Comparing identical or different production presses has always been a bit of a challenge. There is available imaging science to determine imaging resolution, color reproduction and gamut, etc., but ultimately meeting a client’s reproduction expectations is usually based around a visual interpretation of the final results. So how can you create a set of tools and a process that can capture both the measurable science and the intrinsic visual interpretation that could provide a standardized method of comparison?

How about using a “Network Mediated Peer Group”? This concept has been developed and proven by a group of imaging experts and is now used by many press manufacturers and print service providers to ensure their equipment is operating at an optimal state. It was developed by Image Test Labs (ITL), a division of Technology Watch LLC, and offers a solution for comparing similar and different presses and press technologies. The experts who developed this process are Henry Freedman, inventor and founder of Technology Watch covering print and imaging technologies for over 38 years, along with Dr. Peter Dundas and Dr. Peter Crean, each with about four decades of color and engineering experience at Xerox.

This new process was built on top of years of “image grading” efforts by Image Test Labs. It started with a set of printable test targets along with more than 600 hours of live printing plant testing on offset, toner, inkjet, wide-format, and proofing systems. From that starting point, they have been able to create a reasonably-priced service that can compare presses against the results of others in their database, which is the “largest graded printed image database” in the world. Last year, they had the results of more than 300 presses added to the database, and all of the information collected and in their database is kept completely confidential.