An automated print standardization solution for the press room that is affordable and easy-to-implement is now available with the Harlequin RIP® Version 9.0 following the announcement today by Global Graphics and Alwan Color Expertise that they have worked together to interconnect their systems.

The Harlequin RIP Version 9.0 together with Alwan’s PRINT Standardizer X3.5 enable fully automated digital printer and offset press calibration and conformance with ISO and G7 printing conditions.

Despite their very different technologies, analog and digital printers share at least two common characteristics: dependency on printed substrate, and instability over time and with variations of ambient conditions. Between them these lead to variability in printed colors between devices and from the same device between jobs. With the Harlequin RIP and Alwan PRINT Standardizer X3.5 color reproduction can be made consistent, predictable and repeatable across any number of devices without manual intervention.

Martin Bailey, Global Graphics’ chief technology officer says, “We’ve added a feature in version 9 of the Harlequin RIP that allows your process control solution to install and manage calibration curves automatically. Without it calculating and applying the necessary corrections can be time-consuming and subject to human error.

“So we worked with Alwan to ensure that the Alwan PRINT Standardizer connects with Harlequin to continuously and automatically measure the printed sheets and calculate the necessary curve corrections for each printer and substrate. The Harlequin RIP automatically applies the corresponding up-to-date compensation curve on the RIP, ensuring labor and risk-free process control and standardization of printed pages.“

Elie Khoury, founder and president of Alwan Color Expertise says, "Automating the application of dot gain compensation curves on the RIP is fantastic news for the printing industry. Today, printers are able to rely on automated process-control tools like Alwan PRINT Standardizer to correct for deviations in the printing process, and on their Harlequin RIP to apply the up-to-date correction to the files on the ripping stage. This automated closed-loop between the press measuring instrument and the RIP is a new and unique feature of Alwan and Global Graphics combined solution which will help print providers print to standards without necessarily having the technical resources and the required time to follow-up print quality in their print shop on a daily basis."

The Harlequin RIP Version 9.0 is available through Global Graphics’ network of OEMs. Existing Harlequin RIP users can run Version 9.0 for a 30 day trial period by contacting their supplier. For more information regarding the calibration API in Harlequin RIPs please contact [email protected].