The word venerable does not come readily to mind when describing many graphic industry suppliers, but it certainly fits DuPont de Nemours like a glove. It recently celebrated its 200th birthday, which coincided with a complete reorganization of its business divisions. Among them is the newly formed Electronic & Communication Technologies, within which sits DuPont Imaging Technologies and its Cromalin and Cyrel products. Around 1,000 employees in Neu-Isenburg, near Frankfurt, and a manufacturing plant in New Jersey contribute to a turnover worth $500 million.
Future growth is seen to come from exploiting the increasing globalization of print within a digitized framework. Among the new products to help achieve this is iCertification, an Internet based remote proofing system. Remote proofing is not new, but DuPont says this is the first one to guarantee 100 percent data and color integrity within predefined tolerances. It extends Cromalin Digital from a local contract proofing system to a full remote contract proofing system. Potential users are large integrated label and packaging groups, as well as trade shops.
The digital system allows multiple proofers at a single site, while high-speed data networks support file transfers in at least seven file formats for multiple site usage. It also offers built-in workflow automation and Internet based proof certification.
It meets the demands for faster turnarounds of proof approvals among design studios, agencies, buyers and printers. It is well suited for multi-site operations that produce digital artwork in one location and print in another.
The dedicated web server is located in the United States. Registered users around the world can maintain a secure and viewable history of all sent and received remote proof jobs. The server also collects, displays and compares sent image data with expected color results to initiate Proof Certification Reports.
DuPont also released details of CyFOS 4.0, a flexo color measurement and control system. The new version measures the printed test target using a plate spectrophotometer, not a densitometer. Its method of gray balance evaluation tells the operator what CMYK proportions to use for neutral gray, as well as making a fingerprint control strip for a particular press. The system allows users to prepare separation data that matches the plate to the press characteristics, using the measured and calculated print gradations and gray balance details.
CyFOS 4.0 also audits the consistency of the imaging output, achieved by measuring of the actual dots on the plate, to check the correct percentage, screen ruling and angles. This key change from the original system provides information taken from the actual printing surface, allowing for such effects as dot sharpening associated with the latest digital imaging systems.