"If in doubt blame prepress" attitude

[Peon]

You sound like an ex-press operator to me. I have been on both sides too, but you have to admit with the technology today it seems that everything always comes back to prepress. It does here anyway. You have one of two things either a lazy press operator that just wants to put a plate on and run or the press operator that actually works to make a job run. Every shop has both types.

[Vinny]

Actually I'm back on the press again but still trying to keep up with prepress on the side.

I have noticed these guys expect to be able to match the proof by using the standard density every time.

They don't understand the complexity of color management very well I figure.

[Peon]

When it comes to color management I feel people put way too much emphasis on it. Check out this site about color management because I feel he hits the nail right on the head http://www.trumatch.com/articles/truwhite.htm
Let me know what you think about the article.

[DigitalPrePress228]

Originally Posted by Peon

When it comes to color management I feel people put way too much emphasis on it. Check out this site about color management because I feel he hits the nail right on the head http://www.trumatch.com/articles/truwhite.htm
Let me know what you think about the article.

damn, that was a good article. Excuse me while I go apologize to the pressman.

[clod]

Check out this site about color management because I feel he hits the nail right on the head http://www.trumatch.com/articles/truwhite.htm
Let me know what you think about the article.

While the article is relevant to the limitations of the 4/c process, I didn't find anything disparaging toward color management itself. I haven't found a color management system that promised to improve the gamut of a press. What they do is allow one to profile/characterize it so that you know its limitations and consistenly reproduce color.

In regards to the Truematch product (which is a fine idea by the way)...it is mentioned that the values given are CMYK, which is a device dependent color space. Different printing processes, paper, and many factors will change the appearance of specific CMYK values. So simply knowing the CMYK values may not be enough. Utilizing color management allows you to transform between different colorspaces while still maintaining the same percieved color.

I have noticed these guys expect to be able to match the proof by using the standard density every time.

Actually, maybe they should be printing to the standards every time...keeping color correction out of the press room so to speak. If they can print consistently, the press can be profiled, separations made from that profile, proofs created simulating that profile and a better match obtained.

[Vinny]

Strange how forum discussions sway away from the original topic so often

Pretty much what I was saying about printing to standard density's was relating to Lammy's post.

Pretty much a situation like this.

A customer approves a proof. The pressman can't match it printing to standard density and doesn't want to tweak his magenta or cyan outside of standard density to match the proof. The pressman starts pointing fingers at prepress.

Who's to blame?

Is it personnel or equipment?

My original training was to match the proof. A densitometer wasn't allowed.

[clod]

Yeah, I agree that if you're already on press with a customer approved proof and they don't match , you don't have much choice but to start tweaking...doesn't matter whose fault it is.

However, if (admittedly a big if) the customer provided a CMYK profile with the proof, and the press has been profiled, a conversion from one space to the other could take place, then the press operator could print to his standard and perhaps have a better shot at it.

but back to the original topic...it is ALWAYS the press operator's fault (except when it's prepress's) :wink:

[Vinny]

:lol:

[JimG]

Total agreement 9 times out of 10 something in the pressroom has changed. Bottom line is if prepress proofing is profiled and plates are calibrated, what has changed on the pressrooms end

Chemistry, ink, blankets, packing, running process in same or different units.

I just educated myself to pressroom antics that go on.

[Ratbag]

Here's an interesting story I heard last night about another pre-press company's 'mistake'.
The CD supplied had no case so when they returned it they taped it to the back of one of the plates, and the printer didn't notice it when he put it on the press. Crunch, snap, a nice round hole in the plate, 3 broken blankets as CD bits went through the press.

Anyway amusing story but I just found it interesting that the pre-press company got the blame for that, not the printer.