Archive for October, 2007

65-2: New Media vs. Old Media at a Trade Show

Published
by
Jim Raffel
on October 30, 2007
in blogging, color, conferences, measurement, proofing and wide format
. 1 Comment

As a member of the new media I would like to thank the SGIA show management for their recognition of the shift that is occurring in the way people gather news and information. While JimRaffel.com is not listed among the 22 most popular blogs in the world we do a pretty good job reaching those interested in color measurement and process control. After a review of the site, SGIA show management was enlightened enough to grant me press credentials for the show.

What do new media writers have to offer a show like SGIA? When I planned my trip to SGIA I had two meetings planned as Jim Raffel, the CEO of ColorMetrix. Thus, I decided to make good use of my “spare” time at the show learning more about the specialty graphic market and sharing that knowledge with you, my readers. I think the key item that differentiates me from a traditional media writer is that I have no deadlines and no publisher demanding that I put out a specific number of words or posts each day, week, month, etc. I write only when there is sufficient copy to write about something, and by and large only as it relates to color measurement and color process control.

I do not visit the press room and pick up press releases. I observed most of the traditional media representatives picking up press releases at the press room. Then, they all make the rounds of the booths with the most compelling releases and speak with the marketing people there for the benefit of the company with the press release. I am not saying this is a bad thing, well maybe I am… We have a journalism graduate speaking to a marketing graduate, neither of which has probably ever worked an image in Photoshop, made a plate, run a press, etc… It is, however, a great way for those companies’ issuing press releases to get the information out.

Take a look at my previous post. Do you think the average trade magazine author in our industry could explain to you why Canon’s move back to an 8 color printer is significant? Would they understand that none of the RIP manufacturers could figure out how to properly render the RGB inks in the Canon’s 12 color printer? In this industry we just seem to do better with 8 color CMYK printers to render images. As a result it is difficult to hit a lot of the spot colors, but if the spot color looks great and the photograph of the kids eating the chips next to it looks awful, that is a problem.

If you do not believe me take a look at the redesigned Graphic Arts Monthly website and notice how prominent the blogs are. WhatTheyThink.com is another a good example of a new media site even if one does have to pay for the content that really matters. WhatTheyThink.com provided very significant coverage of GraphExpo (A printing industry trade show) all in digital form.

As for SGIA show coverage I had planned on more, but the Jim Raffel CEO guy got busy with many unplanned meetings. Many of my contacts from the more traditional side of graphic arts turned out at the SGIA show and are expressing a greater interest in bringing color measurement and color process control to the Specialty Graphic market.

65-1: SGIA Live Wednesday Observations

Published
by
Jim Raffel
on October 25, 2007
in blogging, calibration and conferences
. 1 Comment

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First, some general observations about the show.  While screen printing is still a very large part of the SGIA show, you do have to look a bit harder in between all the digital printing booths from the likes of Canon, Epson, HP and more to find screen printing products.  I am a new comer to the SGIA party, but had a general feeling that the show floor traffic was good.  Also, as with GraphExpo last month the quality of attendees seems high (the decision makers are here).

Use of color measurement technology is growing in the specialty graphic market.  I ran into Paul Foster of RIPware Limited displaying the ScreenReader which can be used for measuring the screen printing stencil.  For now it appears to be the only device in the world that can do so.  This device will make the linearization process for direct to screen machines much easier.  Also, when measuring a 50% patch on finished work it is nice to know that patch started as a 50% patch on the screen.

At the Nazdar Consulting Services booth I was introduced to their new CATZper (Color Approval and Tolerance by Perception) program.  The CATZper program allows for the physical output of visual reference and tolerance guides.  This could be a single spot color or an actual critical image.  The user is able to define the +/- color deviation allowed and that deviation can be different for each L*a*b* axis and direction.  Cool Stuff!

Both Epson and Canon have new printers on display.  At Epson the 11880 (Epson’s first 64 inch machine) is being shown as well as samples of their new back lit media product.  Using the 11880 a 64 inch wide backlit display can be printed and is ready to go.  At Canon the new 8 iPF8000S color printer announced and introduced at GraphExpo appears to be marking Canon’s return to the color proofing market.  Some folks I talked to at the show feel that technology changes to the printer make it a good potential choice for color proofing.

#65: Color in the Specialty Graphic Market & SGIA Live

Published
by
Jim Raffel
on October 19, 2007
in blogging, color, conferences and wide format
. 0 Comments

I will be attending the SGIA (Specialty Graphic Imaging Association) conference and expo in Orlando next week. As I reviewed the conference sessions and expo web-site it became clear this would be a great opportunity to get back to writing for JimRaffel.com. Since GraphExpo I have been busy with show follow-up and have not had the time to write a Golden Nugget. So, next week keep an eye on JimRaffel.com for daily posts, and at the end of the week I will email an overall digest format of the week’s posts like I did after GraphExpo.

Color is becoming an increasingly important factor in a market that by and large (there are always exceptions) has not paid very close attention to color. In the three years since my first SGIA experience I have kept tabs on the specialty graphic market and have even sold a fair amount of software into the industry. What better indicator could there be that color is becoming increasingly important?

The specialty graphic market is making the move to digital at a rate that exceeds that of traditional graphic arts. I believe the move to digital is driving the increased interest in color. Digital printing allows specialty printers to move into markets once controlled by traditional printers, and vice versa. As a result specialty graphic printers are now dealing with more color critical customers like consumer product companies.

I plan to address three themes in my SGIA Live coverage:

  • Increased interest in color verification and process control
  • The move to digital imaging and printing
  • Cross-over with traditional print as the industry goes digital

Remember to keep your eyes on JimRaffel.com for daily show coverage.