A revolution in screening technology

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April Rice
5 years ago
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A revolution in screening technology Dainippon Screen s is an

lines and delivers print quality and detail comparable to 300+ line

conventional print management facilities.

1 A revolution in screening technology Dainippon Screen s is an innovative hybrid screening method which eliminates moiré and broken lines and delivers print quality and detail comparable to 300+ line high-frequency screening without having to make any changes to conventional print management facilities. is a way to achieve high-end print quality using standard level equipment. When you see the difference in quality it can provide on the printed sheet, you will see the competitive power it will add to your business. It is simply a better way to work.

ixed reviews for both AM and FM screening The digital revolution has brought a sea change to the prepress world, but the nature of the final printed product has hardly changed at all.

2 ixed reviews for both AM and FM screening The digital revolution has brought a sea change to the prepress world, but the nature of the final printed product has hardly changed at all. Most color print matter with strong visual elements, such as brochures, pamphlets and magazines, is still printed using the same conventional 175 lpi Amplitude Modulation (AM) screening methods that were used before the digital revolution. Conventional reproduces light and darkness by varying the size of halftone dots. It is currently the screening method that is used most in printing because the pitch and angle of the dots are fixed, and the method achieves consistent tonal reproduction. Nevertheless, has drawbacks. Because the halftone dots are evenly spaced and at angles, is prone to moiré resulting from factors such as plate misalignment and interference patterns between screen angles and images. Other typical problems include jaggedness and segmenting of fine lines and tone jumping in gradation areas. These kinds of problems are particularly troublesome because they are generally not detectable prior to printing. These problems are also hindering the transition to fully digital workflow, including the adoption of computer-to-plate (CTP) and the streamlining of the color proofing process. Efficiency-boosting measures such as eliminating direct digital color proofing, or using a color printer for proofing, remain dangerous because of the risk of overlooking problems such as moiré. Trying to achieve higher print quality by using higher frequency AM screen rulings also has drawbacks. Printing with high-frequency screening requires stricter print management conditions. That is why only a small minority of printers use high-frequency screens of 300 lpi or higher. Despite the spread of powerful graphics software that makes it simple to generate high-resolution data, the most common screening method in use, 175 lpi AM screening, leaves the graphic arts industry largely unable to get the most out of such detailed graphics and images. Frequency Modulation (FM) screening spent some time in the limelight as an alternative to conventional. FM screening places microdots of equal size randomly, and varies their density to reproduce lightness and darkness. Not only does this approach eliminate the moiré and broken lines associated with, it also supports higher resolution printing. Unfortunately, FM screening demands a rigorous print production environment, which means higher printing costs. Also, compared to, it is more difficult to print midtones and shadow areas consistently, and the midtones and highlights tend to appear grainy. Despite its other advantages over, FM screening's own drawbacks have kept it from being more widely implemented. AM dots 2

eliminates the rosette moiré on the hairline and neck.

them together in an innovative hybrid screening product,, that overcomes the weaknesses and delivers the key strengths of both methods.

With the standard 2,400 dpi resolution that is typically used to output 175 lpi AM screens, achieves a level of detail comparable to high-frequency line screens of 300 lpi or higher.

3 eliminates the rosette moiré on the hairline and neck. AM dots dots he best of AM and FM screening Now Dainippon Screen has, for the first time, taken the best from AM screening, the most commonly used screening method today, and FM screening, and melded them together in an innovative hybrid screening product,, that overcomes the weaknesses and delivers the key strengths of both methods. uses AM-like dots or FM-like dots depending on the color density of given areas. By doing so, it achieves the following remarkable characteristics: 1. With the standard 2,400 dpi resolution that is typically used to output 175 lpi AM screens, achieves a level of detail comparable to high-frequency line screens of 300 lpi or higher. Moreover, it leaves no jagged or broken lines. 2. It does not generate moiré because it creates no screen angles. 3. It can be printed under standard printing conditions and operator skill levels. In the 1 10% highlights and the 90 99% shadows, uses FM screening's fixed dot size and reproduces tone by varying the density of these uniform dots. In the 10 90% midtones, it varies the size of the round dots just as AM screening does. dots However, the placement of all of these dots is random as in FM screening, which means there are no screen angles to contend with. As a result, avoids the moiré resulting from factors such as plate misalignment and interference patterns that plague conventional. overcomes the difficulty of printing FM screens by setting the size of the smallest dot slightly larger than in FM screens. It also minimizes tone jumping through advanced methods developed for positioning and joining dots. 3

Sample 1 uality comparable to 300+ lpi, but under standard printing conditions Sample 2 Let's take a look at some samples that illustrate 's effectiveness.

The differences are unmistakable. Eliminates moiré It is difficult to avoid moiré from interference between screens and image patterns such as lace. In this case, while does generates moiré, does not.

also not only eliminates the moiré from the CRT screenshot in Sample 2, but also shows its superior capabilities for reproducing the text in such images.

4 Sample 1 uality comparable to 300+ lpi, but under standard printing conditions Sample 2 Let's take a look at some samples that illustrate 's effectiveness. Starting from exactly the same data, one sample in each pair has been output using conventional 175 lpi, while the other has been output using. The press and print conditions were identical. The differences are unmistakable. Eliminates moiré It is difficult to avoid moiré from interference between screens and image patterns such as lace. In this case, while does generates moiré, does not. is also able to reproduce colors that the moiré from conventional AM screening interferes with, making its color saturation closer to that of the original. also not only eliminates the moiré from the CRT screenshot in Sample 2, but also shows its superior capabilities for reproducing the text in such images. Sample 3 Brings out color in the midtones does a better job of bringing out the color of the woman's dress and skin in Sample 1. Compared to conventional screening, the blue of the dress is fresher and the skin color appears more vibrant. beats in reproducing images with rich colors, such as photographs of flowers and fruit. Reproduces lines and details crisply In Sample 3, demonstrates its superior reproduction of fine details such as those shown in the maps. Compared to the lower map, provides a much clearer reproduction of the fine lines created with halftones and of the tints used to indicate different areas. 4

Because 175 lpi tends to leave light-colored fine lines jagged and broken, printers must often resort to using spot colors to reproduce them.

Sample 4 The woman's hair and the wood grain of the furniture in Sample 4, as well as the fine detail in the copper plate print and the text on the liquor label in Sample 5, show how clearly

beautifully reproduces details in other images that conventional screening typically leaves buried, such as the mesh in stereo speakers and the detailed patterns in fashion fabrics.

5 Because 175 lpi tends to leave light-colored fine lines jagged and broken, printers must often resort to using spot colors to reproduce them. However, can reproduce these kinds of images sharply using only process colors. Sample 4 The woman's hair and the wood grain of the furniture in Sample 4, as well as the fine detail in the copper plate print and the text on the liquor label in Sample 5, show how clearly reproduces image areas that conventional screening loses. beautifully reproduces details in other images that conventional screening typically leaves buried, such as the mesh in stereo speakers and the detailed patterns in fashion fabrics. Sample 5 Eliminates rosette moiré As can be seen in all these samples, eliminates the rosette moiré typical of images such as product shots with a lot of black in them and photographs with light background areas. brings out the life of the original image and enables a natural and immediate sense of realism on the printed sheet. Smoothly reproduces images that FM screening can make grainy Although FM screening tends to generate tone jumping in images with gradations, such as photographs of the sky, reproduces such gradations naturally and beautifully. And while FM screening would tend to leave certain images grainy, such as a white porcelain teapot and cup, makes them appear smooth and realistic. consistently renders smooth gradations in shadow areas as well. While printing high-frequency AM screens places more rigorous requirements on printing conditions and technique, produces superb print quality that is comparable to 300+ lpi, but on standard printing equipment and with standard print resolution data. Work that previously required a strict print management system, greater operator skill, or the use of spot colors for certain fine lines, can now be done with at a greatly reduced cost. 5

6 enefits for the entire production chain benefits everyone in the print production process, from clients and graphic designers, to prepress and printing professionals. Clients get a beautifully printed product. Designers not only can achieve a better final product with the same data, but are also released from concerns about moiré and broken lines so they can be completely finished with jobs sooner. With only a tiny investment, printing companies can raise the quality of their work while continuing to use their existing standard printing equipment. One manager at a printing plant that already uses said, "One of our clients, an electronics maker, was very impressed when they saw the detail of the speaker mesh printed. Before, we always had to smooth out areas like that using image processing software because we couldn't print it without moiré.", which delivers all of these benefits and features, can now be used with Screen's TaigaSPACE and Trueflow workflow RIPs and HQ-510 series RIPs, and output on Screen's PlateRite 4000/8000 thermal platesetters. The sharp dot reproduction that thermal CTP achieves makes hybrid screening possible for the first time. Since it does not generate moiré, greatly boosts the reliability of color printer and online proofing. This supports the transition to a digital workflow and reduces costs. The arrival of, a revolution in screening technology, with all of these clear benefits, will surely accelerate the transition to CTP, the trend of the digital era. Chicago printer gets head start with Spekta Glenbard Graphics - Illinois, USA Tom Pettey knew he had a winner when he first saw Spekta at the Graph Expo 2000 show in Chicago last September. Pettey and his sons have made a habit of being first. Glenbard Graphics was the first company in the Midwest to install a PlateRite 8000 thermal CTP plate recorder shortly after Graph Expo 98. Now they are the first to employ Spekta, the groundbreaking hybrid halftone screening technology that produces the high-end quality and detail usually associated with screen rulings of 300 lpi or more, but achieves this at 150 lpi. Spekta delivers this superb quality by intelligently blending the well known advantages of FM screening with conventional for output onto positive plates from the PlateRite 4000 and 8000 series. "When we were the first Midwestern printer to install the PlateRite 8000, Screen promised it would produce outstanding quality and it has," said Pettey. "Quality was an issue with Spekta, but it too has lived up to its advanced billing. The detail is truly amazing and our customers are extremely pleased at receiving better looking reproductions on the printed sheet." Spekta also overcomes both the rosette moiré and object moiré patterns that have been well known up to now as problems difficult to avoid, even when using digital image processing. It improves the reproduction of fine lines in maps and other detailed diagrams, and enables images of TV screens, fine wood grain, stereo speakers, clothing with sharp patterns and other traditionally difficult areas, to be reproduced with an art-book clearness that has never been more accessible. With quality comparable to 300+ lpi printing, it is invaluable to Glenbard Graphics, which is using Spekta for all of the work done on its web press. "We use our web press two shifts a day, seven days a week, and do a variety of work up to six colors on coated sheets," explained Pettey. "In the past, in order for us to get 200 line screens per inch, we had to run at 4,000 dpi. Spekta now gives us high resolution, sharp dot reproduction and superb registration at 2,400 dpi, and we are getting these benefits faster than before. We like the PlateRite 8000 for its speed and ability to cut time in producing plates. Spekta has given us the added benefit of cutting our platemaking time in half, so we are ready to go with our plates in just five minutes." Glenbard Graphics Tom Pettey 400 Fullerton Ave. Carol Stream, IL Phone / Fax / David and John Pettey, Vice Presidents of Glenbard Graphics 6

XM (Cross Modulated) Screening Technology

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