Color bar editing module
In this module you can set up a color bar. There are basically two kinds of color bars. The ones with ink zones and the ones without. Because defining a color bar with ink zones has no added value for this manual, we will be defining a color strip without ink zones. Of course we will also show you how to work with ink zones!
Importing and exporting color bars
- From version 16.1 and later it is possible to import and export color bars from withing the color bar editor. Simply click on the import button and select a CSV colorbar definition or click the export button and name your file
- In legacy MeasureColor versions you can import and export color bars using the System management module
Duplicating a color bar
- From version 16.1 and later it is possible to duplicate a colorbar in the color bar editor. By clicking the duplicate button a copy of the selected colorbar appears in the color bar list for direct editing
- In legacy MeasureColor versions you can duplicate a colorbar by exporting and importing using the system management module
What do you need to define a custom color bar yourself?
You need to have a custom color bar! You can have a physical, printed color bar, it can be a digital version in any kind of file format; it can be almost anything.
In this case we will be looking at defining the ECI GrayCon bar (Mi1, FOGRA39).
Navigate to the modules overview and click on ‘Color bar Editor’. At the right bottom side of the color bar window, you will find one active button: ‘Add’ (if you first select a color bar from the list, all buttons will become active).
Adding a color bar
Click on the ‘Add’ button to start the wizard for defining a custom color bar. The following window will need some basic information and physical dimensions. This is needed for alignment.
Note:
Using an Intellitracks spectral measurement device, setting the proper patch height and width is of up most importance!
For the patch dimensions, you can simply get a ruler and measure the height and width in millimeters.Because we are copying the ECI GrayCon, we know that it is a single row of patches. There are no repeats in the strip.
When all done, click ‘Next’. This will take you to a seemingly complicated screen with lots of buttons, but after this chapter, you will master even this part of the MeasureColor system. It is by far not as complicated as it might look!
The color strip editor lets you define any color strip you would want to define. You can make use of the predefined patches in the color channels or use the buttons below the channels to set paper white, balance, overprint and custom patches. By clicking on a button, you add this patch to the color strip.
To rebuild the ECI GrayCon strip, we need to make use of mostly pre-defined patches and a few custom patches.
- Get your color bar sampler and start to build the ECI GrayCon strip (31 patches).
- The first 21 patches are easy.
- For patch 22, you need to define a ‘custom’. To define a custom patch, use the button ‘Custom’ at the bottom of the window. A popup window appears to let you choose the exact patch you need. Check the reference check box if you want to make use of an already existing patch (from another strip for instance). In any other case, enter a ‘Color name’ and select the right ‘Tolerance group’.
Adding an extra channel
- For using an extra color in the strip, you use the ‘Add color’ button at the right side of the process color channels. This button will add an extra random color to the channel overview. At this point, it’s not important to select the exact color you will use in the actual run. While setting up the actual job(s), you can still select the right color. Now, you are just reserving the space in the color strip, not depending on the kind of extra color(s) selected.
- Next to several standard percentages, you see a patch per channel with an asterisk (*). This patch gives you the ability to set your own percentage.
- SLUR is a term for mechanical deviation of the press itself. To detect this behavior, you can add a horizontal SLUR and/or a vertical SLUR.
Managing ink zones
It really only takes one click to add an ink zone to a color strip.
Because the checkbox is activated, a new ink zone will appear behind the position where the arrow is displayed. Using the bi-arrowed buttons on the right side of ‘Shift ink zones’, you are able to set the right ink zones, in case not all ink zones are used. Shifting ink zones only works when the color strip contains more than one ink zone. The ‘Repeat zone’ button does nothing more than copy the active ink zone.
Gray balance patches
At the bottom of the Color strip editor, you find a few special, predefined patches. These patches need to be explained because of the dropdown abbreviations. Each abbreviation stands for a different way of calculating balance.
Except for the USA, there is no one ‘agreed on’ standard for composing neutral CMY-gray.
| BH | Balance Highlights |
|---|---|
| BM | Balance Midtones |
| BS | Balance Shadows |
Overview of MeasureColor supported Gray Balance patches
| short code | Name | high light(BH) | mid tone(BM) | shadow(BS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BR | Brunner | – | 50/41/41 | – |
| G7 | G7 | 25/19/19 | 50/40/40 | 75/66/66 |
| GC | ECI GrayControl | 27/19/20 | 45/36/36 | 66/56/56 |
| MC | MediaWedge | 20/12/12 | 40/27/27 | 80/65/65 |
| PV | PressView(legacy) | 20/14/13 | 40/29/28 | 80/70/68 |
| TK | Techkon | – | – | 74/60/60 |
| UG | Ugra | – | – | 75/62/60 |