ColorGate has brought out a new process-optimised coloration software program called Colorrizer for industrial digital printing. With Colorrizer, the design and collection development is already done in the working colour space of the digital production system so that the process-dependent printer gamuts are taken into account and fully exploited directly in the design process.
The company said the development comes as digital printing methods are being used increasingly frequently for interiors textiles and wallpaper plus the decoration of wood and wood-like substrates for the surfaces of furniture and flooring. ColorGate said that for these applications, Colorrizer can generate colourways with a colour-accurate preview on the monitor and step-and-repeat patterns. It also simplifies the work and co-ordination process for everyone involved in the development of the design, from the client to the designer to printer.
Colorrizer provides designers with precise coloration software, which already defines the appropriate colour space for the printing systems used in each production process during the design creation process - e.g. via the import of PDS files from Adobe Photoshop. This also includes an automatic colour transformation, which automatically converts colours outside of the colour space selected into the best-possible corresponding colour within the available colour space. It is also possible to import existing colour books from Adobe ACB files as well as colour data from conventional printing processes.
Colorrizer is said to make soft proofing reliable, and it is possible to print proofs on paper with sister product Productionserver. The Rip and colour-management software makes it possible to compare different colour spaces, so that the printing results on different printing systems or print results using alternative ink combinations can be simulated. Colourised textile designs or colour samples (e.g. of tile or wood surfaces) can be printed on paper to save time and money, while still retaining the same color appearance as the final printed product so that suitable design alternatives can be presented to the client and other potential buyers.