Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Color Tool 3.0,for quality assessments and for creating ICC profiles

Color Tool 3.0 consists of two components:
  • Profile Tool 3.0 with the Multicolor add-on
  • Quality Monitor 3.0
Profile Tool 3.0 lets you create ICC-based profiles of calibrated and controlled prints and proofs. The pro-files contain information about the devices and pro-cesses plus their parameters that can be used for accessing the correct profiles during production. The software helps you generate the profiles in an easy way.
Details about all the relevant process parameters (plates, substrates, inks, color order) are saved in the profiles. This includes the relevant process standard in the form of dot gain curves and solid densities or the color data of the process colors. You can also use these details for quality control and setup of the press. Different procedures make a quality check sys-tematic and simple and allow you to record the devices and applications involved in the color work-flow.

Quality Monitor lets you check and evaluate device and process calibrations, ICC profiles and proof cor-rections and lets you document the results. The focal point of this software is to check the process parame-ters of the imagesetters and platesetters, printing pro-cesses and proofers you use. The measured data required for this are recorded using defined test equipment. The software helps you record and evaluate the mea-sured data in an easy way and gives you tips about possible problems and their elimination

New or enhanced functions in Color Tool 3.0
  • Merging of ICC profile creation with Profile Tool (PrintOpen) and quality assessments with Quality Monitor to one joint application, Color Tool 3.0
  • Revised and enhanced assessment of color data (trend)
  • Assessment of measured data of spot colors, i.e. assessment of multicolor control strips, e.g. FOGRA 5/6 or Prinect 6GS/8GS
  • Support of the new FOGRAcert test parameters for proofs
  • Comparison of data sets (optional) with automatic loading of a reference file
  • Intelligent file filter for Image Control data files
  • Revised management and editing of process standards
  • Revision and extension of the process standards (ISO-12647-2:2007, FOGRA, HDM). The process standards included in the shipment are write-protected.
  • Further integration of the process standards in the results and diagrams
  • Compatibility between Quality Monitor and Calibration Manager (Calibration Tool)for dot gain data
  • Substitution of the Heidelberg logo with a custom bitmap with printing
  • Further optimization of the profile quality in black and color composition (yellow/blue)
  • Creation of multicolor profiles (separate option that can be purchased) for 5 colors: CMYK plus orange/red or green or blue for 6 colors: CMYK plus orange/red and green for 7 colors: CMYK plus orange/red, green and blue
  • Enhanced color calculator: Support of multicolor profiles and calculation of process colors (e.g. CMYK) back to Lab
  • Creation of device link profiles with black and color preservation options- Smoothing filter (optional) for ICC profiles (smoothing in the color space)
  • Optional output of ICC profiles in the ICC-v4 profile format- Support of X-Rite EyeOne-iO and EyeOne-iSis spectrophotometers
  • Support of the Techkon SpectroDens spectrophotometer
  • Extension of the test charts for EyeOne-iO and EyeOne-iSis- Special test charts for multicolor printing (not for all measuring devices)