Since the early 1990s, northern Illinois-based GFX International (www.gfxi.com) has pioneered effective design and printing techniques for marketing-at-retail campaigns. Using a combination of screen printing and digital wide-format devices, the company has won numerous awards for point-of-purchase displays and store décor design. To handle the unique color management challenges of this type of printing, GFX turned to ORIS technology from CGS Publishing Technologies International.
 
GFX Prepress Manager Hector Padilla outlined the two companies’ technology partnership thus far, beginning with the use of ORIS Color Tuner // Web to produce contract-quality proofs at a fraction of the cost of a proprietary system. More recently, GFX successfully used ORIS Ink Saver to control neutral density issues with large bed screen printing. The company also implemented ORIS Aproove for Web-based collaboration and color approval, and is currently testing ORIS Press Matcher // Web for normalizing color on its digital wide format devices.
 
Unique Color Management
 
“Screen printing presents some unique color management challenges,” Padilla said. “Line Screen output is generally coarser than offset, from 50- to 100-line, as opposed to 175-line or higher with offset. Where offset printers usually print close to linear, building dot gain in their printing process, screen printers actually need dot gain to make a large image not look washed out. Color management that works for offset just doesn’t do it for us. Before we started using ORIS, we had to do a lot of manual UCR/GCR in Photoshop—dealing only with images, not vector files—with unsatisfactory results.”
 
Because GFX designs often utilized neutral grays and silvers, the goal of achieving G7 neutral balance was critical. By using ORIS Ink Saver, Padilla was able to normalize output from film imagesetters and direct-to-screen devices, resulting in consistent color from its OYO, Lüscher and Signtronic equipment.
 
“ORIS technology simply made our equipment output color at its true potential,” said Padilla. “With Ink Saver, we are able to get to press sooner, with less make-ready, and produce more consistent color every day. With the unique requirements of our business, like printing on white ink or printing on any substrate, including, paper, plastic, metal or even real wood, it’s important to have ORIS keeping our color under control and at its absolute best.”
 
The ORIS Test Drive
 
CGS has a long and successful history of applying color science to emerging digital printing and proofing technology. ORIS technology has dominated major industry comparisons, earning multiple InterTech and other awards for practical technology innovation. At Graph Expo 2011, the company launched its ORIS Test Drive program for North American printers, enabling them to take full advantage of their investment in digital color print. The program utilizes ORIS Press Matcher // Web to maximize the quality and consistency of any color digital press.
 
The company’s latest offering, ORIS Aproove, provides a cost-effective, cloud-based collaboration and approval environment for agencies, design firms and their print service partners.
 
For more product information about ORIS products and services, or to find out more about the ORIS Test Drive program, call CGS at (612) 870-0061 or email [email protected].