San Jose, CA (October 16, 2007) - The Color Management Group announces that it has released, and is now offering at www.colormanagement.com, color management and RIP competency tests that can be used to assess and evaluate a person's color management skills. Anyone who takes the test is given a realistic measure of his or her knowledge and skills about color management, press calibration and the use of five specific color management RIPs for digital inkjet proofing and wide format output.
Employers can use these tests in a variety of scenarios, including pre-employment screening, testing an employee's ability before or after color training, in-house testing to evaluate an employee's current skills and knowledge, or assessing an employee's skills and knowledge over the course of time. It is also a good barometer to determine if an employee needs user training from a vendor or a color management expert. Vendors and associations can use them in their training and certification classes, while consultants can use them to assess and evaluate clients before, during and after consulting services.
The seven test topics include a general color management test, a press calibration test, and five specific tests on third-party RIP products, including GMG ColorProof, EFI XF, ColorBurst, Oris Color Tuner, and Onyx Production House. For example, the types of information the test taker needs to comprehend to pass the test about any of the five third-party RIPs includes familiarity of the product, experience installing the software, a good understanding about color management and color reproduction, and familiarity with use of a spectrophotometer when setting up a RIP.
These tests are based on the expertise of members of The Color Management Group; professionals who have years of color management, press calibration and third-party RIP training and experience. They care about training, understand color technology and are committed to educating end-users about color management, press calibration and working with third-party inkjet RIPs.
The testing method is straightforward. After The Color Management Group receives payment, the user receives via email a locked PDF file with a password. The person has seven days from the time the file is received to complete and return the test, where The Color Management Group grades it. The corrected test and grade are returned to the user or employer via email.
"This series of competency tests was created by Color Management Group premier consultants who have extensive expertise. I doubt that there is any other resource that could compile such a thorough suite of tests. It is exactly what the industry needs: a series of standard, comprehensive, objective -and cost-effective-color management tests that can be used industry-wide to evaluate operator knowledge. It is a wonderful service for graphic arts, design, and printing companies," remarks Lida Jalali Marschke, co-founder and director of The Color Management Group. "The appeal of these tests is that they are convenient. We know that a talented instructor with color management skills, color printing and third-party RIP background experience could, conceivably, create similar test products. However, that is a time consuming and costly process. We're making tests easily available."
Tests can be ordered at www.colormanagement.com/store/CID90/ at a cost of $150, which includes grading. The test can also be licensed for multiple users. Quantity discounts are available.