Roland DG reduces colour matching costs
Wide format inkjet printer and printer cutters manufacturer Roland DG is launching a new proprietary VW-S1 densitometer, which it says will make colour matching between its printers easier and less expensive.
The company says the new VW-S1 will mean printers will no longer need to use an expensive spectrophotometer to measure colour, with the new VW-S1c coming in at around a third of the price.
Roland DG printers are bundled with VersaWorks 6 rip and print management software, which includes a colour matching function, to accurately control colour differences between printers. Its process involves printing a colour chart for each printer, then measuring the results with a spectrophotometer to generate individual values that are compared and automatically adjusted. Using a spectrophotometer is considered essential for this process. Koji Takahashi, project manager at Roland DG Digital Printing Business Division said, “Until now users needed to purchase their own commercially available device. With such devices often costing around US$1,500 or more, this sometimes proved restrictive for customers.”
“In response to customer feedback,” Takahashi said, “our new VW-S1 densitometer was developed for VersaWorks 6, based on the concept of being affordable and easy to operate for anyone.
“The VW-S1 specialises in density measurements required for colour matching, yet at approximately a third of the price of ordinary spectrophotometers.
It’s designed to be easy to operate by tapping the tip of the VW-S1 against the relevant colour in the colour chart specified by VersaWorks 6 and pressing the button.”
Measurements can be completed quickly, with a four-colour chart taking approximately one and a half minutes, and a six-colour chart taking around two minutes. “The device is also ultra-compact,” Takahashi added, “with a size similar to a penlight, which makes it easy to use and store just about anywhere.”
“If you produce volume work from one client with multiple printers, or print a large, combined graphic with two printers, the final output from each printer needs to be as consistent as possible,” Takahashi said.
“The VW-S1 makes it easy for anyone to colour match with reliable printing results. It can also be used to match the original colour of a printer that is slightly different compared to when it was installed due to ageing or replacement print heads, which provides peace of mind to clients when printing repeat jobs.”