GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--X-Rite, Incorporated, the world leader in color management, measurement and communication technologies, today unveiled EasyTrax, the industry's most affordable, semi-automated press-side color scanning solution. Combining a rich feature set with affordable pricing, and seamless integration with X-Rite's extensive range of prepress and pressroom color solutions, EasyTrax provides an easy-to-use solution to meet the color management and process control needs of small to mid-size printers around the world.

With an entry-level price starting at $10,995 (USMSRP), EasyTrax brings affordable process control to commercial offset or folding carton packaging printers with smaller format color presses (from 20" up to 40"), or those working in a primarily process color environment (2 to 6 colors). It is ideally suited for printers who wish to regularly monitor press runs to ensure they precisely match their customers' quality requirements, and meet industry specifications and standards.

"With EasyTrax, X-Rite now offers a best of breed color control solution for every type of sheet-fed printing workflow, from inspiration to production, regardless of the size of customer, their budget, or their level of color process control expertise," comments Laura Pursley, senior product manager for pressroom solutions at X-Rite.

For customers with older presses, EasyTrax can extend the life of their presses by introducing automation and increasing efficiency. It is ideal for customers who have, until now, been relying on handheld technology to do spot checks. Taking the next step in automation with EasyTrax will allow them to move from simple trouble shooting to a more disciplined process control.

EasyTrax also offers a much-needed solution for printers located in price sensitive but fast growing markets such as Latin America, China, India and Eastern Europe.

EasyTrax simplifies the regular monitoring of press runs by measuring color bars press-side to give users fast and highly accurate density and spectral measurement data, leading to faster make ready and predictable, repeatable results.

Designed with simple installation and ease-of-use in mind, EasyTrax offers easy set up, easy alignment, and can be used with little to no training, making it a highly efficient tool for press operators at any level.

"EasyTrax is better than any other system we have used. It is fast, in-depth and delivers accurate results every time. The results of the scan are easy to read and any adjustment can be made quickly. The fact that the measuring board can fit on any console means that we can carry out our measurement right on the press, without having to walk to a separate unit, which would make alterations a lot slower. We have also found the software to be very intuitive and easy to use," comments Nick Clarke, managing director of Clarkeprint, one of the UK's foremost innovators in print supply and EasyTrax beta customer.

"The X-Rite EasyTrax semi-automated scanning solution is a great tool for our short and long run book cover manufacturing process. We are excited that it quickly targets color and uses fewer materials to achieve a fast, multiple color set up," Mike Arrowood, project team leader, Color House Graphics, a privately owned book manufacturer and EasyTrax beta customer located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Based on X-Rite's proven color measurement technology, EasyTrax is compatible with X-Rite's extensive range of prepress and pressroom solutions, and includes the PANTONE Digital Libraries.

Available in multiple press sizes from 20" to 40", EasyTrax comes with a measurement board for easy installation on existing consoles. EasyTrax's measurement board includes black backing so users can achieve or maintain ISO certification.

Support for ISO standards and G7 Process Control is available for EasyTrax as an option for customers who want to maximize their process control efficiency by printing to international standards. These features will help process color printers work to ISO targets using specific ISO inks and paper stocks.

Available in spectral or density models, the new system boasts a number of unique productivity-enhancing features including:
    * Error detection to alert to a mis-aligned color bar ensuring accurate measurements every time
    * Measurement speed of 150mm/sec – faster than handheld and other semi-automated devices – saves make ready time and gets to the correct color faster.
    * Easy to use software displays attributes like density, dot gain, print contrast; acts as a central location to store all information and later, generate reports.
    * Spectral and density readings from one measurement saves time but gives all necessary information for pressroom adjustments.
    * Software automatically evaluates readings against set tolerances so the users quickly know if they need to make adjustments to ink density.
    * The embedded covered calibration plaque is protected from dirt and dust to ensure that the system will maintain consistent accurate measurements.
    * Precise color bar alignment with laser and skew adjustment reduces make ready time and increases alignment accuracy.
    * Features robust file formats and software development options in order to allow connection to multiple closed loop and third party software solutions.

EasyTrax also features a number of options, including:
    * A polarized version that allows for the system to take polarized density measurements in the same scan as measuring un-polarized color.
    * ISO and G7 support
    * Turnkey computer and touch screen

Pricing and availability:
EasyTrax will be unveiled to the public at the Print 09 exhibition (booth number 6939, McCormick Place, Chicago Illinois, September 11th-16th 2009). The new system will be available worldwide from X-Rite and its extensive network of resellers in Q4 2009 with a USMSRP starting at $10,995.