Addition to product portfolio brings fast, accurate spectrophotometer technology to individual packaging print houses

Sussex, Wisconsin - QuadTech, Inc. today announced a breakthrough color technology that will allow more print operations to utilize advanced inline spectral measurement on film, paper, or board. Using a 31-bin spectrophotometer, Color Measurement with DeltaCam offers full spectral measurement for CI flexo, inline flexo, and gravure presses.

"Until now, printers have had to spend a great deal of time in makeready stopping the press many times to measure color and determine if they are within spec," said Isaam Lutfiyya, QuadTech Manager of Business Development. "For an accurate color measurement on a flexo or gravure press, they had to measure a sample that was run at production speed. This increased waste because they had to run the press up to speed, shut it down, remove the sample and measure it offline."

Accurate inline color measurement enables printers to reduce time and waste while confidently maintaining color throughout the roll-without the need to wait for a roll change to measure with a handheld device. Color Measurement with DeltaCam enables operators to spot problems early and make corrections quickly, thus minimizing waste, customer complaints, and rebates.

DeltaCam is capable of performing at web speeds up to 610 m/min (2000 ft/min) and on web widths up to 2,200mm (87 inches), reading a single 5mm x 5mm color patch. The imager reads the spectral response of color mark patterns or other defined locations in the image, and the system's software calculates L*a*b* and density values-then calculates the ?E and ?D from the target.

The intuitive ICON-based user interface is identical to the performance-proven Color Measurement with SpectralCam^TM. The SpectralCam product tier is designed for printers who require faster press speeds and as many as 10-12 simultaneous color measurements; which is ideal for measuring color bars on offset applications.

DeltaCam uses advanced LED illumination for extended life and color temperature control, which creates ideal conditions for precise color measurement. The proprietary design reduces stray light, greatly increasing color measurement accuracy.

M1, M0, ISO Compliant

Along with strict adherence to ISO standards, Color Measurement with DeltaCam complies to M0 and M1 measurement conditions. Measurement illumination condition M1 was defined to reduce variations in measurement results between instruments due to fluorescence, either by optical brighteners in paper or fluorescence of the imaging colorants or proofing colorants.

Easy Integration, Configurability

The new system delivers excellent inter-instrument agreement with the most widely used handheld instruments. With an optional web stabilizer (required for film), agreement of less than 1?E₀₀ is achieved. The web stabilizer uses a patented technique to stabilize the substrate and measure over a certified ceramic backing tile for accurate color measurement-without the need for any mechanical positioning devices that may stretch or otherwise damage the film.

Color control and reporting capabilities are available when the DeltaCam system is paired with QuadTech's ColorTrack^TM with InkControl^TM, also debuted at drupa 2016.

"Now you don't have to be a global multinational print house to afford the industry's most advanced inline spectral color measurement," said Mr. Lutfiyya. "As with other technology in the QuadTech portfolio, DeltaCam ensures that no out-of-spec product gets to the customer, and automates the process of achieving precise color accuracy and consistency job-to-job."

QuadTech's new Color Measurement with DeltaCam can be seen at drupa 2016 in Düsseldorf, Germany in Hall 15, stand D50.