drupa Preview: X-Rite
Seven new colour management solutions to be launched
X-Rite announced plans to launch seven new colour management solutions under the theme of Streamlined Color Management, leading up drupa 2004. Speaking to global trade journalists at the Pre-DRUPA Media Conference, CEO Michael C. Ferrara, and Vice President of Marketing and Product Development, James Weaver, outlined the Company’s plans to deliver innovative, lower cost streamlined hardware and software colour management solutions, targeting creative, prepress, commercial print, on demand and packaging segments of the graphic arts.
X-Rite is a provider of colour measurement solutions comprised of hardware, software and services for the verification and communication of colour data. The Company serves a broad range of industries, including graphic arts, digital imaging, photo, industrial and retail colour matching, and medical. X-Rite serves markets in over 80 countries with offices throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
To kick off its streamlined colour management product lineup, X-Rite announced an industry first for the pressroom – a fast, one-step, self-contained method both to evaluate colour quality and to generate (ICC) color profiles. Through the single press of a button, any press operator can initiate a fast colour measurement from a linear CMS test form to create a high quality ICC color profile, which characterizes the parameters of a print job (press, paper, ink, screening, etc.). This innovation makes pressroom production color management so simple, it can be widely adopted and utilized by printers to ensure better separations and improved proof to press matching. “At X-Rite, our focus is to develop colour management solutions that are ‘streamlined’ within the printing process,” said Weaver. “By this we mean faster, smarter, more universal applications, consisting of integrated hardware and software to create solutions that are easier to operate, while delivering an economic return for our global customers.”
X-Rite also announced plans to introduce the industry’s first and only low cost, highly accurate, upgradeable, and truly portable spectrophotometer solution for the graphic design market. Utilizing the company’s new patented colour measurement technology, paired with innovative software, this product offers colour management for the initial phases of the workflow. Jim Weaver comments “X-Rite’s new ergonomically designed portable instrument, integrated with our innovative colour management software, sets a new benchmark as the perfect creative colour solution for graphic artists worldwide.”
For the prepress area and on-demand printers, X-Rite will introduce a new X-Y AutoScan Spectrophotometer, which enables users to measure ICC colour management test forms faster than ever before, saving time and money. Today, this process requires at least 20 minutes. This new X-Y solution will measure targets in less than 3 minutes – with no compromises. Also included is a “set it and forget it” mode, which only requires the user to place the test form in the X-Y AutoScan and push a button to begin operation. This process only takes five seconds.
