Which proofing RIP do you use?

[Hopkins Printing]

For those of you NOT using the likes of Apogee, Rampage, Prinergy, etc. to do your contract color proofing, which product do you use? GMG? EFI? Other?

Why?

Thank you,
Jon Morgan
Hopkins Printing

 

[VLFPrepressMN]

Jon,

I can only speak for GMG. I have done several installs of GMG ColorServer and the product is incredible for color management. When iterating a device like an Epson X880 or HP Z series, you can expect a delta e average less than 0.50 with very few colors above 2.0. Of course, that depends on what stock you proof on. If you use GMG stock, you will get these numbers easily on semi-matte. I am sure the same can be said of EFI as they are both great products. Everything depends on the ease of use. GMG can be installed in parts depending on what type on installation you want. What I mean is if you want the ability to make your own color profiles, you need Profile Editor which comes at an additional cost. GMG will function perfectly fine without this tool, your installer will make the profiles for you and you will still have the ability to calibrate the device through the GMG wizard. Do you have any offline devices like an iGen that you would like to color manage? You can use GMG ColorServer for this as well to convert a PDF into a color managed PDF for that workflow. Please note that PMS colors are passed through this workflow and are not color managed. Are you located in the US and if so, what market are you in? I have done installs all over the midwest and Seattle and NYC so I could get you in contact with someone to give you a demo. I am a certified installer of the product, you can call me at 651-334-9203 for more info. NO, I am not in sales for the product and am not affiliated with GMG.

Mark

 

[Hopkins Printing]

Hi Mark,

What sorts of customization is offered with the GMG product in terms of page content. Specifically, can the software put crop/registration marks, color bars, show bleed area, page information/identification, etc. on proofs?

Thanks,
Jon

 

[VLFPrepressMN]

GMG has several different formats of files that can be accepted for color management. The general way I installed is to set up the prepress software to dump 8-bit contones into a hot folder. GMG would then color manage on the fly to an Epson or HP. You can also do dot proofs on HP's or Epsons if you purchase the DotProof option. This is mostly valuable in flexo and generally not purchased in the sheetfed world. Please be aware that the delta e average is not as good (0.6 - 0.8) and the number of iterations to make the MX5 (profile) is double.

As far as marks, GMG has many different variables that can be applied to a page. Also, if you want to certify the proof to a standard (GRACoL, SWOP, Fogra, etc.) with ProofControl, a strip can be applied to each page as well. This strip is a .tif file and can be customized to the needs you want. For example, if you have a proof sticker or stamp that you apply to your current proof, you can design something, make a .tif file and this will go outside the trim of every page. This works very well. I did an install in NYC where the design agency wanted this worked very well.

Did you try to call my number? I had 2 missed calls from a 614 number. I work overnights in Minneapolis so the best time to reach me is around 4 PM CST. Please let me know if you need anything further.

 

[UncleSam]

CGS Oris Color Tuner

CGS Oris Color Tuner

Check out the CGS Oris Color Tuner too. I have 4 installations and they are great to match any profiles that you want (SWOP, GRACoL or any custom profiles). Their website is cgsusa.com.

They are now partner with Xerox digital presses to color manage their machine too.