Which RIP can drive HP Indigo 5500 with highest pantone color accuracy

[gcplau]

Is there any sharing that which software rip can best drive HP Indigo 5000 series? Thanks for shining some light. Is there any data such as EFI + Epson claimed their Pantone accuracy upto over 90%...etc.

So far, we are considering the Esko HP Smartstream, GMG and EFI, but we have hesitation towards non HP version due to usual advantage of default solution's access to full hardware details and capability in their driver.

But in real world, any other 3rd party RIP users with high Pantone accuracy? or Gamut+ or Ultragamut due to the RIP's CMM engine's capability?

 

[pauly92]

I use onyx, and it has a pantone library also. No exp with others, but with onyx, especially with the latest, you can choose a spot/named colour and print of a swatches like a grid of 5x10 for example and then find the swatch closest to the pantone colour.
Usually it would be close, but if its not, you use the swatches and once you find the closest match, you can actually replace it in the library so next time you need that specific pantone colour, it's already done.

You can download a full working trial to test it out. only thing i remember from the trial is it wont allow you to create the icc profile. You can do the rest with ink restrictions ect. You can import an icc profile from a 3rd party software. You can use the generic ones that onyx gives you, but i'm not sure if you can edit them and build.
http://www.onyxgfx.com/my-onyx/product-downloads/

 

[gcplau]

Thanks for the sharing Paul. I need a solution that obtained maximum release of driver spec from the hardware principle, and yet the CMM is cater for wider gamut during ink limiting and calibration processes...the color capability of the indigo 6color ink on coated substrate should be maintained at the maximum possible, so as to avoid gamut clipped and reduced gamut area and non-optimized pantone simulation. Other goody such as optimizer based on client's job swatches...easy verifier, easier relinearizing. I tend to evaluate Creo, Esko, GMG & EFI.

 

[pauly92]

I know that onyx ink settings are quite advanced in restrictions. more advanced than others.
12.1 is being released soon. There's some info about it in this link. Says they're introducing their own verifier now which will be handy. You can proof thought their software with a second. Printer or the same one.
http://www.onyxgfx.com/onyx-graphics-to-showcase-onyx-12-1-software-at-sgia-expo-2016/

im no sales rep. Just from exp of using it. I really have no reason to change as I get the best colour out of my printers from it and has never let me at all.

 

[Tim-Ellis]

Hello,

I know a print shop using the "HP SmartStream IN050 Labels and Packaging Server, Powered by Esko Colour Kit."

They are very happy with that. They run two HP5600 with it. But it's a lot of money in my opinion. You could purchase GMG colourserve or Alwan for less. I don't believe it is a RIP though. Once you have processed the files you still need to pass then to the HP on board RIP.

I've seen this RIP advertised online but I cannot vouch for it.

http://digitalprintmachines.com/products.html


Having been to HP HQ in Barcelona for a Proof of Concept done by HP tech's I'd say don't get your hopes up. Six and Seven colour printing can still give you big headaches. You can match a spot colour within a delta E of less than one but the screening/moire will be so bad your client will reject it. Also you will have seven inks randomly heating up and cooling down and shifting hue. Your HP5600 has no inline spectro so it's difficult to keep colour stable during your print run.
​​
Our HP5600 is five months old and already has banding issues. No RIP will fix that.

Set a budget for what you can afford and arrange some demonstrations. Choose the package that fits you the best. There are no perfect solutions. Whatever you choose will bring you new challenges.

Good luck

 

[gcplau]

Thanks a lot Tim for your sharing...it is surely helpful. Ink heating seems to be a popular issue for color stability. Is the inline spectro constantly check and adjust spontaneously, or its used for daily routine calibration? Indigo 5500 do have densitometer built in, right?

 

[Stephen Marsh]

A spot colour simulation is only going to be as good/accurate as the process control, repeatability of calibration and device/substrate ICC profile/colour table of the device. Yes, different RIP’s will offer various methods to get to the destination, however if the destination is not stable and accurate then all of this is for nothing.


Stephen Marsh

 

[Tim-Ellis]

.... Is the inline spectro constantly check and adjust spontaneously, or its used for daily routine calibration? Indigo 5500 do have densitometer built in, right?

Your HP5500 and our HP5600 have the densitometer built in. So it's good for the routine colour adjustments but that's it. It cannot collect all the data to match different Pantones on different substrates.

Newer HP Presses such as the HP7800 and above have the inline spectrophotometer. I've not used one but as I understand it, with the latest DFE's you can check and adjust during print. I think because of the position of the spectrophotometer (similar to HP5500 densitometer location) , you cannot add a control strip to your artwork. I think you have to have the press run its own control strip.

Like I said, I don't work on the new HP presses so that might not be the same for all of them.

If you need to match Pantone colours then do not rule out the HP Ink Mixing System (IMS). It's costly and time consuming but it allows you to print a nice solid Pantone colour.

It depends what jobs you are printing. If you lucky enough to print colour photographs then your Indigo will serve you well. If you want to print large areas of solid Pantone colours then ... well ... you have a few late nights ahead of you.

 

[gcplau]

Thanks Tim for your always good comment and sharing. I hope our Indigo has inline spectro that constantly monitor the variable and communicate to press and adjust accordingly. New models of sheetfed and flexo has inline spectro or densitometer to constantly monitor and adjust during production...which is a good quality and productivity investment to me...

Talked to an experienced Indigo operator in NA and learnt the many variables during the process...chemically, mechanically,, electronically...keeping stability/repeatability is definitely a challenge. Only until these in place, can I really perform a calibration with reasonable averaging...and next is to explore the maximum gamut it can achieve for pantone or RGB workflow.