Offset Alpine Printing has achieved certification to the Process Standard Offset (PSO) ISO 12647-2 colour standard for file preparation, platemaking, sheet fed and web offset printing.
This certification involved extensive test prints that were scrutinised by a range of colour experts in Australia and internationally through FOGRA (a German based research institute for the graphic arts industry).
The test sheets were required to meet a set of criteria including finite tolerances for ink hue, density, trapping, grey balance and dot gain.
In achieving this certification Offset Alpine Printing has demonstrated its ability to manage workflow and press set up to ensure it can meet the specifications of the standard. The tests were carried out on two of the company’s presses.
Working to a colour standard will allow Offset Alpine Printing to measure their presses against a set of tolerances now and into the future.
As usual, Offset Alpine Printing is an early adopter of new ideas and technology – there are only 12 other web printers in the world who have achieved this certification through Fogra. It is expected that by March next year, the rest of the printing industry will have migrated from the current 3DAP standard to ISO 12647-2.
Offset Alpine Printing is now already well prepared to assist its clients with the transition and to take advantage of the disciplines the standard will bring to the press room.
As this standard is rolled out to the rest of the industry, it will mean even more efficient and accurate colour can be produced on press and allow quicker diagnosis of any potential colour problems.
Peter Rimmer, Offset Alpine Printing’s Platemaking Supervisor, has been working on this project for six months and has played a big part in ensuring its successful outcome.
Rimmer believes that certification is now vital to the success of a printing business. "There will be an expectation from publishers that printers are capable of matching standards and ISO proofs," he said. "Having ISO certification will be a key advantage for achieving that."
Offset Alpine's sales and client services manager, Craig Dunsford, said that the ISO certification provides a set of known measurable tolerances to work within.
Dunsford said. “Our clients expect nothing less than consistent high quality colour reproduction at all times.
“Offset Alpine is now able to guarantee even greater consistent quality and predictability of colour reproduction.
IPMG made its foray into ISO accreditation four months ago with Craft Inprint earning itself the honour of being the first web printer in Australia to achieve this certification.
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