and uncoated profiles but I do think I have seen the same for Gracol.

There is no such thing as "GRACoL uncoated".....GRACoL specifically describes commercial sheetfed offset printing on gloss coated press stocks. But GRACoL (and SWOP) are based on the G7 Method and there is a "G7" dataset/profile that represents uncoated stock. I think you'll find it on the IDEAlliance website...it used to be called "Beta Uncoated" but they may have updated the name by now....but want you want is an uncoated simulation based on the G7 Method. Bottom line, you can get a very good uncoated press simulation *without* the need to actually change papers in the inkjet paper....you'll just get an uncoated simulation on whatever paper you happen to be using as long as you make a custom "uncoated" profile for that paper.

4) Lastly, I would like to make content only proofs off our Konica 550 to assemble and finish to the finished product and use the Epson to create Color approval prints. Good idea / Bad Idea? If I want to do this what is the easiest way to ensure that I don't have issues with text or transparencies looking totally different. Convert pdf to a tif and print that to the Konica? I want the least conversions and step involved but do issue that could relate to content. Again it is a content only proof I am looking for and I do realize I could run a backed up epson but, would be much simpler if I could just run it on the Konica on the actual stock.

Whatever you do, if you're simply going to proof it on the Konica 500 and the GMG+Epson 9800, make sure the job first runs through your Trueflow system and then simply export what you can to these proofing devices....I would suggest some sort of PDF export (same as you'd send to GMG) or possibly a direct Postscript print to your Konica from Trueflow. I've done a lot of work with the Trueflow system but honestly don't recall if that's one of the output options ("PS out" or similar). Other systems like Rampage have such an option so I'd be surprised if Trueflow didn't have something similar....but the key is running it through Trueflow first so things like transparency, trapping, fonts, etc. have already been dealt with properly.

Hope this helps,
Terry

 

[dwokz]

Thank you Terry this is a very big help, very insightful and much appreciated.