ORIS Colortuner Version 5.0 - the full story

With true Germanic precision, the software engineers at CGS Publishing Technologies International, Frankfurt, have issued a paper detailing all of the advances made in the new ORIS ColorTuner version 5.0 proofing application. These wunderkinds are justifiably proud of their achievements and appear to have set the proofing bar several notches higher for all to try and follow.

CyraChrome, endeavouring to Australianise one year’s worth of code-writing by a team of clever CGS guys, has condensed all the information into the slogan ‘Gimme Five!’ For those wanting more detail, here is the unexpurgated German version.


O.R.I.S. Color Tuner Version 5.0

We have developed novel methods for calibrating printers and perfectly colour-matching them to the target colour space.

It was our goal to provide an ICC-based tool allowing any user to

• Identically calibrate multiple proof printers of the same model


• Create precise colour matches without the need of a colour specialist

Automatic Printer Calibration

Automatic Printer Calibration is an iterative process consisting of one to three rounds of printing a test chart, measuring it and calculating the calibration data. The program automatically minimizes colour deviations, thus optimizing the calibration step by step. The calibration data is stored independently of the actual colour conversion table. This considerably facilitates recalibration, e.g. after replacing a print head.

This calibration is the basis of aligning multiple printers used for remote proofing or for load-balancing print jobs. A single colour conversion table is required for simulating the target device colors, i.e. all printers can use the same colour table.

Automatic Colour Matching

Automatic Colour Matching works on the same principle. The target colour space is defined by an ECI 2002 test chart printed on the target device or by a profile characterizing a standard colour space such as SWOP or FOGRA. The same iterative method is used for creating and optimizing the colour conversion table.

The new tool does not require any additional software for creating profiles or operating measuring devices - this is entirely performed by O.R.I.S. Color Tuner.
Colour matches based on measurements are often slightly different to what the human eye perceives. Eliminating these subtle deviations is the strength of O.R.I.S. Color Tuner's proven Fine Tuning tools.

Support of New Measuring Devices

Automatic Printer Calibration requires measurement values to be read quickly and precisely. O.R.I.S. Color Tuner therefore supports the new iCColor spectrophotometer. Measuring the ECI 2002 test chart with its 1485 color patches takes about 15 minutes and is performed fully automatically.

New Printers Supported

• Canon Graphic Color W2200, A3++ (329 x 558 mm)


• Canon Large Format W7250, 25 inch (635 mm)


• Canon Large Format W7200, 36 inch (914,4 mm)


• Canon Large Format W8200, 44 inch (1118 mm)


• Epson Stylus Pro 10600, 44 inch (1118 mm)

The Canon printers feature excellent quality and high performance. The W2200 outputs a two-page spread in less than two minutes and is thus ideally suited for proofing catalog and magazine pages.

Spot Colour Management

Spot colours can be optimized without adversely affecting process colours, because the device-independent Lab values are now used for the colour simulation instead of the CMYK equivalents.

The Lab values can be imported from spot colour libraries (Pantone and HKS) and ColorPicker files or created by measurement. It is also possible to correct specific tonal ranges, e.g. the midtones, by defining gradation curves.
This allows users to perfectly simulate all spot colours located within the proof printer's colour gamut.

Noise Filters

Owing to excellent dithering techniques and microweaving, today's inkjet proofing systems feature a smooth photo-realistic print quality which is often superior to the quality achieved in offset or gravure printing. The optical impression varies according to the dithering pattern.
O.R.I.S. Color Tuner therefore allows you to overlay documents with noise filters of different intensities, thus ensuring a perfect simulation of the actual print results.

Poster Printing

The new tiling function allows the output of large posters by automatically dividing them into several strips or tiles. The size of the overlap areas and the cut marks can be defined individually.