Enhanced color fidelity from Colortrac's new CopySmart spectrophotometer support

St Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK.
6th February 2008

Colortrac has released CopySmart v1.3H2, the latest version of their professional scan-to-copy software solution for accurately duplicating color technical drawings and maps, etc, as well as superb, full-color, reprographics artwork.

CopySmart

The CopySmart screen - easy, simple
and powerful with brilliant control over
the printed copy of superb colored originals.

CopySmart supports the complete range of Colortrac SmartLF Cx and Gx wide format scanners. It simplifies the process of managing and accurately matching the original drawing or artwork through the scanned image to the printed result. CopySmart extends the highest level of color fidelity and accuracy to the most demanding reprographics professionals.

Among CopySmart's new features are support for the i1 X-rite (aka Eye One Gretag Macbeth) spectrophotometer; printer linearisation; adjustable Detail / Brightness optimisation control; third party RIP support; additional drivers for popular HP, Canon and Mutoh wide format reprographics printers; and an integral "Assist" browser-based Help system (text & video based) to reduce the learning curve and facilitate productive copying in a work environment.

All CopySmart users can upgrade free of charge.

For information about CopySmart, see:
http://www.colortrac.com/scanning_software/software_copysmart.htm

Colortrac is the only large format scanner manufacturer to recognise the merits of both CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and CIS (Contact Image Sensor) image sensing technology. As a result, Colortrac's SmartLF scanners are optimised to meet the needs of scanning wide format technical drawings (CIS) and or color graphics artwork (CCD). Colortrac's software extends the image sensing benefits of SmartLF scanners through a choice of two powerful application programs dedicated to capturing and printing either scanned technical drawings and maps, ScanWorks, or the copying of color drawings and graphics artwork, CopySmart.

CopySmart's powerful color management controls support the two primary technologies used in modern wide format printers, LED and inkjet printing. When scanning color artwork, its 48-bit color capture outputs fast LED or inkjet copies from any SmartLF scanner via internal plotter drivers and a file-based TIFF driver. This ensures that accurate copy size control and minimum paper wastage is achieved for minimum configuration effort. Printer data is routed via the printer's Windows driver connection. Printers that are not part of its supported printer list can be used with conventional Windows configuration.

CopySmart can be color calibrated (profiled) to any paper and ink in minutes using a supplied IT8 target and in-built calibration Wizard to ensure that this critical part of the color copying process is quickly and easily achieved.

Among the main new features in CopySmart V1.3 are the following:

Printer Linearisation

In order to make substantially better, more faithful color copies Colortrac has introduced printer linearisation into CopySmart v1.3. Linearisation improves the unpredictable inking behaviour of some printers and their paper.

Linearisation adds an understanding of the precise inking behaviour of the printer to the profiling process. It works by interpreting the ink saturation characteristics of the paper chosen for the copy. Linearisation makes a significant contribution to the overall improvement in color accuracy achieved by this new release of CopySmart.

The substantial advances in color copying performance from CopySmart v1.3's new linearisation and background color control features will be enough to satisfy most graphics users. However, driven to excel in color image quality, (Colortrac pioneered large format color scanning and introduced the first color scanner), Colortrac believed that further, subtle improvements in color accuracy could be achieved through the addition of a specialist external media calibration tool like a spectrophotometer.

i1 X-rite / Eye One Gretag Macbeth Spectrophotometer Support

As a result, CopySmart now supports the i1 / Eye One spectrophotometer, a color management and measurement tool for professionally calibrating (profiling) wide format graphics and fine art inkjet printers.

Canon Europe, a leading print solutions provider and distributor of SmartLF scanners in Europe, prompted Colortrac to adopt and support the Eye One spectrophotometer from Gretag Macbeth, Switzerland, (now owned by X-rite), a trusted and highly regarded manufacturer within the professional RIP and graphics markets worldwide. Modern multiple inkset color printers, like the popular Canon iPF8000, are capable of subtle color changes that benefit from spectrophotometer-based printer profiling.

In order for printed copies to accurately match the original image, SmartLF scanners must be calibrated first. The scanner is first profiled to obtain its color characteristics using a supplied IT8 target and built-in calibration Wizard. By establishing a known color response the scanner can be used to analyse how well the printer reproduces any given color. This forms the basis of the printer profile. The majority of CopySmart users, perhaps 99%, will calibrate in this quick, simple and effective way.

When employing a spectrophotometer to achieve enhanced accurate color matching, the spectrophotometer effectively replaces the scanner when reading the printer charts back into the computer. Use of the spectrophotometer improves the accuracy of the ICM (Image Color Management) printer profile, providing exceptionally high quality color definition unobtainable by normal profiling methods. To further improve system performance Colortrac have made changes to the supplied color chart design.

Colortrac are not advocating the purchase of a spectrophotometer by a majority of CopySmart users. While enthusiastic about the potential a spectrophotometer has to subtly improve CopySmart's professional graphics quality, Colortrac are confident that the linearisation improvements alone will provide the majority of CopySmart users with the level of high quality color copy they need. Only graphics perfectionists, say Colortrac, will be able to justify the additional use of a spectrophotometer.

Depending on how the i1 / Eye-One is received support for other spectrophotometers from different manufacturers may be added later.

The i1 / Eye One is supported via the Eye One (ES-1000 or equivalent) interface.

CopySmart "Assist" Help system

CopySmart's integrated "Assist" Help system (text and video clip-based) provides a novel alternative to traditional text based digital manuals. It is a browser-based training system that provides CopySmart with a more visual medium of user instruction. It combines moving video clips and short texts to capture and explain all of the main configurations in CopySmart.

Detail/Brightness optimisation control

The Detail/Brightness optimisation control is an example of Colortrac's determination to offer both power and ease of use.This feature adds extra user controls to a powerful function that was not previously adjustable by the user. Now, subject to user control, copy quality can be biased towards high definition white end detail or towards bright pure primary colors.

Third Party RIP Support

CopySmart can now be used with third party RIPs (raster image processors) by selecting the TIFF file driver.

Data from any copy operation, black and white or color, can now be routed automatically to any folder using a standard browse box. This allows the highly efficient front-end of CopySmart to be combined with any existing RIP software and its profiling system to produce fast, top-quality, queue managed copies direct from any SmartLF scanner. RIP job queue management allows the operator to reposition print jobs, to store partially ripped images on disk and also to reprint them as required.

Productivity printer drivers

The combination of a Colortrac SmartLF scanner, a popular wide format printer and CopySmart's custom-written printer drivers turns the combination into the ideal large format color copying system - accurate, practical and fast.

CopySmart uses both Windows printer drivers and its own printer drivers to support today's most popular printers, like HP, Canon and Mutoh. In CopySmart v1.3 Colortrac have added new driver support for Mutoh RJ901 (24" / A1) and RJ900 (44" / A0) and Canon iPF8000 wide format inkjet printers.

Unlike Windows printer drivers, CopySmart's direct printers minimise paper waste by only using what is necessary; guarantee a high level of color copying performance; and ensure that for users who need a 1:1 copy (the majority) it is made at the same size as the original. CopySmart also supports scaling, multiple copies, step-and-repeat, panelling and annotation.

All drivers are free to registered CopySmart users.

Declan Tyler, Product Applications Specialist WorldWide, said "Our inexpensive CopySmart software uses advanced color profiling and efficient custom written drivers that allow popular large format inkjet printers to be turned into a highly accurate color copying system suitable for reproducing CAD and full color original graphics artwork.

"The new features, particularly linearisation, will provide the majority of our customers with the very high level of color accuracy they need and expect. CopySmart, as supplied "out-of-the-box", will give most users all they need to make quick, accurate copies of technical drawings, maps and full color artwork. However, the addition of spectrophotometer support adds a new and powerful level of extra sophistication. CopySmart now offers the professional reprographics industry the means to go beyond ordinary, everyday copy standards to achieve leading edge full color fidelity when printing superb fine artwork."

END

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For further information contact:

Declan Tyler,
Product Applications Specialist WorldWide,
Colortrac Limited.
Tel: +44 (0)1480 464618
Email:
Web: www.colortrac.com

About Colortrac ...
Founded in 1989 and based in St Ives, Cambs, UK, a region of British excellence in science and technology, Colortrac Ltd is the leading innovator in professional wide format scanners and image acquisition software solutions. As the only manufacturer to recognize the individual merits of CIS and CCD image sensor technology, Colortrac's fifth generation of SmartLF scanners and software are uniquely positioned to meet the demand for both price and performance across the full spectrum of scanning applications, from the demanding Graphics Arts market to practical, productive CAD, GIS, EDM and FM technical document scanning. Colortrac Ltd has offices in Beijing and Suzhou, P.R. China and in Golden, Colorado, USA.