On 4 Oct 2004, at 12:56, daniel magee wrote:
Can anyone give me their thoughts on Digital Cromalin as a proofing solution?
Hi Daniel,
Thought to be a dinosaur by some , it still remains the backbone of many workflows. There are many reasons for this. It's consistent ( if , as Thomas points out you have an air conditioned room, and if you have the �24K for a new one ) . It's the touchstone of the publishers and advertising agencies because of its history. It used to be the analogue Cromalin that was God , and it got replaced by the digital version (mostly). These people have got used to its idiosyncrasies and have adapted their workflow accordingly, including the print houses. As such it is the contract proof print of choice for many with the DuPont Eurostandard DP10 becoming the colourspace most often aimed at ( it is often mistakenly believed that there is only one Digital Cromalin colourspace . This is not so ..it is customisable).
Now if that sounds like an ad for DuPont , let me clarify a few things . The DP10 standard remains a proprietary standard ( unless you profile it and use it independently of the machine for softproofing , proof simulation and even CMYK separation , not recommended but working practice in some prepress houses).The DP10 Eurostandard also is ,I believe ,based on data from an inkset not used by the majority of UK press houses (if at all, but in its defence it can said to "fall within" ISO specifications ).
My personal view is that in an ideal world we would all be moving to ISO standards/ definitions and FOGRA data for the generation of profiles and proofing. There are now many solutions to achieve ISO certifiable proofs that are both consistent , accurate and affordable ( we're using one now for all of our verification print output.And with a few tweaks here and there we can also simulate the Eurostandard DP10 Cromalin if we wish ). No doubt this list will soon be awash with suggestions of kit for such solutions , hopefully not all of which are based on ticket scanners :-) .
The ISO route provides an open and transparent solution , but still needs the support of the rest of the industry in order to make it fly . It's something I'm working on with the Periodical Publishers Association at present ( this will cover most UK mags ,both editorial and ad content. The results of the work so far are to be announced at their conference in November).
Sorry for a longish reply to a short question.
Regards,
Bob Marchant.
.
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