Product Reviews

This tool for fine-tuning CMYK separations can also deliver cost savings and environmental benefits, says Barney Cox

Colour control and cost effectiveness are two hot topics at the moment. TGLC's PerfX DeviceLink Pro software is a product that promises to help in both areas.

TGLC Logiciel Software is a French Canadian firm based in Quebec, which has yet to make much of an impression outside North America. The firm and its UK distributor Crisp Digital are hoping to change that with its PerfX DeviceLink Pro software.

DeviceLink Pro is one of the emerging group of tools designed to polish up CMYK separations. The benefits of separation optimisation include reducing the amount of ink used, speeding up makeready and improving the predictability of ink key adjustments on press.

While it's possible to use a program like Photoshop to remap separations, a big issue for print is preserving the purity of the separations, and in particular the black channel. Although for anyone with a copy of the ubiquitous image editing program it represents a zero investment option, the way it works by going via the LAB colour space doesn't provide printers with the security they need to preserve printability, which is where the likes of PerfX and rival separation optimisation tools come in. The other problem with Photoshop is that although it's possible to automate handling images, it's not an option for working with PDFs.

PerfX DeviceLink Pro is used to create DeviceLink profiles, a class of ICC Profile that does a direct CMYK-to-CMYK transformation. Once you have the profile, which maps colours from a pre-specified input profile to an output profile, you can choose where you apply it within your existing workflow. The two options are to apply it in PitStop or in the RIP. It's also possible to apply the profile in workflow systems that employ Enfocus technology. TGLC publishes a list of compatible products on its website.

The ability to apply the profile at different points allows you to choose a method that best fits with your workflow needs. Crisp Digital managing director Richard Crisp points out that by applying the profile in PitStop it is possible to apply it on a page-by-page basis rather than to an imposition, making it easy to proof the result back to clients, which addresses the issue of accountability and client approval, which has been raised as a reason not to adopt ink reduction technology.
"The great thing is that because it's not a standalone workflow you can apply the DeviceLink profile wherever you like with no upheaval to your current workflow," says Crisp.

While simplicity and low cost may be strengths of the PerfX DeviceLink Pro approach, it doesn't offer the sophistication of standalone separation optimisation tools such as those from Alwan, Agfa and Kodak. Tools that do dynamic optimisation offer more flexibility, automation and potentially more precise results, but at a higher cost that could be unjustifiable for many potential users.

Using PerfX, separations can be optimised using either Grey Component Replacement (GCR) or Undercolour Removal (UCR) methods. When using GCR the strength can be set between 0-100%, while in UCR mode users have a choice of black start and black weight. According to Crisp one of the benefits over its rivals is that its UCR isn't as harsh, and the degree can be controlled.

"It doesn't strip back all the undercolour," he says. "So it avoids those halos that can result and keeps some colour so you don't see white paper if there's misregistration."

Cost savings
On the subject of registration, it's possible to protect register marks from being remapped. In fact, it's possible to protect the pure primary CMYK colours, the RGB secondaries and combinations of black plus one primary and black plus two primaries.

When it comes to ensuring that colours remain true Crisp says tests with spot colours simulated out of CMYK show no colour shifts either.

When ink-saving software first came back into vogue a couple of years ago, most of the marketing was around the cut in costs. It's no different for the PerfX software, with Crisp's test showing typical savings of 15-30%. The sample PrintWeek pages processed by Crisp (pictured) cut the CMY ink figures by 30% with a 25% increase in black ink.

However, Crisp is keen to point out the other benefits, especially from controlling the Total Area Coverage (TAC). This is the figure that denotes the upper limit of the sum of the CMYK values at any given point. The minimum TAC value that can be set is 200%. Crisp has found in tests that a TAC of 240 can be applied with dramatic benefits.

"It's a TAC that's too high, which stops jobs drying and prevents them from being completed," says Crisp. "One of the main interests is not the ink saving; it's the quicker drying so that jobs can be turned around faster."

Greener print
He also claims there are environmental benefits from reducing ink use: "It's more difficult to recycle paper with high ink coverage. Less coverage means easier de-inking."

Crisp Digital sells the software via a network of dealers. Firms that are offering the software include CT+Line, Avon Graphics and Presstek.

The software costs £4,195, which enables the user to create as many profiles as they need. Crisp realises that for some companies even a £4,000 software package might be overkill, and so also offers a profile making service for £1,500, where the customer provides an output profile and it or a partner will produce a bespoke DeviceLink profile.

"People only buying a profile are not likely to be in the sort of environment where colour is critical enough," he says. "If today you only apply one or no profile to your work, then buying a profile is the way to go. If you apply multiple ICC profiles in your workflow, buy the software."

Crisp believes that the software is equally applicable whether you produce print using litho, toner or inkjet printing technology. In fact he argues that those printers using inkjet stand to gain most due to the high cost and purer colours of the inks.

PerfX DeviceLink Pro is a welcome addition within an emerging class of products. It meets the needs of most in the market and importantly, in the current climate, at a pocket-friendly upfront price.

Specifications
Platform Mac or PC
Price Software £4,195, profile making service £1,500 per profile
Contact Crisp Digital 01621 813191 www.crispdigital.co.uk

THE ALTERNATIVES

ALWAN LINKPROFILER PRINT
DeviceLink Profiler is the nearest direct match to PerfX DeviceLink Pro in the Alwan stable. The firm also has more versatile (and therefore more expensive) products based on its Dynamic DeviceLink technology including CMYK Optimizer, PDF Standardizer and Print Standardizer.
Price £4,950
Contact Alwan UK 07545 592 013 www.alwancolor.com

AGFA COLORTUNE
Agfa's closest match is ColorTune which includes a variety of tools relating to the creation and measurement of profiles, which is a module for Apogee. Agfa argues the limitation of static solutions are the lack of control over the input profile, which Agfa's colour management module overcomes.
Price ColorTune from £2,900
Contact Agfa UK 020 8231 4929  www.agfa.com.

COLORLOGIC ZEPRA
This German firm is claimed to produce some of the best results out there. Until now it has focused on selling its technology for use in other products.
Price Zepra from £1,800 (€2,000)
Contact ColorLogic +49 (0)5971 4010160  www.colorlogic.de

GMG COLORSERVER
ColorServer uses GMG's 4D colour technology, and is capable of a wide range of colour management and control functions including RGB-to-CMYK separation as well as CMYK-to-CMYK conversion.
Price from £2735
Contact GMG UK 01603 821010  www.gmgcolor.com

HEIDELBERG PRINECT COLOUR TOOLBOX 3.5
DeviceLink profiles including for ink reduction are one of the function of Heidelberg's Colour Toolbox, which provides a comprehensive suite of colour management and profile making and editing tools.
Price £4,000
Contact Heidelberg UK 020 8490 3500 www.heidelberg.com

KODAK COLORFLOW
ColorFlow will be a free module in the forthcoming upgrade to Prinergy. However, an ink optimisation module will be a paid-for addition to ColorFlow.
Price ink optimisation module £13,300 (€15,000)
Contact Kodak UK 020 8424 6514 www.graphics1.kodak.com

ONEVISION PLUGINKSAVEIN
OneVision's ink saving tool is available as a standalone product, or as a module for one of its workflow systems. ICC-based, OneVision claims it's particularly easy to use.
Price From £7,000 for OneVision workflow or £9,000 for standalone version
Contact OneVision UK 024 7632 3180  www.onevision.com