KENNESAW, Ga., March 31, 2005 – Print media industry leader Heidelberg USA announced today that in a recent independent evaluation of nine current software products ranked by colorimetric accuracy, Heidelberg PrintOpen created the most accurate color profile. Dr. Abhay Sharma, an associate professor in the Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Imaging, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences of Western Michigan University (WMU), Kalamazoo, Mich., performed the study. Results of the WMU comparative assessment, “Measuring the Quality of ICC Profiles and Color Management Software,” were reported in the Jan. 25, 2005 edition of The Seybold Report, and have drawn great interest throughout the industry. According to the Report, “Evaluations based on the colorimetric intent provide an indicative set of metric figures that can be used to make valid cross-vendor comparisons. Heidelberg PrintOpen created the most accurate profile in our tests.” According to Heidelberg, PrintOpen-enabled color profiling yields color fidelity, fewer misprints, greater efficiency, waste reduction and lower costs over the long term. Said Ray Cassino, director of product management prepress for Heidelberg USA, “Results of the WMU evaluation underscore Heidelberg’s expertise and longstanding leadership in color management technology. In the development of technologies designed to unite prepress and production workflows, the role of color profiling cannot be overstated.” To highlight the results of the report, IPA – The Association of Graphic Solutions Providers (IPA) recently sponsored two webinars focusing on ICC Profiling Software: Comparison and Analysis and examining the findings of the WMU report. Sessions addressing “An Independent Consumer Report on Accuracy and Value” and “Software Comparison and Implementation,” were conducted in February. According to IPA, about 250 people representing 43 companies attended at least one of the sessions. Sharma served as the presenter for both. Sharma, who said the IPA webinars were “very well attended,” ascribed the growing interest in color management to the fact that it tends to be nearly as tricky as it is critical. Of Heidelberg PrintOpen, he said, “The software is targeted at the pressroom. The software not only makes ICC profiles but also provides a wider array of tools that permit gamut viewing, dot gain viewing and comparison to a standard. It is clear that Heidelberg’s experience in the press room has been distilled into this prepress product.” Matthews Packaging Graphics & Design (Matthews PG&D) has been working with PrintOpen for the past three years at its Pittsburgh facility. The company currently is working to bring its Atlanta, Dallas and Kansas City, Mo. facilities online with PrintOpen. The company provides early support and expertise in planning, developing and integrating media programs of all types. “With Heidelberg PrintOpen, we can take color profiling upstream to the planning and design stage in an effort to scrub time, labor and the potential for error from the project cycle,” said Operations Manager Kevin Chop. “PrintOpen is extremely versatile. We use it for flexo, offset, screen, gravure and all the sub-disciplines within each category.” Color profiling with PrintOpen ensures the accuracy of critical data needed for consistent and repeatable reproduction, regardless of the mode of output, substrate, inks and other variables. Heidelberg PrintOpen is one of two components of Heidelberg’s Prinect Profile Toolbox. The other, Quality Monitor, fulfills process monitoring tasks and checks the color quality of proofs and prints. Matthews PG&D uses both components. “If you are used to dealing with conventional separations, PrintOpen is a godsend,” Chop said. “Other tools are able to evaluate and edit color profiles, but PrintOpen is miles and miles ahead. It’s a thoroughly professional tool. It speaks the language of color separation.” The ICC Profiling Webinars can be purchased on CD at www.ipa.org/profile.