1. What is the difference between GRACoL, GRACoL7, and G7?
- GRACoL is a set of specifications for commercial printing developed by the GRACoL committee, a member of IDEAlliance
- GRACoL7 is the latest version of these guidelines
- And G7 is the methodology used to meet these specifications
2. What is a traditional press standard based on?
- SID (Solid Ink Density)
- TVI (Tone Value Increase or Dot Gain)
- Wet ink trap
- Print Contrast
6. Why is it better to use colorimetry than density?
- Because colorimetry considers color and color balance rather than the weight of ink on paper
- And because it gives the ability to define the appearance of color and to monitor color change
7. What is a Neutral Print Density Curve (NPDC)?
- NPDC is a target curve defined along the entire tonal range. GRACoL7 defines a specific NPDC curve that allows the press to run to its natural tendencies, using plate compensation curves to correct for unwanted behavior.
- It uses the entire tonal range not just the traditional TVI 25%, 50%, and 75% values, giving you the entire shape of a curve, from highlight to shadow
8. How is Highlight Range (HR) used for process control?
- As a quick check to visually compare a 50/40/40 CMY patch to a 50K patch
- As an additional checkpoint, to check gray balance in the 50/40/40 CMY patch
- And to monitor the TVI of the press run
9. What are the benefits of the G7 method? They are:
- Faster make-readies because the press operator can quickly determine the ink balance on the sheet using neutral and black patches
- Better control on press because G7 uses colorimetry
- Gray-balanced plate curves improves the press’ ability to print neutral through the whole tonal range
10. Am I a good candidate to switch to G7?
- Yes, if your color make-ready is taking longer than you’d like
- And if you want to spend less time measuring press sheets
- Also if your customers complain about the quality and the consistency of your color
- Or if you need to match color appearance across multiple presses or press types.
