Dispelling the Myth of Hand Scanning Densitometers

Does the scanning speed of the spectrodensitometer affect the accuracy of its measurements? A highly inaccurate supposition of some handheld scanning spectrodensitometers for the print industry today is the notion that if you vary the speed with which you manually move the instrument than the accuracy of the measurements will be compromised. In reality, handheld scanning spectrodensitometers offer the exact same accuracy as the high-end automated scanning systems and are often times the perfect solution…

Do you have a unique color challenge?

Measuring, monitoring, and maintaining the strict color tolerances being demanded by brand owners is an increasingly complex component of your print production process. Issues unique to you and your customer base compound the challenge of maintaining reliable, continuous color quality. That’s why an out of the box system won’t fully satisfy your needs. The only way to solve your specific issues is with a customized solution designed specifically to address your needs. The dynamic state…

Expanded Color Gamut: Seminar and Open House

See Techkon equipment on display at the Expanded Color Gamut Seminar and Open House! June 18: Hilton Indian Lakes, Bloomingdale, IL Presenters: Mark Samworth, Esko & Catherine Haynes, All Printing Resources APR and Esko jointly present an informative industry seminar focused on the trending topic of Expanded Color Gamut (ECG), followed by an APR Open House. “Expanded gamut has increased from less than 1% to roughly 14% of industry printers in the last 5 years….

Stricter Tolerances and Expanded Gamut: Key Emerging Trends in Flexo Printing

Having just attended the Flexographic Technical Association conference in San Diego, it’s clear that two major trends are emerging as the Flexo industry evolves. Both present a challenge to printers and suppliers but the technology exists to help us successfully address both. Flexo Quality Control (FQC) – One of the most interesting sessions of the conference addressed the growing demand for higher quality in Flexo print production. Most flexo printers check the color accuracy at…

5 Business Considerations for Color Quality Assurance Software

Monitor Color Quality Worldwide: Cloud based color quality assurance software allows organizations with multiple presses and print facilities to remotely manage and monitor customer jobs via the Internet or the firm’s Intranet. This provides the ability to remotely monitor the color quality of multiple jobs in real-time, in multiple locations, using a, smart phone or tablet or network connected computer. The software thus enables: excellent color reproduction quality throughout an entire print run accurate and…

Full Vision Print Inspection System or Inline Spectrophotometer for your Web/Flexo Press? 3 Things to Consider

Competition in the print industry is fierce and profit margins are thin. As a result, companies have to be diligent when making capital equipment purchases. When it comes to equipment that helps maintain inline/continuous print quality for every print impression, costs can range from $30K for an inline spectrometer or densitometer to nearly $300K for a full vision print inspection system. Which one do you need? That depends. Here are three things to consider before…

Pressroom Automation and the Difference Between Open and Closed Loop

Automated Measuring Systems and the Difference Between Open vs Closed Loop Scans instead of individual measurements Scanning spectrodensitometers measure the entire ink control strip thus recording all ink zones in one single measuring operation. Since the printer no longer has to select arbitrary ink zones, he does not miss the problematic ink zones either. He can now be certain that all possible inking fluctuations are detected. In this way, therefore, automation at the same time…

Densitometer and Spectrophotometer: A Functional Comparison

In deciding on the appropriate color measurement instrumentation, it is essential that you understand the operational characteristics, functional comparisons, and intricacies of both the densitometer and spectrophotometer. This is best communicated in the in-depth instrument descriptions of the densitometer and spectrophotometer below. Densitometer Density is a measure of the absorbance of an ink at specific wavelengths of light. As an example, yellow ink has a maximum absorbance in the blue region, so its density is…

Index of Natural and Artifical Light

Tn [Kelvin] 1000000/Tn [Mired] Illuminant, nature Source, simulation > 5300 K: “Daylight white” natural lighting 13 500 to 27 000 Approx. 74 to 37 North blue sky – 9 300 107 – Original white point of CRT screens 9 000 to 12 000 111 to 83 “The blue hour” Only perceptible with eyes used to warm white 8 500 125 Lighting in fog – 7504 (“7500”) 133 D75 – North sky daylight Predefined in just…

Top 5 Reasons to Consider “Closed Loop” for Digital Presses

The traditional method of color calibration of a digital press is a manual operation, which falls into two logical categories. The first is a one-time task during the make-ready operation and the second is on going during the press run. With an automated process, color make-ready and run time press calibration fold into one continuous operation from press startup to print run completion. A high-speed color measurement instrument (in-line spectrophotometer) mounted on the press will…

Pass/Fail with your SpectroDensitometer

Using the Pass/Fail Function: This function is found on the SpectroDens Premium handheld instruments. 1. What is this function / What does it do? The Pass/Fail function is a unique Techkon function that easily enables a Press Operator or QC Manager to compare a sample color, ink drawdown or press sheet to a standard color stored onboard the instrument. They know immediately whether or not they are within tolerance with the onscreen feedback and audible…

Building Color Libraries with your SpectroDensitometer

Question: With four SpectroDens devices on different flexo presses, running three shifts, how can I set up all the color libraries, get my entire staff trained and be assured they are all following the same prescribed procedures? Answer: Build highly accurate color libraries for the jobs to be run each day. Train your staff on loading the proper color libraries and checking proofs to see if they “Pass or Fail,” and quickly and efficiently correcting…

Maintaining Brand Standards with Color Guide

Color Guide: This function (formerly known as Ink Check) is found on the SpectroDens Premium, SpectroJet Pro and SpectroDrive Pro instruments. The Color Guide Feature is a great tool to support intiatives related to maintaining brand standards. 1. What is this function / What does it do? The Ink Check function is a unique Techkon function that combines the measurements of Density and Color (L*a*b*). When operating a printing press an operator can either add…

A Short History of the SpectroDensitometer

Over the last 15 years, the trend has shifted from traditional CMYK densitometers to spectrophotometer based densitometers. This shift was mainly driven by more affordable, lower cost technology and the need to know more about the characteristic of the ink that is being printed. This has created a new class of products called Spectro-Densitometers. Spectro-Densitometers are catching the eyes of press operators everywhere. Historically, they’ve had to rely on their eyes to calibrate the press,…

Going Outside the Box with SpectroDens MiniExpresso

One of the great advantages of printing to standards is having a known target to aim for. ISO 12647 indicates precise L*a*b* values for offset CMYK solids when using ISO compliant inks with ISO compliant paper. But what do we do to establish proper ink density targets when no standard exists? Printing onto unusual substrates such as plastics or synthetics, printing to “G7 Extreme”, or printing using unusual techniques are all examples of important non-standard…

Is it time to upgrade your densitometer?

In my travels helping companies achieve G7 Master Printer Certification I encounter lots of creative ways of managing color on press. Lots of folks have a densitometer at the press console to spot check sheets. While this has undoubtedly greatly improved the consistency of press color on each station over time it becomes obvious that some densitometers do not correlate to each other when measuring the same press sheet and ink zone. Which densitometer is…

The Good News, The Bad News, The Good News

Life can be a series of ups and downs, and instituting a process control system can follow the same zig-zag pattern, but with one important difference: With process control there are a lot more ups than downs. First the good news: having automated process control on press has never been as inexpensive and easy to implement as it is now. Clear standards and methodologies exist, proofing is better than ever, and true automated spectral scanning…

3 Industry Trends Every Printer Should Know About

All sorts of new trends are happening in the communications arena: variable data printing, QR codes, cross-media campaigns, internet marketing and more. There’s plenty of buzz, and the farther it all is from traditional printing, the more printers feel they need to know more about it. So is there anything new to talk about in traditional print? You bet there is! Some of the most powerful trends developing right now are all about putting ink…

Tricks of the Trade When Measuring Color

Here are just a few tricks of the trade when using a densitometer or spectrophotometer to measure color: Calibrate Always be sure to calibrate the device on its matched calibration plaque. Experienced users tend to get lazy or rushed and forget this critical step. And, often time’s new users overlook the importance of calibration. Handle with Care It is very important to hold the device down gently and evenly when measuring color patches; even slight…