Global Graphics News

How do you achieve the optimum image quality on a high-speed inkjet press? That’s the question posed by Martin Bailey, Global Graphics’ CTO, at the Inkjet Conference, Düsseldorf which opens on 7^th October.

With one inkjet press manufacturer describing droplet placement while inkjet printing at high-speed like “high-level bombing in a gale” the subject is a topic of much debate in the industry with many press manufacturers frustrated in the knowledge that they are not yet able to get the most out of their high-speed presses.  

Which is why for many months, Global Graphics Software has been working with a number of inkjet press manufacturers to develop entirely new half-tone screening technology for presses that can vary the amount of ink delivered in any one location on the media.  

“The partners we are working with have already seen significant improvements to their output and we’re still at the exploratory stage,” says Martin Bailey, Global Graphics’ CTO. “We’ll be sharing some samples at The Inkjet Conference in Düsseldorf (October 7^th and  8^th http://www.theijc.com/ ) and we’d  like to encourage other manufacturers to try it for themselves.”

“Every UV inkjet press vendor we speak to has problems with droplets ‘randomly’ coalescing at some tone values, leading to an uneven or streaky effect,” Bailey continues. “In the same way aqueous inkjet vendors suffer from the loss of extreme highlights in a way that’s reminiscent of flexography. Both are affected significantly by media selection, but most press vendors struggle to prevent their customers from using the most cost effective media at the quality they require and cannot avoid the issues by recommending different media.”

““Colour management is very important, but it’s not enough. If you haven’t got the right screening to apply no amount of colour management will give you the image quality you need. If you’re printing graphics, images, graduations and anything else that requires a full range of tonality, the half-tone screening that we’re developing is what you will need to avoid artefacts.  It works hand in hand with good colour management.”

A halftone screen persuades the human eye to see a tone or colour that is not actually there by marking areas that are too small to be resolved individually. The physics of inkjet printing leads to challenges such as losing highlights or pseudo-random coalescing of dots on the media, challenges which can best be addressed with the results of Global Graphics’ development.  

Martin Bailey’s session is titled “Colour management is not enough: achieving maximum inkjet quality with screening” and will take place at The Inkjet Conference on 7^th October.  Watch the video preview http://bit.ly/1JkbqBy
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About Global Graphics
Global Graphics (Euronext: GLOG) is a leading developer of software platforms on which our partners create solutions for digital printing, digital document and PDF applications. Customers include HP, Corel, Quark, Kodak and Agfa. The roots of the company go back to 1986 and to the iconic university town of Cambridge, and, today the majority of the R&D team is still based near here. There are also offices near Boston, Massachusetts and in Tokyo.  Additional information is available at http://www.globalgraphics.com

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Global Graphics has signed a contract with Ricoh Europe to supply gDoc technology to enable Ricoh to develop digital document solutions that support flexible, mobile access to information.  

The first solution Ricoh has developed using the gDoc Application Platform is Ricoh eBinder, a digital ring binder solution that enables fast access to the information contained in documents without the need to physically copy or connect to the original files.  Ricoh eBinder presents documents in a ring binder format that is instantly familiar to users, with easy navigation via a table of contents or tabs within a digital binder. Binders can be viewed on PC, iOS and Android-based devices.

Ricoh Europe will launch Ricoh eBinder across the EMEA region via its 23 operating companies and their resellers. In addition to the standard Ricoh eBinder application, Ricoh will deliver customised versions to meet the requirements of large enterprises and selected vertical markets.

Commenting on the launch, Olivier Vriesendorp, VP Product Marketing, Ricoh Europe said: “Ricoh eBinder extends the support we provide for organisations seeking to establish a more flexible, mobile working environment. By enabling the information contained in documents to be assembled together for easy access later on from the user’s preferred device, we can help save time and paper and boost employee productivity.”

Ricoh eBinder bridges the gap between paper and digital working practices by making it easy to collect and organise documents in over 100 different formats, including scans from hard copy. For added personalisation, individual users can customise the look and feel of the digital ring binders they create. When sharing binders for wider consumption, users can specify which parts can be accessed, and binders can be password protected for greater security.

“Ricoh is an expert in helping customers transition from paper-based to digital workflows”, said Jonathan Wilson, director of business development, Global Graphics, “and the entire ethos behind the gDoc brand is to make this possible. Our platforms are designed to make the move from a printed page to a digital page effortless and to achieve this we simulate paper workflows. We are delighted that Ricoh has chosen our technology.”

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Editors notes

About Global Graphics
Global Graphics (Euronext: GLOG) http://www.globalgraphics.com is a leading developer of software platforms on which our partners create solutions for digital printing, digital document and PDF applications. Customers include HP, Corel, Quark, Kodak and Agfa. The roots of the company go back to 1986 and to the iconic university town of Cambridge, and, today the majority of the R&D team is still based near here. There are also offices near Boston, Massachusetts and in Tokyo
About Ricoh
Ricoh is a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in about 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2015, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,231 billion yen (approx. 18.5 billion USD).
The majority of the company’s revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialized industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and sustainability initiatives.
Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change. Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees. For further information, please visit  www.ricoh-europe.com

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A new set of hybrid screens that improve print quality significantly for flexo work are launched today by Global Graphics Software.

The flexo screens address the issues of how to achieve high-quality in the highlight areas of images, such as tones close to white or skin tones, and how to print these areas with smooth gradations.

It’s a technical challenge that the Harlequin product team has solved using its Harlequin Cross Modulated™ screens as the basis for development.

“It’s about giving the pre-press operator the choice of the right tools for the job in hand” says Martin Bailey, CTO Global Graphics. “To achieve premium quality you need to be able to select from a wide choice of screen resolutions, rulings and dot sizes so that different graphical objects can be produced as well as possible.

“So we’ve expanded the number of screens available with Harlequin and included a mechanism to auto select the calibration that goes with a particular screen.  Pre-press operators also now have the ability to bump up curves at the highlight end to compensate for flexo not being able to produce tones close to white clearly.  The result is that you can achieve smooth gradations even in high-key images.”

The Harlequin RIP® has been used in the flexo market for many years by Global Graphics OEM partners. “We’ve become increasingly involved in the conversation about how to achieve high-quality at the premium end of the market”, continues Bailey, “and due to our extensive partner network we’ve been able to take input from a variety of vendors to fine tune our plans."
 
Harlequin Cross Modulated Flexo (HXMFlexo) works with the latest editions of the Harlequin RIP®.  Cross modulated screens give smooth, noise-free flat tints while retaining fine detail in highlights and shadows. They allow you to print screens at a higher line ruling than would normally be considered reliable, produce pin-sharp images and help overcome common printing imperfections like visible rosettes and moiré.

Last year Global Graphics and ThermoFlexX® announced joint development work on hybrid screens for ThermoFlexX imagers.

Editors notes

About Global Graphics
Global Graphics (http://www.globalgraphics.com) develops the technology behind the perfect printed and digital page. It is a leading developer of RIPs, color management and screening technology. Customers include HP, Corel, Quark, Kodak and Agfa. The roots of the company go back to 1986 and to the iconic university town of Cambridge where, today, the majority of the R&D team is still based. There are also offices near Boston, Massachusetts, Tokyo.

ThermoFlexX is a registered trademark of Xeikon International BV.  Harlequin and the Harlequin RIP are trademarks of Global Graphics Software Ltd. that may be registered in certain jurisdictions.

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