"Many systems are using low-cost ink-jet printers and ICC colour management," said European marketing manager of colour proofing Ralph Bates. "I prefer to call them remote printing. Drop-on-demand ink-jet today cannot deliver contract proofing."

It uses additional software for the Digital Cromalin, a spectrophotometer and a DuPont-hosted database on the internet.

A control strip on each proof is read to find the difference of the proof from the aim point (delta E). This is recorded along with a unique ID on the web server allowing all parties involved to check the accuracy of the proofs. An accuracy of under one delta E between different devices and from proof to proof is claimed.

DuPont will charge a one-off fee for the software with a monthly charge to use the database.

ICertification will be shown at Ipex on DuPonts own and a number of other firms stands.

Story by Barney Cox in Frankfurt