HighWater has launched a software tool for controlling dot gain that simplifies the process of characterising and calibrating presses.


Press Signature is a 2,000 application developed in conjunction with former print farmer and press minder Mark Priests firm Germinate, to solve problems with using in-RIP dot gain controls.


"I found it difficult to calibrate using just the tools supplied with RIPs," said Priest. "They tend to produce banding in vignettes."


To overcome this problem he developed a control strip that can be placed in the margin of every job and an algorithm, which produces smooth and accurate dot gain curves from a reduced number of densitometer readings.


"The smooth correction that protects vignettes is based on the results of measuring lots of presses and set-ups," he said.


Press Signature can be used to calibrate a single press to hit a desired standard or to match a group of presses to the same standard.


One of the first UK users, Southend-based Perivan, has done this with its five MAN Roland presses.


"Its brought our presses into balance," said studio manager Paul Horsley. "Its also brought dot gain down and eliminated the banding in vignettes we were getting from putting figures straight into our Scitex RIP."


l Press Signature has won the manufacturing category of the London Innovation Awards, organised by London Business Innovation Centre.


Story by Barney Cox