Print Solutions Packaging Solutions
The first Pantone validation for gravure printing presses proves that true ECG colour consistency on gravure has been achieved at last.
Every brand owner demands it on their product packaging, and understandably so. People make up their minds within seconds of their initial interactions with products. And colour alone influences 85% of shoppers’ purchase decisions.
Extended Color Gamut, or ECG, has been a major driver of colour consistency in the packaging industry in recent years, while simultaneously boosting production efficiency. ECG is a process to digitise colour matching off line, thus making it stable, easy, repeatable, consistent and independent of human interpretation.
oneECG is Bobst’s ECG technology deployed across analogue and digital printing processes in label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries. oneECG was launched several years ago and it has been a great success, enabling colour consistency across multiple machines across all industries.
But historically, there was one exception. In the early days of ECG, it had not been perfected for gravure machines. BOBST was passionate to address this pain point and worked tirelessly to enhance its gravure machines to enable perfect oneECG.
But in the wider industry, an element of uncertainty and skepticism remained. Could true colour consistency be achieved on gravure through oneECG? Bobst decided to put it to the ultimate test – Pantone validation.
The testing was undertaken on the company’s gravure machine platform, the Master RS 6003 – a highly flexible platform, which can be configured into a multifunctional production line. Complementary converting operations can easily be added in line with printing to address a very broad spectrum of diverse product requirements and applications.
Pantone provided a list of over 2300 Pantone Spot colours to be reproduced in ECG on the Master RS 6003. After receiving this list, Bobst worked on pre-press preparation and colour separation for every single spot colour. It printed all of them in one step and then sent the print sample to Pantone for its analysis, measurement and evaluation of the colour match and colour quality.
The verdict? The Master RS 6003 passed with flying colours. The machine has become the first rotogravure press in the world to receive Pantone validation.
For brand owners and converters, the results bring more than peace of mind. It completely opens up the possibility of oneECG on gravure and with it, 100% job consistency and repeatability and a dramatic reduction in machine downtime. oneECG also allows multiple jobs to be run, opening up gravure printing and all other technologies for medium and short jobs. The Master RS 6003 enables profitable production of smaller and medium sized orders from about 5000 m². Orders can be delivered faster with high profitability, whether they are small, medium or long runs.
oneECG works with a fixed set of up to seven printing inks, so gravure printers only need to change the printing cylinders for job changes, while the inks remain in the printing machines. This reduces ink waste while also reducing storage space for cylinders, anilox rolls and inks.
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