Murray Lock, joint managing director Canon large-format printer reseller and litho printing specialist M Partners, Surrey, has hailed the latest version of Canon's Calibration Management Console (CCMC) software for its large-format devices as the breakthrough “auto-calibrating system for satellite proofing that the printing industry has long been crying out for”.
CCMC software allows centralised, automated colour management of all iPF series Canon printers on the network; remote monitoring of colour calibrations for the printers; determination of the media type loaded in each printer; and the ability to read accounting information from each production unit. The standardisation of ink across the range from 24in – 60in also aids multi-printer users to control the colour output from all devices ensuring consistency regardless of where various devices are located.
Historically, consistent long-term accuracy of an output device has been a thorn in the side of an effective satellite proofing solution. “The vagaries are everywhere: temperature and humidity of the office environment where the printing device is housed is a very good starting point, but manual calibration, as practiced by market leading devices, is rarely going to be as accurate as a satellite situation, and still takes a huge amount of time, and often further spend, to manage,” said Lock.
“Our initial engagement with Canon was due to the colour quality of the printed proofs that its engines were capable of producing. We had no idea of the capabilities of CCMC, but once we were introduced to it we quickly realised that it is the perfect solution for printers that need to install a satellite device for proofing at the site of major customers. CCMC ensures accurate colour reproduction on the remote device every time, and management of that calibration remains in the hands of the print company.”
The latest Canon iPF6450 large-format proofing device features an optional spectrophotometer to support high-precision colour management, along with the Colour Calibration Management Console software, which is now supported on all models in the range. Combined with Calibration Link technology, users can manage colour consistency across multiple 12-colour units placed in remote locations.