Events

4th Digital Proofing Forum with extended Programme

September 21 and 22 2004, University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart

The 4th Digital Proofing Forum (bvdm/ECI) is held September 21 and 22 2004 in Stuttgart at the University of Applied Sciences, (Hochschule der Medien). Altona Test Suite, the standard test set for data and process control, will once again be used for the proofer tests. Conference language is german.

Themes of the congress are e.g. user experiences with Altona Test Suite Application Kit, latest developments of proofing systems after Drupa 2004 or the hot topic “certification of proofing systems”. For the first time the workshop “Altona Test Suite Application Kit and ugra/FOGRA Media Wedge CMYK in practical use” is offered. For further information on the 4th Digital Proofing Forum (program and registration) please see www.digitalproof-forum.de. An english languge review of the last event (3rd Digital Proofing Forum, September 2003, Wuppertal) is available at www.eci.org/eci/en/023_events.php

3rd Digital Proofing Forum bvdm/ECI in Wuppertal: New records set for attendance and systems tested

Wuppertal, September 18-19, 2003: With 270 participants, 15 manufacturers and 26 proofer configurations, this year’s Digital Proofing Forum was marked by significant growth over the last two events. For the third time, Bundesverband Druck und Medien e.V. (bvdm) and European Color Initiative (ECI) jointly hosted the Digital Proofing Forum, which took place this year on 18 and 19 September. “In terms of the numbers of participants and manufacturers, this year’s Digital Proofing Forum reached the maximum limits.” says Karl Michael Meinecke of bvdm (program and coordination). With the lecture hall building bursting at the seams, an extra catering tent had to be set up on the University of Wuppertal campus. The experts worked hard evaluating the test results from 26 proofer configura-tio–ns as quickly as possible to make this information available for presentation on day two.

Altona Test Suite was once again at the center of the event. Developed and employed at the Digital Proofing Forums of bvdm/ECI, Altona Test Suite is now also used at leading industry events in the USA and has gained a solid international reputation. In May 2003, Altona Test Suite was at the heart of the Digital Proofing Shootout at the IPA in Chicago (supported by ECI) and again at the Seybold SF 2003 PDF Workflow Shootout in September 2003. Altona Test Suite is the standard set for data and process control.

At the Digital Proofing Forum, the proofer tests were based on reference prints in accordance with ISO 12647-2, paper type 2, continuous, with the corresponding reference data. The test participants were required to use these documents on their systems to output the Altona Test Suite page 2 “Visual” for technical measurement and visual evaluation. The Altona Test Suite page 3 “Technical” had to be output technically correct (overprint functions and fonts).

A total of 26 proofer configurations were registered, of which 23 took part in the assessment. This is nearly twice as many entries than at the previous Digital Proofing Forum s. New output devices taking part in the test were the Creo Veris, DuPont Digital Cromalin b2 and Canon W2200. Some of the RIPs in use were already running on OS/X. There were also a few systems using rasterproof simulation, though these were not included in the official assessment.

A number of system improvements were evident at the event. For example, PDF/X-3 compatibility was significantly improved. For the first time, page 3 “Technical” was printed completely error-free by six systems. Another positive development is the broader-based direct support for the ECI 2002 test chart. Registration problems seem to be a thing of the past, and the resolution has also been improved.

However, the tests produced a wide range of results from identical output devices – pointing to considerable differences in software. User-related differences were also noticeable. The system providers need to make significant improvements – from a user perspective – in the availability of substrates and inks and the still non-standardized manufacturers’ specifications for these materials, in software functions, as well as in support for PDF/X-3 and spot color simulation.

The Digital Proofing Forum conference on 19 September 2003 was again perfectly moderated by Prof. Stefan Brües, University of Wuppertal, and Prof. Ronald Schaul, HDM Stuttgart. A total of 20 speakers and discussion participants were on hand to talk about concepts, test results, detailed subject infor-mation and perspectives for further development. In a dialogue with the audience critical issues were explored in depth, questions answered and views exchanged.

The sense of commitment by everyone involved in the preparation and organizational aspects made the third Digital Proofing Forum of Bundesverband Druck und Medien (bvdm) and European Color Initiative (ECI) again a major success. The team of experts, manufacturers and organizers along with the university staff and student assistants all worked together in an outstanding cooperative effort to ensure the success of this internationally recognized professional event.

Digital Proofing Forum is organized by the Print & Media Forum AG. The 4th Digital Proofing Forum is scheduled to take place at the Fachhochschule Stuttgart, Hochschule der Medien in the autumn of 2004.

The Digital Proofing Forum folder including all presentations, results, configuration descriptions and a CD-ROM (Art. No. 86009) can be ordered online at www.point-online.de, or direct from the print and media associations. (bvdm)