Inkjet’s Age and the contrast between the two colors is maintained because of the way the image is applied to sheet. Not so in the inkjet environment; too many overlays, especially with rich colors, and you end up with a not very pretty muddy brown. While lighter colors work better, you can use dark colors; you just have to be cognizant of how the colors mix and overlap, explained Wren. With less expensive paper, which has a higher volume of moisture, you have to watch out for cockling and curling and really have to think about the amount of color being used. With inkjet treated paper, ink stays in place more eff ectively. More expensive paper will have better treatments and be able to handle a wider color gamut, said Wren. Th erefore, it’s critical that from day one of the design process, let alone the production process, you know which paper you will be using, to ensure an accurate representation of what the end product will look like. Color matching can also be a challenge. In off set, designers and their production partners rely heavily on the Pantone Matching System, not to mention SWOP and GRACOL standards. No such animals exist in the inkjet world. “Th ere’s no one global CMYK value for Pantone colors,” stated Steve DiLullo, commercialization engineer and color specialist, Eastman Kodak. “In off set, there is more fl exibility, there are standards. But in inkjet, with inks and substrates so diff erent, we don’t have the ability to say what proper CMYK is.” PSPs rely on their inkjet press vendors, ink manufacturers, and paper distributors to help them navigate through the options. Kodak’s Colorfl ow soft ware, not only accomplishes standard color management, ensuring that all color control elements, such as curves, ICC profi les, and spot color recipes, are used correctly, it is able to ensure that the least amount of ink possible is used. “It looks to reproduce the correct color with the least amount of ink possible,” said DiLullo. Th e optional Ink Optimizing Solution further reduces the amount of CMYK ink used. Less is More Super high resolution is also not desirable when printing on inkjet. “Designers are all excited because they have an image that is 3600 x3600; but the inkjet press can only print 600x600,” Johannes said. Kodak’s recommendation is to keep the resolution at 300 dpi “It may be lower than what the designer is used to providing, but independent of what the resolution can print, 300dpi provides enough data,” said Wren. “It’s critical to transform that image into something that will work on the inkjet press, and make sure it is representative of what will work,” Johannes added. It’s about not setting yourself up for disappointment, stressed Johannes. “A big part of what I do with customers is to manage their expectations,” said Johannes. One similarity with off set is the CMYK vs RGB factor. Your production inkjet press requires that the colors you are trying to ‘”hit” in your design must be made up of a combination of C, M, Y, and K, but as you are designing, you are viewing those colors on a monitor that renders colors in RGB. “Th is complicates the designer’s job,” said Jammello. “Th e colors you see on your monitor and the color you get when printed on an inkjet device will diff er to varying degrees based on: calibration of the monitor, press calibration, color management, ink type (pigment or dye) and paper.” A lot of brand logos, such as Coca Cola red, or Bank of America blue, are outside the color gamut of most of the equipment out there, noted Johannes. However, at drupa, “I saw how much better inkjet production is getting,” said Johannes. “Not just the new printers, but also there is new chemistry out there. Ink manufacturers are getting better at managing water and pigment to make the ink perform. Th e print head technology has changed.” The Finishing Piece When designing a project output on inkjet, what type of fi nishing, as well as mailing and fulfi llment, should also be considered. Th e project has to not only make its way through the inkjet printer unscathed, it also needs to come out through the fi nishing device. “A piece printed with heavy ink coverage, going through an additional series of rollers and guides; how will that impact the piece?” posed Wong. Will it suff er abrasion as the sheet is transferred? How well will the piece fold with solid ink coverage? Direct 26 Printing News ® September 2016 PrintingNews®com
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