Digital technology is revolutionizing printing operations. However, as offset printers look for ways to improve quality, reduce costs, and increase productivity, the ink room is often overlooked. This is a big miss. If offset inks do not meet specifications, all the standardization efforts in the pressroom will be wasted.
With the right tools, ink formulation can become an integral part of an end-to-end color workflow to reduce cycle time and increase profits. Today we'll outline an ideal digital workflow to help offset ink rooms formulate in fewer steps, with less waste, for a more sustainable and cost-effective printing process.
Digital Offset Lithography Ink Room Technology
Ensuring the best possible ink match is critical to delivering the color quality and consistency customers demand. Out-of-tolerance inks increase make ready waste, rejects, and rework, and recovering from ink errors can be difficult and expensive. Implementing a digital workflow in the ink room reduces the opportunity for error and streamlines the process to go to press.
Benefits of a Digital Ink Workflow for Offset Lithography
Moving the offset ink room to a digital workflow has many benefits that will save time and money while improving overall offset printing color quality, including:
- Automated formulation with documentation
- Fewer drawdowns
- The ability to use leftover inks for reduced inventory
- Fast retrieval of stored recipes
- High print quality without the need for each press operator to be an ink expert
- Improved repeatability from batch to batch and job to job
- Less press downtime
Formulation software offers a strong foundation for a successful digital ink workflow. X-Rite's InkFormulation software can create, store, approve, and retrieve formulas for offset, flexographic, gravure and screen-printing inks. It can even formulate recipes that will use up leftover inks for a more sustainable process.
Twelve Steps to Formulate Offset Printing Inks
- Inspect Incoming Ink
Inconsistencies can occur in CMYK process colors and spot color bases. To ensure incoming inks are consistent and meet specifications, create a draw-down, let it dry, and measure it with a spectrophotometer.
- Agree on a Specification
A print job typically comes with a color specification, often a Pantone reference that everyone must use as the reference target and measurement conditions. A digital specification is preferred for ink formulation because it will not fade or become damaged and includes ink type, printing technology, and substrate data within the digital file.
- Define the Target Color
There are three ways to define a target color: measure a physical sample with a spectrophotometer, import a digital color file (CxF) from the customer or InkFormulation software library, or choose a color from a digital library. These measurements and digital files will include the spectral information of the target color from which the L*a*b* values are calculated.
- Measure the Print Substrate
The color of the substrate is an important consideration when formulating offset printing ink because it will show through and contribute to final color. Measuring it with a spectrophotometer enables the formulation to consider it in the offset printing ink recipe calculation.
- Define the Ink Film Thickness or Anilox Roller
Normally the recipe should be defined for the offset printing ink room proofer, validated there, and then tuned to the specific printing film thickness using software.
- Formulate a Recipe
InkFormulation software will calculate top recipes to deliver results within the given tolerance and list them according to criteria like Delta E, number of components, spectral deviation, etc. Once a recipe is selected, it will be appear in the InkFormulation software user interface.
- Create a Drawdown
Mix the offset printing ink using a scale according to the selected recipe, then make a drawdown. With a digital workflow based on spectral values, most customers still require physical drawdowns, since there are very strict tolerances and specifications in place guided by a digital reference. This saves significant cycle time. Once offset printing ink is formulated, continue to check it against the target for color accuracy. Also ensure the proofer settings are as close as possible to the production press geometry for the target press.
- Measure the Drawdown
Using a spectrophotometer, measure the drawdown in three places to calculate an average spectral measurement. InkFormulation will compare the drawdown measurement with the target color and calculate a Delta E. If the formulation is out of spec, InkFormulation software will calculate a correction. Reformulate and create a new drawdown as necessary. In practice, a digital workflow requires fewer drawdowns which significantly speeds up ink preparation.
- Save the Recipe
Once the formulation is determined to be within tolerance, save the recipe to formulate the correct color and weight this time and every time. Depending on the target substrate, several recipes may be required for each color. Taking spectral measurements during makeready and press runs will ensure consistent color that meets customer requirements.
- Evaluate Results
Quality control software can quickly compare the formulation with the digital color reference in quality control software to issue a pass/fail analysis. This data can help integrate color specification and reporting into the supply chain workflow to efficiently monitor print production and correct ink in real time to avoid color errors.
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- Resolve On-Press Issues
When flexo or gravure press-side color measurements do not meet tolerance and quality control software reports that tolerances cannot be met with the existing formulation, reformulation data can be sent to InkFormulation software with the push of a button. The ink room can make appropriate adjustments and quickly dispense the new formula for a fast and efficient correction process.
- Close the Loop
InkFormulation software integrates with enhanced Management Information Systems (MIS). This closes the loop in a production workflow for everything from estimating to invoicing, making it easier to estimate ink consumption by job as well as to reuse existing ink formulations.
An End-to-End Solution for Digital Offset Lithography
To maximize color accuracy within the workflow, all ink and pressroom solutions must integrate. A solution from X-Rite creates a seamless, automated, closed-loop production solution for offset printing.
InkFormulation Software
InkFormulation’s job-based interface keeps jobs grouped for efficiency and supports exchange of information with MIS/ERP systems. In addition, all ink recipes required for a given job can be linked to that job, adding significant value at converter and ink sites.
InkFormulation Software works with eXact 2 spectrophotometers and is PantoneLIVE compatible, enabling the use of the most up-to-date digital color specifications.
eXact 2 Spectrophotometer
Designed with specific features for the ink lab, the new eXact 2 offers a 30% larger, tiltable screen with double the resolution, an updated interface, and a high-resolution camera that can identify printing defects caused by ink and zoom in on color in a small printed image to pinpoint small areas. A bonus for ink formulation, eXact 2 also measures without contact to minimize ink tracking and contamination and has a switchable polarization filter to formulate and proof inks for a wider variety of substrates.
PantoneLIVE
eXact 2 comes with the four Pantone Master libraries and direct access to PantoneLIVE for Print and Packaging. With this on-board functionality, ink formulators can access thousands of the latest standards to formulate accurate color across a large variety of substrates.
NetProfiler
An X-Rite exclusive, NetProfiler can verify and optimize eXact 2 performance, correct issues caused by age, wear, or environmental conditions, and identify instruments in need of service before they affect color measurements. NetProfiler also standardizes color acceptance criteria and quality across global locations to ensure color consistency.
X-Rite Link Fleet Management
Another X-Rite exclusive, X-Rite Link is a cloud-based dashboard that provides real-time data into the location and health of your fleet of devices. You can see the location and operator assigned to each device, plus distribute firmware updates, libraries, color jobs, and more to eXact 2 devices anywhere in the world, from one central location. X-Rite Link also ensures all devices are NetProfiled and ready to go.
Learn More About Offset Printing Ink Formulation
Including the ink room in a digital print workflow will dramatically increase quality, cost and productivity benefits. Get in touch to learn how X-Rite solutions can create the ideal digital ink room workflow for a more sustainable and cost-effective process for your offset printing press.
Additional Ink Resources
- Ink Suppliers: Is eXact 2 Right for You? | Read the Blog
- How to Improve Ink Sustainability | Read the Blog
- Economy and Sustainability of Inks | Watch the Webinar
- Apply Inkroom Efficiencies to Win in the Marketplace | Watch the Webinar
- How to Bring Ink Back in Tolerance | Read the Blog
- eXact 2: What you Need to Know as an Ink Supplier | Watch the Webinar
- Speak with an Ink Color Expert | Get in Touch
