Third-party online professional applications
Once you’ve established a virtual color proofing workflow to share your projects with your clients, you should set yourself up to work with commercial print providers to complete the all-digital workflow.
The world’s largest print service providers are leading the trend toward virtual color proofing. They are taking advantage of Apple Cinema Displays, ColorSync, and Mac OS X to deliver software applications and systems that let you reliably evaluate color images and documents online, annotate soft proofs and approve them. Whether you use built-in Mac OS X applications such as Preview, or new applications from print service providers, accurate virtual color proofing is easier, more reliable and more accessible than ever. Here are a few options for online virtual color proofing…
KODAK MATCHPRINT Virtual Proofing — LCD
KODAK MATCHPRINT Virtual proofing delivers accurate, reliable, timely color-critical monitor proofing for use at all stages of the print production workflow by designers, advertising agencies, pre-press, and printers irrespective of their location.
The patented Kodak color science behind the MATHCHPRINT Virtual allows accurate, consistent viewing of CMYK color proofs. The combination of MATCHPRINT Virtual software and specified Apple Cinema Displays with Kodak’s portal product line allows users to eliminate time from their prepress workflow.
With KODAK TeamWorks software and MATCHPRINT Virtual proofing, you can simultaneously view, annotate, and mark up color accurate proofs online, and automatically send email notifications of project progress to team members. Trade shops, clients, and agencies can communicate better throughout the proofing process.
KODAK InSite software with MATCHPRINT Virtual software enables color accurate remote proofing alongside online job submission, job-status tracking, and online collaboration.
And with KODAK PressProof software, prepress operators can check proofs on an Apple Cinema Display against the printed sheet — an unprecedented step in printing and proofing technology geared to lower make-ready time and cost.
MATCHRPRINT Virtual is also an option on a number of third party applications through Kodak’s monitor proofing Partner program.
ICS Remote Director
A collaborative virtual color proofing solution, ICS Remote Director from Integrated Color Solutions (ICS) leverages Apple ColorSync technology to enable printers, design and print professionals and their clients to display accurate soft proofs.
ICS Remote Director is a peer-to-peer system, where printers, prepress specialists, clients and others can view, annotate and approve proofs using the client application.
Remote Director works directly with the GretagMacbeth Eye-One Professional system to certify that the displays in your workflow are calibrated and profiled. The displays are then certified to participate in color-accurate virtual color proofing sessions.
Using Remote Director’s online collaboration tools, everyone on the review team can make annotations that stay with the soft proof through approval. An onscreen densitometer allows anyone involved in the session to analyze color down to a single pixel.
The world’s largest print service providers are taking advantage of Apple Cinema Displays, ColorSync and Mac OS X to deliver software applications and systems that let you reliably evaluate color images and documents online, annotate soft proofs and approve them.
ShareStream
RR Donnelley, the world’s largest full-service global print provider, offers ShareStream, a web-based workflow solution that makes virtual color proofing easy and effective. ShareStream is part of a suite of software tools that RR Donnelley and its clients can use to improve productivity in developing and producing print and electronic media.
For those doing business with RR Donnelley Premedia Technologies’ creative and pre-media services groups, ShareStream provides a SWOP-certified process for evaluating images and documents online. RR Donnelley hosts ShareStream images and documents on a secure server. Participants can then annotate soft proofs and change or approve individual images or complete documents.
ShareStream also has a distribution management function that simplifies routing proofs throughout the approval process. This is valuable to organizations such as financial institutions, pharmaceutical manufacturers and others that require hierarchical approvals, but also works effectively for dispersed workgroups of any size.
DALiM DiALOGUE
DALiM DiALOGUE is an award-winning application from Dalim Software that provides users with an online facility to provide remote and collaborative viewing and soft proofing of high-resolution files via the Internet in real time. It’s specifically designed as a stand-alone product for Mac OS X, compatible with a range of automated workflows. Once calibrated, the system will ensure that every user can view files and check for content as well as color accuracy, thanks to the powerful color-management capabilities of Mac OS X.
The only JDF-enabled virtual color proofing system available, DALiM DiALOGUE uses unique data-streaming technology to any standard web browser, allowing users to view high-resolution files in a wide range of file formats without the requirement of any client software or web browser plug-ins. Printers, publishers, ad agencies and designers can offer their customers the ability to view, zoom in/out, navigate, place annotations, draw to highlight areas, take densitometer readings, check production parameters, validate files and even “chat” in real time.
