3rd Party for Contract proofs?

[prepress_vee]

Why is it that so many people with High-End RIPs are using 3rd party Software/RIPs to generate Color managed/Contract proofs>?

I see many Signatures with GMG, Oris, etc.

Can your RAMpage, Nexus and other RIPs not provide reliable Color Managed Proofs?

I run every proof right through our Meta RIP, be it Digital Blueline/Impo or Contract proofs. This has been the workfflow for us since the install years ago.

Please shed some light on this for me.
Thanks!

Vee

[clod]

Could be a few reasons... Does the Meta/RAMpage/Nexus /High-End Rip offer profile creation, printer calibration/re-calibration, accurate spot color LUTs, profile editing capability, ect? I think the main reason might be that a dedicated proofing "Rip" is more specialized and offers more functionality and a little (or a lot in some cases) more accuracy to the target data. At least that's my take, and certainly High-End Rips can output accurate proofs if handed accurate profiles.

[prepress_vee]

That's what I was looking for Clod, thanks.

I'm not sure of the capabilities of RAMpage and others, but our Meta can and does measure, create, edit, LUTs, etc. etc... It's done via ColorProof Pro.

Do the others have this?
TIA
Vee

[David]

We use Oris here on our Epson only.
With Oris, as with GMG, you have a ton of control over the profiles and characterization of the output device. Some RIPs just don't have the controls for such fine adjustments on the output. We can edit spot color definitions, custom designer inks, we can also "un-color" inks so that they don't print on the proof (like a varnish).
It gives us a better looking proof that very closely matches our Kodak Approval. We had previously used Black Magic on it (the Epson) and were happy with the results, but then found out about Oris at one of the proofing shoot outs several years ago, and have been using it ever since.



PS. as I was writing this I noticed Clod beat me to it, I'm a slow typist...


PSS. It looks like ColorProof Pro is about the same thing as Oris, GMG, just from Heidelberg.

[prepress_vee]

Cool.. thanks David. Even if you are slow. ; )

EDIT: WOW! Quick reply is awesome! I like it!!

[MarkTonk]

Hi Vee,

As you know, Heidelberg does sell it's own proofing solution with most of our systems. Our legacy goes back to one of the first digital proofers, the Hell CPR 403 in the mid 80's. In the early 90's we were working with a proprietary profiles with our scanners. There was a movement to make profiles open and this was directed by the ICC. We agreed with them and used our color knowledge to write a program that would generate an open, ICC profile. This was Print Open software. We also used our knowledge to program our own CMM for our rips. To this day, we use our own CMM and Print Open continues as part of our Prinect Profile Toolbox, although allot more sophisticated then we were in the 90's. These, along with our Prinect MetaDimension rip and our ColorProof Pro proofing software, provide a completely integrated proofing solution. Our system does offer profile generation, profile iterations, multiple drivers, printer calibration/linearization, spot colors and even our own CMM. In fact, Print Open was one of the first ICC profiling software to offer iterations. If you are driving your CtP with MetaDimension, you can also have it drive your proofer. Or we do offer an offline MetaProof station.

Regards,

Mark

[prepress_vee]

Mark,
I see.. So you are saying most other RIPs can't or don't do as good of a job with Color Management as Meta? And yes, as you know I'm driving the Prosetter & all of our proofers w/ Meta. No Meta Shooter.
We have PrintOpen and the PDF Toolbox too.. we got it all when we decided to go with Meta. I guess I was wondering why buy a high $$ RIP and then get another RIP & software package to do color?? Doesn't make sense to me.....
When you could get one to do both, or get a shooter to lighten the load.
I didn't know if I was missing something or what, guess not.
Thanks.
Vee

[David]

Originally Posted by prepress_vee

I guess I was wondering why buy a high $$ RIP and then get another RIP & software package to do color??

ORIS doesn't require another RIP...

runs on the same box that drives the printer.

and I assume that you got the ColorProof Pro for free...

[prepress_vee]

Originally Posted by David

ORIS doesn't require another RIP...

runs on the same box that drives the printer.

and I assume that you got the ColorProof Pro for free...

Ahhaa... see I didn't know that, and thats why I was asking.

Regarding Free....
We started Meta at ver 3.5 (now 6.2) we keep a full service contract that includes all software updates for free. Even full version, not just dot upgrades.
When we went from version 4.x to 5.x of Meta it came with ColorProof Pro, it replaced it's predecessor Proofing Engine Manager.
But when we purchased the entire system we PAYED for PrintOpen & the PDF Toolbox.
Vee

[zimmy]

We use ORIS also, to our canon printers.