Hardcopy Proofing Workflow Verifies Specifications

Quickcut LLC together with EFI have launched Assureproof, described as an efficient approach to provide a hardcopy proofing workflow that can be verified against publisher specifications.

Quickcut LLC together with EFI have launched Assureproof, described as an efficient approach to provide a hardcopy proofing workflow that can be verified against publisher specifications throughout the production process.

Assureproof, the first result of the companies' newly-formed strategic relationship, is a hardcopy proofing and verification system.

It is said to allow content creators at advertising and design firms to generate a hard copy proof of an advertisement that is verified against all the specifications of the destination publication, from physical dimensions to specific ICC colour profiles.

Proofs generated by the Assureproof workflow contain measurement values written to a JDF file that are fed back in to a fully validated and automated workflow all the way to print.

Once a proof has been verified, agency personnel, publishers and printers at any location with an internet connection can use Assureproof software to generate the colour-validated hard copy proof, thereby closing the production loop, said Quickcut.

Quickcut chairman, Grant Blanchard, said: "Assureproof is unlike any other proofing system available today.

As part of a Quickcut workflow, a proof generated by Assureproof on any supported and properly calibrated ink jet printer is verified to conform to the mechanical and colour specifications for a specific ad in a specific publication produced anywhere in the world." Ghilad Dziesietnik, chief technology officer at EFI, commented: "Assureproof marks the first time that a hard copy proof can be verified as conforming to the specifications of the destination publication.

Proof information is carried in a JDF job ticket all the way through to print, enabling customers to drastically improve quality in ink jet proofing, as quality assurance is a remote proofing prerequisite." In an Assureproof workflow, the content creator uses Quickcut's software with Adobe Indesign or QuarkXPress to design an advertisement for a specific publication guided automatically by that publisher's mechanical requirements and the correct colour profile, which Assureproof uses to enforce proper colour management throughout the process, added the company.

When the completed work is ready to be proofed, the Quickprint software automatically checks the layout document to the selected publisher specifications - verifying size, colour, fonts, resolution, ink weight and CMYK separations.

Accepting the job for proofing automatically triggers Quickcut's Q-Automate software to create and send a PDF/X file with the publisher's colour profiling to EFI's Colorproof XF software for proofing without any additional RIP set-up.

A colour bar printed on the hardcopy proof is measured using EFI's Color Verifier software and its accuracy verified using a spectrophotometer.

If the printer is properly calibrated and the colours are accurate against the specified profile information, Assureproof automatically verifies the proof, writes the measurement values in to a JDF file that is sent back in to the Quickcut workflow and records the verification status in a PDF/X file that it sends to the Quickprint database.

Upon downloading the file, the verification status and the measurement values are shown automatically in the Quickcut Pagestore software interface, claimed Quickcut.

A verified colour-accurate proof can then be generated on a supported device at any remote site, giving agency users the flexibility to generate hardcopy proofs for client approval or agency reference and providing publishers with an added level of quality assurance to support digital advertisement delivery, whilst eliminating the need for advertisers to send a hard-copy proof with the file.

Because Assureproof employs what is described as field-proven software from Quickcut for workflow and EFI Colorproof XF for the RIP, users of either company's products can implement it through a simple software upgrade.

In addition, Assureproof supports more than 30 ink-jet printers from Canon, Epson and HP, including the Canon W2200 and 8200, Epson Stylus 4000 and HP Designjet 30 and 130 series, said Quickcut.

The printers compatible with Assureproof have been chosen for their ability to cover the colour gamut required to simulate print output by a range of printing presses and users may already own a supported printer, further easing the transition to Assureproof colour-verified remote proofing.

Assureproof will be available through Quickcut direct sales and through the international EFI reseller network.

Assureproof was unveiled for an exclusive preview at Pacprint 2005, which allowed visitors to see the system demonstrated.

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