When computer-to-plate (CTP) printing hit the catalog scene in the mid-1990s, it promised to revolutionize catalog production. And it has. But it didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t occur without the support and cooperation of vendors and developers who built tools to support the new digital way of printing.
The development of CTP platesetters was just the beginning of the transition from film-based processes to a completely digital way of producing catalogs. Every year since CTP was first introduced, the catalog industry has grown more adept at using it to produce editions. And each sequential year has seen exciting new technologies that promise to make the digital production process simpler, faster, more reliable and less costly. This past year was no exception.
SCANNERS
iQsmart1 Flatbed Color Scanner
This new scanner from Creo is designed specifically for the professional creative market. The ‘iQ’ in the iQsmart scanner family name stands for “image quality,” and the solution delivers true 16-bit color. It’s also a flexible scanning solution, according to Creo, in that it’s capable of scanning a wide range of original materials, including oversized enlargements, books and packages. Based on Creo’s XY Stitch scanning technology, the new device can scan any size original at the highest resolution across the entire scanning bed.
For more, visit: www.creo.com.
CanoScan 9950F Color Image Scanner
The new production-level scanning device from Canon U.S.A. can scan most types of originals, including photos, documents, transparencies and film (negatives and transparencies up to 4-by-5 inches).
In multi-scan mode, the CanoScan 9950F automatically can scan up to 30 35mm negative frames, and it can import each frame into an individual file. It has a maximum hardware resolution of 4,800-by-9,600 dpi and 48-bit color depth.
The new Film Automatic Retouching and Enhancement has been built into this scanner, and it automatically performs an infrared scan that examines the films’ surfaces for dust and scratches, and removes the unwanted imperfections from the final scan. Additionally, the scanner can convert documents directly into PDF format.
For more, visit www.usa.canon.com.
PUBLISHING SOFTWARE
EFI’S Proteus for MAC OS X
The new, Mac OS-X version of Proteus publishing software from Electronics for Imaging (EFI) enables you to plan, position, view and set printing press specifications for all advertising and editorial elements of your catalog or other printed materials.
Proteus allows copywriters, art directors, sales managers, production managers, printers and others to collaborate on an issue’s assembly and production. The end result is a digital map of the issue, which contains pagination, color reproduction, imposition and other data the printer needs to produce the catalog.
Proteus also offers:
— automatic conflict checking;
— support for an unlimited number of inserts, bind-ins and blow-ins; and
— on-the-fly re-folio and re-pagination.
For more, visit: www.efi.com.
Adobe Framemaker 7.1
The latest iteration of Adobe’s popular FrameMaker application offers expandable eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file handling and direct document import and migration features.
Also, with a new Conditional Text feature, creators can maintain document variations in a single XML source file. The variations can be controlled and previewed for print or PDF output.
For more, visit: www.adobe.com/products/framemaker.
COMPUTER MONITOR CALIBRATION SYSTEMS
ColorVision Spyder2Pro Studio
ColorVision says this new colorimeter product line delivers precise calibration and highly accurate ICC profiles for CRT, LCD and laptop computer displays. The next-generation color management tool offers features such as new light detectors that deliver a five-fold increase in sensitivity, a new filter pack system, and a patent-protected light baffle for tighter color measurement. ColorVision positions Spyder2Pro Studio as a user friendly color management tool for graphics professionals.
For more, visit www.colorvision.com.
Gretag Macbeth Eye-One Display 2
This fall, Gretag Macbeth, the developer of color measurement and management systems, introduced a new, one-button solution for calibrating and profiling various computer monitors.
The Eye-One Display 2 is a monitor profiling solution that automatically adjusts brightness, contrast and monitor white point. The new model has an enhanced sensor that provides higher repeatability; faster measurements; higher sensitivity in the dark areas for better control in shadow detail; and a more neutral gray scale, according to Gretag.
The solution comes with the new Eye-One Match software (v.3), based on ProfileMaker 5 algorithms, a standard for profile quality. Other new features include:
— user-defined luminance settings for CRT and LCD monitors;
— a profile summary report showing target color temperature, luminance and gamma, as well as ambient light readings; and
— a profile reminder (which can be individually set by the user) that checks the profile’s age and reminds the user (after one to four weeks) to create a new monitor profile.
For more, visit: www.gretagmacbeth.com.
PREPRESS APPLICATION
Markzware’s FlightCheck Studio
This newly unveiled quality-control solution for digital file creation presents a new concept in digital file verification: the examination and repair of digital documents while they’re being created. This plug-in application can enable catalog designers to establish rules — or “design policies” — about the file before they even begin creating it.
For example, if the file is bound for four-color printing, the application will alert the designer if he or she has mistakenly put an RGB, low-res image in the document. It catches common file preparation mistakes as they happen, rather than after the document has been finalized.
In this way, all aspects of the file design can be controlled, including rules about style sheets, fonts to be used, images, colors and other output specifications.
Markzware is positioning FlightCheck Studio as an essential quality-control tool for anyone charged with designing content for print or multimedia, including catalog creators. For more, visit: www.markzware.com.
PROOFER
Fujifilm FINALPROOF GxT Digital Halftone Proofer
This new contract-quality digital proofing system meets the demands of catalogers who require exact color matching. Fujifilm promises contract quality and a true halftone dot.
The device produces a pigment-based digital proof by way of Fujifilm’s Thin Layer Thermal Transfer technology. The FINALPROOF GxT is capable of spot-color simulation, using CMYK-plus-spot-color donors to extend the gamut, and accepts special-color donors, including orange, red, blue, green, white and silver metallic.
For more, visit: www.enovationgraphics.com.
Gretchen Peck is a freelance writer specializing in the graphic arts.