West Haven, CT (May 31, 2006) – Commercial printers are under enormous pressure to stay competitive, improve quality and expand their range of services. For those who print high-end color jobs, digital proofing has become an important part of that business equation. Gist and Herlin Press (GHP) in Connecticut is a case in point. GHP is a medium-sized ($20 million) printer, known for high-quality annual reports and business collateral, plus a strong reputation in the fine art book market. Faced with the need to provide consistent, affordable, high-quality color proofs, GHP selected ORIS. The selection process was not taken lightly. Craig Wermann, GHP’s head of color operations had tried a number of proofing technologies, including Black Magic, GMG Colorproof and EFI ColorProof XF, before ultimately deciding on ORIS Color Tuner from CGS. Wermann described the ORIS Digital Proofing System, which utilizes Canon printers and CGS PearlPROOF paper, as “the solution to inkjet proofing we had been chasing for two years.” Searching for the Perfect Proof The move to CTP and Creo’s stochastic screening in 2003 was instrumental in providing exceptional color print quality for GHP’s demanding clientele – including the fine art community and high-end corporations. With film-based Matchprint proofing going away, however, the critical issue was digital proofs. GHP purchased Epson 9600 printers, using a Black Magic front end, but encountered too many color discrepancies, as well as troublesome workflow issues. In 2004, the company installed GMG Colorproof o4, which achieved better color results, but was ultimately too cumbersome and time-consuming, according to Wermann. In October 2005, GHP installed ColorProof XF from Electronics for Imaging (EFI). After an initially smooth installation, however, problems arose that could not be solved, despite “a constant stream of technicians” working on the issues. Eventually, the labor cost of “babysitting” the system resulted in the company dropping EFI in favor of ORIS Color Tuner in April 2006. The change has been remarkable. GHP CEO John Robinson commented, “Since we installed ORIS, this is the first time in months I’ve seen our color department manager (Wermann) smile.” The system, including ORIS Color Tuner driving two Canon imagePROGRAF 8400 printers, was installed without incident at the company’s West Haven plant. A full calibration to GHP’s press took only a half shift, and both devices are kept in calibration to the GHP standard using ORIS’ automatic calibration wizard. Wermann plans to use ORIS to drive the Epson 9600 printers as well, mainly for fine art reproductions on canvas and archive-quality media. “All in all,” Wermann said, “we are very pleased with the product we are now producing through the ORIS front end, as well as the technical support we are receiving for the product.” “Our experience with CGS, and with the ORIS front end, has been delightful,” Robinson said. “ORIS has the ease-of-use, quality and consistency we need.”