|
Color Management and RIP Software for Digital Textile Printing
Managing Color for Optimal
Results
SuSu
Gordon
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
July 2001
RIP for Stylus Photo 1390/1400 RIP for Stylus Photo R290 RiP
for Stylus Photo R1800 RIP for
Stylus Photo R1900
RIP for Stylus Photo 2100 RIP for
Stylus Photo R2400 RIP for Stylus
Pro 4400
RIP for Stylus Pro 7600 RIP for
Stylus Pro 7800 爱普生1390 RIP软件
EPSON 1400 RIP软件
爱普生R2400 RIP软件
爱普生4800 RIP软件
爱普生Stylus Photo 1390 RIP软件
爱普生2100 RIP软件
爱普生4400 RIP软件
爱普生7600 RIP软件
EPSON 7800 RIP软件
爱普生Stylus Photo R1800 RIP软件
爱普生R230 RIP软件
EPSON R290 RIP软件
爱普生喷墨打印机 RIP软件
爱普生RIP软件for 平板打印机
爱普生Stylus Photo打印机RIP软件 for 数码喷墨印花
数码喷墨印花专用RIP软件 深色T恤印花分色软件 RiP Soft for EPSON 1390|1400|4800|R290|R1800|R1900|2100|2400|4400|7600|7800
If one were to take a
print design and
digitally print that
same pattern from a
variety of different
printers using the same
type of ink sets and
printing them on the
same cloth, the color
results would vary
widely. The results
might even vary from day
to day using the exact
same printer and inks.
Needless to say, this
can be very troublesome
and frustrating to the
uninitiated. While new
users are quick to point
fingers at the
technology, color
matching accuracy and
reproducibility is an
operator controlled
process through the use
of color management
systems and RIPs (Raster
Image Processors), or
printer drivers.
The choices and
solutions can be
confusing. When shopping
for a digital printer,
the user must also
evaluate a broad range
of software and RIP
solutions designed to
support particular
devices. How can the
user best evaluate these
software systems and
distinguish them from
the printer in
evaluating results?
Digital textile printing
color management
software must answer
three key questions.
First, what is the color
gamut (range of
printable colors) of the
system, taking into
account the printer,
inks and fabric used.
Are the desired colors
inside the digital
printer’s color gamut?
And last but not least,
how can the system
produce all of the
colors that are within
the color gamut?
It is important to
understand which colors
are attainable within
the limits of specific
printers and ink sets.
If a printer is
incapable of producing a
desired color, no amount
of color management can
make it possible. In
addition, there are some
colors that can be
displayed on an RGB
monitor, but not
printable using a CMYK
device, and vice verse
(CMYK representing the
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
and Black inks used in
process color printing).
Some of the first
digital printing systems
introduced to the
textile industry using
CMYK process printing
were originally
developed for the
graphics and paper
printing industries.
These systems were not
well received because
the color gamut
obtainable in CMYK is
considerably smaller
than the gamut of spot
color inks used in
conventional rotary
screen printing of
textiles.
Process Color
Systems
Looking at the different
process color printing
systems will help to
understand the realistic
color capabilities and
expectations one should
have of these systems.
CMYK is a 4-color
printing process using 3
subtractive color
primaries with black,
cyan, magenta, and
yellow. The color
limitations of CMYK lie
in the difficulty to
reproduce bright reds,
greens, and blues, as
well as many of the
colors required by the
textile industry. The
CMYK process is improved
by including extra
colors that cannot be
reproduced by dithering
or mixing cyan, magenta,
and yellow.
Hexachrome® is a 6-color
process printing system
developed by Pantone,
Inc. to address this
issue. In the core of
Hexachrome, orange and
green inks have been
added to modified CMYK
inks. These additional
colors help to reproduce
more brilliant
continuous-tone images.
Pantone states that the
Hexachrome system is
capable of accurately
reproducing over 90% of
the Pantone Matching
System® Colors - almost
twice the number that
can be obtained using
CMYK process printing.
|
Pantone’s Representation of Hexachrome vs. CMYK color gamuts |
The strongest complaints
about digitally printed
fabric from the textile
industry are the visible
dither of colors and
limited color gamuts
compared to traditional
textile screen printing.
With the introduction of
7, 8, and even 12-color
digital printers into
the market, these
systems come closer to
achieving the results
desired by the textile
industry. As a general
rule, the greater the
number of colors (not
printheads) that are in
a printer, the larger
the number of colors
that can be reproduced.
For example, a 12-color
printer with 10
individual colors and 2
light shades will
provide a much larger
color gamut than a
12-color printer using
CMYK with light shades.
It is important,
however, to have a
balance of colorants to
light shades to
eliminate visible
dither. When using
textile inks such as
reactive, acid, or
disperse, the full
potential of these color
spaces are not realized
until the colors have
reacted with the fabric,
which occurs during
post-processing such as
steaming and washing.
The hardware and ink
options available to the
textile industry are a
reflection of a growing
market that has yet to
develop any standards.
As an example, Mimaki
and Mutoh printers are
available in versions
that support both CMYK
and Hexachrome® color
systems. The Mimaki can
be configured with any 6
or 7 colors as well as
CMYK with light shades
or in Hexachrome. DGS
offers the Luxor 7,
which is a Mimaki
printer that supports
three different inksets
using CMYK with special
colors such as CMYK +
(blue + green + gold),
CMYK + (blue + gray +
gold), CMYK + (C light +
M light + K light). In
addition, the ColorSpan
12 color printers can be
configured as either
CMYK with light shades
of cyan and magenta, or
use an 8 or 12 color
textile inkset. The inks
determine the color
space, but the RIP
drives and manages those
colors.
Digital textile printers
are developed, tested
and marketed with the
use of specific inksets
in co-operation with ink
vendors offering inks
specially formulated for
the textile market.
While established users
such as fine artists and
graphic designers have
been known to stray from
these established
formulas in hopes of
finding their unique
niche in the market,
playing with ink
chemistries and
established ink/hardware
formulas is not for the
faint at heart. Nor is
it advisable for
companies under tight
timelines.
|
12-Color Reactive Ink Set Color Gamut showing enhanced color space provided by steaming and washing. |
Graphic arts RIPs and
color management systems
support the SWOP color
standard for Web-Offset
Printing, the color
reproduction standard
for the digital graphics
printing industry.
Because this standard
uses CMYK process color,
SWOP is inappropriate as
a color reproduction
standard for the textile
printing industry, which
has used multiple spot
colors in conventional
printing.
Defining and
Profiling Color
CIE L*a*b* color space
is one of the color
standards used by the
textile industry. The
CIE, International
Commission on Lighting,
realized that every
color the human eye
perceives could be
defined using three
numbers: L* indicates
luminosity, lightness
from white to black. The
a* and b* are the
chromaticity coordinates
that indicate color
directions: +a* is the
red direction, -a* is
the green direction, +b*
is the yellow direction,
and –b* is the blue
direction. The center is
achromatic, hues of
gray. As the a* and b*
values increase and the
point moves out from the
center, the chroma or
purity of the color
increases. The
pythagorean distance
between two color points
plotted in the color
space relates to the
visual color difference
between those two
points. In this way,
color variation between
points and a standard
may be expressed using
numbers.
|
Diagram of CIE L*a*b* Color Space |
Color management and RIP
software manage color by
creating profiles or
characterizations
specific to the printer,
ink, fabric and any
post-processing, such as
steaming and washing.
All of these variables
have an impact on color
and each variation must
be profiled to insure
accurate color match.
When a design is
printed, a profile is
selected based on the
printer/ink/media
combination to insure
that the colors in the
original design or
target colors match the
digitally printed
output.
The process of creating
a profile or
characterization of a
digital printer begins
by printing out a
linearization file of
the inks in the printer,
typically from 0-255
saturation. Data on ink
density limits can be
gathered at this stage
as well. These color
targets are measured by
a spectrophotometer.
(See the
techexchange.com color
library for more
articles specific to the
color measurement of
textiles.) Next, a
number of color targets
are printed and measured
to map the color space
of printable colors.
From all of these data
points an algorithm is
used to calculate the
color space and the
profile is complete.
Various software
packages offer different
levels of profiling
capabilities, from
supporting standard ICC
profiles created in
third-party profiling
software, to vendor
supplied profiles, to
end user capability to
create custom profiles
using proprietary color
systems. The
International Color
Consortium (ICC)
color profile is a
standard profile format
that characterizes the
color-reproduction
capabilities or color
gamut of devices such as
scanners, digital
cameras, monitors and
digital printers. For a
glossary of color
science terminology go
to
http://www.uic.edu/~hilbert/Glossary.html.
The price points of
various software
packages are often
determined by the level
of profiling and color
management capabilities.
For instance, a RIP
without profiling
capability may be less
expensive than one that
uses proprietary systems
to enable the end user
to generate profiles.
These options offer
color management of
digital printing systems
to customers who may not
want to delve into
profiling themselves.
Software Solutions
Textile specific
software is needed to
handle textile design
images, including flat
and continuous tone
designs, separation
files, in addition to
color management.
Important software
features for digital
printing of textiles
include:
-
Accept
textile
industry
file
formats
from CAD
design
and
screen
separation
programs:
CST,
MST,
PUB,
GRT,
SEP,
SCN,
XPF,
etc.
-
Accept
common
graphic
file
formats:
TIFF,
Indexed
8 bit
TIFF,
PSD,
EPS, AI,
BMP,
TGA,
etc.
-
Print
Layout
functions
such as
step &
repeat,
design
coordinates
and
colorways,
color
chips,
multi-image
placement,
scaling,
rotating,
spooling
or
batching,
etc.
-
Manage
expanded
ink sets
beyond
CMYK,
depending
upon
printer
- Ink
control
functions;
Manage
higher
ink
densities
required
for
color
saturation
of
fabric
-
Color
catalogs,
color
palettes,
and/or
Pantone
Textile
Color
System
-
Profiling:
supplied
by
vendor
or
custom
profiling
capability
-
Color
gamut
visualization
and
comparison
to see
if
target
color is
attainable
-
Screen
Print
Simulation
features
if
digital
output
needs to
match to
production
-
Capability
to link
color
data to
the
textile
mill’s
color
kitchen
Digitally printed
fabric is often seen as
too good to be
reproduced by
traditional screen
printing techniques. It
is helpful to have
screen simulation
features to bridge the
gap between digital and
screen printed fabrics.
Several software vendors
have incorporated
features useful in
simulating and matching
to screen printed
production fabric, such
as simulating screen
resolution, raster
simulation, or screen
mesh size; color mixing,
color overprinting, and
color trapping;
incorporating gradation
curves for tonal
separations; and even
profiling the textile
printing mill’s color
space.
Below is an outline of
companies offering color
management and RIP
solutions for digital
textile printing. To
decide which color
management and RIP
software is best for
you, determine what your
digital printing needs
are whether they be
proofing, sampling,
short run production,
and/or matching to
screen printing. Also,
remember that your color
space (gamut) is
determined by the ink
set.
MatchPrint II from
DGS Dua Graphic Systems
S.r.l., can manage a
range of ink jet
printers from 4 to 24
colors. Noteable
features include:
-
Accepts
common
textile
industry
and
graphic
file
formats:
TIFF,
SCN,
XPF,
GRT,
etc.
-
Print
layout
function
includes
step &
repeat,
design
coordinates,
gridlines,
arrangement
of
images,
color
chips,
color
correction
adjustments,
and
printing
queue.
- High
ink
saturation
capability
-
Color
atlas,
custom
color
pages
-
Printer
calibration;
custom
profiling
capability
-
Regulation
of black
tone,
esp.
interesting
for
transfer
printing
In addition, DGS’s
Ramsette III is a range
of textile software
packages that offer
screen print simulation
features and generate
color recipes for
connection to color
kitchens. Luxor 7 is
DGS’s 7 color digital
printing system with
Reactive, Acid, Disperse
Dyes, Pigments, and Dyes
for Transfer Printing.
MatchPrint II also
supports
MacDermid Colorpan
12 color printers and
the new 8 color ENCAD
850 printer.
DigiFab Systems
offers Evolution Textile
RIP and Evolution
Textile RIP PLUS. The
Evolution Textile RIP
supports a range of
printers from HP wide
format printers, Roland,
Mutoh, Epson 9000,
Mimaki TX1600S, and
ENCAD 850. Features of
Evolution Textile RIP
include:
-
Accepts
common
textile
industry
and
graphic
file
formats:
TIFF,
BMP,
TGA,
PCX,
PSD,
PICT,
PUB,
etc.
-
Print
functions
include
step &
repeat,
scale,
rotate,
flip,
multiply,
mirror,
cut,
measure,
layout
capability
for
presentation
boards.
- Edit
color
capability
- Ink
control
functions
-
Multiple
do-undo
functions
-
Printer
calibration:
RIP
supplies
a set of
profiles
for
standard
fabric
types;
supports
ICC
profiles
created
by 3rd
party
software
programs
Evolution Textile RIP
PLUS adds the following
functions:
-
Coloring
System,
colorways,
color
gradient
-
Advanced
color
management
-
Color
library/database
of
colors,
custom
palettes,
color
chips
DPInnovations Inc.,
a subsidiary of Dr.
Wirth Software GmbH,
offers 3 levels of
ProofMaster software,
ProofMaster Studio,
Mill, and Pro.
ProofMaster supports any
ink set and a wide range
of digital printers such
as EPSON Stylus Pro 3000
to 9500, ENCAD TX1500
and PROe series, HP
DesignJet series, Mimaki
TX1600S & JV2, Ichinose,
ColorSpan DMXII &
FabriJet XII printers.
-
Accepts
common
textile
industry
and
graphic
file
formats:
Indexed
8 bit
TIFF,
CST,
MST,
PUB,
GRT,
SEP,
TIFF,
BMP, AI,
TGA,
PSD,
etc.
-
Print
layout
function
includes
step &
repeat,
page
positioning,
scaling,
rotating,
mirroring,
cutting
out,
color
chips,
spooling,
batching,
etc.
-
Coloring
tools:
colorways,
color
editing,
color
catalogs
-
Color
gamut
mapping
-
Adjustment
of
colors
on
multiple
substrates,
ie
non-white
fabric
- UNDO
function
- Ink
control
functions:
maximum
ink
level
control,
user
controllable
ink
mixing
-
Printer
Calibration:
profile
wizard
to guide
end user
step by
step,
vendor
provides
set of
profiles
-
Simulation
Features:
print
order,
overprint
and
reservation,
trapping,
tonal
screens
such as
Penta,
Nova,
Galvano,
Gravure,
tonal
gradation
curve
-
Monitor
ink
level in
printer
to
insure
sufficient
ink for
print
job
-
Color
data
link to
color
kitchen
DuPont Ink Jet
introduced a
production-capable
digital textile printer
targeted to the Home
Furnishings industry in
January 2001. The
DuPont® Artistri® Color
Control and Management
System (CCMS) is the
software that drives the
DuPont Ink Jet 3210
printer and 8 Color
pigment ink set: Black,
Cyan, Lt. Cyan, Magenta,
Lt. Magenta, Yellow,
Orange, and Green. CCMS
links the color space of
both the digital printer
and the textile screen
printing mill in order
to create digitally
printed fabric that
matches the textile
printing mill. This is
accomplished by creating
a Mill Characterization
and Color Profile of a
mill’s unique color set,
and a Printer Profile to
map combinations of
fabrics and ink.
-
Accepts
traditional
textile
file
formats
such as
Stork®
Public,
Stork®
Separated,
TIFF RGB
and TIFF
L*a*b*
image
files.
-
Print
layout
functions
-
Printer
Calibration:
custom
printer
profiles
specific
to ink
and
fabric,
mill
characterization
and
color
profile
-
Gamut
mapping
to
compare
ink jet
printer
gamut
vs.
textile
printing
mill
gamut
-
Screen
print
simulation
features
Textiler from
Image Technologies
is a dedicated RIP for
creating repeat patterns
on textiles using the
ColorSpan
FabriJetXII, Mimaki
TX1600S, ENCAD series
printers, including the
new ENCAD 850, Mutoh,
EPSON 7000/7500
and9000/9500 printers.
-
Accepts
common
textile
CAD and
graphic
file
formats:
TIFF,
CDI,
Lectra,
NedGraphics,
HighTex,
SpeedStep,
Sophis,
BMP,
EPS,
PCX,
etc.
-
Print
functions
include
step &
repeat,
colorways,
color
editing,
image
positioning,
scaling,
rotating,
mirror,
and
spooling
- On
screen
visualization
of best
color
match
depending
upon
output
device
-
Printer
calibration;
supports
ICC
profiles
created
by 3rd
party
software
programs,
linearization
capability
NedGraphics
offers a range of
software modules from
design to color
calibration, including
DeltaNT ColorMatch, a
plug-in module for any
of the DeltaNT software
programs, providing
color manipulation,
communication, and
management.
Vision Simulating
Printed Fabric (SPF) is
NedGraphic’s software
for digital textile
printing. SPF supports
most fabric printers on
the market, including
Encad, Mimaki,
ColorSpan, HP,
Konica, and Iris.
-
Accepts
common
textile
industry
and
graphic
file
formats:
TIFF,
Stork,
TGA,
PS2,
etc.
-
Coloring
tools:
colorways,
color
editing,
color
catalogs,
custom
catalogs,
Pantone
Textile
Color
Library
included
-
Color
gamut
mapping
-
Preview
of
design
on
multiple
substrates,
using
multiple
printing
and
dyeing
techniques.
- Step
by step
UNDO
function
-
Printer
Calibration:
custom
profile
creation
by
vendor
-
Simulation
Features:
print
order,
overlapping
colors,
rasterization,
screen
mesh,
dye
type,
trapping,
pad or
resist
effects,
dye
opacity/fabric
absorption
simulation
-
Color
data
link to
color
kitchen
SMARTCOLOUR
calibration from
Sophis
supports the Silk
Express 6 color printer
from
RasterGraphics-Gretag,
the Mimaki TX1600S, and
ENCAD 600 and 60
printers. Sophis offers
5 levels of its Direct
Digital Printing (DDP)
software. By default,
every level includes the
following: printer
program, printer
calibration, printer
control, file manager,
file import: conversion
program, layout editor/colorbook
editor, default layouts,
DDP networking for
multiple computers.
- Change step & repeat
- View colors in the design as a reference (8 bit files)
- Create colorways by selecting colors from a colorbook
- Level I runs on the DDP printer server. Levels II- V require an additional computer design station.
- Coloration functionality, colorways, color libraries
- Input/edit colors using Lab, LCH, or spectral values
- Design operations
- Monitor calibration
- Reconstruct existing separations imported from another CAD system
- Simulation features
- Same as Level III but with the option to make quality curves to match traditional production.
- Level V enables design from a scanned image, to making separations, reconstruct and coloration functions.
PrinterServer
software, developed
jointly by
Lectra Systèmes
and
Stork, is an
interface between
computer-generated
designs and the digital
printing of samples,
prototypes, and short
run production on Stork
digital printers; the
Amber, Amethyst, Zircon,
and TCP 4000 printers.
-
Accepts
files
from
Stork,
Lectra,
and
other
CAD
systems,
as well
as TIFF
files
-
Print
functions
include
step &
repeat,
job
queuing,
spooling,
multiple
image
layout
-
Color
gamut
mapping
-
Printer
calibration:
custom
calibration
profiles,
vendor
supplied
profiles
-
Screen
simulation
features
-
Color
data
link to
color
kitchen
-
Network
to
multiple
CAD
stations
The Repeats option
for
Wasatch
SoftRIP, a popular
graphic arts RIP,
handles textile designs
created in dedicated CAD
software, as well as in
popular applications
such as Adobe PhotoShop.
This software supports a
variety of ink jet
printers including the
EPSON Stylus 3000 to
EPSON 10000, ENCAD
printers, the MacDermid
ColorSpan DMXII, HP
DesignJet printers, as
well as Mimaki, Mutoh,
and Roland printers.
-
Accepts
common
graphic
file
formats
such as
TIFF,
EPS,
PDF,
PSD, IA,
etc.
-
Print
functions
include
step &
repeat,
color
editing,
layout
features
-
Supports
both
indexed
color
and
photographic
imagery,
within
same
print
file
-
Color
catalog,
colorways
-
Printer
calibration,
supports
ICC
profiles
The color management
and RIP software options
available to the textile
industry reflect a
growing market and
growing acceptance of
digitally printed fabric
for proofing, sampling,
and short-run
production. It is no
longer enough to be able
to print fabric
digitally, the industry
is requiring color
matching and management
throughout the complete
design workflow, from
scanning, to calibrated
monitors,
spectrophotometers, to
the digital printer.
Future hardware and
software developments
for the textile industry
may include combinations
of spot and process
printing systems, and
customization of a wider
range of ink colors that
can be selected
depending upon the color
space requirements of
the design to be
printed. With all of
these future
developments, the color
management and RIP
software will be the
engine that drives these
systems.
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