What you see...

12 February 2007



Star Proof system defines the dots


Many flexo packaging printers and repro houses are said to be choosing a new dot proofing system for its ability to produce a proof with the actual dots they will be printing on press. Star Proof, from Compose System, is said to produce 200 lpi contract proofs on inkjet printers, quickly and economically - offering “true dot proofing that has no comparison to contone proofing architecture”.

The Star Proof system's Actual Dot analytical engine analyzes the CMYK dot patterns and screen angles of high resolution separations and reproduces them by creating arrangements of hard dots on the proofer - down to rosettes, fine line art, text at just 1pt - even defects such as moire patterns, according to Compose. The tools provided are claimed to achieve excellent colour matching between proof and press, offering traditional colour calibration and fine controls for matching inks by colour shade, calibration curve and dot gain compensation.

Proved in practice

One user is JFM Plates, in Manchester, UK, supplier of flexo plates for the narrow web, label and packaging industry. Owner Mark McKee comments: "Continuous tone proofing might produce a proof that looks good, but you can't do basic adjustment. Star Proof has provided a dramatic difference in the quality and reliability of our proofs. The accuracy and sharpness of the dots, the ability to physically see the dot structure or rosette on the proof, is exactly the same on the print. We get 100 per cent accuracy every time."

Compose provides open system engineering with Star Proof and its Express WorkFlow, both based on the one bit Tiff file format. The ability to work seamlessly with Tiff formats was a deciding factor for Promoflex, a digital flexo plate shop located near Milan. Owner Fabrizio Marchetti installed Star Proof, making his company one of the first Fogra certified installations in Italy. “Its performance is outstanding as it can use the same one bit Tiff file produced to output plates,” he enthuses. “The result is a proof that constantly simulates the screen pattern and colour aspect of the final print.”

Star Proof's Extreme Dot Gain feature can reproduce the minimum and maximum dots that the press can hold, particularly important for flexo because of the relief printing surface. It can also predict the halo effect on solid areas, where ink is forced to the edges and away from the centre as the flexible plate goes through the nip of the press. Another capability is predicting the appearance of vignettes, always a potential headache with flexo.

Andy Beesley, technical sales director at Pomeroy Plastotype, UK dealer for the Flexo Options version of Compose Star Proof software, comments: “The designer may have created vignettes fading down to zero, but the press can only hold two or three per cent minimum dots, meaning that you may get a hard line on the vignette. "Star Proof can simulate this and indicate if there will be a problem. You can then show this to the customer, so their designers can fix it, or you can do it for them without wasting plate material or time.”

Mondi Coating Zeltweg, in Austria, depends on Star Proof to ensure cost saving production of coated packaging materials printed in flexo and gravure. Prior to using the system, it outsourced its prepress production. Today, the work is done in-house,”quickly and efficiently”, according to prepress production manager Fritz Wachter. He states: “We needed a more cost effective solution to handle proofing in flexo. Star Proof has saved us time, which translates to money and cost savings, with its accurate proofing capabilities."

Management

Star Proof has enabled Mondi's production team to have exact management of the dot gain and, in a later stage, the print raster to comply with a proof that is nearly exact to the original. Used in combination with an Epson 4000 inkjet printer, it is said to excel in the dot-for-dot presentation. “Depending on the required raster, 28, 36 or 48, we use it to simulate an exact proof with the raster if needed. Our client can view an exact proof of the printed result. Star Proof removes any ambiguity and saves time and effort," he confirms.



Contact

Compose System
Tel: +44 (0)1474 700504





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Compose System

Star Proof works seamlessly with Tiff formats Star Proof works seamlessly with Tiff formats


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