Technical Information

Commercial printers using older offset presses may find it challenging to achieve the same color consistency as those equipped with new presses featuring automated color control. Implementing closed-loop solutions offers a cost-effective path to automation, enabling commercial print shops and folding carton converters to remain competitive in today’s market. Currently, print jobs often require manual spot checks and ink-key adjustments during production. Many printers struggle to quickly attain target offset lithographic colors on sheetfed presses.

1. Each coloring assignment can waste more than 600–800 sheets of paper and ink.

2. Ink and substrate make maintaining color accuracy throughout the printing process challenging.

3. With a higher order volume, stringent color-difference requirements from customers can increase the rate of free returns.

4. The decline in profit margins necessitates higher manufacturing efficiency and shorter setup times to produce accurate colors.

What is closed-loop automation in printing presses?

X-Rite scanning systems and integrated closed-loop solutions maximize performance and extend the value of legacy presses by monitoring color and alerting operators to any deviations. The closed-loop system automates the printing process by capturing spectral data directly from the printed sheet and automatically adjusting ink keys, resulting in faster and more accurate operation compared with traditional press workflows.

• Measuring with a color strip is faster, reducing the likelihood of human error.

• Transmit color data to the printing press operator.

• Detecting color consistency during the operation of printing presses

• Automatically perform necessary ink-key adjustments.

• Automatically learn and optimize the curve based on changes in the printing press status.

Advantages of Closed-Loop Automation in Printing Machines

Rutherford and X-Rite solutions can jointly help printers significantly reduce prepress preparation time, minimize reprints to lower costs, and meet higher standards for print color accuracy and faster turnaround times. Closed-loop solutions can recoup their investment in as little as 6–9 months, cut prepress preparation by 30%, reduce waste of ink, paper, and labor by 50%, and enable increased daily production output.

The closed-loop solution can meet any customer specification and print in accordance with most global graphic arts standards, including M1 for optical brighteners, M3 for measuring wet ink, as well as full support for G7, GRACoL, SWOP 2013, PSO, and FOGRA 51 and 52. Customized to match press size—eXact AutoScan is ideally suited for print shops operating 29-inch/74-cm or 40-inch/102-cm sheetfed presses, while IntelliTrax2 Pro delivers highly automated 2-mm color-bar scanning for 40-inch/102-cm presses and larger, capturing process colors, spot colors, PANTONE® colors, paper color, tone value increase, gray balance, and ink density in under 10 seconds. If color drift occurs, the software alerts the operator to adjust the ink keys, enabling rapid return to acceptable tolerances with minimal intervention.

• Minimize human intervention as much as possible.

• Stabilize printer performance to enhance quality and consistency.

• Achieve color targets faster and reduce paper and ink costs.

• Increase the profit margin for small-batch printing

• Improving G7 Process Control

• Reduce the number of returns and free reprints.

• Reduce costs (save over 30% on paper and cut printing preparation time by more than 30%)

• Integrates the latest Pantone Color Library and PantoneLIVE digital standards.

How Closed-Loop Automation Works

1. Provide .cip or .tiff files prior to printing, containing all the data required for the closed-loop software to automatically preset the ink keys. The press operator selects the print job and paper type on the touchscreen display, and the software handles the remaining steps to establish an optimal starting point.

2. The eXact Auto-Scan Pro or IntelliTrax2 Pro scanning system can automatically align to capture color bars in under 10 seconds and transmit color data to closed-loop software within 15 seconds for real-time on-screen access.

4. If color drift is detected, the closed-loop software will alert the press operator and provide recommendations for the ink zone; the operator can simply press a button to accept or reject the suggestion.

5. To ensure color consistency, operators can periodically scan color data into the closed-loop software throughout the printing press’s operation.

6. Access the PantoneLIVE database to obtain precise spectral target values for corporate colors and other spot colors, extend integration into the ink room to achieve a standards-compliant end-to-end workflow, integrate with NetProfiler to ensure instrument consistency, and exchange job data with ColorCert for statistical process control.

Closed-loop scanning equipment and software

With closed-loop print quality control solutions, printers and packaging service providers can ensure optimal color quality. Each solution can be customized with the appropriate X-Rite hardware and Rutherford software to meet the specific requirements of end-to-end, interconnected print shop workflows.

X-Rite color strip scanning device

IntelliTrax2 Pro Automated Scanning System | Designed for Medium to Large Commercial and Folding Carton Printers
With the introduction of a print-quality control workflow, the IntelliTrax2 Pro delivers real-time job-performance feedback, enhances quality-control reporting, and enables compliance with the G7 printing standard.

eXact Auto-Scan Pro | For Small and Medium-Sized Printers
Simply press a button, and eXact Auto-Scan Pro will initiate scanning, delivering real-time job-performance feedback, enhancing quality-control reporting, and enabling compliance with G7 printing standards.

Rutherford Closed-Loop Software

• IntelliPress2 | For Commercial Printers
  After the press operator scans the paper web to acquire spectral and density data, X-Rite color measurement instruments equipped with Easy Loop can seamlessly complete the printing process. IntelliPress2 supports customizable prepress job naming rules, enables automatic ink-key compensation, autonomously learns parameter settings based on paper type, and provides ink-key and spot-color management.

• IntelliPack | Suitable for Packaging and Web Printing
  The Rutherford IntelliSet includes a standalone computer (PreOPS) that automatically processes CIP or TIFF files sent from the prepress department. The IntelliSet software applies a customized learning curve to each ink key, ensuring uniform ink density across the print sheet and enabling precise, proportionate opening of the ink fountain keys. When used in conjunction with IntelliLoop and X-Rite measurement equipment, it guarantees color accuracy throughout the entire printing process.

Achieving the desired print color targets is not always straightforward. Relying on manual measurement of the color strip and adjustment of the ink keys is both time-consuming and prone to error. Moreover, once the press is started, it can lead to unnecessary waste of paper and ink. Only by transforming the printing operation into a highly efficient production process and improving efficiency at every stage can printers achieve accurate, repeatable color results. Closed-loop automation solutions have undoubtedly been a boon for many printers. With such a closed-loop system in place, the press can directly capture spectral data from the printed sheet and automatically adjust the ink keys, thereby automating the entire workflow. This approach reduces the cumulative waste of paper and ink caused by repeated failures to quickly reach target colors, boosts profitability in short-run production, and minimizes the need for human intervention as much as possible.