This blog was adapted from “The Evolution of Color in High-Speed Production Inkjet” by Mike Herold, and Nick Fiore of RICOH Company Limited. You can read the full article in the November 2014 issue of Printing Industries of America: The Magazine. Mike is a featured speaker at the 2014 Color Conference, December 6–9, in Scottsdale, AZ. Where is digital inkjet now, where is it going, and how is it impacting you? The fast-growing market of High-speed production inkjet has transformed color printing in recent years. Today the opportunities are virtually limitless, affording greater capabilities and higher-coverage applications, such as direct mail, marketing collateral, books, and more. Digital inkjet now offers users the capabilities to produce rich color, completely variable, and full dynamic printing. As digital color consistency improves, much of this progress can be traced to new processes, inks, heads, coatings, and substrate options. Let’s take a look at these sources of progress and the exciting new applications of high-speed production inkjet! 1. Paper In high-speed production inkjet’s infancy, paper options were limited to say the least. Not optimized for high-volume piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet technologies, papers either absorbed too much ink or not enough. The result was less-then-desirable color output. Over the past five years, and especially during the last two, this challenge has changed dramatically. New paper types, including recycled, inkjet coated, inkjet treated, and others have enabled customers to receive enticing output at a price appropriate for their markets. The paper industry is also designing papers with specific ink types in mind, which is a huge step forward! Soon it may no longer be necessary to use coated papers, and users will have more choices without having to worry that their substrate is at odds with the color. 2. Ink Developments and Advancements Inks are evolving as well with most high-speed inkjet vendors providing—and customers leveraging—a variety of dye, pigment, MICR, and other inks to meet the changing and growing demands for new applications. This diversity is enhancing color output and opening up a new world of applications for inkjet. These new inks are higher density, more vibrant, and contain a lower water content to speed drying time and reduce the power needed to produce higher ink amount applications. But they’re not easy to formulate. Energy consumption, characteristics of the paper, color gamut, and finishing processes all need to be taken into consideration. 3. Advances in Color and Ink Management Tools Next-generation controllers and workflows offer enhanced color management by size and object type, which lays the groundwork for more accurate color and consistent reproduction. Spot color dictionaries from Pantone and other color leaders enable spot color mapping, custom curves, and linked and unlinked advanced color management....

This blog was adapted from “The Evolution of Color in High-Speed Production Inkjet” by Mike Herold, and Nick Fiore of RICOH Company Limited. You can read the full article in the November 2014 issue of Printing Industries of America: The Magazine. Mike is a featured speaker at the 2014 Color Conference, December 6–9, in Scottsdale, AZ. Where is digital inkjet now, where is it going, and how is it impacting you? The fast-growing market of High-speed production inkjet has transformed color printing in recent years. Today the opportunities are virtually limitless, affording greater capabilities and higher-coverage applications, such as direct mail, marketing collateral, books, and more. Digital inkjet now offers users the capabilities to produce rich color, completely variable, and full dynamic printing. As digital color consistency improves, much of this progress can be traced to new processes, inks, heads, coatings, and substrate options. Let’s take a look at these sources of progress and the exciting new applications of high-speed production inkjet! 1. Paper In high-speed production inkjet’s infancy, paper options were limited to say the least. Not optimized for high-volume piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet technologies, papers either absorbed too much ink or not enough. The result was less-then-desirable color output. Over the past five years, and especially during the last two, this challenge has changed dramatically. New paper types, including recycled, inkjet coated, inkjet treated, and others have enabled customers to receive enticing output at a price appropriate for their markets. The paper industry is also designing papers with specific ink types in mind, which is a huge step forward! Soon it may no longer be necessary to use coated papers, and users will have more choices without having to worry that their substrate is at odds with the color. 2. Ink Developments and Advancements Inks are evolving as well with most high-speed inkjet vendors providing—and customers leveraging—a variety of dye, pigment, MICR, and other inks to meet the changing and growing demands for new applications. This diversity is enhancing color output and opening up a new world of applications for inkjet. These new inks are higher density, more vibrant, and contain a lower water content to speed drying time and reduce the power needed to produce higher ink amount applications. But they’re not easy to formulate. Energy consumption, characteristics of the paper, color gamut, and finishing processes all need to be taken into consideration. 3. Advances in Color and Ink Management Tools Next-generation controllers and workflows offer enhanced color management by size and object type, which lays the groundwork for more accurate color and consistent reproduction. Spot color dictionaries from Pantone and other color leaders enable spot color mapping, custom curves, and linked and unlinked advanced color management....

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Ben Franklin understood that in-depth learning happens when a student is engaged in the learning process. For managers who want to improve their competitive stance, implementing an eLearning program for their employees can not only save them substantially when compared to traditional learning methods, it creates a richer, more engaging learning environment. (Find out more about the benefits of online learning for both managers and employees here.) However, many online learning initiatives fail due to an inefficient plan or not having a plan at all. Your organization may already be using an online training platform like the Integrated Learning Center. To get the highest success—and ROI—out of your program, we recommend you first develop an online learning implementation strategy.  To help get you started, here are a few tips for launching your online training program: Identify training needs—Is your operation facing declining sales volumes or profit losses due to incorrect or late jobs? Do you have new employees without much prior knowledge of the printing industry? Pinpoint your most immediate issues and ask yourself if training will lead to a solution. Match business needs with the appropriate type of training. (ICS Learning Group) Choose the right online learning platform—Look at your online learning platform as a long-term investment for your company. Some of the criteria managers use to evaluate platforms are 1) ease of access from multiple devices (including mobile), 2) benefits of each course, and 3) how the courses meet your specific business needs. (Syberworks) Gauge your employees—Many managers find that, to get maximum results, they need to “sell” online learning to their staff. Talking to them about 1) the equipment they use, 2) the certificates they hope to attain, 3) what time of day they prefer to learn, etc., gets employees more involved and can increase the overall success rate of your program. (Brandon Hall Research) Measure performance—Keep tabs on employee improvements by developing benchmarks and evaluating training programs. Collect feedback (Syberworks) and evaluate and refine your training regularly (ICS Learning Group). Create incentives—Research shows that accountability can drive employees to stick to their online learning goals. Managers who tie eLearning to performance reviews and require certifications have found that employees are more motivated and, in turn, less likely to fall off the online training wagon. (Brandon Hall Research) Help make learning easier—Most of us learn better in an environment free of disruptions, i.e., phones ringing, emails chiming, or coworkers coming in and out. As a manager it is your choice of whether online courses are completed at the employee’s home or during work hours, but the bottom line is that they...

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Ben Franklin understood that in-depth learning happens when a student is engaged in the learning process. For managers who want to improve their competitive stance, implementing an eLearning program for their employees can not only save them substantially when compared to traditional learning methods, it creates a richer, more engaging learning environment. (Find out more about the benefits of online learning for both managers and employees here.) However, many online learning initiatives fail due to an inefficient plan or not having a plan at all. Your organization may already be using an online training platform like the Integrated Learning Center. To get the highest success—and ROI—out of your program, we recommend you first develop an online learning implementation strategy.  To help get you started, here are a few tips for launching your online training program: Identify training needs—Is your operation facing declining sales volumes or profit losses due to incorrect or late jobs? Do you have new employees without much prior knowledge of the printing industry? Pinpoint your most immediate issues and ask yourself if training will lead to a solution. Match business needs with the appropriate type of training. (ICS Learning Group) Choose the right online learning platform—Look at your online learning platform as a long-term investment for your company. Some of the criteria managers use to evaluate platforms are 1) ease of access from multiple devices (including mobile), 2) benefits of each course, and 3) how the courses meet your specific business needs. (Syberworks) Gauge your employees—Many managers find that, to get maximum results, they need to “sell” online learning to their staff. Talking to them about 1) the equipment they use, 2) the certificates they hope to attain, 3) what time of day they prefer to learn, etc., gets employees more involved and can increase the overall success rate of your program. (Brandon Hall Research) Measure performance—Keep tabs on employee improvements by developing benchmarks and evaluating training programs. Collect feedback (Syberworks) and evaluate and refine your training regularly (ICS Learning Group). Create incentives—Research shows that accountability can drive employees to stick to their online learning goals. Managers who tie eLearning to performance reviews and require certifications have found that employees are more motivated and, in turn, less likely to fall off the online training wagon. (Brandon Hall Research) Help make learning easier—Most of us learn better in an environment free of disruptions, i.e., phones ringing, emails chiming, or coworkers coming in and out. As a manager it is your choice of whether online courses are completed at the employee’s home or during work hours, but the bottom line is that they...

Helping companies produce accurate, consistent color is a full-time job for Dillon Mooney. As our Technical Consultant for the Center for Technology and Research, Dillon, a 30-plus-year industry veteran, has encountered many of the challenges your company faces each day. Here Dillon dishes five key improvements you can make today to get the consistent color your customers demand. (Psssst! If you’ve ever called our Technical Hotline, you probably already know Dillon—he answers more than 1,500 inquiries a year!) The success of color management depends on consistency of the output devices. Once color management is implemented, it must be managed through process controls to maintain its repeatability. Run color bars on all jobs and include solid ink density patches, gray balance patches, 50% tint patches, and overprint patches to measure wet trapping. If you don’t measure it, you cannot control it! Consider using under some Gray Component Replacement (GCR). These techniques remove some of the CMY that makes up the grays and add weight to the K separation. This makes it easier to control the color on press. To ensure your presses are printing consistently, first check that the solid ink densities are running at you shop’s standards. Additionally the tonal value increase (TVI or dot gain) values should be in an acceptable range. Once you’ve created a color profile, it will only work if the press is printing with the same attributes. To monitor this, make sure to regularly measure the solid ink densities, TVI, gray balance, and wet trapping values. If different solid ink densities are run on different jobs, the ink film thickness differences can affect TVI, gray balance and wet trapping. Slurring creates differences in TVI and will cause a shift in the color of a process image. Random slurring can cause the appearance of the color to change from sheet to sheet. A good slur indicator is the Ladder Bars on Printing Industries Test Forms. Star Targets included in our color bars will also detect slurring. Maintaining the consistency of the output of the press also involves standardizing consumables, including ink, plates, and fountain solution. Use process inks that are ISO 2846-1 compliant. ISO 2844-1 inks are going to have very similar hue and saturation levels, and are specified in the G-7 methodology. Any time a different plate, blanket, fountain solution, or ink is used, check your process control aim points to ensure the press is printing the same way it was when the color management profile was created. Implement a preventive maintenance program that includes a good roller wash-up, deglazing, and roller setting procedure. For color management profiles to match your output, you need to address maintenance issues or face a gradual decline of...

Helping companies produce accurate, consistent color is a full-time job for Dillon Mooney. As our Technical Consultant for the Center for Technology and Research, Dillon, a 30-plus-year industry veteran, has encountered many of the challenges your company faces each day. Here Dillon dishes five key improvements you can make today to get the consistent color your customers demand. (Psssst! If you’ve ever called our Technical Hotline, you probably already know Dillon—he answers more than 1,500 inquiries a year!) The success of color management depends on consistency of the output devices. Once color management is implemented, it must be managed through process controls to maintain its repeatability. Run color bars on all jobs and include solid ink density patches, gray balance patches, 50% tint patches, and overprint patches to measure wet trapping. If you don’t measure it, you cannot control it! Consider using under some Gray Component Replacement (GCR). These techniques remove some of the CMY that makes up the grays and add weight to the K separation. This makes it easier to control the color on press. To ensure your presses are printing consistently, first check that the solid ink densities are running at you shop’s standards. Additionally the tonal value increase (TVI or dot gain) values should be in an acceptable range. Once you’ve created a color profile, it will only work if the press is printing with the same attributes. To monitor this, make sure to regularly measure the solid ink densities, TVI, gray balance, and wet trapping values. If different solid ink densities are run on different jobs, the ink film thickness differences can affect TVI, gray balance and wet trapping. Slurring creates differences in TVI and will cause a shift in the color of a process image. Random slurring can cause the appearance of the color to change from sheet to sheet. A good slur indicator is the Ladder Bars on Printing Industries Test Forms. Star Targets included in our color bars will also detect slurring. Maintaining the consistency of the output of the press also involves standardizing consumables, including ink, plates, and fountain solution. Use process inks that are ISO 2846-1 compliant. ISO 2844-1 inks are going to have very similar hue and saturation levels, and are specified in the G-7 methodology. Any time a different plate, blanket, fountain solution, or ink is used, check your process control aim points to ensure the press is printing the same way it was when the color management profile was created. Implement a preventive maintenance program that includes a good roller wash-up, deglazing, and roller setting procedure. For color management profiles to match your output, you need to address maintenance issues or face a gradual decline of...