Sessions are scheduled. Hotels are booked. Bags are packed. It’s time for Forum! This year’s iteration is ready to go, with the Flexo Quality Consortium (FQC) participating in two events:
The first is the very popular preconference session. Dr. Sam Ingram, Jean Jackson and Steve Smiley are putting together a hands on program that is sure to interest all attendees. It’s set for Sunday, March 6 at 9:30 a.m.
FQC’s session will be Monday, March 7 at 10:30 a.m. We will have the Standards Working Group (SWG) update, High Resolution Printing Team update, the Rossini Scholarship winners presenting their research and a presentation on Lean Six Sigma. Be sure to make it to this very engaging session!
High Resolution Update
The High Resolution Printing Team – Part B has completed the development of the procedures, data collection and testing protocol and will focus testing in the narrow web segment. I would like to recognize and thank Smyth Companies for running two trials already. The FQC appreciates your support on this important project. In order to further validate the print target, the Team is looking for additional narrow web printer volunteers to do testing. If you are interested in participating, please contact Ann Michaud or any FQC Executive Committee member. We cannot move this project forward without your support and participation.
SWG Updates
The winter of 2015-2016 seems to be fairly quiet for the SWG. Additionally, the SWG has decided to meet just twice in 2016. The ISO TC 130 held its fall meeting in early November in Seoul, South Korea and we reported on those activities in the most recent report, published in December 2015’s FLEXO Magazine. The next meeting of the ANSI/CGATS and U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC 130 will be held in April in Vienna, VA, and the spring meeting of ISO TC 130 will be held in May in Berlin, Germany.
A large number of standards were sent out for ballot after the fall meetings and were due to close in late January and early February. The results will not be available until Forum and the FQC will have a presentation by the SWG at that time.
Working Group 1
The terminology group continues to work on and further expand the documents on terminology related to graphic reproduction, including prepress function, on press activities and postpress processes.
- ISO 5776, Graphic technology – Symbols for text proof correction. After three proofs, there have been direct discussions with the editor at ISO/CS, and it was hoped that publication would take place in early 2016, but this has not yet happened
Working Group 2
The prepress data exchange working group had a relatively quiet fall and summer in 2015. The following WG2 projects were reported on at the meetings in Seoul:
- ISO 12641-1, Graphic technology – Prepress digital data exchange – Color targets for input scanner calibration. Draft document is in preparation and was discussed in Seoul
- ISO 12641-2, Graphic technology – Prepress digital data exchange – Advanced targets for scanner calibration. Currently a new project; a working draft is in preparation
- ISO 17972-2, Graphic technology – Color data exchange format (CxF/x) – Part 2: Scanner target data. DIS ballot had a deadline of Jan. 12. The TAG voted to approve
- ISO 17972-3, Graphic technology – Color data exchange format (CxF/x) – Part 3: Output target data. DIS ballot had a deadline of Feb. 5
- ISO 18620, Graphic technology – Tone response curve adjustment. The DIS ballot was approved with only a few editorial comments. The publication draft was released on Jan. 4
- ISO 20616-1, Graphic technology – File format for quality control software and metadata – Part 1: Print requirements exchange (PRX). A draft is still being developed
- ISO 20616-2, Graphic technology – File format for quality control software and metadata – Part 2: Print quality exchange (PQX). The NWI/WD is being prepared
- PDF/X – WG2/TF2
» ISO 19593, Graphic technology – Use of PDF to associate processing steps and content data. DIS draft was distributed for review but no ballot item has been sent out yet
» ISO 15930-9, Graphic technology – Prepress digital data exchange using PDF – Part 9: Complete exchange of printing data (PDF/X-6) and partial exchange of printing data with external profile reference (PDF/X-6p) using PDF 2.0. The NWI/CD was approved. The resolution of comments has been distributed for review. No revised ballot for DIS has been announced yet
- PDF/X Application Notes. An outline for new PDF/X application notes is in preparation
- PDF/VT – WG2/TF3
» ISO 16613-1 Graphic technology – Variable content replacement – Part 1: Using PDF/X-4 for variable content replacement (PDF/VCR-1). No revised ballot for DIS has been announced yet
Working Group 3
Process Control & Related Metrology saw updates to:
- ISO/CD2 12647-7 Graphic technology – Process control for the manufacture of halftone color separation, proofs and production prints – Part 7: Proofing processes working directly from digital data. Ballot on DIS was distributed on Nov. 20 and the ballot will not close until March 11
- ISO/TS 15311-1, Graphic technology – Requirements for printed matter utilizing printing technologies for the commercial and industrial production – Part 1: Parameters and measurement measures. This document is in publication at ISO HQ. A new proposal to add an index of opacity is being developed
- ISO/TS 15311-2, Graphic technology – Requirements for printed matter utilizing printing technologies for the commercial and industrial production – Part 2: Commercial production printing. A very long and energetic discussion ensued and several of the conclusions from the Bologna meetings were reversed. Eventually a consensus was reached, and the TS will be submitted for publication along with a strong request to the industry to make field trials and report the experiences
- ISO/PWI 20654, Graphic technology – Spot color tone value. The draft was revised and submitted for a ballot as a NWI/CD this fall and the ballot closed on Jan. 11. The results of balloting have yet to be reported
Proposed New Work Item on Expanded Gamut Process Printing
Ellie Khoury of Alwan Color Expertise reviewed the status of the study on multicolor printing. He reported about a program, which is an attempt to use up to six or seven colors to simulate a greater number of Pantone colors. They are working on color spaces and a full system for implementation. The committee discussed the problems of color variation and registration.
Steve Smiley of SmileyColor & Associates said that a modified version of GCR is being used to remedy the second. There is a question of transparency that is being studied. William Li of Kodak warned that they should study economic ramifications as well as technical. Craig Revie of FFEI advised that the committee should develop a specific plan forward with priorities and vendor assistance. The committee discussed the wide ranging implications of the marketplace and possible implementations. There will be a resolution for a new work item ballot for a “standard ink set for multicolor printing.”
Working Group 4
Courtesy of convener Dr. Berthold, the Media & Materials group reported the following status information to the TC 130 Plenary session in Beijing, China.
- ISO 2846-1 Graphic technology – Color and transparency of printing ink sets for 4-color printing – Part 1: Sheet fed and heat set web offset lithographic printing. The substrate for ink testing is no longer available. All parts of ISO 2846 except Part 1 (shown here) and Part 2 (coldset inks) have been withdrawn. This standard is no longer of relevance to the flexographic industry
- ISO 2846-2 Graphic technology – Color and transparency of printing ink sets for 4-color printing – Part 2: News printing. The proposal to revise ISO 2846-2 was withdrawn. It will be reapproved as it currently is written
- ISO 12636 rev Graphic technology – Blankets for offset printing. This standard is being revised even though it has received very little support from the industry. A ballot was sent out Jan. 7 with a due date of Feb. 19
- ISO/WD 12040 rev Graphic technology – Prints and printing inks – Assessment of light fastness using filtered xenon arc light. This standard is fairly important to packaging printers; the U.S. should take an active role in helping revise this standard. It was last reviewed in 1997 and should be either revised or reapproved— nothing is happening on this standard
- The next meetings of the ISO TC 130 Graphic Arts standards committee is May 23-27, 2016 in Berlin, Germany and Sept. 12-17, 2016 in San Jose, CA.
If you would like to review and comment on any of the upcoming ballots on these standards, please contact FTA Director of Education Joe Tuccitto.
About the Authors: Jean Engelke is the chair of FTA’s Flexo Quality Consortium. She has earned an AAS in Graphic and Design Technology, a BA in Printing Management, an MBA, and an MA in Industrial Engineering Management. Jean started her career teaching Printing and Paper Science at Western Michigan University. She has held positions in R&D, engineering and global product marketing with Appleton Papers, Alcan Packaging and Eastman Kodak Company. Currently she is the Business Development Manager – Packaging Group for RR Donnelley.
Dr. Danny Rich obtained a master’s degree in physics in 1977 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA. In 1998, he joined Sun Chemical Corp. to direct the Sun Chemical Color Research Laboratory in the Daniel J. Carlick Technical Center in Carlstadt, NJ. He has been awarded the Nickerson Service award from the Inter-Society Color Council in 1999, the National Printing Ink Manufacturers award for Technical Achievement in 2008, a Thomas Alva Edison award for innovation by the Research Council of New Jersey in 2008, the Robert F Reed Medal from the Printing Industries of America in 2013, the Mattiello Memorial award from the American Coatings Association in 2015.