Digital Proofing New Standard: Kodak Approval NX

Kodak Graphic Technology Group's Kodak Poly Light's Approval NX digital color proofing technology has been available for some time. This internationally leading technology has caused a strong response in the global market. So far, it has features such as the output of the real-time dot-mesh network, the printing of real materials, and the density control of dots. It is a high-end direct color digital proofing program (DDCP) in the industry. The Approval Proofing System has sold more than 1,300 units worldwide and has been widely used in various fields such as packaging processing and commercial printing. It has become the indispensable direct standard for digital color proofing in digital workflows.

At the same time, Approval NX color digital proofing technology has high-precision, high-stability color correction capabilities, making it possible to develop new business development strategies with DDCP as the core.

At present, domestic Plate-making companies, printing companies, advertising agencies, etc. are actively promoting the color standardization in the digital workflow. Therefore, many customers are considering introducing the Approval NX proofing system. Due to its ability to provide high-precision color matching and stable color quality, Approval NX has been evaluated as a high-confidence proofing system in the industry. Approval The NX Proofing System adopts the concept of an open system and is advancing the establishment of interfaces with major prepress systems such as Sai Angel and Heidelberg. Moreover, the Approval proofing system can accurately represent spot colors and metallic colors, and is therefore widely used in the packaging industry for making contract proofing.

Kodak's Approval NX digital mesh proofing color proofing system uses Rapid Recipe color matching technology, which has improved the performance of the Approval thermal line proofing color proofing product line to unprecedented heights. As the new proofing system of the Approval family, it brings new levels of flexibility, productivity and performance. It accurately simulates various production processes; accurately reproduces millions of beautiful spot colors, special colors, blend colors, and brand-specific colors, including glossy metallic colors; strictly controls density; and realizes in the field of packaging and commercial printing. High-quality printing, the accuracy of its proofs can be comparable to printing; eliminate the need for print test; provide faster than the previous proofing system.

Rapid Recipe color matching technology is a great achievement of Kodak Poly Lighting in digital proofing. In terms of spot color proofing, Kodak's Approval NX system's Rapid Recipe color matching technology is 45% to 55% shorter than the current standard time, while maintaining the same high quality and accuracy. At the same time, it can be replaced with a precise simulation process, such as replacing the black channel with blue in the packaging proofing. This technology has an extremely wide range of applications in the field of packaging processing and commercial printing.

Photochemical proofing and Approval proofing are very different in quality

Japan is a company that specializes in the design and manufacture of packaging products from CAD modeling to sample making. They introduced the Approval NX proofing system in February 2005, thus eliminating the use of similar color photochemistry for many years. Proofing system and platform proofing system. As a managing director of the company, Sei Sei highly praises the Approval NX system: "In the production of packaging samples, the similar color proofing proofing system and the printing color proof proofing system can be said to be the quality of the world. do not."

Nine years ago, the company established a direct business relationship with the home appliance giant S Company and took charge of the packaging business of the S company, which has liquid crystal display, tape recorders, video recorders, and MD as its main business. The content of the cooperation is not only plate making, but also Also includes the packaging design. However, after a period of use, they found that the color proofs output by the photochemical proofing system and the inkjet proofing system cannot be standardized. The production of packaging molding samples provided to S company involved planning department, exterior design department, interior design department, packaging design department and creative design company. Samples of molded packaging that use the Approval proofing system must be submitted to these five departments and received the same responsibilities for approval. "Basically, only one color-shaped sample is produced and it can be recognized in these departments." Moreover, the Approval NX proofing system has also greatly shortened the preparation time for the packaging design of molded samples.

After introducing the Approval NX proofing system, Wu Haoya Tang also developed a business plan to provide remote proofing services using the Approval NX proofing system. Sales Minister Masayoshi Nakano said: "Because there are no facilities for file transfer of large amounts of data, it is still somewhat early to say that remote proofing services through Approval are still somewhat early, but as long as 100MB or so originals can realize the immediate transmission of the network environment Once established, we will start the remote proofing service immediately."

Packing plates and printing are being pursued at overseas production sites, and the process of domestic hollowing out has continued to increase. In this form, the company is also responding positively, transmitting the standard color data of the Approval NX proofing system to overseas factories, implementing on-site output proofing, and conceiving to make it a part of packaging production data management.

The approval proofing system is the cornerstone of direct platemaking introduction

The product packaging color management at the digital internal production center is undertaken by the Approval proofing system and the accompanying Recipe color system.

Large packaging companies have always been responsible for the packaging and printing of the main products of the Big Pharmaceutical Group, and the business volume is considerable. The average monthly order volume reached 1100, and the printing plate usage reached 3,300. Although they have a complete set of processing lines, with the tendency of multiple varieties, small batches, and short lead times for cosmetics boxes and commercial prints to become increasingly apparent, the current 100% of the film production of external associations has become internal production. Problems to be solved.

Mr. Qing Mu, the company's Assistant Minister of Production, said: “The transition from 100% external film production to internalized production has brought about the problem of corrective printing. Everyone has discussed whether it is the introduction of a platform proofer, or a proofing machine, or When using proofing outsiders and opinions were not uniform, it was proposed to adopt the method of direct color digital proofing (DDCP). Compared with platform proofer proofing and press proofing, direct color digital proofing can save time and money. , And the quality and stability are also very good. Based on these considerations, the decision was made not to adopt the traditional proofing printing method, but to use the direct color digital proofing method (DDCP)."

As a result, large companies have introduced Approval NX proofing systems. The introduction of the Approval NX proofing system is actually the cornerstone for the adoption of direct plate making, and will also become the core equipment after the database is built.
Previously, the type and quantity of packaging printing that big packaging companies took from Big Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. is a huge number, and it is currently preserved in the form of photographic film. For example, changes to the contents of the pharmaceutical packaging can only be modified on the film. After several modifications, the text quality of the film will decline.

Now, taking advantage of the introduction of digital systems including the proofing system, Big Packaging is promoting the digitization of photo films centered on the products of the Daiichi Pharmaceutical Group. This prevents the deterioration of the quality of the text caused by the change of the text. Shorten change modification time, and it is easier to use communication methods to confirm changes. Of course, the final confirmation is still performed using proofs output by the Approval proofing system. Moreover, the introduction of the direct platemaking technology with the ultimate goal of improving the filmless production and printing plate, and improving the quality has reached the point where "it is impossible to consider without an Approval system for proofing."

Source: Digital Printing 2005.9