ICE Technology Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
ICE technology takes a new and original look at how to best optimize the overall print process. It considers all the variables that effect efficient high-quality color reproduction. As with any new idea, this raises many questions, concerns and ultimately excitement. The following answers have been gathered from the questions that ICE users have posed during their investigation of ICE technology. They are provided in the hope that your own evaluation process might benefit from those who have gone before you.
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Q: Is ICE simply a new form of GCR?
A: No. ICE Technology is a completely new approach to creating color separations. ICE technology was developed using a revolutionary mathematical model based on the most recent research in color science and the physics at work within the print process. ICE technology is designed to completely replace existing CMYK separation theory, which is based on a 100-year old photomechanical technique that holds little relevance to today’s print processes. ICE relies on human perception dividing color on press into cuminance and chroma to create the separations.
GCR theory came out of the original UCR theory developed by John Yule in the 1930’s. The approach was refined in the first digital scanners in the 1960’s and 70’s and was again highly acclaimed in the early 1980’s. Yet GCR never gained widespread market acceptance due to the many random quality problems that came with the benefit (see Folio December 1987 article). Today GCR tools use ICC technology and Device Links to edit or fix the results to try to minimize the quality problems that aggressive GCR can cause. This in turn limits the benefits of reduced ink usage at the same time. The result is a technology that often hurts as much as it helps by reducing ink and quality.
ICE has no such limitations because it optimizes the print process from the beginning. GCR starts with a typical CMY separation and seeks to replace the CMY gray component. An ICE separation optimizes the file from inception. Freed from CMY subtractive color math ICE, therefore never creates a CMY gray component that needs to be replaced. The result is higher quality, reduced ink use and greater efficiency in production.
Q: Doesn’t ICE simply raise ink density to achieve more gamut?
A: No. If this were true, then ICE would increase, not decrease ink consumption. ICE is a completely new approach that aims to optimize the entire print process by re-inventing how color separations are made from the ground up. ICE separations avoid the pitfalls of gamut compression that plague ICC transforms used in color separation today. Therefore, ICE gives you access to the full capability of your press. ICE enables expanded gamut by stretching dynamic range, normalizing ink across the press form, correcting chemical trapping and changing the tone value gain points of the separation. ICE optimizes the ink distribution in the file allowing more color ink to flow to image areas that need color and prevents other areas on the form from stealing color where it is not required.
The result empowers you to run a more optimal solid ink density on press – all while reducing overall ink consumption. It is the combination of all these factors that result in more gamut on press.
Other solutions have attempted to expand gamut on press, from multi-color solutions and highpigment CMYK inksets, to simply raising density on press. These approaches have had limited success. This is namely because current color separation technology has never been able to take advantage of the large measurable press gamut without manually editing images to do so. ICE separations provide the missing link to take full advantage of press capabilities today.
Q: How can ICE reduce the amount of ink being used while at the same time increasing ink density on press? Won’t this lead to more ink in the ink train and won’t that cause problems on press?
A: ICE truly understands and adjusts for the overall dynamics of the entire printing process. It is through this understanding that ICE intelligently optimizes print. ICE often recommends modified ink film thickness on paper to optimize ink flow on press. This is most easily set and monitored on press as increased solid ink density. Ink usage on press however is measured as a cubic volume: the height of the ink film multiplied by the surface area of all the dots on the sheet. ICE increases ink film a small amount to affect the pressure used to transfer ink to a specific sheet, but it then reduces the surface area of the dots being printed. The surface area is reduced much more than the increase in ink film thickness, which results in less ink volume being used.
Changing a single variable on press always has multiple effects on the process. If you reduce the amount of ink being used on press and do not adjust the water to compensate, you will more quickly have ink emulsification which leads to other problems. Often in offset, the press is run with too much water already; reducing ink alone further aggravates this problem on press. A counter solution would be to reduce the water, but again this reaction leads to other problems, such as increased friction and heat which then leads to excessive plate wear and possibly more clean-ups in the middle of longer runs.
Other solutions attempt quick fixes such as reducing ink alone or increasing solid ink density alone, yet fail to understand how these changes affect overall printability and the resulting quality of the entire process. ICE truly understands print and therefore compensates for every action it takes. Increasing ink film thickness serves to increase ink flow, reduce friction, prevent ink emulsification and offset the problems that occur when you reduce the amount of ink in the ink train. The results are less ink, more color and improved quality that set you apart from the crowd.
Q: Are the ink savings reported by ICE exaggerated?
A: No. ICE examines each file, pixel by pixel, to compare before and after ink usage. ICE then considers new predicted ICE densities and calculates ink usage as a cubic volume. This results in the most accurate ink saving prediction. ICE users with ink metering systems report that ICEserver predicts ink savings within 1% of actual usage. Other systems can report misleading ink saving by simply counting pixels in two-dimensions or by predicting CMY ink savings without considering an increase in black.
Q: How do I proof ICE separations?
A: Easily. ICE technicians will work with you to provide a customized IT8.7/4 data set for your expanded gamut printing. This data can be used in existing proofing systems to create expanded gamut proofs. ICEserver can also be integrated currently with EFI Colorproof eXpress for an automated proofing solution if you do not have one today. Using EFI Colorproof XF, we have consistently created proofs that match ICE gamut sets within 1.5 Delta E on average and Peak Delta E of less than 5.0.
Q: How do I match proofs provided by my customers? Am I forced to print a bigger gamut with ICE? Can I still print to GRACoL™ or SWOP™ and use ICE?
A: ICEserver provides options that are colorimetrically accurate to existing print specifications. ICEserver allows you to take advantage of optimal color separations while aiming to match existing print standards such as GRACoL or SWOP. Using these ICE workflows allows you to print to shop densities and match customer proofs while still creating efficiencies on press.
Q: How do I integrate ICEserver into my workflow?
A: Easily, using automated hotfolders. ICEserver is a Windows-based hotfolder solution that allows you to easily integrate into any workflow. Additionally, ICElink is an option that enables the exportation of a device link profile that can be embedded directly into any workflow.
Q: How does ICEserver affect files that may already use GCR?
A: It improves them and corrects many errors. ICE normalizes all the files across a given press form. As a result, ICE can even optimize files that may have used aggressive GCR and can even correct common errors that may have been introduced by such processes. Conversely, because ICE creates a separation without using the principles of CMY subtractive theory, trying to ‘GCR’ an ICE’d file will have no affect because there is no CMY gray component for GCR to replace.
Q: Can ICEserver introduce problems or break my files in any way?
A: No. ICEserver is equipped with robust error checking that will even inspect your files pixel by pixel
before and after ICE to ensure that all structural elements of the file are sound.
Q: How do my customers create work upstream with the benefits of ICE in mind? Can they proof for ICE print results without actually having ICEserver themselves?
A: As always, the best solution is to proof the actual separations that will end up being used in print; however an IT8.7/4 dataset is available for download from the FineEye website that will allow your customers to create proofs for a generic ICE Sheetfed print result to at least get an idea of what ICE will do for them. Because ICEserver improves the overall print process at your plant, the proofs will show what your press is capable of achieving even when your customer proofs a non-ICE separation.
Q: Does ICE work with Multi-channel workflows?
A: No. ICEserver does not currently support Multi-channel output.
Q: Are ICE files ICC Compatible?
A: Yes. ICEserver tags ICE files with an ICE Output Intent ICC profile for use in viewing ICE files in Acrobat or other applications.
Q: Does ICEserver work with inkjet, digital presses, flexo or gravure?
A: Yes! These processes are supported in ICEserver version 4.0
