• New Workflow Software from Xitron – K2

    Xitron has a long history of great products, with their Navigator (Harlequin) RIP software. They have been a leader of the entry level to mid-range commercial printer market, providing interfaces for just about any platesetter. Proven products, excellent support and not too expensive. Xitron is in a very interesting position,…

  • New Uncoated UV Dataset and Profile

    Printing United Alliance just released a new dataset and profile for UV curable inks on Uncoated paper, it’s called “Alliance_UC_UV”. This is significant as it fills a void in the current North American specifications. We currently have Character Reference Print Condition #3 (CRPC3), aka GRACoL2013UNC_CRPC3, which is for traditional solvent-based…

  • How to Install ICC Profiles in Mimaki RasterLink version 7

    When you purchase a Mimaki printer, it comes with their RIP software RasterLink 7. Once you get the software installed and your printer configured, you’ll need to download some ICC profiles. These define the color space of the particular printer, mode, ink set, media, etc. and you can’t print without…

  • Color Management from Capture thru Print

    A Recent Success Story Recently we were asked to visit a client regarding consultation for their print production workflows, specifically related to on-going process control. They are a worldwide home decor brand that sells direct to consumer. They have over 1,000 designs to choose from, all of which are printed…

  • Proofer Challenge! Let’s see what you’ve got.

    Proofing these days is pretty much exclusively done using inkjet printers, coupled with RIP software. Calibrations and Profiles are created with a spectrophotometer to achieve an optimal print condition and then defined for each media and print conditions. The color space/profile of the target/reference is also chosen in the color…

  • My presentation and perspectives from the American Packaging Summit.

    Last month I attended the American Packaging Summit in Chicago. It’s a really interesting and different kind of event. Brands of all sizes attend to network, hear about emerging technologies, and talk with vendors in the industry about specifics. Alder Color Solutions sponsored the event this year and I had…

  • Difference Between IA ECG B1C and IA ECG B1C X ICC Profiles

    Investigating the differences (primarily GCR) between the 2 ICC profiles IDEAlliance released in August of 2021 in their updated ECG Characterization Target and Kit. By Dan Gillespie – Alder Color Solutions – Director of Technical Services As part of the “Idealliance ECG Beta Characterization Data Set File” download there are…

  • Match Spot Colors as Easy as 1, 2, 3!

    The New Color Match Functionality in ChromaChecker Capture – by Dan Gillespie This new Color Match functionality in ChromaChecker Capture software works so well, it’s crazy how accurate, quick and easy it is. In this blog, I’ll walk you through the steps. Launch Capture v3 and choose QuickChecker across the…

  • Never Wonder If You Can Match A Color Again!

    Using Virtual Spot Print in ChromaChecker – by Dan Gillespie This question is asked all the time… Can you match X-color? Most people simply can’t answer correctly, although they might automatically say yes, because they just don’t know. But that’s only because they don’t know how quick and easy they…