SpotOn! Flexo Now Supports Konica FD-Series
November 27, 2012—The challenge of printing spot colors due to lack of density information just got a lot easier, thanks to hardware and software available now to flexographic press operators. SpotOn! Flexo, a proven pressroom software package for optimal color matching, now supports the new Konica Minolta FD-7 spectrodensitometer. These innovative tools now work together to make it easier than ever to get optimum color reproduction and density information for any spot color, right at your fingertips.
“The Konica Minolta FD-7 spectrodensitometer with SpotOn! Flexo software is a unique solution that is unprecedented in the industry. The FD-7 is an industry-leading and highly accurate handheld measurement device. When used with the user-friendly SpotOn! Flexo software, you get a really efficient and productive way to match spot colors on a flexographic press,” says Russell Doucette, business development manager for Konica Minolta Sensing Americas.
The Konica Minolta FD-7 measures density and color while compensating for the fluorescence of paper substrates. The FD-7 features many industry-first innovations:
- Konica Minolta's original VFS (Virtual Fluorescence Standard) technology enables color evaluation under Illuminant D50, the standard light source used by the printing industry for color assessment.
- The FD-Series was developed to be the first spectrodensitometers on the market to correspond to the ISO 13655 M1 standard for fluorescence and color measurement.
- It features the industry’s first Automatic Wavelength Compensation, which automatically calibrates in the wavelength direction when white calibration is performed.
The Konica Minolta FD-7 is compatible with SpotOn! Flexo software, which gives press operators instant access to spectral data to determine the best ink density for optimum color reproduction, right from an easy-to-use interface on their computer monitors. SpotOn! Flexo compares the spectral data of a color measured on a press pull to the spectral data of the reference color. A quick calculation gives the press operator the optimal density to obtain the closest (lowest Delta E, or ∆E) match to the reference color.
“There’s always been a challenge in printing spot colors because of the lack of density information available to the press operator,” says Richard Black, director of digital solutions for APR. “Using the Konica Minolta FD-7 with SpotOn! Flexo software can help determine the best ink density for optimum color reproduction. This allows a press operator to run a spot color to match a customer’s approved color. Using these two innovative products together can literally change the way you print spot colors”
About All Printing Resources (APR)
All Printing Resources (APR) is a proven resource for solutions, trusted service, and support to the flexographic printing industry that delivers measurable performance enhancements and total cost reductions including the after sale attention needed to see optimal results. APR represents some of the most innovative product lines worldwide and takes a "team" approach to deliver process improvement and innovative solutions.
About Konica Minolta Sensing Americas
Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc. (KMSA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings USA, Inc., is recognized as the international leader of industrial color, light and 3D shape measurement. The company is responsible for product lines that continuously revolutionize how visual perception is measured by the world.
About SpotOn! Press
SpotOn! Press is a software developer for the printing and graphic arts industries. SpotOn! is a calibration and process control software tool for the proof-to-press process and was released in 2008. Bruce Bayne, founder of SpotOn! Press, has over 30 years in the printing industry and is a GRACoL Certified Expert. Bayne specializes in color management and prepress workflow hardware and software solutions. He uses this experience to create unique and valuable software tools to empower users to measure and manage color. SpotOn! Press is headquartered in Portland, OR.
Source: APR.
