Soft Proofing: Ready or Not, Here it Comes

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Soft Proofing Ready or Not, Here it Comes
Lonn Mahal Prepress Technology Manager
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Key Points

• Soft proofing can be done anywhere. Content or
  pleasing color soft proofing needs no special
  software installed and can be done from any
  computer with internet access. Home, office,
  wireless internet café, a WiFi hotspot on the
  beach. (one of the most popular places Ive
  heard) and is available 24 hrs a day, 7 days a
  week.
• Soft proofing can allow simultaneous viewing by
  multiple people from multiple locations at the
  same time. Collaboration happens in real time.
  You can even have a live chat session take place
  during the collaboration process for those who do
  not want to pay their phone bill.

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Key Points

• Soft proofing technologies track every proofing
  session. Logs who has seen each page. Tracks
  approvals and rejections, and maintains automatic
  email generations of everyones request to your
  printers CSR.
• Can be used as a portal to your printer. Files
  can be submitted to the printer electronically
  through this portal. Your CSR is notified that
  files are being submitted. You are notified via
  email your proofs are ready to view, and you view
  them from the same space.

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Key Points

• Do not confuse true soft proofing with someone
  sending you a PDF proof. Contrary to popular
  belief, a PDF is not a locked file. It is still
  subject to postscript interpretation. Unexpected
  results could still occur. A true Softproof is
  the ability to view the actual file that will be
  plated from the printers server that has already
  had the postscript interpretation step completed.
  It is at this point a locked file that would be
  far too large to email or view by traditional
  methods.
• Faster job turnaround time. What could you do
  with an extra 24 hrs.?

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Can my soft proofs be color accurate?

• You can color calibrate your monitor to
  accurately reflect what the image will look like
  when proofed or printed
• A recent study concluded that several color
  certified soft proofing systems matched monitor
  to proof better than transparency to proof match.

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What is needed?

• A good LCD Monitor
• Eizo ColorEdge and Apple Cinema Displays are the
  only ones currently SWOP certified
• Monitor Calibration Tools
• Gretag Macbeth Eye One Display and Pantone Huey
• Proper Viewing Conditions
• No stray light hitting monitor
• Viewing booth with 5000 degree viewing bulbs
• Neutral gray walls

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Your Responsibilities

• You need to review the entire page, even on a
  correction cycle
• Identify who has final approval authority
• Maintain accurate viewing conditions when
  approving for color

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Alternatives Remote Proofing

• Partner with your printer for proper proofer
  selection and calibration
• You supply the calibrated proofs to the printer

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Do I have soft proofing alternatives prior to
sending files to the printer?

• Kodak Teamworks
• Adobe PDF
• Cyan Soft eproof

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Conclusion

• The key to successful soft proofing is truly
  forming a partnership with your printer
• Technology will change constantly and rapidly
• There are more people currently soft proofing for
  correction cycles than complete jobs

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On with the Demonstration!