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Connecting the Dots
Bob Chung, Professor
RIT, Rochester, NY, USA
Copyright 2012 RIT PSA at RIT– May not be reproduced without permission
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Topics
 Connecting the dots
 Printing industry trends
 Printing certification
 New rules of the game
 Managing change
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Connecting the Dots
 Given 9 dots in a 3 by 3 formation, what are the
minimum number of connected straight lines needed
to connect all 9 dots without lifting the pencil?
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Connecting the Dots
 Most of us would agree, it’s ‘5.’
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4
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5
1
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2
3
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Connecting the Dots
 A better answer is ‘4’ if we think outside the box,
i.e., there is no boundary.
3
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1
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4
2
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The Take-aways
 We tend to stay inside the boundary and follow
existing rules.
 Following rules may not solve new problems, i.e.,
‘business as usual’ may not be the best thing for a
company.
 Finding new solutions require thinking outside the
box.
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Printing Industry Trends
 Technology outlook
 Digitization and the Internet are breaking down
technology and distance barriers.
 The speed and ease of moving job contents and business
information has transformed our industry from a local/regional
business to a national/international business.
 DRUPA 2012 showcases technology advancements
 More color
 More personalized to high volume workflow solutions
 More automation
 More digital printing presses
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Printing Industry Trends
 Competition outlook
The competition used to be the printer across
town. it’s now everywhere, i.e.,
 The printer across the country and the printer across the
ocean.
 The e-media provider who is providing print as an e-media
alternative.
 Our own clients who start their in-house, in-plant printing
operations due to ease of operation, cycle-time reduction,
information sensitivity, etc.
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Printing Industry Trends
 Print buyers outlook
 Print buyers are becoming more global. They want
to work with few preferred suppliers to keep their
supply chains manageable.
 They prefer bluish paper and demand color
predictability.
 They view printing certification as a sound basis for
building trust between printers and themselves.
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Printing Certification
 RIT perspectives
2009 – The U.S. printing industry requested RIT to
create a certification scheme
2010 – Conducted standards and certification survey,
personal visits to Europe (Switzerland, the
Netherlands, U.K., Germany), joined ISO/TC130
2011 – Certification scheme development, conformity
assessment, ANSI/CGATS TR 016
2012 – PSA certification scheme, testing, partnership
with IDEAlliance and APTEC.
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Printing Certification
 G7 is a press calibration method and a qualification
scheme per G7 Pass/Fail Criteria.
 No audit, no production variation assessment
 PSA is the next level of G7 that focuses on dataset
conformance.
 RIT and IDEAlliance, working together, define “G7
GRACoL Certified Printer” based on the PSA
certification and G7 Master Printer status.
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Printing Certification
Scheme
PSO
PSA
Applicable
standards
ISO 12647-2
ISO 12647-7
ISO 2846
ISO/DIS 15339-1
ANSI/CGATS TR 016
ISO/TS 10128
Calibration &
control
TVI adjustment
Printer’s choice (TVI, gray
balance, device link)
White point
Proofing and printing
substrates adhere to
specified aims
Proofing and printing aims are
adjusted based on the white
point of the substrate being
printed
Printing
conformance
requirements
4 solids (∆E*ab), 4
midtone TVIs, 1
midtone spread
Dataset (∆E00), 4 solids (∆E00),
4 midtone (∆E00), 1 midtone
triplet (∆E00)
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New Rules of the Game
 Customers prefer paper with bluish cast.
 The bluish white of the paper (containing OBA) causes
two problems in ISO 12647 compliant workflows.
 It affects printed colors, including greys and solids, thus, printing
conformance.
 There is a mismatch between non-OBA proofs and OBA prints.
ISO 3664
Viewing
Proof_CMYK
47-7
126
O
S
I
of
Pro
Ref_CMYK
47-2
126 int
O
IS A Pr
OB
Appearance
Match?
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New Rules of the Game
 ISO/DIS 15339-1 (2011) is a new paradigm.
– It uses digital data as common input to multiple
printing technologies.
– It uses RPC as aims and substrate correction to
enable printing to substrate-corrected dataset.
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New Rules of the Game
 ISO/DIS 15339-1 addresses product color match by
utilizing calibration, process control, and color
management at printer’s discretion.
ISO/DIS 15339-1 Product Control
Color Management
Job Data
(3-channel
or
4-channel)
Proof
Reference
Dataset
Print Buyer
and Designer
Color
Management
(optional)
Color
Control
Bar / RIP
Printing
ISO 12647-2
Process Control
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New Rules of the Game
 RIT has done extensive tests on proof-to-print match
under the influence of OBA (ISO/TC130/WG3 N1349,
2012).
The results are positive.
ISO 12647-7
Proof
ISO 15339-1
Print
ISO 15339-1
Proof
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Conclusion
 “Connecting the Dots” is about managing change.
 Print buyer is the key driver for change. They demand printing
certification and print-to-proof match under the influence OBA.
 RIT developed the PSA certification scheme to address both of
the demands based on the ISO 15339-1 standard.
 The first PSA certified printer, Hung Hing Printing (China) Co
Ltd, is located in Shenzhen, China.
 Because Hung Hing is a G7 Master Printer, IDEAlliance will award
Hung Hing Printing the world’s first certification as a “G7 GRACoL
Certified Printer” based on its recognition of RIT’s audit results.
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Managing Change
1. Plan
3. Check
 What are my customer’s
requirements?
 Why certification is important to my
company?
 Who else is interested in
certification?
2. Do
 Conduct self studies
 Measure progress
 Close process gap
4. Act
 Implement standards compliant
workflow
 Decide certification scheme
 Select a team
 Institute training
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
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
Contact certification body
Prepare for on-site audit
Participate in the audit
Celebrate the success
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Thank you for listening.
Q/A
Bob Chung, Professor
RIT, Rochester, NY, USA
rycppr@rit.edu
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