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Author Topic: Creating match/aim prints for offset printing:  (Read 3618 times)

Dinarius

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Creating match/aim prints for offset printing:
« on: October 21, 2007, 01:59:50 pm »

PC/Epson R2400

I need to make match prints for a designer and printer for a fine art publication. The book will contain images of oils on canvas.

What paper(s) should I consider using for the purpose?

Any other tips/advice I should take into consideration?

Do I print RGB in order to illustrate what the paintings really look like, or do I print CMYK in order to show the printer what I realistically believe he can achieve?

Finally, are there any links that people can point me to discussing the world of fine art publications?

Many thanks.

D.
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pfigen

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Creating match/aim prints for offset printing:
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2007, 11:36:21 pm »

"I need to make match prints for a designer and printer for a fine art publication. The book will contain images of oils on canvas."

"What paper(s) should I consider using for the purpose?"

Choose a paper that is as close to the whiteness/brightness as the final offset paper as you can. At the same time you'll want a paper that can reproduce a good solid black. Epson has proofing papers, but unfortunately they only hit an "L" value of about 13 or so for their blackest black. I've had very good results from plain ol' Epson Premium Semigloss using Photo Black inks and extremely good results from Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl with Matte Black inks. A lot depends on the type of paper you're actually printing on.

"Any other tips/advice I should take into consideration?":

For the best results you will need to have good quality custom proifles for both your press or press proofing system and also for your Epson and whatever paper you're using. Canned profiles are only approximate, and using any of the canned CMYK profiles is asking for trouble. Talk with the printer and if they have a custom profile get it. If they don't, make one or have one made. Even if they do have one, there's  good chance it has the wrong ink limits or black generation for your job no matter what someone may tell you.

"Do I print RGB in order to illustrate what the paintings really look like, or do I print CMYK in order to show the printer what I realistically believe he can achieve?"

You always print RGB if you're using the Epson driver, but you should convert to your RGB paper profile from press CMYK. That way you automatically limit the inkjet to the gamut of the press profile. If your inkjet proofing paper is close in whiteness to the press paper, then you convert using Relative Colorimetric. If your inkjet paper  is a lot brighter, then sometimes it's better to use Absolute Colorimetric for the conversion from CMYK. This will attempt to put the paper white of the press paper into your inkjet whites, but these values are rarely perfect straight out of the box and usually need many rounds of profile editing to get perfect - your eye is exceedingly sensitive to even the slightest mismatch in white colors, and much less so at the other end of the tonal scale.

Good luck!
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neil snape

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Creating match/aim prints for offset printing:
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2007, 02:35:24 am »

The paper for proofing should be low in optical brightener. If the paper has too much OBA, the whites will be difficult to match on true offset paper , and the blacks will always have a deeper blue depth to them that offset will never have.

I usually recommend a rip for easier control of matching inkjet to offset. The highest end is GMG, the less expensive and easiest to use is EFI Designer Edition. ColorBus, Colorbyte, Oris all have similar apps.
Maybe take a look for Bruce Fraser documents on CMYK printing, and or rgb driver level printing to simulate CMYK if you really must do so without a rip. One thing is certain, if you use rgb drivers it will not be a sign off offset simulation.
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Scott Martin

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Creating match/aim prints for offset printing:
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2007, 10:37:01 am »

Quote
What paper(s) should I consider using for the purpose?

Any other tips/advice I should take into consideration?

Do I print RGB in order to illustrate what the paintings really look like, or do I print CMYK in order to show the printer what I realistically believe he can achieve?
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There is a whole new breed of nearly identical proofing papers from EFI, GMG, MidStates Graphics and a few others that look nearly identical to common offset stocks used in the states. MidStates Graphics is a lesser known American paper company that makes their own papers with pricing that is below the competition. I've compared them side by side to EFI and GMG's papers and see no need to pay a premium for those brands.

ProofLine Press White 195 Proofing Paper (195 gsm)- ~$0.91 per square foot in rolls, $1.76 per 13x19 sheet - I think this is quite possibly the world's best offset press proofing paper. It uses a low amount of optical brighteners like most modern press stocks which makes it not too yellow and not too blue. While most papers have a gamut that is far larger than the press's, this paper's gamut is just barely larger then SWOP which makes it that much easier to get a great process proof. I've showed it to pressmen that couldn't believe I wasn't showing them a press sheet. Available in common sheets and rolls. My "best value" proofing paper recommendation.

As there isn't much information about this paper online at this time, feel free to email me requesting a PDF with more information. Usually this type of speciality item is only sold through press distributors like Ennovation/Fuji but the wholesale distributor does sell it direct to end users. I even have their order form PDF if you would like it.

Print to your custom RGB printer profile from your press ready CMYK files. I can tell you from experience that on this paper, with good profiles your RGB driver output will be pretty dang close to a SWOP proof made with a proofing RIP.
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Scott Martin
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nemophoto

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Creating match/aim prints for offset printing:
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2007, 01:21:10 pm »

Actually, it's very simple. Use Epson's Proofing Paper Semi-matte. I go through tons of this paper and my Epson 4000 combined with the Colorbust RIP (not the one originally bundled), gives me dead-on proofs that match my monitor as well as finished pieces. I'm in th middle of doing pre-press on 350+ images for a catalog (both still-life and on-figure). I find the prints "never lie", and what I see is exactly what I get. Of course, the other part of this equation is your monitor calibration and whether you have a RIP to output from the 2400. (I think there's an Epson driver setting on the 2400 that includes Proofing Semi-matte, which will give adequate proofing, but to accurately proof CMYK, it's best to use a Postscript RIP like Colorburst.)
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