Digital proofing is different from these hard proofing methods. It does not have specific proofs. The customer or operator just obtains the proofing effect and information through the computer screen. Since the mid-1990s, the open color management technology based on computer technology developed and promoted by ICC has been recognized and strongly promoted by hardware and software developers and related industries. The screen soft proofing technology and its application have made rapid development. The screen soft proofing products exhibited in related exhibitions in the past two years have been quite abundant. There are both local stand-alone proofing products and remote network proofing products. The proofing accuracy of high-end products has reached the requirements of regular printing contract proofing, has passed the SWOP certification, and some products have even been extended to the printing booth. Through the screen soft proofing system, remote customers can see samples and sign for printing anywhere in the Internet. However, precisely because soft proofing is based on computer-based and display media proofing technology, customers or operators do not get specific proofs, so the biggest feature of soft proofing is "visible and untouchable." Based on this feature, soft proofing has not been affirmed in the field of printing proofing, and the industry has never recognized the status of soft proofing.
Now, a very real question arises-is the effect of soft proofing on the screen real and reliable? Can it exist in the printing field as a truly independent proofing method? The answer is yes. why? The following four aspects can fully explain why screen soft proofing can and should become an independent proofing method.
People have long been accustomed to using screen soft proofing
When everyone is skeptical about soft proofing and doubts its "ability", it is already using soft proofing unknowingly, and this proofing method is inseparable. Why do you say that? Everyone pays close attention to the things around you. When the designer is designing, is n’t he using the computer screen to predict the effect of the future prints? When you do text entry and image processing, don't you also design prints based on the screen? When you do typesetting and editing, do n’t you just adjust and correct the prints you will produce on the screen? In fact, all of this can be called soft proofing on the screen, but the color requirements have not been improved to match the printing. However, the industry cannot deny the possibility of soft proofing. Now that soft proofing is entrenched in content proofing, as long as there is technical support, the development of soft proofing in simulating printing colors is also possible.
Hardware technology is mature
For screen soft proofing, the first and most important of course is the display, and the most difficult problem that has always been overcome is the display. Because the color rendering function of the display is unstable, the effect of screen soft proofing is difficult to guarantee. But today, the performance of the display has been greatly improved.
1. Significantly expand the original color gamut
The color gamut of the display is an important indicator of the display capability of the display. In order to achieve soft proofing of the screen, the most basic requirement of the color gamut of the display is to sufficiently cover the printing color gamut. In fact, some monitors designed specifically for screen soft proofing have already done this.
2. Stable color rendering performance
For screen soft proofing, the biggest feature is "visible, untouchable". Without physical proofs, it is difficult for people to accept the screen soft proofing as an independent proofing method, mainly because the display effect of the display is not stable It will change at any time, so there is no guarantee for customers or enterprises. If there is a problem with the printed product, it will not be convincing to any party. It can be seen that stability is the key to changing the fate of soft proofing on the screen. Nowadays, in terms of stability, in addition to the fact that the display manufacturers have greatly improved the stability, more and more perfect screen correction procedures have also provided a good guarantee for the stability of the display. In a standard state.
In January 2003, the Remote Director 2.0 calibration system developed by Integrated Color Solutions (ICS) became the first monitor calibration system to pass SWOP certification. This means that through Remote Director 2.0, soft proofing of the screen can be performed without printing proofing, which saves a lot of time and costs for printing professionals. This calibration system uses an Apple Cinema Display or Apple Cinema HD Display and a PowerMac G5 computer running Mac OS X. This means that at that time, Apple's LCD display has been able to meet the requirements, in line with the brightness and color range required for ICS screen proofs. Following the pace of Apple, EIZO, as a major display giant, also strives for the soft proofing market. The company already has several monitors that comply with the SWOP soft proofing certification requirements. In addition, Sony's SDM P232W / B monitor is also one of the SWOP remote proofing monitors recommended by ICS.
It can be seen from this that the display, which is one of the hardware for soft proofing of the screen, has matured technology and has made a good foundation for the development of soft proofing of the screen.
In addition to the display, the measurement device is another important hardware for soft proofing of the screen. In addition to the measurement equipment used to make printed ICC files, the key equipment used in the screen soft proofing system is the screen calibrator.
MonacoOPTIX display calibration system provided by X-Rite uses the most advanced colorimeter and is equipped with powerful and easy-to-operate software to provide excellent configuration solutions for LCD and CRT displays. Greentech (now merged with X-Rite) has also developed spectrophotometer software that can be applied to displays.
The high-precision display calibration equipment provides powerful technical support for the high-efficiency screen soft proofing system.
Software technology diversification
Similar to the overall development of the IT industry, in the field of screen soft proofing, the software development speed is much faster than the hardware development speed. In addition to the rapid technical update of the screen soft proofing control software, the choice is still diverse. . For example, Kodak launched the Matchprint Virtual virtual proofing solution, which can provide accurate CMYK color RGB monitoring and observation, and can reliably predict the final print color; the Remote Director 2.0 correction system developed by ICS Company directly cooperates with the X-Rite Eye-One Pro system . Software and hardware promote each other's development and match each other, realizing a stable and effective screen soft proofing system. Screen soft proofing can actually become a relatively mature proofing system. As long as it is effectively used, screen soft proofing can be used as an independent proofing method in production.
Screen soft proofing standards are tending to improve
The evaluation of screen soft proofing is divided into subjective evaluation and objective evaluation. Objective evaluation is well understood, that is, the instrument is tested under certain observation conditions, and the data is analyzed before it is obtained. This is similar to the general color management method. However, subjective evaluation is more difficult. Factors related to subjective evaluation include people, light sources, and luminous objects (displays). Among these factors, people are the most subjective and vary greatly, so they are generally standardized for light sources and displays. At present, there are already standardized regulations specifically for light sources and displays.
1. Observation light environment standardization
International standards include "environmental conditions for soft-screen proofing", which was established in the 1990s. China has also referred to the European standard light source standard and the relevant US standards, and has developed an industry standard called "color evaluation" observation conditions, which is the CY / T3 industry standard. This is an industry standard converted from an international standard. This standard involves four requirements: color temperature, color rendering coefficient, illuminance, and observation conditions. By restricting the influencing factors of visual observation, the effect of observation is as consistent as possible.
2. Monitor standardization
In order to standardize and standardize the display in production, the International Standardization Organization TC130 Committee has formulated the ISO12646 international standard. This standard makes detailed requirements for the technology of the display, including the provisions of the following parameters: resolution, size, refresh rate, uniformity, geometric accuracy, focus, ambient lighting, chromaticity and brightness of white and black points, and overall Equalize.
The perfect standard has ensured that customers and enterprises use screen soft proofing when they use it, and it has largely lifted the psychological barriers that screen soft proofing brings to people.
Today, screen soft proofing is technically mature and stable. The biggest advantages of screen soft proofing are fast speed and low cost, which satisfies the high efficiency requirements of modern enterprises. Although many people in the industry have not yet accepted the screen soft proofing solution, but this technology has gradually penetrated into some cutting-edge enterprises. In foreign countries, the most successful pioneer is "Time" magazine and some of its publishers, has successfully used remote soft proofing, and now, all customers of "Time" magazine need to send soft proofing files to "Time" magazine . In China, Beijing Hualian Printing Co., Ltd., Beijing Shenghong Rainbow Plate-making Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing "Ruili" magazine jointly conducted a screen soft proofing test. With the leadership of these pioneer companies, with advanced technical support, I believe that in the near future, screen soft proofing will exist as an independent proofing method in many companies.
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