Tübingen, Germany (November 23rd, 2004) – GMG today announced that it is shipping two new features with FlexoProof o4, the package proofing application the company introduced earlier this year at drupa 04. Now, prepress shops and converters will be able to demonstrate what will occur if a press prints out of register, or how an image will appear on a substrate such as corrugated or fiberboard. Thus, a digital contract proof will help them predict, as close as possible, the final print product. Package printing applications are subject to a variety of printing substrates, spot colors, and printing conditions. Flexo packagers have very tight requirements for contract proofs. GMG FlexoProof o4, introduced in May 2004, is specifically designed for digital proofing of packaging jobs. FlexoProof includes GMG SpotColor to manage special colors and includes the Pantone Library. With GMG FlexoProof, color opacity and print sequences can be specified as needed. Both printing substrate color and structure – such as paper fibers or corrugated board – can be reproduced in the proof. GMG FlexoProof generates contract-quality halftone proofs from the same 1 bit data used by the film or platesetter RIP. These features allow highly accurate proofing of jobs as they will appear under actual printing conditions. Out-of-register simulation Often, when presses run at high speeds, colors can be printed out-of-register. With a printed digital proof, GMG FlexoProof o4 now provides a simulation that demonstrates what results will occur when a press prints packaging out of register. Colors can be shifted in steps of 0.1 mm, providing the converter and prepress department the opportunity to judge the effect of misregistration to the final print product. To assure that the proofs are accurate, GMG uses 1-bit TIFF data directly from the imagesetter RIP to create the simulation. Substrate simulation Individual printing substrate structures such as paper fibers or corrugated board structures can be specified in the system and reproduced in the proof – along with the base color of the substrate. Actual printing conditions can also be simulated, such as printing on lower quality paper, with the use of variable image noise. GMG FlexoProof reproduces the image over a scan of the intended substrate. This allows users to view how image colors will be altered on a substrate, as well as how the image will be affected by the structure of the substrate – such as ridges on corrugated. “GMG has extensive experience providing proofs for packaging, and understands flexography very well. Before we created GMG FlexoProof o4 specifically for packagers, they were using GMG ColorProof for years,” remarks Robert Weihing, President and CEO of GMG. “These new FlexoProof o4 features are critical for converters to assess the acceptability of labels and other packaging on press. No other proofing solution provides the ability to demonstrate the results of printing out of registration or on the edge of a substrate. These features ensure that GMG FlexoProof o4 is the most reliable solution to accurately represent contract proofs for packaging.” Both simulation features are currently shipping with FlexoProof o4. GMG FlexoProof o4 customers who own a software maintenance contract will receive the upgrades automatically. Owners of earlier versions, without a maintenance contract, can purchase an upgrade from GMG or an authorized GMG reseller.