Print Buyers and Printers Gain Effective Tool for Communicating About Color - Both Expectations and Results

Reston, VA - NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies announces the publication of CGATS/TR016: 2014 "Graphic technology — Printing Tolerance and Conformity Assessment," a technical report that specifies a revised tolerance schema for color conformity, from assessment to characterization, for conventional and digital printing. While the traditional approach satisfied some of the printer's needs for process control (e.g., as contained in ISO 12647-2), the revised method will now enable conventional and digital printers to produce the color that meets or exceeds print buyers' expectations.

Standard datasets such as GRACoL^® 2013 enable color management, however as the market does not want to standardize on paper colors, brightened paper stocks are preferred. Thus, for other paper stocks a substrate-corrected dataset to achieve printing aims is necessary. Printing and proofing to substrate-corrected datasets enables color matching on heavily optically brightened papers.

While supporting printing to substrate-corrected datasets, as specified in ANSI/CGATS 21: 2013, the newly revised CGATS/TR016 is a multiple-level tolerance schema that specifies tolerance ranges appropriate for applications from pleasing color photo books to color accurate contract proofs. Additionally, it enables the development of certification schemas, such as RIT's PSA Certification Program, which meet the certification needs of the graphic communications industry.

The revised technical report is the result of collaboration between the Committee for Graphic Arts Technology Standards (CGATS) and the IDEAlliance^® (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) Print Properties & Colorimetric Council, based on two years of user feedback and case studies.

According to David Steinhardt, President and CEO of IDEAlliance, "TR016 provides a simple and easy to use method for classifying and evaluating printed results. Now more than ever both buyers and printers need an effective way to communicate expectations, as well as results. TR016 provides this common ground. IDEAlliance looks forward to integrating TR016 into the G7^® Master Qualification Program, as well as other educational programs."

For brand owners, CGATS/TR016 fills a communication gap between print service providers and print buyers by providing a range of acceptable tolerances that both print service providers and customers may use to validate the color conformance of printed products. Brand owners are utilizing the revised technical report's specifications to expand color conformity for a variety of print channels that include both offset and digital printing.

Committee members involved in developing this technical report included a broad range of leading industry printers, RIP and software vendors, commercial printers, academia, and other industry stakeholders. NPES supports and administers the activities of the ANSI-accredited CGATS Committee. Participation on the committee is open to anyone having an interest. For more information about CGATS/TR016, or participation on the CGATS Committee, contact Debbie Orf, Assistant Director of Standards Programs at phone: 703/ 264-7200 or e-mail: [email protected].