Grandville-based X-Rite Inc. (Nasdaq: XRIT) made no less than five product partnership announcements Friday, the first day of Print 09 the international printing industry convention in Chicago, which runs through Wednesday.
So one by one, here we go:
* Valhalla, N.Y.-based Fujifilm Graphic Systems U.S.A. Inc. and X-Rite have once again come together to give printers more options for implementing Fujifilm’s patented Taskero Universe ColorPath Verified -- a suite of performance analysis and monitoring tools -- into the pressroom. Available immediately, the solution combines the color management and process control features of X-Rite’s new EasyTrax -- an affordable semi-automatic press-side color scanning spectrophotometer -- with the enterprise capabilities of Taskero Universe ColorPath Verified. X-Rite’s newly announced EasyTrax simplifies the regular monitoring of press runs by measuring color bars to give users fast and highly accurate density and spectral measurement data. After scanning a press sheet’s color bar, the data is transmitted to Taskero Universe ColorPath Verified for verification and analysis. The integration of the two technologies creates a much-needed solution for printers with older presses and for smaller-format offset printing systems running primarily process color. The combined solutions give users the ability to garner up-to-date information on the color production process and real-time color measurement and aggregation of the entire press run, live via the Internet. For more information, please visit Fujifilm and X-Rite at Print 09 or on the Web at www.fujifilmgs.com or www.xrite.com.
* X-Rite and Sacramento, Calif.-based Compose Systems, a developer of prepress workflow, digital color proofing and print publishing products and services, announced that they have extended their long-standing partnership to offer prepress professionals an automated dot-for-dot proofing solution to produce high quality screened contract proofs on inkjet printers. The new solution will be shown for the first time at Print 09 on Compose Systems’ booth. Compose Systems has optimized the newly announced version of its Star Proof proofing technology (version 6.0) to offer seamless support for X-Rite’s i1iSis automated chart reader. The combination of the two technologies will enable customers to quickly and accurately produce and verify spot colors to deliver top quality proofs on an inkjet printer.
* The Foster City, Calif.-based digital printing equipment firm EFI Inc. announced that the newest version of EFI’s Fiery Color Profiler Suite v3.0 will feature automated measurement with X-Rite’s i1iO automated chart-reading scanning table. The Fiery Color Profiler Suite with i1iO bundle is ideally suited to meet the color calibration, profiling and measurement needs of graphic arts professionals who want to speed up and automate the color profiling process. This complete set of integrated color management tools ensures total color quality control in the color printing workflow of any Fiery-controlled printing process. X-Rite’s i1iO automated chart reader is designed to work seamlessly with Color Profiler Suite’s spectrophotometer, the ES-1000. Combined with i1iO, Color Profiler Suite provides consistent and reliable results, increases productivity, and reduces the risk of errors, while remaining easy to use by operators at all levels. The i1iO provides the fastest measurements for reflective test charts on a variety of substrates (up to 10 mm) and can read more than 500 patches per minute, thereby significantly reducing the time to create custom profiles. EFI will demonstrate the new software along with the newly integrated i1iO at their Print ’09 booth, #2500. Fiery Color Profiler Suite v3.0 is expected to be available for purchase in the fourth quarter.
* Evesham, England-based Mellow Colour announced that the newest version of PrintSpecFlatline -- Mellow Colour’s popular GRACoL, SWOP and ISO verification software --has been enhanced to work with X-Rite new EasyTrax semi-automated press-side color scanning control system. The new version of PrintSpecFlatline will be unveiled at Print 09 in Chicago, booth 6865. Combined with EasyTrax, PrintSpecFlatline will regularly monitor press runs to ensure they precisely match their customers’ quality requirements and meet industry specifications and standards such as ISO, GRACoL or SWOP. The combined solutions will also give printers a fast and accurate indication of their ink key settings to enable the printers to achieve uniformity of ink across the sheet. Benefits include reduced make-ready times, reduced waste, GRACoL, SWOP or ISO conformity, Grey Balance validation, DryBack calculation, TVI curve recording for fine tuning of plates and Print run statistics database.
* X-Rite itself also announced "significant new enhancements" to its 500 Series line of handheld spectrodensitometers. As of Sept. 15, every 528 and 530 model spectrophotometer will ship pre-loaded with ISO 12647-2 and G7 process control standard databases and characterization data. This new feature offers an out-of-the-box pressroom quality control tool to help printers achieve ISO 12647-2 / G7 compliance on their jobs, and allows them to start working immediately with the knowledge and confidence that all their color measurements will be made according to ISO 12647-2 standards. The newly enhanced 528 and 530 models will now also come pre-loaded with the digital version of the Pantone Formula Guide, Coated. Pantone Formula Guide uncoated and matte are available as a free download from www.xrite.com or from the CD included with the new instrument. The 500 series will from now on be available in a charcoal gray color to minimize the effects of typical pressroom soiling during daily usage.
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