Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

for Film Lamination of Offset Prints

Dr. Hanno Hoffstadt, GMG GmbH & Co. KG

Version 1.1 – 2012-02-06

Contents

0 Short Version for the Impatient . ......................................................................2

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 3
2 Surface Finishing Categories . ...........................................................................4
3 How to Use the Profiles .......................................................................................4
4 Recommendations for Proofing . ..................................................................... 5
5 Recommendations for Printers . .......................................................................6
6 Special Notes on PDF/X . ..................................................................................... 7
7 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................................ 7

The following members of the “Surface Finishing Working Group” of the European Colour Initiative
have contributed to the development of these profiles:

Dirk Becker and Klaus Mögel (Clausen & Bosse)

Frank Manusch and Jochen Rudolf (Ebner & Spiegel)
Dr. Peter Barth (Achilles)
Gernot Jung (Nickert)

For additional tests, we gratefully acknowledge the help of

Guido Hochstrate (Mohn Media, Gütersloh)

Sebastian Querengässer (GGP Media, Pößneck)

Please send feedback to:

[email protected]

1 Adobe Photoshop® and Adobe Acrobat® are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
 Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

0 Short Version for the Impatient The Standard Proof is the well-known ISO
Coated v2 proof with reference values accord-
The Surface Finishing Working Group of the ing to the FOGRA39 data set.
ECI provides new ICC profiles and characterisa-
tion data in addition to ISO Coated v2. They de- The Finishing Proof uses one of the matte/
scribe the final result of a PSO print (conform- glossy profiles (see table) as reference pro-
ing to ISO 12647-2, PT 1/2, 150–200 lpi screen) file and is based on different target values. It
being laminated with glossy or matte OPP film. should be printed on an appropriate substrate
(semimatte or high gloss proofing paper).
Why these profiles?
We recommend a unique identification, e.
Surface finishing changes the colour (5 ∆E on g. as shown with the labels. Without that, a
+10% average, >10 ∆E max). The profiles simulate the proof must always be taken for on-press col-
final product in proof or softproof. They can be our matching, not for the final product!
TVI
used to achieve better separations.
The printer still prints according to stand-
How do you use the profiles? ard, e. g. matched to an ISO Coated v2 proof.
Surface finishing effects are not compensated
The data provider can check on his display (except if individual agreements are in place).
whether the design will look very different If the ISO Coated v2 proof looks lighter than ex-
due to surface finishing. A possible way is to pected, the effect of surface finishing has been
use e. g. “Proof Preview” in Adobe Photoshop® taken into account in the data. The press result
and “Output Preview” in Adobe Acrobat®. must be equally light, otherwise the desired fi-
nal result will not be reached afterwards.
If changes are small, conventional production
can be appropriate. If changes are larger, one Questions and answers:
can adjust the job data, or use the new profiles
for a separation tailored to a glossy or matte – What about UV or dispersion varnishes?
surface finish. Then, an ISO Coated v2 proof – What about FM/non-periodic screens?
shows different colours than the final product. Colour changes are smaller, therefore we haven’t
yet created profiles for these cases.
Therefore we need to distinguish for proofing:
– Why can’t the printer simply compensate
−− the Finishing Proof of the final product undesired colour changes for me?
using a surface finishing That’s difficult. Please see details below.
OOF!
FINISHING PR ing!
ss colour match – Why does my matte finish appear colourful
Not for on-pre and with high contrast on screen?
possible −− the Standard Proof of the print before ap- Probably, black point compensation is activated!
labels plying the finishing Select “simulate black ink” in Preview settings. (In
ROOF!
STANDARD P later!
Photoshop it is not sufficient to assign the correct
rface-finished profile, you have to activate the proof preview.)
Print will be su

ICC profile describes: used for:

ISOcoated_v2_eci.icc, ISOcoated_v2_300_eci.icc, PSO offset print, – for on-press colour matching
ISO Coated v2 (ECI), ISO Coated v2 300% (ECI) unfinished (yet)
NEW: PSO_Coated_v2_300_Matte_laminate_eci.icc Matte lamination with – shows finished final product
PSO Coated v2 300% Matte laminate (ECI) OPP film, FOGRA49 – dedicated separation
NEW: PSO_Coated_v2_300_ Glossy_laminate_eci.icc Glossy lamination with – detection of colour changes
PSO Coated v2 300% Glossy laminate (ECI) OPP film, FOGRA50 – compared to ISO Coated v2

2 Overview of ECI profiles for offset printing on coated paper (PT1/2), 150–200 lpi screen, with and without finishing.
 Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

1 Introduction With this, prepress and customer can simulate

the look of the final product. However, those
Colour appearance is changed by surface fin- Finishing Proofs are not suited for on-press
ishing of printed products (by lamination or colour matching, because the unfinished print
varnish). If the printing inks have the required still looks different from the finished result
fastness properties, the change is a strictly op- prouced later on.
tical effect and predictable. Often, skin tones
are adversally affected. This change is stable The pressman thus requires a proof which
over time (except for oil-based varnish, which describes the unfinished print, but in such a
turn yellowish within a short time). way that the surface-finished print again cor-
responds exactly to the Finishing Proof. Fin-
For production it is useful to know the appear- ished and unfinished state form a tight pair.
ance of finishing prints beforehand, either as a This means that one has to measure the test
hard-copy proof or simply on screen. Then one chart also before finishing in order to create a
can intervene and correct in time if necessary. paired profile for the unfinished print. In doing
It would be even better and more economical, so, one achieves a consistent pair of profiles.
to account for the colour shift already during
separation. But then, individual profiles are obstacles in
open workflows. Therefore standard profiles
Both preview and separation are done with like ISO Coated v2 have been established. ISO
ICC profiles. One can easily produce profiles Coated v2 describes an unfinished offset print
for finishing by printing test charts as usu- according to ISO 12647-2 on coated paper with
al, finishing them and measuring them with a AM screens between 150–200 lpi (60–80 l/cm).
spectrophotometer, thus obtaining character- We need a matching set of finishing profiles in
isation data. From that, profiles are calculated order to work in a standardized way. Such pro-
which consequentially describe the total proc- files are now provided by the Surface Finishing
ess of printing+surface finishing. Working Group of the ECI.

Undesired colour changes due to surface finishing. To the left: glossy, center: unfinished (ISO Coated v2), right: matte.

3 Dedicated separation for standardized print+finishing. Left: glossy, center: unfinished (as above), right: matte.
 Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

2 Surface Finishing Categories ous matte and glossy films. From these we de-
termined typical colour changes and applied
It is necessary to identify the most important those to the FOGRA39 data set. The resulting
types of finishing from the multitude of pos- enw data sets FOGRA49 and FOGRA50 were
sible cases. Those are glossy and matte finish- used to create two profiles in the same man-
ing. A glossy finish always causes more saturat- ner as ISO Coated v2 (300%).
ed colours and darker shadows. A matte finish
always results in weaker colours and shadows 3 How to Use the Profiles
caused by the light scattering at the surface.
PSO Coated v2 300% Glossy laminate (ECI)
Films and varnishes are used as materials for PSO Coated v2 300% Matte laminate (ECI)
finishing. Films typically consist of oriented are for glossy or matte lamination with OPP
polypropylene (OPP) with a thickness of 10– film, intended for standardized offset printing
15 µm. For varnishes one uses mostly UV-cured like ISO Coated v2 (on coated paper, and print-
or dispersion (water-based) varnishes. The fin- ed with 150–200 lpi AM screen).
ished surface of the print is most uniform and
smooth with lamination, followed by UV var- 1) Use for existing CMYK separations:
nishes. Dispersion varnishes reach noticably
reduced gloss values, but also smaller colour
shifts.

Film and UV varnish both cause an important

additional dot gain (DG). Film (with > 10 %) has
nearly twice the effect of UV varnish (5–7 %).

Rule of thumb: +10 %, starting early on

In Photoshop’s “Proof Preview” one can see the
Dispersion varnishes increase dot gain by colour appearance of CMYK data if printed un-
only 2–4% and are often applied inline during changed („keep CMYK numbers”). To correctly
printing. Then one can inspect the final result judge darker image areas it is important that
and compensate the small varnish effect easi- no black point compensation is used, there-
ly on press. fore „simulate black ink” must be checked.

Dot gain due to lamination depends on screen With two such “proofing conditions” for the
ruling and sharpness, with a maximum around unfinished „ISO Coated v2” and the finishing
150–180 lpi (60–70 l/cm). Contrary to dot gain profile one can either switch back and forth,
in printing, it decreases not only for coarser, or open a second window with another proof
but also for finer (and FM) screens. preview (Menu Window – Arrange – New win-
dow for …).
We conducted several test print runs with dif-
ferent coated papers and cardboard, and vari-

+10 %

Left: pair of test charts (10% steps). Center: finished is more red. Right: corresponds to roughly +10 % M in unfinished.
4 Thus, a light orange of 10 M 100 Y looks after finishing more like a stronger orange of 20 M 100 Y.
 Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

In proofing systems one chooses the finishing The exchange between participating partners
profile instead of „ISO Coated v2” as reference, is depicted in the diagram. The unfinished
in order to simulate the final result instead of proof is the standard case. If a Finishing Proof
the unfinished print. Target values for proof is delivered as well, this additional proof must
control strips can be taken from the character- be explicitly labeled (beyond the required
isation data sets FOGRA49 and FOGRA50. caption with the simulated reference printing
condition, e. g. by a special attached label).
2) To separate optimally for finishing:
OOF!
FINISHING PR
ss co lo ur matching!
Undesired colour changes can be anticipated Not for on-pre
with softproofing or hard-copy proofing. But
to fix those, CMYK data would need editing. The unfinished ISO Coated v2 proof should
also be labeled. The press operator must real-
If the finishing profiles are used already dur- ize that he has to print to the proof or stand-
ing separation, e. g. in place of „ISO Coated v2”, ard, not to “good looks”, so that the intended
colour changes have automatically been tak- result can be reached later after finishing.
en into account. The resulting CMYK data look ROOF!
a bit pale if proofed with ISO Coated v2, be- STANDARD P later!
rfac finished
e-
cause the additional 10% dot gain of the fin- Print will be su
ishing is needed for the correct colour result.
Only the proof with simulated finishing does Despite that the Standard Proof generally ap-
look alright. pears too light, it is still correct. This can be ver-
ified by a successful control strip analysis.
3) In the workflow:
Nevertheless one should not forget that
Despite a possibly pale ISO Coated v2 proof, proofs in pairs cause double costs. Many fin-
the printer must print to standard and must ished print products can be produced satisfac-
not apply more ink, otherwise a darkening torily without this added overhead. Still, the
would happen twice. new profiles can increase reliability, because
people can check for potential colour shifts
During on-press colour matching of the un- on screen beforehand and decide from case to
STOP
finished print, make sure that no confusing case whether the overhead is worthwhile.
proof with a finishing profile is around!
4 Recommendations for Proofing

The increased colour gamut of glossy finished

Print buyer

Idea
prints usually cannot be fully covered in the
proof. Notably, the patch 100Y 100K in the Me-
dia Wedge 3 cannot be correctly simulated by
Creation of
digital data
current pigment-based proofing systems. This
Prepress / Repro

Proof (unfinished) Proof (final product) is irrelevant for normal production and can be
tolerated.
final!
In addition to colorimetric accuracy, the opti-
STOP cal appearance of the proof is very important
Print according to
standard for the acceptance of the simulation. Thus one
Print shop

should definitely use a glossy proofing paper

to simulate glossy finishing. For matte finish-
ing, particularly for matte lamination, there is
no adequate paper. The next best thing to do
Surface finishing
Postprocessing is to resort to semi-matte proofing paper.
Finisher

5
Final
product
 Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

For highest demands one can obtain a perfect 5 Recommendations for Printers
finish by laminating the proof, if the inks have
sufficient fastnesses. But it does not work to It has been attempted many times to compen-
simply laminate the Standard Proof. One must sate finishing in pre-press or the pressroom.
characterize the laminated proof and create a It was hoped that average ISO Coated v2 data
corresponding proof profile. It also helps that can somehow be produced in a roughly col-
the gamut of a glossy laminated proof is in- our-correct way – data creation would be so
creased similar to the laminated print. much simpler since no knowledge about an
intended surface finishing would be required.
A common use of the profiles is to compare
unfinished and finished prints with the cor- For matte lamination, one would have to
responding proofs. If the unfinished print counteract the additional 10%. But contrast is
matches the ISO coated v2 proof well, one can already strongly decreased by the matte sur-
expect that the finished print compares well to face, so that any further reduction makes the
the Finishing Proof. This gives a good idea of image even more washed out. Platesetter
the accuracy of the finishing profile. curves obviously cannot help here. But even
a CMYK-CMYK transformation is problematic
Often, the unfinished print is slightly different because of the big differences in gamut size.
(e. g. colder) compared to the Standard Proof, And solids would turn into halftones to reduce
especially when the proof has been created af- the high brilliance and depth of a glossy fin-
terwards. After finishing, the print will again ished print to the level of the unfinished print.
be colder compared to the finishing proof. In
that case one does not expect a colour match, We think a dedicated separation of RGB data
but only that the colour shift from before to af- for the intended finishing is the best approach.
ter finishing will behave similar between print
and proof. As before, the printer must measure and
achieve his established aim values for stand-
For custom printing conditions with 150–200 ardized printing on the unlaminated print
lpi on coated paper you can create the related (paper type 1/2, 60-80 lines/cm, TVI curve A
counterpart for finishing by adding the CIELAB for CMY (13%) and B (16%) for black). Produc-
difference due to finishing on your own char- tion-based differences to FOGRA39 in paper
acterization data. Please find the difference white, solid coloration, and tone value curves
data enclosed in the profile package. are carried forward by lamination. Therefore it
is harder to interpret measurements on lami-
Please note the following for viewing booths: nated prints than directly on the unlaminated
print.
Surface-finished prints have a neutral-white
surface reflection (no bronzing). With matte Can the lamination process be controlled?
lamination, this light covers large viewing an- Color changes during lamination depend only
gles and disturbs a critical appraisal. It can help on the materials. Glossy films are very similar,
to shadow the diffuse illumination in parts, e. but matte films can have quite different values
g. using black cloth. of haze / opacity. The average matte film giv-
en by FOGRA49 leads to a lightness increase
Unfinished (“naked”) prints (i. e. without print- of ∆L* = 6 in the solid black patch and is well
ing varnish) and proofs show bronzing. As an suited for typical production. A clearer film will
example, dark blue areas will have a purple cause less brightening, a matter film will cause
sheen which we unconsciously interpret as an more. Therefore, individual film types can be
overall reddish cast. It helps to be aware of this classified by measuring solid black before and
effect, to look out for it, and then to choose after lamination (on the same patch on the
viewing angles where surface reflections are very same sheet, before and after).
minimized.
6
 Application Notes for the ECI Profiles with Surface Finishing

6 Special Notes on PDF/X 7 Concluding Remarks

When finishing profiles are used for separa- We are indebted to Dr. Günter Bestmann, Hei-
tion, there are several possibilites. In a media delberger Druckmaschinen, for creation of the
specific workflow (see Media Standard for Print) ICC profiles.
CMYK data are delivered. After separation of
RGB data the used finishing profile is usual- The profiles have been tested by members of
ly embedded. A proof from these CMYK data the ECI work group during daily production.
shows the intended final result. For on-press
colour matching, a corresponding unfinished Recently we came to know about a particu-
proof must be enforced manually, i. e. the em- lar type of scratch-resistant matte film which
bedded profile must be ignored and replaced is rather clear. This means that there is no de-
by ISO Coated v2 as reference. crease of contrast due to haze (∆L* for the
black solid is zero), and colour changes are
If RGB data are delivered as PDF/X-4 in the me- only due to the additional film dot gain. Ob-
dia neutral workflow, the separation at the re- viously, our matte profile is not suitable in this
ceiver is determined by the embedded “out- case. It is yet unclear whether this kind of film
put intent”. A PDF/X-compatible proofing is commonly used so that there is a demand.
system will therefore use the “output intent” to
create temporary CMYK data and immediate- Finally, please let us know about your experi-
ly output a proof based on that same profile. ences and your opinion. Thanks!

Since separation should account for finishing,

it is necessary to set the glossy or matte finish-
ing profile as “output intent”. But then a PDF/
12
X-compliant proofing system needs to create
Additional TVI Due to Finishing (%)

OPP Film
UV Varnish
a Finishing Proof. To get an unfinished proof, 10 Disp. Varnish
one has to make sure that the temporarily sep- 8
arated data are proofed with a different refer-
6
ence profile (namely, ISO Coated v2).
4
This distinction of correct PDF/X treatment by
2
“output intent” on the one side, and proof ref-
erence on the other, is currently not support- 0
0 20 40 60 80 100
ed by many proofing systems, and actually Tone value (% in Data)

is against PDF/X rules. It would also open up Typical additional tone value increase for the various
type of finishing.
new sources of error in the use of proofing.
8
For the time being, it makes more sense to OPP Matte Film
6 100 M + C/Y
create CMYK data, and deliver PDF/X-1a, de- 4
100 Y + M/C
100 C + Y/M
spite that PDF/X-1a also contains an “output
Hue shift ∆h*

2
intent”. Most proofing systems allow to ignore 0
the “output intent” and to use another, in this -2

case the finishing profile or ISO Coated v2, as -4

-6
the reference.
-8
300 M 60 Y 120 180 C 300
Hue angle h*
Hue shifts – e. g. skin tones become noticeably redder.

(From: Hoffstadt, Simulating Color Changes Due to Coating

of Offset Prints, CGIV 2004 - Second European Conference on
Color in Graphics, Imaging and Vision, Aachen, Germany;
April 2004; p. 489-493; modified)
7