May 4, 2004 -- KBA North America, a leading sheetfed offset press manufacturer based in Williston, VT, has announced that Pantone, Inc., a worldwide leader in color communication and color technology based in Carlstadt, N.J., is approving the KBA 74 Karat Digital Offset Press to produce simulations of PANTONE-simulated Colors. 74 Karat print providers in North America can now reproduce optimized PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM Colors. KBA North America will provide support and training to its North American 74 Karat user base. The approval from Pantone has come after extensive collaboration between the two organizations. To become a Pantone-licensed device, the 74 Karat digital offset press had to produce the best possible four-color (CMYK) combinations in two areas – spot color and repeatability of color outputs – for the 1,114 colors in the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM. The licensing process involved mapping out the correct values for PANTONE Colors, measuring printed targets and testing to create the best possible representations of PANTONE Colors. “Designers and print buyers demand highly accurate PANTONE Color reproduction,” says Ralf Sammeck, president and CEO of KBA North America. “We’re proud that, after our engineers worked so diligently with color scientists at Pantone, the 74 Karat digital offset press has earned the distinctive Pantone-licensed product designation, assuring our press users will achieve PANTONE Color accuracy and reliability on all their printed projects.” “We’re very excited to announce Pantone licensing of the KBA 74 Karat digital offset press,” says Andy Hatkoff, vice president of Electronic Color Systems at Pantone, Inc. “It was truly a collaborative process between two companies that share a mutual commitment to color development and accuracy. The fact that KBA has invested in such a demanding process for the 74 Karat shows how much color accuracy means to the company.” KBA 74 Karat press operators need only to perform one check to ensure accurate reproduction of PANTONE Colors. By checking a look-up table with PANTONE Colors and mixing inks according to the PANTONE Color specifications, 74 Karat users will be able to more easily reproduce PANTONE Colors on the press. The best possible PANTONE Color reproduction capabilities will be available to all current and future users of the 74 Karat digital offset press. Developing customized color look-up tables to represent PANTONE Colors for the 74 Karat digital offset press was an extensive process. “We take into consideration the inks being used, the substrate and the printed job,” says Hatkoff of Pantone, Inc. “We have a team of color experts who evaluate color and how the press can be adjusted to represent a PANTONE Color.” “In 1963, Pantone embarked on a course to provide the graphic arts industry with a quality and reliable language of color communication,” explains Richard Herbert, president of Pantone, Inc. “The reproduction of color to exact standards is of vital importance to designers, printers and clients. With the trend toward increased adoption and use of digital presses, we are pleased to have a leader such as KBA support PANTONE Colors with the 74 Karat.  We feel strongly that KBA’s 74 Karat Digital Offset Press can do an excellent job to simulate PANTONE Colors.” KBA 74 Karat users also are happy to hear about the certification. “The color that we output on the 74 Karat is excellent,” says Sean Haley, vice president of CSI, Falls Church,Va., and a member of the Karat Users Group. “But having the press approved by Pantone will be an excellent selling point for us.Everyone knows the PANTONE name and reputation. All of our clients-designers and ad agencies-spec out spot colors. This certification will provide us with another marketing and selling tool.”