Color table group

The color settings in this tab are effective until different individual settings are defined in the properties of "Page Lists" and/or "Layouts".

Color List

In this listbox, you set the extent to which the color settings within the job have an impact:

​•​All Colors

"All Colors" means that all the colors that may be relevant for job processing display in this view and can be edited (with the exception of process colors). This option can also be used to add new colors to the job.

​•​Existing Colors

"Existing Colors" means that only those colors that are already in the input documents are shown. If you wish to add a new color when you are in this mode, a message displays, informing you to switch to the "All Colors" mode. You can now add new colors and then switch back to "Existing Colors" again. However, only the colors that are present in the PDF will be displayed.

Output Profile

The output profile determines how colors act in the output process. Normally, a standard offset output profile is used if output is to an offset press, for example, an OffsetEuro or OffsetSWOP profile for CMYK. Special output profiles that are calibrated for the combination of press/substrate should be used for digital presses.

By default, the output profiles are filed on the Prinect server in the "PTConfig\SysConfig\Resources\ICC Profiles" folder. We recommend also saving custom ICC output profiles below this folder. It is then easy for you to find and use these profiles for other jobs.

Follow the steps below to open an output profile:

​1.​Click the Browse button "...".

The profile browser opens.

​2.​Go to the profile folder containing the profile you want, mark the profile and confirm your selection.

If the output profile you selected describes a color space with colors that are not defined in the job, these colors display as additional rows in the color table. For example, if you select a 7c color profile for a job with solely CMYK process colors for a Labelfire digital press, orange, green and violet are also added to the table.

If there are spot colors in the job, a message displays, informing you that the spot colors will be mapped to the target color space by means of the selected profile.

Remove output profile

​1.​Click the "X" button.

The selected profile is removed and the any related, additional color items are removed from the table.

Column set

This list box allows you to create and save your own sets of columns or to select the set you want from existing ones. See Define a custom column set.

Print order

The position of the colors in the table determines the print order of the colors and, consequently, also overprinting. The color lowest down in the table is printed first and the topmost color last. By default, the print order is defined automatically. This means that the "lightest" color, i.e. the one with the least neutral density ND is printed first. The darkest color – usually "Black" – is printed last.

You can change this order by defining or editing spot colors. You can also change the print order using drag-and-drop. In other words, you mark a color in the table (any column) and drag it, holding down the left mouse button, to the position you want.

Selection of a Multicolor output profile or import or creation of one of more colors automatically rearranges the print order, with the order determined based on neutral density.

Create a new color

You can create a new spot color with the "New Color" button. A row is added to the table after you click this button. If the table view is in the "Existing Colors" mode, a message displays, informing you that it is switched to the "All Colors" mode. If a custom spot color was marked in the table, the new color uses the settings of the marked color.

​1.​First of all, give the new color a name in the "Name" box.

​2.​Now enter the color values, either by typing in the process color values or the L*a*b* color values. You can go from one color box to the next by hitting the Tab key.

​3.​The "Color" box displays a preview of the hue resulting from the values you entered.

​4.​After that, set the other properties of the color in the "Source", "Target", "Type", "Usage", etc. columns. See Table columns

​5.​Finish creating the new color with the Enter key.

​6.​If required, you can customize the print order. See Print order.

Caution: If you already defined spot colors and after that change the output color profile, especially when going from a CMYK profile to a Multicolor profile or vice versa, all the process color or L*a*b* values may be overwritten and the display of the colors changes. An appropriate warning is issued. The colors themselves are kept but they are matched to the output profile.

Modify an existing spot color

You can modify an existing spot color by clicking the edit boxes and changing the values.

Import spot colors

You can import single spot colors from color tables and add them to the job. You can edit imported colors and, if required, export them to other custom color tables. See also "Import Colors" Window.

Export spot colors

You can export custom spot colors by adding them to a custom color table in the Prinect color library. To do this, mark the color(s) you want (multiple selection is possible) and click "Export Colors". Then in the "Export Colors to User-Defined Color Table" window, select the color table to which the selected colors will be added. These spot colors are then available throughout the local system environment, e.g. for other jobs as well. See "Export Colors to User-Defined Color Table" Window.

Display and editing of process color data for Multicolor profiles

If a job has colors with L*a*b* values and if a Multicolor output profile is loaded, the process color data to be expected display in italics and gray color in the table columns.

Note: These color values are calculated (with "Absolute colorimetric" rendering intent in Color Management) only for viewing on the screen. They will not be used for printing.

It is possible to edit these values calculated for screen display. The L*a*b* values are deleted if you do this, and the process color data appear in the "default" notation. When the job is saved, the process color data of the edited colors are written to the job data and the L*a*b* values are deleted. In the "Source" column of the edited color, the item changes from "Color Table" to "Job".

Table columns

The table columns display the color parameters. Some columns show data about the color in question, whereas you can edit other columns, either by entering values or by selecting parameters from list boxes. A list box displays after you left click a table element.

Color

This shows you a preview of the respective color.

Name

The names of the respective colors are displayed here. You can change these names if you wish (if editing is possible).

Source

Options in the "Source" list box:

​•​Color Table

The color is taken from a color table in the Prinect color library. An error message is displayed if the color is not found in any active color table.

​•​PDF

The color comes from the PDF documents of the job.

Note: An error message is displayed if the respective color is not in the PDF documents.

​•​Job

The color is defined in the job Properties (in the "Colors" section) and was added to the job in this way.

Destination

This is where you define what will happen with the selected color. To do this, click on the corresponding color(s) (multiple items can be selected). Then select one of the following parameters from the drop-down list.

Note: If you select multiple colors, the selected destination will be defined for all selected colors.

Options in the "Target" list box:

​•​Output

The color will be output directly.

Note: Please note that when you select this option in versioned jobs, only the master version is output. All other versions will not be output. If you want all versions to be output, you must select the "Output (every version)" option.

​•​Output (every version)

In versioned jobs, the color is output with each existing version, provided that the color appears in the documents of the respective versions.

​•​Process

This option is only available for spot colors and causes the selected spot color(s) to be converted to process colors for output.

​•​Ignore

The color is ignored for output, i.e. it is not output.

​•​Varnish (no output)

This option is only available for spot colors. The color is defined as "Full Varnish" or "Spot Varnish".

As "Full Varnish" the color is ignored during CTP output (no printing plate is created) but it is still assigned a color code. This color is intended for varnishes that are applied to the entire surface of the sheets printed with all color separations, i.e. these varnishes are not assigned to a specific color separation. Accordingly, no plate product ID is assigned on principle to full varnish.

As a "Spot Varnish", the varnish is applied to a specific color separation after printing, i.e. the sheets are varnished immediately after passing through this inking unit before the other separations are printed. This results in the following color properties for spot varnishes:

​•​A spot varnish is always assigned to a specific printing color.

​•​A plate is not generated from a spot varnish, however a spot varnish is assigned to a plate.

​•​A plate product ID is automatically assigned to a spot varnish.

You can decide between "Full Varnish" and "Spot Varnish" in the "Imposition" step in the layout properties in the "Colors" tab via the context menu in the "Target" column. See "Target" context menu command.

​•​Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black or Spot Colors

The selected color is "mapped" to another color. A color that has been assigned to another color in this way shows the property "Alias" in the "Defined" column.

Marks

This column shows how the color set in the respective row affects the print marks. The value displayed or set depends on the settings of the options made ,in the section "Assignment of job colors to mark colors". See Assignment of job colors to mark colors. The "Marks" box can contain the following contents:

Note: After having enabled the "Custom" and ‘Global’ options in the color settings for a job, you can assign spot colors a corresponding mark (X, Y, Z, etc.) with the "External" usage. The "External" usage is particularly important in the context of a Gallus One press, as certain colors may be used with external printing units (flexographic printing, screen printing, offset printing, hot/cold foil stamping) rather than with the digital press. Such "externally" printed colors can be assigned color marks from extended process color spaces (e.g., Hexachrome).

Type

You can assign different types to the colors, depending on how the color will be applied to the substrate.

​•​Normal

This property is assigned to colors that, similar to process colors, are translucent in printing.

​•​Opaque

This property is assigned to very opaque, contour-defining colors. Opaque colors are treated as black and always spread over the adjacent colors below it when trapping.

​•​Opaque & Ignore

This property is assigned to colors that are "opaque" but are not to be trapped (for example, when printing gold, silver or spot colors where undesirable combinations can occur when trapping).

​•​Transparent

This property is assigned to a color with a transparent varnish. No traps are generated for transparent colors.

​•​DieLine

This type is only used for grid lines, for example, in the sheet layout, and can only be seen on the screen and in the proof but not in the print.

​•​Version, normal

The color prints transparently, similar to process colors, and is output separately for each version in versioned jobs.

​•​Version, opaque

The color is assigned the property described under "Opaque" and is output separately for each version in versioned jobs.

​•​Version, Opaque & Ignore

The color is assigned the property described under "Opaque & Ignore" and is output separately for each version in versioned jobs.

​•​Version, Transparent

The color is assigned the property described under "Transparent" and is output separately for each version in versioned jobs.

Alias

The color was mapped to another color.

Usage

This is where you define the usage of the color in a press:

​•​Printing unit, Printing unit 2

"Printing unit" is the standard setting for output to an offset or digital printing unit. You can select "Printing unit 2" if there is a second printing unit and it is needed, for example, for perfecting.

​•Special, printing unit

Offset printing: The "Special, printing unit" usage is intended for base color areas/precoating or varnishes. Opaque colors such as opaque white can be used for precoating whereas varnishes are always transparent.

To prevent undesired Opaque colors such as opaque white should not be treated with Color Management to prevent undesired discolorations. Therefore, no measurement fields should be included in the color control bar for these color separations. If "Special, printing unit" is selected, a mark abbreviation will be assigned to these colors retrospectively. If the color control strip is not to contain measurement fields for precoating or varnishes, it must be ensured that the color control bar only contains patches for the colors that are to be treated with Color Management. This is ensured by using "Special, printing unit" and selecting a color control bar that only represents the number of colors in the job content (without precoating or varnishes).

Example: A print job contains the following colors: "Opaque white", "C", "M", "Y", "K", "PANTONE 385 C", and "Varnish". The job contents to be subjected to Color Management contains the five colors "C", "M", "Y", "K", and "PANTONE 385 C". Since the colors "Opaque white" and "Varnish" are not to have patches in the color control bar, the "Special, printing unit" usage is selected for these colors. These colors are then assigned a trailing marks color code regardless of the color sequence. If a color control bar for 7 colors (7C) were used in this example, the color control bar would also contain patches for the colors "Opaque white" and "Varnish." For this reason, a color control bar for 5 colors (5C) must be used. Then the separations "Opaque white" and "Varnish" do not receive their own patches in the color control bar, but only the colors of the job content (CMYK and PANTONE 385 C).

Digital printing: Some digital presses such as some Versafire models support special toner colors (white, neon yellow, varnish, "Ricoh Other", etc.), that can be used for "precoating". To output these colors for precoating, you must set the usage of the colors concerned to "Special, printing unit".

​•Coating Unit

This usage is intended for dispersion or UV varnishes that can be processed only in a coating unit. Color mark codes "L1", "L2", "L3" or "L4" are assigned to these colors. Since varnishes are not to be treated with Color Management, selecting the "Coating unit" option means that no patches are included in the color control bar for these colors. At the same time, the coating unit of the press is enabled when the "Coating unit" option is selected.

​•​Tool

This option lets you tag colors that will be used for die tools in packagaging printing.

​•​Proof

If a color is to be output as a "Proof Color" only in the proof, select this usage for the proof color. You can disable the output of proof colors (Proof Color, DieLine) in the print run workflow.

​•​External

Prerequisite: This usage can be set only if one of the option combinations "User-defined" + "global" or "User-defined" + "In Layout" is enabled. See User-defined.

With this usage, you tag a color as an "external separation". You can use this option, for example, to generate flexographic plates from the print job. See also Output external separations or separations of "DieLine" proof colors.

Varnish

Prerequisite: This parameter is editable only if "Coating unit" is selected in "Usage".

Information regarding the varnishing of print products can be defined in the following locations:

​•​In a connected MIS (Management Information System) if the print job was defined in the MIS.

​•​In a repeat job usually created in an MIS.

​•​At this point in the parameter properties of the print job by selecting a varnish here:

If the print job is to be executed with a varnishing operation, select the varnish to be used here. Varnishes are defined in custom color tables in the "Administration > Colors and Varnishes" area. See Varnishes. In the list box you can select one of the defined varnishes for the print job.

Screen roller

Prerequisite: This parameter is editable only if "Coating unit" is selected in "Usage". In addition, screen rollers can only be selected for presses of the "Alpha" series or for HEIDELBERG Anicolor presses. For these presses, the screen rollers of the coating unit or, for Anicolor machines, the screen rollers of the printing units can be precisely controlled via the Prinect workflow.

Select the screen roller with which the selected varnish is to be applied.

"Alias" varnishes

With the changeover to support for the selection of screen rollers, the term "coating" has been replaced by the term "varnish" in the "Color" parameter area. The previous term "Coating" was used for a combination of varnish and the tool (screen roller), that applies the varnish. To ensure that existing jobs defined with the previous "coating" settings continue to function, "coating aliases" can be defined. Depending on the press used to print the job, these aliases have different functions:

​•​For output on older presses whose screen rollers cannot be parameterized separately by the Prinect workflow, an "alias coating" represents a combination of coating and tool, as before. This ensures that previously defined print jobs are compatible with current Prinect versions.

​•​For output on current Anicolor machines or on Alpha series presses, the "varnish alias" refers exclusively to the varnish, i.e., the varnish previously defined under ‘Coating’ is selected as "Varnish." The screen roller is selected separately – as in new jobs.

You can select a "Varnish" alias in the "Varnish" listbox where it is identified by a special icon.

CMYK, L*a*b*

For CMYK(OG) (O=orange, G=green) and L* (L*a*b* luminescence), the values for each color are shown in percent depending on the selected color space. For a* and b*, a percentage is not shown but a value between -128 and 127 (= 256 possible values).

Trapping color properties

The color properties below relate to trapping. Information on trapping can be found here: "Trapping" Option.

ND = Neutral Density

Each process color (CMYK) has a different ink strength. "Neutral Density" was defined to determine the ink strength of a process color. For example, paper white has a neutral density of 0. See also Definition of the Neutral Density:.

Screening Angle

The screen color angles of the job colors used for printing plate imaging are displayed here. This display is only possible if an ImpositionOutput sequence with defined screen angles is assigned to the job. The color angles cannot be edited here. They can only be edited in the sequence settings. See Screen system settings.

Furthermore, you can assign the halftone color angle of one of the process colors to a spot color here.

Calibration Substitute Color

You can assign a calibration substitute color to certain job colors for packaging printing.

Each spot color in the job can be assigned one of the process colors or another spot color in the job as a "calibration substitute color". You only have to set "Output" as the "Target" for this to work. If not, this option is disabled.

Note: To avoid having to reconfigure colors with assigned calibration replacement colors, you can store colors with this property in custom (=editable) color tables in the Prinect color library. You can only select from seven process colors as substitute calibration colors: Cyan, magenta, yellow, black, orange, green, blue.

Overprint

Here you can adjust the overprinting behavior (overprint, knock out, unchanged) of the color.

SL = Step Limit

Defines the minimum value by which the neutral density of neighboring colors must differ in order for a trap to be generated.

TCS = Trap Color Scaling

Trap color scaling reduces the extent to which traps may be seen. This is useful, for example, when printing pastel colors. The default value is 100%. This value means that no trap color scaling is performed. If, for example, a value of 80% is entered here, the neutral density of the trap line color is reduced by 20%.

TWS = Trap Width Scaling

Trap width scaling allows you to individually adjust the width of the trap lines (the trap width), not only for black, but for any colors such as CMYK and spot colors. The trap width is adjusted based on the dominant component in the color composition of the trap lines.

Example:

If the color composition of a trap line consists of the CMYK values C=20%, M=30%, Y=50% and K=10%, then yellow is the color with the highest color content and the standard trap width is multiplied by the "TWS" factor of yellow, in this example 0.5.

Print order of the colors

The print order of the colors is determined by their position in the table: the lower a color is positioned in the table, the earlier it is printed, i.e. the bottom color is printed first and the top color is printed last.

You can change the print order manually using drag-and-drop. To do this, in the row with the color you want, mark the color box in the "Color" column and drag it to the row you want, holding down the left mouse button. Let go of the mouse button when you are at the position you want.