The "cheap" proof!
Everyone's looking for it!
This is kinda like looking for the cheap Rolls-Royce.
quality costs, and when your are running thousands of sheets of paper to a certain colorspace, it would be nice if you had a reliable "visual image".
Having been in the printing field for over 45 years i have seen and dealt with most proofs. We actually used "colorkey" once. Then "Chromalins" and on to "Matchprint". Ah, those were the days, I could ,make the same film proof six different ways and then the pressman had to match me.
Most of the proofing solutions todauy are good. The problem lies in the dedication of the color management specialist that is responsible for the initial setup. You see, some companies, who look only at the bottom line profie, have given their installers strict orders to "install and get out, using "canned" profiles". Not every epson prints exactoy the same. The profile built in Minn. may not install good colorspace in Salt Lake City.
I am a color specialist, not cheap and some might say "picky" with color. I have made "Star Proof", AbsoluteProof" BestColor, EFI XF (integres), and Colorblind all work and work well. I do not walk into a shop, downlioad a profile and linearization for a printer from an ftp site and walk out. The process is much more complicated than that. But, done once, well, your proofs anr reliable and your color is repeatable, to the presses' color gamut.
Do not throw out a process until you have studied how it was setup. Nothing is "plug-n-play! Consult a professional (not a salesman) for the next direction you will take.
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