Flexographic platemaker V&W Graphics, based in Alford, Lincs. has recently invested in GMG OpenColor proofing software to increase proofing accuracy for its corrugated, preprint and flexible packaging work. Established in 1978, V&W’s 52 employees work with printers around the country who produce packaging for various blue-chip brands and retailers.

"Over recent years increasing job complexity and a greater use of spot colour inks has placed increased importance on the production of accurate and consistent proofs," says Gareth Heward, Graphics & Production Director. "The issue that we found with most proofing software was that they were based on a CMYK proofing model. Since more and more of our packaging work falls outside of a four-colour process gamut, we needed a solution that could both calibrate and reproduce the increasingly diverse range of work that our customers produce.

"Spot colours have very different colour characteristics to process inks, and the result can be affected by the sequence that the inks are laid down when printed," continues Heward. "Being able to profile more than process colours was becoming more and more of a requirement.

"One particular job highlighted our problem: A panel of a packaging job that proofed out as a bright orange but printed more of a muted yellow. We showed the job to GMG who ran it through OpenColor and shipped the proof back to us the next day. Considering the time that we normally take on profiling and calibration, the fact that GMG could turn around a proof so quickly, that was so close to the final result was astounding."

GMG OpenColor is the industry’s first application to offer precise and predictable spot colour simulation by analysing ink behaviour in relation to the substrate’s colorimetric properties. The result is a profiling and calibration application that delivers accurate spot colour overprint simulation as well as the interplay between spot colours and process inks.

V&W’s solution was GMG OpenColor driving a 44 inch (111cms) Epson Stylus Pro 9900 complete with inline spectrophotometer for automated colour measurement and calibration. "Installation was fast and pain free. GMG came in and set everything up, and gave us two days of comprehensive training. What we’ve seen from OpenColor since its installation has been very impressive. OpenColor delivers fast and extremely accurate proofing data from even the most complex jobs. We’re much more confident in the proofs that we’re sending out now.

"Previously we could be spending quite a lot of time with creating a number of iterations of the proof, tweaking it manually to give the best result possible for our customers. Today, the process is a lot simpler and the resulting proof is more accurate to boot."

Toby Burnett, Sales Director GMG UK, comments: "With OpenColor we have developed specific spectral modelling algorithms for flexo, gravure and offset printing as opposed to a ‘one size fits all’ approach. This enables us to deliver more precise and consistent spot colour simulations for a wide range of print technologies and media substrates. As the packaging market continues to evolve and client expectations increase regardless of the underlying print process, GMG OpenColor allows service providers to deliver faster, more accurate proofing results time after time."