Proofing.de | SWOP 2013

Current Proof Standards 2024

January 25, 2022January 25, 2022 by Matthias Betz

Offset and Newsprint ISO Coated v2 (ECI) / ISO Coated v2 300% (ECI) Profile: ISOcoated_v2_eci.icc Standard for glossy and matte coated paper Paper: Types 1 and 2, gloss and matte coated Tone value increase curves A (CMY) and B (K) as defined in ISO 12647-2:2004 Characterisation Data: FOGRA39L ISOUncoated Profile: ISOUncoated.icc Standard for uncoated white natural paper Paper: paper grade 4, uncoated white offset, dot gain curves C (CMY) and D (K) from ISO 12647-2: 2004 Characterisation Data: FOGRA29L PSOCoatedV3 / Fogra 51 Profile: PSOcoated_v3.icc The successor of ISOCoatedV2 for glossy …

Fogra 51 and 52: The new printing conditions start in September 2015

May 8, 2020September 23, 2015 by Matthias Betz

With long delay, the new printing conditions Fogra Fogra 51 and 52 – PSOCoatedV3 and PSOUncoatedV3 – will be presented at the end of September and finally come into practice. The German bvdm invites together with Fogra and ECI to a joint “kick-off” of the new printing conditions in the “Hochschule der Medien” in Stuttgart.

On Wednesday, the 30th of September 2015 from 10 o’clock representatives of the associations will introduce in the university the innovations, Karl Michael Meinecke wrote of the ECI mailing list.

In this kick-off the new, jointly developed printing conditions and to implement the ISO 12647-2:2013 are presented to printing and media professionals. Attendance is expected to be free, but registration with name and company to the email address ks@bvdm-online.de is requested. The event takes place at the HdM in auditorium i003 in the Nobel Straße 10, D-70569 Stuttgart (Vaihingen) in the Stuttgart Media University.

Fogra51 and Fogra52: A difficult start

The launch of Fogra51 and Fogra52 had been marked by delays and disruptions. Large series of measurements had to be discarded after testing, measurement technology as the new SpectroProofer ILS 30 or new proofing papers were delivered only with great delay. Several seminars on how to manage the change to the new ISO standards in the Fogra are running since late last year with numerous participants in full swing – only the new standards were still not in sight. Now there is at least the kick-off date at the end of September in sight.

Cirtainly, all involved representatives of associations and interested companies were often reminded of the negative model of the US standardization bodies:

The IDEAlliance had presented in 2013 probably too hastily developed new printing conditions for GRACol 2013 and SWOP 2013, but so far they hardly play any role in practice. Why? Even the IDEAlliance open most their publications on the new standards with the tenor: “If you are not extremely color-critical, there is no reason to change from the old standards to the new ones … Conclusion: Please stay with their established, old workflow with profiles from 2006 … we are currently working on numerous ‘supplements’ …”

PSOCoatedV3 and PSOUncoatedV3: What definitely comes

But it is clear: The new standards will bring many changes to companies in printing and prepress: The individual changes in detail:

New SWOP and GRACoL 2013 Profiles available for proofing

May 8, 2020September 16, 2015 by Matthias Betz

Recently Proof GmbH made available in their proof online shop the new US Proof Standards of SWOP and GRACoL with their 2013 profiles. Unlike the new Fogra51 and Fogra52 profiles from their Munich colleagues, the IDEAlliance have pushed their new standards forward and published new M1-based profiles already in 2013 – M1 meaning, that the new standards are measured in consideration of optical brightening agents (OBAs), and also contain a different white point than the previous SWOP and GRACoL profiles of 2006.

The release was perhaps a bit too early – even the Americans feel uneasy. So several documents of IDEAlliance regarding GRACoL 2013 and GRACoL 2006 almost discourages a necessity of a change towards the new profiles.

Ron Ellis and Don Hutcheson wrote: “The few minor changes are barely visible in most subject matter and should not significantly affect printers, designers or print buyers. […] In fact the differences are smaller than the typical variation between two good offset press runs “Not even image data or proofs must be adapted to the new standards”. The really good news Is that legacy image files and proofs produced using GRACoL 2006 Should not need to be adjusted or converted for printing or proofing to GRACoL 2013 (and vice-versa), except in rare situations.” GRACoL 2013 Guidelines

LAB values of the primary colors, white paper and more have of course changed, therefore the reluctance can be explained only by a degree of uncertainty, as the Fogra and the ECI will implement their new Printing Conditions Fogra51 and Fogra52 at the end of September 2015. But ont thing is for shure: When it comes to dot gain and paper white, the American profiles are noticeably different from the new PSOCoated standards of the German Fogra.

The Proof GmbH has already implemented the new GRACoL and SWOP profiles and provides proofs with the new printing conditions.