ColorGATE is introducing in Version 10 its new Industrial Productionserver series for digital industrial printing. In addition to the Industrial Productionserver Lab Edition, which specifically targets developers and manufacturers of industrial digital printing systems, such dedicated solutions as Ceramic, Décor, Packaging and Textile Productionserver are also new.

Other new ColorGATE products include Colorrizer, a new coloration software, and Rapid Spectro Cube (RSC), an extremely fast color measurement system, which, together with the Industrial Productionserver variants, focus on the entire digital production workflow from the creation of the design, to proofing and right on up to final printing. The entire portfolio will be on display at InPrint 2015 in Munich from November 10th to 12th.

The new application-specific Industrial Productionserver solutions are based on ColorGATE know-how in Color Management and the intelligent control of printing systems and have been designed to provide all the functions required in the industrial area of application concerned. A software-integrated quality-control function and the innovative recalibration technology guarantee the color-consistent future production of the same print runs at any time. The Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE), the world’s currently fastest, highest quality rendering platform for demanding graphics products, comes included. Thus, the combination of Productionserver and APPE supplies printing systems with a constant stream of graphics data in highest quality and speed. ColorGATE’s unique Ink Saver technology for lower ink costs is also optionally available for the new Industrial Productionserver solutions.

Ceramic Productionserver
Complete workflow and Color Management solution specially developed for digital ceramic printing. The Ceramic Productionserver functions as a central printing data management system to provide highest process efficiency from design right on up to the finished ceramic product. It is able to process all the conventional file formats, including multi-channel files, and creates separations/printing data for all the ceramic printers of different manufacturers. The individual functions are integrated specific to the application in order to close gaps in the digital workflow.

It is equipped with all the calibration and profiling tools required for printers and proofers and also allows a color correct display of multichannel files. Ceramic Productionserver can be used across different manufacturers’ products because ColorGATE works together with many different manufacturers of printing systems and printing system components. Thanks to an expansion of Color Management technologies, it is possible to convert ICC-based Color Management from any input color space to any output color space. As a result, multichannel data can be reproduced correctly, regardless of the color configuration of the source data with respect to the target color system: from RGB, CMYK, CMYKplus or nColor to RGB, CMYK, CMYKplus or nColor.

Décor Productionserver
The new Décor Productionserver has been specially developed for the industrial décor reproduction printing, e.g. for finishing of wood-based panels, laminates and décor papers. Thus, the ColorGATE Décor Productionserver builds a bridge between the new versatility of digital decoration and the established conventional, analog printing processes, making it possible to transfer production and design data from conventional processes to a new digital production process. Color Management functions coordinated specifically with the decoration and enhancement process allow the processing and color adaption of already existing greyscale and 1-Bit data.

The adoption of 1-bit TIFF engraving data makes it possible to freely combine and further process individual separations. In addition, complete ICC Color Management for files with up to 3 to 8 color channels can be used. User-defined ICC profiles in the correct color mode are allocated to the designated multichannel ink sets to guarantee color-accurate output.

What’s more, ICC profiling can be created outside of the standard process colors, e.g. CMYK. In addition to output profiles, automatic preview profiles are also generated to optimally support the entire Color Management workflow. These preview profiles can be used as reference and soft-proof profiles in all design applications, even for those that do not support n-Color. Deviations in the media color can also be compensated easily and reliably.

Packaging Productionserver
ColorGATE also presents a Productionserver configuration with the speed-optimized output of Multipage and PDF-VT files for the first time, called Packaging Productionserver. Print jobs several thousand pages in length can now be ripped, color managed and screened corresponding to the output resolution at the same time without requiring any waiting at the output system. ColorGATE uses the current Adobe PDF Print Engine 4.0 as its Raster Image Processor engine (RIP engine) and has optimized it even further for the high-powered processing of extensive multiple-page documents in Productionserver, whereby data volumes of up to 4 gigapixels per second can be created without interruption. Thanks to this scalable high-powered technology, high-resolution single-pass printing systems with up to 1200 x 1200 dpi can also be supplied with printing data nonstop.

Packaging Productionserver also provides for the fully automated generation of control data for the integrated units to allow true-to-contour laser label cutting. In addition, any changes and deviations in the media color can also be balanced out with great ease and reliability, which is particularly important for such natural materials as paper or corrugated cardboard. Existing ICC profiles can be easily adapted to changes in the media color and the viewing light at any time. These adjustments can be made without the need for any complicated new profiling. As a result, a wide variety of different media colors or specific lighting conditions can be taken into account without any delay, which is extremely important for industrial printing processes in particular, and profile adjustments to other types of lighting beyond the D50 (standard), e.g. D55, D65, standard lighting A and Tungsten, pose no problem.

Textile Productionserver
ColorGATE’s Textile Productionserver provides the right RIP software for all applications in digital textile printing. This includes the support of printing systems and sublimation processes as well as industrial textile printing processes for natural, synthetic and mixed fabrics, using reactive inks or pigment inks for direct printing. Textile Productionserver is developed to support all processes and many of the leading systems. It guarantees production equally perceived even for changing substrates with the help of effective, easily implemented Color Management. Production on 8-color printing systems is also supported as well as any desired system fitting with individual colors or inks. The individual color channels can be allocated freely.

Design data is implemented lengthwise right down to the last pixel. The printing file created is relatively small and suitable for production purposes, which enhances the productivity of the printing process and simplifies the work of the digital print producer (external or in-house). In addition, output lengths and widths can be freely defined and the output resolution directly adjusted to the digital printing system to be used.

Industrial Productionserver Lab Edition
This software offers excellent Color Management for consistent color reproduction, proof functions and the generic industrial inkjet driver suitable for all industrial printing systems and applications. The generic printer driver can be configured to generate printable raster data (1-bit or multi-level) for virtually all possible ink configurations and resolutions in the common file formats. Productionserver can also be used to create color correct printing data from all conventional graphics documents. In addition, the Industrial Productionserver Lab Edition delivers all the functions required to check industrial printing systems early on in the development process in rigorous testing with respect to printing quality and color accuracy, particularly taking into account different ink configurations. Using the Industrial Productionserver Lab Edition can effectively eliminate a flawed print prepress or print data preparation as the cause of quality problems at an early point in time, which, in turn, reduces the need for troubleshooting, which is frequently time-consuming and costly.

Individual development services for industrial printing systems
In addition to the generic industrial inkjet driver, ColorGATE also offers system- and application-specific development services for industrial printing systems. This includes the development of individual printer drivers for the printing system concerned to optimally exploit the respective specifications of the system. It is also possible to integrate expanded application-relevant functions for the driver.