Harding Colour ’s Digital Workflow and Colour Management system

Our Digital Workflow has three main elements.

1/ Client generation of PDF's and "flightchecking" of native DTP files.
2/ "Flightchecking", RIPing, imposition and proofing of these files by Harding Colour.
3/ Author's corrections to these PDF's by Harding Colour, and output to CTP plate.

Software Solutions:

To ensure trouble free file generation, Harding Colour recommends Enfocus Instant PDF, available at www.enfocus.com.

This software flightchecks your PDF generation as well as setting Acrobat Distiller with our optimum settings. You will receive warnings if there are any problems with your file. It attaches a log of all file changes, providing a permanent record for your quality assurance.

Your publication is then RIPed and imposed on a Signa station using Enfocus Pitstop Server software.

This software is an automated document flow and PDF flightchecking station for rapid and accurate processing of PDF's.

Your author's corrections are then carried out using Enfocus Pitstop Professional.

This software can unlock any PDF document and make fixes or changes at any stage in the workflow. Whether you need to make single text and graphics edits, or change the colour space of an entire document to your desired output profile, its editing power will revolutionize how you think about PDFs.

This workflow solution eliminates the Unexplained Computer Phenomena (UCPs) that have plagued our industry since it went digital.

Our Colour Management System has three main elements.

1/ The calibration and monitoring of proof generation.
2/ The calibration and monitoring of plate making.
3/ The calibration and monitoring of press sheets.

Colour Calibration
This is a process of "fingerprinting" the reproduction chain. Hundreds of special targets are output on proofing, plate and press and carefully measured by a calibrated densitometer. The results are entered into special calibration software that automatically adjusts the proof output to accurately represent press performance on different grades of paper. The measurements are done again and again until the correct results are achieved. This method is done periodically to check for changes in machines, inks or materials.

Colour Monitoring
Harding Colour use the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation's (GATF) digital process control system. These targets enable visual and densimetric monitoring of individual jobs. Their purpose is to monitor the accuracy of reproduction set by the calibration system. There is a different target for proofing, plate making and printing:

The GATF Proof Comparator uses visual targets and densitometer measured targets to maintain colour consistency in the digital proofing system. The target also measures device resolution and the dimensional sizing performance of the device.

The GATF Plate Control Target has a variety of targets sensitive to exposure, resolution and directional effects. It can tell whether the requested resolution is being utilized, whether directional effects are affecting quality and whether Dmax for solids is being achieved and how well dot percentages are being rendered.

The GATF Production Colour Bar has visual and densitometer measured targets that report dot gain, colour balance, dot percentage rendering, slur, doubling and primary colour overprints. This sensitive colour bar shows variation in production values before any variation can be noticed in the printed image.

These sensitive targets are scientifically designed to set measurable calibration points to ensure production consistency in a workflow full of variables.The combined process of calibration and monitoring is refered to as a Colour Management System.

Call Harding Colour 3390 6599 anytime for free advice or email sales@hardingcolour.com.au colour management.