New Software Application Allows Graphic Arts Professionals to Define, Achieve, and Maintain Color Quality

Chicago - GRAPH EXPO 2011 - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announced the Konica Minolta Color Care Suite, an efficient software application package to define, achieve and maintain product-specific quality standards for the award-winning series of  bizhub PRESS Color Digital Presses.  Using the Color Care Suite, graphic arts professions will be able to define and ensure the correct color output every time.

"Commercial printers need tools to help maintaining color standards in order to stay competitive in the marketplace," said Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.  "The new Color Care Suite ensures the exact installation and calibration of Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS systems following predefined quality targets. Our production print customers can count on Konica Minolta to provide the best color quality management software to ensure accurate color output."

Partnering with  Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, the worldwide leader in the industrial measurement of color, light and shape, the Color Care Suite includes the Konica Minolta  FD-5 Spectrodensitometer.  As the first M1-type instrument utilizing Konica Minolta's original Virtual Fluorescence Standard (VFS), it provides measurements corresponding to D50.  By combining the Color Care software with FD-5, customers can easily conform to the upcoming digital production printing standards.

"This joint effort between our two divisions of Konica Minolta offers a unique solution which is unmatched in the industry. Utilizing advanced color measurement hardware by Konica Minolta Sensing Americas and cutting-edge digital print technology by Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., we are able to offer unprecedented color output for the graphic arts market. The FD-5 bundle with Color Care ensures that this a solution not only for today but also for tomorrow by inclusion of the M1 standard," said Russell Doucette Business Unit Manager for Konica Minolta Sensing and IDEAlliance G7 Certified Expert.

The Color Care Software Suite will be available in the third quarter on the bizhub PRESS C8000/C7000/C6000 Series and the soon-to-be-launched bizhub PRO C6000L Production Print System.  The Suite includes:

• Color Care Catch - serves to measure and control the color output and verify that the quality conforms to the standards defined by the bizhub PRESS system.
• Color Care Profiler - creates high-quality ICC printer profiles on the newly installed color device.
• Color Care MatchPatch - ICC printer profiles can be refined and optimized.
• Color Care Display - calibrates computer monitors and creates ICC monitor profiles.