Print Control Wizard 18

User Guide

01 - 2019
 Print Control Wizard

Contents
1. Copyright Notice........................................................................................................................................3

2. What is the Print Control Wizard?......................................................................................................... 5

2.1. How Does it Work?........................................................................................................................... 5

3. What is a Printing Condition?.................................................................................................................6

3.1. Curves for Controlling Dot Gain...................................................................................................... 6
3.1.1. What is Dot Gain?................................................................................................................... 6
3.1.2. What is Dot Gain Compensation?......................................................................................... 7
3.1.3. Dot Gain Compensation Curves............................................................................................ 8
3.1.4. PressSync Curves.................................................................................................................... 8
3.2. Screens for Controlling Ink Lay Down...........................................................................................10
3.2.1. What is Screening?................................................................................................................10
3.2.2. Types of Screens...................................................................................................................12
3.3. Using a Printing Condition in Your Production Workflow............................................................15

4. Installing the Print Control Wizard..................................................................................................... 17

4.1. Installation with a Remote Database............................................................................................ 17
4.2. Upgrade with a Remote Database................................................................................................ 18

5. Creating a Printing Condition...............................................................................................................20

5.1. Collecting Your Production Settings.............................................................................................. 21
5.1.1. Press Settings........................................................................................................................ 22
5.1.2. Substrate Settings.................................................................................................................22
5.1.3. Imager Settings..................................................................................................................... 23
5.1.4. Exposure Settings................................................................................................................. 24
5.1.5. Plate Settings.........................................................................................................................24
5.1.6. Printing Standard.................................................................................................................. 25
5.1.7. Ink Set.................................................................................................................................... 26
5.1.8. Ink Settings............................................................................................................................ 27
5.1.9. Anilox Settings.......................................................................................................................27
5.1.10. Mounting Tape Settings..................................................................................................... 28
5.2. Linearizing Your Separations......................................................................................................... 28
5.2.1. Making and Analyzing a Print Sample................................................................................ 29
5.2.2. Handling the Remaining Separations................................................................................. 45
5.3. Resulting Screens and Curves........................................................................................................46

6. Using Your Printing Condition in Imaging Engine.............................................................................47

7. Managing Your Printing Conditions.................................................................................................... 48

7.1. Importing and Exporting Printing Conditions...............................................................................49

ii
 Print Control Wizard
1

1. Copyright Notice
© Copyright 2018 Esko Software BVBA, Gent, Belgium
All rights reserved. This material, information and instructions for use contained herein are
the property of Esko Software BVBA. The material, information and instructions are provided
on an AS IS basis without warranty of any kind. There are no warranties granted or extended
by this document. Furthermore Esko Software BVBA does not warrant, guarantee or make any
representations regarding the use, or the results of the use of the software or the information
contained herein. Esko Software BVBA shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential
or incidental damages arising out of the use or inability to use the software or the information
contained herein.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Revisions may be issued
from time to time to advise of such changes and/or additions.
No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a data base or retrieval system,
or published, in any form or in any way, electronically, mechanically, by print, photoprint,
microfilm or any other means without prior written permission from Esko Software BVBA.
This document supersedes all previous dated versions.
®
PANTONE Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may
not match PANTONE-identified
®
standards. Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for
accurate color. PANTONE and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC. ©
Pantone LLC, 2015
Pantone is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to Esko to
distribute for use only in combination with Studio Visualizer. PANTONE Color Data and/or
Software shall not be copied onto another disk or into memory unless as part of the execution
of Studio Visualizer.
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
Portions of this software are copyright © 1996-2002 The FreeType Project (www.freetype.org).
All rights reserved.
Portions of this software are copyright 2006 Feeling Software, copyright 2005-2006 Autodesk
Media Entertainment.
Portions of this software are copyright ©1998-2003 Daniel Veillard. All rights reserved.
Portions of this software are copyright ©1999-2006 The Botan Project. All rights reserved.
Part of the software embedded in this product is gSOAP software. Portions created by gSOAP
are Copyright ©2001-2004 Robert A. van Engelen, Genivia inc. All rights reserved.
Portions of this software are copyright ©1998-2008 The OpenSSL Project and ©1995-1998 Eric
Young ([email protected]). All rights reserved.
This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://
www.apache.org/).
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, the Acrobat logo, Adobe Creative Suite, Illustrator, InDesign,
PDF, Photoshop, PostScript, XMP and the Powered by XMP logo are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other
countries.

3
1 Print Control Wizard

Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and other countries.
SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation.
Portions of this software are owned by Spatial Corp. 1986 2003. All Rights Reserved.
JDF and the JDF logo are trademarks of the CIP4 Organisation. Copyright 2001 The International
Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4). All rights
reserved.
The Esko software contains the RSA Data Security, Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm.
Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun
Microsystems in the U.S. and other countries.
Part of this software uses technology by Best Color Technology (EFI). EFI and Bestcolor are
registered trademarks of Electronics For Imaging GmbH in the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
Contains PowerNest library Copyrighted and Licensed by Alma, 2005 – 2007.
Part of this software uses technology by Global Vision. ArtProof and ScanProof are registered
trademarks of Global Vision Inc.
Part of this software uses technology by Qoppa Software. Copyright © 2002-Present. All Rights
Reserved.
All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Correspondence regarding this publication should be forwarded to:
Esko Software BVBA
Kortrijksesteenweg 1095
B – 9051 Gent
[email protected]

4
 Print Control Wizard
2

2. What is the Print Control Wizard?

The Print Control Wizard is an application designed to help you optimize your print quality.
Based on your exact production workflow, your current print quality and the standard you
want to print towards, the Print Control Wizard will calculate the best possible screens and
curves that you can use to achieve great results on press.
This will help you avoid common problems, for example a lack of smoothness in the transition
from highlights to paper, or from shadows to solids, and will make getting good printing quality
time after time easier.

2.1. How Does it Work?

The Print Control Wizard will help you achieve the best possible printing quality in the following
way:
1. Record all the production settings you are using.
In the first few steps of the Print Control Wizard, you enter all of the settings you use in your
production workflow (anilox, plate type, consumables... including the standard you want to
print towards).
See Collecting Your Production Settings on page 21.
2. Fingerprint your press using the Print Control Wizard.
a) The Print Control Wizard will guide you in making and interpreting a print sample using
one of the inks you print with.
Based on your input and the results of the print sample, it gives you the best curve and
screen to use for that ink.
b) You can either use that screen and curve for your other inks too, or make a sample for
each of your printing inks (to get individual curves and screens per ink).
See Linearizing Your Separations on page 28.
3. The Print Control Wizard generates a printing condition containing curve(s) and screen(s)
tailored to your production workflow.
See What is a Printing Condition? on page 6.
4. You use that printing condition when RIP'ing your jobs with Imaging Engine to get great
results on press.
See Using a Printing Condition in Your Production Workflow on page 15.

5
3 Print Control Wizard

3. What is a Printing Condition?

The Print Control Wizard will guide you in creating a printing condition. This printing condition
will:
• describe your exact production workflow (plate-making workflow and printing setup) and
the way it prints,
• include the standard you want to print towards (an ISO standard, linear printing...),
• result in the best possible curves and screens to achieve the quality of that standard with
your production workflow.

Important:
After making a printing condition, you should use it every time you print with that production
workflow.
If you make changes to your production workflow (for example you print on a different
substrate, or you switch to a different ink vendor), we recommend you make a new printing
condition and use that instead.

3.1. Curves for Controlling Dot Gain

3.1.1. What is Dot Gain?

When printing a job, the dots tend to print larger on the press than on the plate, which makes
the output darker than the original file.

Original job

Plate

Print

6
 Print Control Wizard
3

This is due to different factors:

• the type of ink: the more fluid the ink is, the more it will spread under pressure of the press.
• the type of substrate: paper with a rougher and more porous surface (like uncoated paper)
reflects less light, making the printed area look darker.
• the type of press: flexo presses have a high dot gain as they put significant pressure on the
substrate.

3.1.2. What is Dot Gain Compensation?

To compensate for dot gain and have the printed output look like the original file, you use dot
gain compensation (DGC). This consists in making the dots on the plate smaller, so that with
dot gain they print to the correct density.

Dot on plate Dot on press

Without DGC

With DGC

You apply dot gain compensation by using a curve, which can be:
• a classic dot gain compensation curve (also called DGC curve), which defines which
percentage to use on plate for each desired percentage on press.
See Dot Gain Compensation Curves on page 8.
• a PressSync curve: PressSync curves are predefined compensation curves that can
cover the dot gain compensation needs of most presses, while significantly reducing the
complexity of dot gain compensation in workflows.
See PressSync Curves on page 8.
The Print Control Wizard generates flexible PressSync curves, that contain additional
parameters to address specific flexo printing challenges in the highlights and shadows.
See Flexible PressSync Curves on page 9.

7
3 Print Control Wizard

3.1.3. Dot Gain Compensation Curves

Traditionally, you apply dot gain compensation by using a dot gain compensation curve, which
defines which percentage to use on plate for each desired percentage on press.
In the example below, you see how a press prints without any dot gain compensation in the
dot gain curve at left: a 20% density on the plate prints to 57% on press. 57% on the plate
would print to almost 90% on press.
At right, you see the dot gain compensation curve used to make the press print to the
densities expected in the job: to print a 57% density on press, a 20% density will be used on the
plate. To print a 20% density on press, you would need a density of about 5% on the plate.

press plate

plate press

Dot gain curve Dot gain compensation curve

Creating a Dot Gain Compensation Curve

You can create dot gain compensation curves in Curve Pilot (see the Curve Pilot documentation
for more information).
Dot gain compensation curve files have the .dgc extension.

3.1.4. PressSync Curves

Another type of compensation curve is the PressSync curve.
PressSync curves are predefined compensation curves that can cover the dot gain
compensation needs of most presses, while significantly reducing the complexity of dot gain
compensation in workflows.

Slope and Mid-tone Compensation

Curves are defined by a letter and a number.
• The letter (A to H) describes how the press behaves in the highlights and shadows (the
slope): an A curve makes the press print darker in the highlights and lighter in the shadows

8
 Print Control Wizard
3
(for presses who have the opposite problem), while an H curve, on the contrary, makes the
press print lighter in the highlights and darker in the shadows.

An E curve is halfway in between and has a straight slope: it corrects the output the same
way throughout the range. Use it for presses whose output is consistent in the highlights,
mid-tones and shadows.

• The number indicates how much the 50% dot (mid-tone) prints to: an E20 curve
compensates the 50% dot to 20%, while an E70 curve compensates 50% to 70%.

Creating a PressSync Curve

You cannot create PressSync curves, they are predefined. There are 400 different PressSync
curves, to match most dot gain compensation needs.
If you wish, you can see each PressSync curve on a graph in PressSync Pilot (see the Curve
Pilot/PressSync Pilot documentation for more information).

Flexible PressSync Curves

A flexible PressSync curve is a specific type of PressSync curve made for managing the tone
reproduction of flexo printing environments.
On top of the letter and number defining the standard PressSync curves, a flexible PressSync
curve contains options to address specific flexo printing challenges.

9
3 Print Control Wizard

Reproducing Highlights
Flexo highlights are often too sharp against the substrate and/or unstable, which can be
difficult to adjust using standard PressSync curves:
• For some ink/substrate combinations, the contrast between the substrate and the lightest
printed tone is high: even a very small halftone dot leaves a strong ink impression.
• On top of that, very small dots often don't print in a stable way on flexible substrates, so the
minimum dot size is increased to get stable highlights.
Flexible PressSync curves contain parameters to address those highlight issues.

Reproducing Shadows
The most common issue with shadows in flexo is tone reversal, where a high percentage (for
example 95%) prints darker than the solid (100%).
Surface screening effects (special screen patterns used in the solid areas to improve ink
lay-down and avoid tone reversal) are often used in offset, but not always available for, or
compatible with, a flexo printing environment.
Flexible PressSync curves also contain parameters to address tone reversal issues in the
shadows.
You can find more information about flexible PressSync curves parameters in the Curve Pilot
documentation.

Note: Adjustment curves generated by the Print Control Wizard are flexible PressSync curves.

3.2. Screens for Controlling Ink Lay Down

3.2.1. What is Screening?

When printing an image on press, each ink (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black and any additional
ink) is laid out separately on the substrate, and the super-imposition gives the final colors.
At a high detail level, the press can either print ink or not print ink, so to create differences
of color intensity within one ink, you use a small scale pattern of dots of varying size, called a
screen.

10
 Print Control Wizard
3
When viewed from a regular distance, this pattern looks like a lighter or darker shade of that
color, depending on how big the dots are (what percentage of the area they cover).

Screen Ruling
The screen can also be coarser or finer, so that you have to be more or less far away to see it
as shades of a color. This depends on how many lines of dots can fit in a certain measurement.
This is expressed in lines per inch (lpi), lines per centimeter (lpcm) or lines per millimeter
(lpmm), and is called the screen ruling.

A low screen ruling as below left looks very coarse, and the quality improves as the screen
ruling gets higher.

11
3 Print Control Wizard

3.2.2. Types of Screens

The Print Control Wizard will generate a custom screen for your production workflow, so that
you get the best possible printed results.
You can choose to either:
• fingerprint your workflow with one separation, generate a screen, and use that screen for
your other separations too,
• do the fingerprinting and screen generation process for every separation you are using (this
is the most accurate option but is also more time consuming).
The Print Control Wizard generates your custom screen(s) using the dot shapes that work best
with your flexo printing application. See:
• Screens for Flexibles on page 12

• Screens for Labels on page 13

Screens for Flexibles

Crystal Screens
When working with flexibles, the custom screens that the Print Control Wizard generates for
you are Crystal or Crystal C screens.
The Crystal screens family are Esko's latest screening technology, developed exclusively for use
with the CDI Crystal imager series and the XPS Crystal exposure unit series, for a high quality flexo
printing workflow.

Screen Characteristics
Crystal/Crystal C screens use multiple Esko screening technologies:
• Pixel+ technology, where each dot is made of individual pixels, that are "boosted" on the CDI
to make printable dots,

12
 Print Control Wizard
3

• a transition from solid dots in the highlights to pixel+ dots in the rest of the tone range,
• FM screening in the highlights (used in your custom screen when it benefits your specific
printing setup),
• support dots at single or double ruling for Crystal C screens (used in your custom screen
when it benefits your specific printing setup).

When using Crystal/Crystal C screens, you don't need to use object-based screening (different
screens for individual objects in your file), as they give good results in all areas:
• They provide a smooth transition from the solids into the shadows and mid-tones, with
reduced dot bridging.

dot bridging with a circular dot no dot bridging with a crystal screen

• They produce stable highlights that fade out to zero more smoothly than with other
screening technologies.

Screens for Labels

When working with labels, the Print Control Wizard generates custom screens based on the dot
shapes proven to work the best for labels work.

13
3 Print Control Wizard

Note:
In the Print Control Wizard, the names of the screens generated using classic dot shapes start
with Crystal NP.
This stands for "Non Pixel+", as these screens are not specifically designed for working with the
CDI Crystal imager series and the XPS Crystal exposure unit series devices.

You can choose between:

Circular (short name: C)
Circular dots grow continuously circular until 100%. They are commonly used in flexography.

This dot shape is also called Circular (Euclidean), and Print Control Wizard screens using this
dot shape are called Crystal NP C (Circular).
This dot gives good results in many situations. However in some printing conditions the holes
in the shadows can fill in, which can result in unstable or high dot gain, and cause a loss in
tonal range.
If you experience this, you should choose the Round Fogra dot instead.
Elliptical (short name: E)
This dot shape is a more elliptical version of the Round Fogra dot.

For these dots, the first touching point is around 35%. Between 35% and 65%, a chain is
formed with the same orientations as for the Round Fogra dots.
Print Control Wizard screens using this dot shape are called Crystal NP E (Elliptical).
Double Circular (short name: F)
Screens using the Double Circular dot have circular dots in the highlights and mid-tones, and
circular holes in the shadows.

Print Control Wizard screens using this dot shape are called Crystal NP F (Double Circular).
Note that this screen can cause irregular ink bridging ("bridges" between dots) around the
mid-tones, which can give unstable dot gain in that tonal range.
If you experience this, you should choose the Round Fogra dot instead.

14
 Print Control Wizard
3
Round Fogra (short name: R)
The Round Fogra dot closely resembles the Elliptical and Circular dots, and can be used the
same way.
It goes from a round dot to a round hole, with a square/diamond shape in the mid-tones.

As with elliptical dots, the touching of the dots at the four corners at 50% (leading to a 50%
intensity jump) is avoided by using a more elongated dot shape so that the dots first touch
around 45% forming a chain and touching for the second time around 55%. This causes less
artefacts and less dot gain when printing.
The Round Fogra dot can be used for virtually all printing processes.
Print Control Wizard screens using this dot shape are called Crystal NP R (Round Fogra).
Crystal
You can also use Crystal Screens when working with labels. See Crystal Screens for more
information.

3.3. Using a Printing Condition in Your Production

Workflow

1. After prepress, you send your ready-to-RIP files to Imaging Engine.

2. In Imaging Engine, you select the printing condition you made with the Print Control Wizard.
See Using Your Printing Condition in Imaging Engine on page 47 for details.
3. After RIP'ing your files, it's time for Flexo Plate Making, using either:
• automated plate making in Automation Engine,
• manual plate making using Grapholas or the Digital Flexo Suite.

15
3 Print Control Wizard

Note: When working with version 18.0.1 or later of Imaging Engine and the Print Control
Wizard and preparing your plates manually, you need version 18.1 or later of Grapholas
or the Digital Flexo Suite software.

For more information, see the "CDI Workflow" chapter of your Automation Engine manual,
or your Grapholas/Digital Flexo Suite documentation.
4. You image and expose your flexo plate using the devices and settings you entered in the
Print Control Wizard.
See:
• Plate Settings on page 24,

• Imager Settings on page 23,

• Exposure Settings on page 24.

5. You print your files on your press using the hardware and consumables you entered in the
Print Control Wizard.
See:
• Press Settings on page 22,

• Substrate Settings on page 22,

• Ink Set on page 26,

• Ink Settings on page 27,

• Anilox Settings on page 27,

• Mounting Tape Settings on page 28.

16
 Print Control Wizard
4

4. Installing the Print Control Wizard

The Print Control Wizard software includes two components:
• The Print Control Wizard tool itself: this is installed as part of the Imaging Engine
Installation DVD.
Please see the Imaging Engine Installation Guide (located on your installation DVD) for
details.

• The Printing Conditions database, where your printing conditions are saved: this is
installed as part of the Automation Engine Installation DVD.
Please see the Automation Engine Installation Guide for details.

Note: Always install Automation Engine first and then Imaging Engine.

Installing the Print Control Wizard in a Distributed Automation Engine Setup

If you are working with separate servers for Automation Engine and your SQL Server, you
need to create the Printing Conditions database on your database server, and connect your
Automation Engine server to it.
See:
• Installation with a Remote Database on page 17

• Upgrade with a Remote Database on page 18

4.1. Installation with a Remote Database

If you want to work in a distributed Automation Engine setup (you have a separate server with
an SQL Server database, where you want your Printing Conditions database to be), you need
to do the following:
1. Install Automation Engine using the Automation Engine Master for use with an existing
Microsoft SQL Server option.
See the Automation Engine Installation Guide for details.
2. Use Automation Engine's Server Admin tool to create the Printing Conditions database
on your remote SQL Server.
a) In a web browser, go to http://servername:9999/ or http://servername, where
servername is the name of your Automation Engine host server.
b) If you are asked to either create an administrator account or to log in with an
administrator account, do so.
c) On the Server Admin page, you see the Create Automation Engine Databases dialog.
d) Select your remote SQL Server and its database Instance.

17
4 Print Control Wizard

Tip:
• If the SQL Server you want to use is not in the list, click Select another SQL Server
and enter your SQL server name.

• If the instances running on your SQL Server cannot be detected (because the SQL
Server Browser is not running on that server, for example), enter the port number
corresponding to the instance you want to use in the Instance field.

e) Enter a User name and Password with sufficient privileges.

Typically this is the sa user.
f) Fill in the (local) path to the Database folder on your SQL Server.
This is where the Automation Engine databases will be created.
g) Click Create to start automatically creating the Automation Engine databases (including
the Printing Conditions database).
h) After the database creation is complete, the Automation Engine server will be restarted
automatically.
3. Install Imaging Engine.
See the Imaging Engine Installation Guide for details.

4.2. Upgrade with a Remote Database

If you want to upgrade a distributed Automation Engine setup (and to have the Printing
Conditions database on your remote SQL Server), you need to do the following:
1. Upgrade Automation Engine using the Automation Engine Master for use with an
existing Microsoft SQL Server option.
See the Automation Engine Installation Guide for details.
2. Use Automation Engine's Server Admin tool to create the Printing Conditions database
on your remote SQL Server.
a) In a web browser, go to http://servername:9999/ or http://servername, where
servername is the name of your Automation Engine host server.
b) Click Server Admin and log in with an administrator account.
c) Click Databases at left.
d) Check that:
• your remote SQL Server and the correct database Instance are selected,

Tip: If the instances running on your SQL Server cannot be detected (because
the SQL Server Browser is not running on that server, for example), enter the port
number corresponding to the instance you want to use in the Instance field.

• the instance is running (click to refresh the status).

e)
Click the lock at the bottom of the page and log in to your SQL Server instance using a
User name and Password with sufficient privileges (typically the sa user).
f) Click at the bottom of the Databases table.

18
 Print Control Wizard
4
g) In the Create Database dialog:
• Enter PrintingConditions in Database Name.

• In Use Data, select No (empty database).

• Click OK.

Note: Alternatively, you can create the database using SQL Server Management Studio.

3. Use Automation Engine's Configure tool to connect to the Printing Conditions database
on your remote database server.
a) In the Automation Engine Pilot, go to Tools > Configure.
b) Click Automation Engine Database then Printing Conditions.
c) Check that the Database field contains PrintingConditions and that the DBMS Type
is set to Microsoft SQL Server.
d) Enter the name of your remote database server in Host.
If you needed to fill in a port for your instance, enter this port after : next to Host.
e) Enter the User and Password you use to connect to your database.
f) Click Test Connection.
You should see a message that your Database is online and accessible.
g) Click Apply.
h) Go to File > Save (or press Ctrl + S) before closing the Configure tool.
4. Restart your Automation Engine server.
5. Upgrade Imaging Engine.
See the Imaging Engine Installation Guide for details.

19
5 Print Control Wizard

5. Creating a Printing Condition

1.
Double-click the Print Control Wizard icon on your desktop.
2. Click at the bottom of the Print Control Wizard window to start creating a printing
condition.

You can also delete an existing printing condition, edit it , or duplicate it . See
Managing Your Printing Conditions on page 48 for more details.
This opens the Create Printing Condition wizard, that will guide you through entering the
relevant settings and making a print sample to assess your production workflow's output.
3. In the wizard's first step:
a) Enter the Printing Condition Name you want to use.
We recommend you use a descriptive name, that includes some of your workflow's key
settings, for example Press Type - Plate Type - Substrate Type.
b) Select the Application of your flexo printing workflow (the type of jobs and substrates
that you usually work on).

Note: Depending on your license, you may see one or more options here.

• Select Flexibles if you are printing on flexible packaging.

• Select Labels if you are printing labels (on a narrow web substrate).
The printing condition you make will be adapted to your flexo printing application.
The Print Control Wizard will later generate a test sheet whose design and size are
adapted to the application you select here, and guide you in making and analyzing a print
sample using that test sheet.
c) If desired, enter a Description for future reference (with for example more information
about your production workflow, your name, the date on which you are making your
printing condition...).

Tip:
• If at some point in the wizard you want to stop working on your printing condition and
continue later, click Save and Quit.
When you are ready to continue working on it, select it in the Print Control Wizard
window and click .

• Some wizard steps contain additional explanations, in grey panels with blue titles, or
when you click on Read more... links.

4. Enter all the relevant settings of your production workflow in the next few wizard steps.
See Collecting Your Production Settings on page 21.
5. Linearize your separations by making and analyzing one or more prints sample.
See Linearizing Your Separations on page 28.

20
 Print Control Wizard
5
6. The Print Control Wizard finds the best screens and curves for your production workflow.
See Resulting Screens and Curves on page 46.

5.1. Collecting Your Production Settings

In your production workflow, many settings (related to your Press, Substrate, Imager,
Exposure and Plate) affect how your output is printed. Therefore these settings are important
for determining the best curves and screens for your workflow.
For best results, make sure that you:
1. enter the exact settings you are using in your production workflow,
2. use these same settings when making a print sample,
3. once you have made a printing condition for those production settings, keep using that
printing condition when working with those production settings.

Note:
If you change some of your production settings (for example you use a different substrate),
you will need to make a different printing condition to reflect this.
To do this, you can duplicate your original printing condition and change for example the
substrate before making a new print sample. This way you don't need to re-enter all your
production settings in the wizard.

1. In the Collect Settings - Specify Your Press and Substrate step:

a) Enter your press settings.
b) Enter your substrate settings.
2. In the Collect Settings - Define Imager and Plate Settings step:
a) Enter your imager settings.
b) Enter your exposure settings.
c) Enter your plate settings.
3. In the Collect Settings - Select Printing Standard step, choose the printing standard that
you want to match.
See Printing Standard on page 25.
4. In the Collect Settings - Select Ink Set step, select the ink set you are printing with.
See Ink Set on page 26.
5. In the Collect Settings - Define Ink Properties step, enter more information about the inks
you are printing with.
See Ink Settings on page 27.
6. In the Collect Settings - Define Anilox Properties step, enter information about the anilox
you are using for each ink.
See Anilox Settings on page 27.
7. In the Collect Settings - Define Mounting Tape Properties step, enter information about
the tape you are using to affix your plate to the plate cylinder on your press.

21
5 Print Control Wizard

See Mounting Tape Settings on page 28.

5.1.1. Press Settings

In the wizard's Collect Settings - Specify Your Press and Substrate step, enter a few settings
about your press (get more information from your press room if needed).
1. Enter your Press Brand.
2. Select your Press Type. It can be either:
• a Central Impression press (containing a single large-diameter common impression
cylinder that supports the substrate as it enters in contact with a series of adjacent plate
cylinders).
• an In-line Press (in which the substrate passes through multiple color stations which are
aligned in a straight horizontal line).
• a Stack Press (in which the substrate passes through multiple color stations which are
aligned in one or two vertical stacks).
3. If desired, enter additional press information to help guide your press operator during press
setup and print tests:
• your press' Printing Speed in meters per minute,

• its Cylinder Width in millimeters,

• the Anilox to Plate Impression in pounds per square inch (this is the minimum
pressure required to produce a proper ink transfer from anilox to plate - also called "kiss
impression" or "kiss pressure"),

• the Plate to Substrate Impression in pounds per square inch (the minimum pressure
required to produce a proper ink transfer from plate to substrate).
You can enter up to two decimals (using . as a decimal separator).

5.1.2. Substrate Settings

In the wizard's Collect Settings - Specify Your Press and Substrate step, enter your substrate
settings.
1. Select your Substrate Type. It can be:
• Acrylic (a substrate made of acrylate, polyacrylate or methyl methacrylate components,
sold for example under the Perspex, Plexiglas, Lucite or Acrylite trade names),
• Paper,
• PE (a polyethylene, polyester, PET, PETG or HPDE substrate, sold for example under the
Mylar, Melinex, Hostaphan or BoPET trade names),
• PP (a polypropylene, PVC or vinyl substrate),
• PS (polystyrene),
• Spun PE (spun and bonded polyethylene, sold for example under the Tyvek trade name).

22
 Print Control Wizard
5
2. Add a Description of your substrate if desired (for example if you are routinely working
with several substrates of the same type).
3. Select your substrate's Opacity.
• Clear
• Opaque
• Transparent
• White Overprint (where a white ink is printed on top of the other inks, for example for
reverse printing)
• White Underprint (where a white ink is printed under the other inks)
4. Enter your substrate's Thickness in microns.

5.1.3. Imager Settings

In the wizard's Collect Settings - Define Imager and Plate Settings step, enter your imager
settings.
1. Select your Imager Type. You can make a printing condition for a production workflow
using either:
• a CDI Crystal (the new generation of Esko imager, using the Crystal technology),
• a CDI Spark (an older generation of Esko imager).
See CDI Imagers for information about Esko's different CDI models.
2. Select the Optics technology contained in your CDI.

Tip: If you don't know your CDI's optics technology, you can find it in the tables below (it is
linked to its maximum imaging speed).

Table: CDI Spark (Models 2530, 4835, 4260 and 5080)

Maximum Imaging Speed Optics Technology

1.5 m²/hr Optics 15

2.5 m²/hr Optics 25

4 m²/hr Optics 40

8 m²/hr Optics 80 or Optics 80 v2 (depending on the

model)

Table: CDI Crystal (Models 4835 and 5080)

Maximum Imaging Speed Optics Technology

4 m²/hr Optics 40 v2

8 m²/hr Optics 80 v2

23
5 Print Control Wizard

3. Enter your CDI's Resolution in pixels per inch.

In a lot of cases this will be 4000 ppi.
4. Enter the level of Pixel Boost that you normally use with this CDI and plate type.
This indicates how much energy the CDI's laser should use to "boost" single pixels for better
printability. The higher the number you enter here, the more the laser will enlarge single
pixels on the plate.
See your CDI documentation for more information about choosing a level of pixel boost.

5.1.4. Exposure Settings

In the wizard's Collect Settings - Define Imager and Plate Settings step, enter some settings
about your exposure device.
1. The Print Control Wizard is optimized for working with XPS exposure devices.
An XPS Crystal device exposes the front and back of the plate at once using UV LEDs.

Tip:
You can combine a CDI Crystal 5080 imager and an XPS Crystal 5080 exposure device into
a CDI Crystal 5080 XPS setup for simplified, highly efficient plate creation.
See CDI Crystal 5080 XPS for more information.

2. Add a Description if desired (especially if you own several exposure devices of the same
type).

5.1.5. Plate Settings

In the wizard's Collect Settings - Define Imager and Plate Settings step, enter your plate
settings.
1. Select your Plate Type.
For more flexibility, the Print Control Wizard supports many plate types from different
manufacturers. You can select a plate type from:
• Asahi
• Dantex
• Dupont
• Flint
• MacDermid
2. Select your plate's Thickness (in millimeters).
3. Enter your plate's Relief Depth (in millimeters).
This is the depth of the dots on your plate (or the difference in height between the printing
surface and the floor of the plate).
You can calculate your plate relief depth (in red below) by measuring your plate's thickness
(in blue) and subtracting the plate floor's thickness (in green).

24
 Print Control Wizard
5

4. Optionally, you can enter your plate's Hardness level on the Shore A hardness scale.
You can measure your plate's hardness using a durometer. The Shore A scale is used for
softer polymers, elastomers, and rubbers.
5. Select the Developer you use for your plate (to remove the parts of the polymer plate that
were not hardened by the exposure):
• Dupont-fast
• Solvent
• Water

5.1.6. Printing Standard

In the wizard's Collect Settings - Select Printing Standard step, define how you want your
printing setup to print.
You do this by choosing a Printing Standard that you want to match. The printing standard
defines:
• the expected color of the substrate and inks,
• target dot gain curves for each printing ink,
• how to measure tone values.
When you make a print sample, the wizard will analyze whether its dot gain matches the one
defined in your chosen standard.
If it doesn't, the wizard will generate dot gain curves to correct that dot gain and bring it in line
with the standard, and include them in your printing condition.
1. Select your desired Printing Standard from a list of predefined PressSync curve set
templates.
It can be:
• a curve set based on the ISO 12647 standards family:
cmyk_Equinox
cmyk_FOGRA51
cmyk_FOGRA52
cmyk_ISO_Newsprint
cmyk_ISO_PT1&2 (NP)
cmyk_ISO_PT1&2
cmyk_ISO_PT3
cmyk_ISO_PT4
cmyk_ISO_PT5

25
5 Print Control Wizard

cmyk_ISO_Web
See the PressSync Templates Based on the ISO 12647 Standards in the Curve Pilot
documentation for more information.

• a curve set for linear dot gain:

cmyk_LinearColor contains true linear curves, where 50% prints at 50%,
cmyk_LinearDensity contains curves for "classic" linear dot gain, where 50% prints at
68%.
Those curves sets are not based on a standard but will give you a good result in most
cases (and a dot gain close to most standards).

Tip:
If you want to use in-house target curves instead, you should create a custom PressSync
curve set template in Curve Pilot. It will appear in this list automatically.
See Customizing PressSync Templates in the Curve Pilot documentation for more information.

2. You can see more information about the standard you selected, including:
• a Description,

• the Print Profile of the reference press from the standard,

• the Desired Tone Curves per separation defined in the standard.

TV50 indicate the desired tone value for the 50% patch. You can also see the metric used
to calculate the tone value.

Note:
Most standards use one or more reference .dgc curve(s) to specify the ideal dot gain of
process inks (measured with Density ANSI A), and a linear curve for expanded gamut
inks (measured using SCTV).
However, when using cmyk_LinearColor, the target is linear dot gain (= no dot gain) for
all inks (measured using ∆E_P for process inks and SCTV for expanded gamut inks).

Please see Dot Gain Metrics in the Curve Pilot documentation for more details on the
different metrics that can be used.

5.1.7. Ink Set

• In the Collect Settings - Select Ink Set step, select the ink set you are printing with.
This can be CMYK or an expanded gamut printing ink set (for example CMYK Orange
Green Violet), where the expanded gamut inks are part of the ClassicColors ink book.

26
 Print Control Wizard
5
For more information about expanded gamut printing, please see Equinox and Expanded
Gamut Printing in the Color Pilot documentation.

5.1.8. Ink Settings

In the Collect Settings - Define Ink Properties step, enter more information about the inks
you are printing with.
1. Select the first ink and click .
2. Enter the Ink Brand.
3. Select the Ink Type (it can be a Solvent, UV curable or Water-based ink).
4. Enter the ink Viscosity.
You can measure an ink's viscosity using an efflux cup. The viscosity is the number
of seconds it needs to flow through the hole at the bottom of the cup until the cup is
completely empty (very viscous inks need longer).
Some newer press models can measure this automatically (electronically).

Note:
The ink's viscosity affects how well it transfers onto your substrate, and can change
depending on ambient temperature and time (for example when the solvent in a solvent-
based ink starts evaporating).

5. If all the inks in your ink set have the same properties, you can select Apply properties to
all inks.
6. Otherwise, fill in those properties for each ink in your ink set.

5.1.9. Anilox Settings

In the Collect Settings - Specify Anilox Properties step, enter information about the anilox
you are using for each ink.
1. Select the first ink and click .
2. Enter its anilox Brand.
3. Enter the anilox Type.
4. Enter the anilox' Line Screen in lines per inch (this is the number of cells per linear inch).
A higher line screen is used for finer detail, while a lower one will transfer a heavier layer of
ink.
5. Enter the Angle of engraving (relative to the anilox axis) in degrees.
This is typically 30°, 45° or 60°.
6. Enter the anilox' Cell Volume (the ink capacity of each engraved cell) in billion cubic
microns.

27
5 Print Control Wizard

Note:
The cell volume of an anilox roll can change over time, due to wear, damage and
"plugging" (dried ink residues at the bottom of the cells).
Plugging can happen when Solvent or Water-based ink is not cleaned immediately after
using the anilox and dries in (UV curable ink will not dry on its own).

7. If all the anilox rolls used for your different inks have the same properties, you can select
Apply properties to all inks.
8. Otherwise, fill in anilox properties for each ink in your ink set.

5.1.10. Mounting Tape Settings

In the Collect Settings - Specify Mounting Tape Properties step, enter information about
the mounting tape you are using for each ink (to affix your plate to the plate cylinder on your
press).
1. Select the first ink and click .
2. Enter the Tape Brand you use for that ink's plate.
3. Select the Tape Hardness.
The tape can be Soft, Medium or Hard. This is usually indicated on the tape's packaging.
• Hard tape is typically used when working mainly with flat colors and sharp lines.

• Soft tape is mainly used to get smoother tones when printing lots of highlights, shadows,
and gradations.

• Medium tape is used for jobs combining flat colors and screened areas. It is also often
used when printing flexible packaging materials.
4. If you use the same mounting tape for all your inks' plates, you can select Apply properties
to all inks.
5. Otherwise, fill in the tape properties for each ink in your ink set.

5.2. Linearizing Your Separations

After collecting your production settings, it's time to linearize your separations.
The aim of linearization is to make sure your production workflow prints smoothly, without
jumps, banding, or inversions.
You do this by printing a sample test job in a single separation and analyzing your print out
(see Making and Analyzing a Print Sample on page 29).
This gives you the best curve and screen to use for that separation.
• The curve is an adjustment curve that will correct your dot gain to bring it in line with your
printing standard.

28
 Print Control Wizard
5
• The screen will help your production jobs print smoothly (especially in the highlights which
is often a problem area).
You can then choose to make and analyze more print samples for your other separations, or
use the same curve and screen for all separations (see Handling the Remaining Separations on
page 45).
The wizard will guide you through linearization in a series of steps whose names start with
Linearize Screen.

5.2.1. Making and Analyzing a Print Sample

To finish fingerprinting your printing setup, you should make a print sample.
Once your sample is printed (with the exact production settings you entered in the Print
Control Wizard), the wizard will help you analyze it and find the best screen and curve for your
production workflow (to linearize it).
1. Prepare and print your sample.
See Making a Print Sample on page 29.
2. Measure your print sample for the wizard to calculate the best curve and screen for this
separation.
See Measuring Your Print Sample on page 32.
3. The wizard suggests the optimal screen to use based on your measurements.
We recommend you use the suggested screen, but if you are an expert user, you can
choose to see more details and optionally choose another screen.
See Choosing Your Screen on page 37.
You can then decide whether to copy your chosen screen and the curve found by the wizard to
the other separations, or make another print sample (or more) in a different separation.
See Handling the Remaining Separations on page 45.

Making a Print Sample

To assess your production workflow's output, you need to make a print sample. To do this, you
will:
• choose the ink to print the sample with,
• make a plate using a test sheet (adapted to your flexo printing application),
• print your sample using that ink and plate.
1. In the Linearize Screen - Select Separation step:
a) Click the Ink you want to print your sample with.
b) In the Screen Technology column, select the type of screen you want to use.
• When working with flexibles, this is always Crystal.
Crystal screens are tailored to get optimum results when working with the CDI Crystal
imager series and the XPS Crystal exposure unit series devices.
See Crystal Screens for more information.
• When working with labels, you can choose one of the following:

29
5 Print Control Wizard

Crystal NP C (Circular)

Crystal NP E (Elliptical)

Crystal NP F (Double
Circular)

Crystal NP R (Round Fogra)

Crystal

Note: Crystal NP stands for "Non Pixel+", as these screens are not specifically
designed for working with the CDI Crystal imager series and the XPS Crystal exposure
unit series devices.

See Screens for Labels on page 13 for more information.

c) In the Ruling column, select one of the available screen rulings.
These parameters will be used to generate a custom test sheet, containing different areas
where you can measure and compare different settings.

Note:
The wizard uses default curves for linear printing when creating the test sheet.
After printing this test sheet, you will measure its actual dot gain, and the wizard will create
an adjustment curve to make it match your printing standard's dot gain.

2. In the Linearize Screen - Save Single Separation Chart step, save your test sheet to a LEN
file that you can use to make your plate.
a) Click Select and browse to your desired location.
b) If you want your test sheet to be mirrored (for example when printing on a transparent
foil), select Mirrored printing (wrong reading).

Tip: In this case, your LEN file name will contain the word mirrored (for example
PCW_Flexibles_XPS_Magenta_CWN_150lpi_mirrored.LEN).
c) You will see a progress bar while the wizard generates a custom test sheet with your
required characteristics.

Tip: If desired, you can use the Automation Engine Viewer or the Bitmap viewer to have a
look at your LEN test sheet.

Here are examples of test sheets for flexibles and labels production workflows:

30
 Print Control Wizard
5

Flexibles Labels

3. Make a Plate according to your company's Standard Operating Procedures using this LEN
test sheet.

Important:
• Make sure to use the exact imager, exposure and plate settings you defined earlier!

• Following your Standard Operating Procedures ensures that the plate is representative
of the way you typically make plates.

4. Inspect your plate to make sure it meets your quality standards (as you need a good quality
print sample to get good results with the Print Control Wizard).
We recommend you use a magnifier (of 12x magnification factor or more). If desired, you
can also inspect the basic patches and patterns at the top of the plate.

31
5 Print Control Wizard

5. Make a Print using this plate and your chosen ink, according to your company's Standard
Operating Procedures.

Important:
• Make sure to use the press and substrate settings you defined earlier!

• Following your Standard Operating Procedures ensures that the print is representative of
the way you work.

6. Inspect your print to make sure it meets your quality standards (you need a good quality
print sample to get good results with the Print Control Wizard).
We recommend you use a light booth and a magnifier (of 12x magnification factor or more).
You can now start measuring your print sample.

Measuring Your Print Sample

You now need to measure your print sample so that the Print Control Wizard can derive the
best screen and curve to use for this separation in your production workflow.
You need a spectrophotometer for this step. The Print Control Wizard supports the X-Rite i1
and i1iO spectrophotometers.
1. Get ready to measure your print sample:

32
 Print Control Wizard
5
a) Place your sample on your spectrophotometer table or on the backing you typically use
for measuring prints.
b) Make sure your spectrophotometer is connected to your computer and click Connect or
Reconnect if needed.
2. In the Linearize Screen - Measure Gradations step, measure your gradation patches.
See Measuring the Gradation Patches on page 33 for details.
3. In the Linearize Screen - Measure Mindot step, measure your mindot strips.
See Measuring the Mindot Strips on page 35 for details.

Measuring the Gradation Patches

You first need to measure the randomized gradation patches from your LEN file print out.

Once the wizard knows how a gradation prints with your production workflow, it will be able to
calculate a good adjustment curve for your dot gain.
1. In the Linearize Screen - Measure Gradations step, you can see:
• the Layout of your gradation patches,

33
5 Print Control Wizard

Note:
By default, this ToneScaleControlStrip_Random.it8 (the gradation patches layout
used in the LEN file that the wizard generated). We recommend you use this.
However, if you want to measure a custom gradation strip instead, you can do the
following:
1. Make sure you have a layout of your custom gradation strip in the CGATS (.it8)
format.
2. Save this layout to the following folder: C:\Esko
\bg_prog_intellicurve_v180\dat\Resources\templates (or use the relevant
drive letter if you didn't install the Print Control Wizard on the C:/ drive).
3. In the Print Control Wizard's Linearize Screen - Measure Gradations step, select
your custom gradation strip layout in the Layout list.
4. Measure a print out of your custom gradation strip as explained below.

• a preview of the gradation patches in your chosen separation.

Note:
The default gradation patches layout is randomized, which means that gradation patches
are "scrambled" instead of being printed in a classic gradation strip order.
This helps balancing your press' printing variations (for example left to right printing
differences, or "color jumps" near the line endings), so that they don't wrongly influence
the adjustment curve that will be calculated.
The randomized area contains the patches of 3 gradation strips.

2. Click Start and follow the instructions on screen to measure the gradation patches.
You can Pause or Stop the measurement if needed. You can also save it to a file using Save
Measurement... if desired.

34
 Print Control Wizard
5

Tip:
• If your gradation patches were already measured in the press room, click Load
measurement... and browse to the measurement file they sent you.
This should be a GCATS measurement file (in the .it8 format).
You can load several measurements.

• You can also perform several measurements if desired (for example if you have placed
your gradation patches both at the start and at the end of a sheet because you know
your press has sheet-start to sheet-end variations).
The wizard will take all of your measurements into account to calculate the optimal
adjustment curve for this separation.

3. You can see the measured patches displayed on screen, and additional information at right.
a) Hover on individual patches to view their Desired values (based on the printing standard
you chose), Measured values, and the ∆E between the two.
∆E is a unit of difference between colors, based on the colors' Lab values.
The more different two colors are, the higher the Delta E number is. Generally a human
eye can perceive color differences that are above 2 Delta E.
You can see the Desired and Measured Lab, Density, %DotArea, %∆E PS and SCTV
values.

Where the Desired and Measured values are different, you can see split patches in
the preview (with the desired color at the top left, and the measured color at the bottom
right).
b) You can also see the Measurement Illumination Condition set on your
spectrophotometer, and the Metric Preferences set in your chosen standard.
Measurement conditions have been introduced by the printing industry to correct
measurement variations caused by optical brightening agents in newer substrates.
Measuring a substrate containing optical brightening agents with a light source
containing ultraviolet radiation causes fluorescence, making the substrate appear
"whiter than white". The more UV is in the light source, the higher the fluorescence, and
the whiter the substrate appears.
Different measurement conditions correspond to different amounts of UV, and will give
different Lab values for the white point (which also affects printed inks).

Measuring the Mindot Strips

You then need to measure the mindot strips from your LEN file print out.
"Mindot" stands for minimum dot, and the strips you will measure contain different possible
minimum dots when using different variants of the Crystal and Crystal C screens (you can see
the name of the corresponding screen next to each strip to measure).

35
5 Print Control Wizard

After you measure the strips, the wizard will help you choose the best minimum dot in your
print sample, and calculate the best screen for your production workflow.
1. In the Linearize Screen - Measure Mindot step, you can see:
• the Layout of the mindot strips (on the LEN file that the wizard generated),

• a preview of the mindot strips in your chosen separation.

• If you are working with flexibles, the mindot strips look like this:

36
 Print Control Wizard
5

• If you are working with labels, the mindot strips look like this:

2. Click Start and follow the instructions on screen to measure the mindot strips.
You can Pause or Stop the measurement if needed. You can also save it to a file using Save
Measurement... if desired.

Tip:
• If your mindot strips were already measured in the press room, click Load
Measurement... and browse to the measurement file they sent you.
This should be a GCATS measurement file (in the .it8 format).

• You can perform several measurements if desired (for example if you have printed your
LEN file both at the start and at the end of a sheet because you know your press has
sheet-start to sheet-end variations), or load several measurements from the press room.

3. You can see the measured patches displayed on screen.

Choosing Your Screen

In the Linearize Screen - Select the Optimal Screen step, the wizard displays the best
screen(s) it found for your production workflow, and their minimum dots characteristics.
Any of those screens will give you a good quality print (based on your mindot strips
measurements), but you should select the most optimal one (typically, this is the one that can
produce the lightest tones for your highlights).
1. Check the screen(s) recommended by the wizard.
For each recommended screen, you can see:
• the Screen Name,

• the Minimum Dot on Plate,

• the FM Dot Population,

• the Lightest Tone Value.

Screen Name
The screen name (for example Crystal S3R2 9 or Crystal NP C 4) indicates some of the
screen's main characteristics:

37
5 Print Control Wizard

• the screen technology used; this depends on your flexo printing application and the
screen technology you chose when making your print sample:
• when working with flexibles, it can be Crystal or Crystal C,

• when working with labels, it can be Crystal NP C, Crystal NP E, Crystal NP F, Crystal

NP R or Crystal.
See Screens for Flexibles and Screens for Labels for more information.

• the support dot characteristics (for example S3R2); this includes:

the size of the support dot (S3 = 3 pixels)
the type of ruling used (R1 = single ruling, R2 = double ruling)
This part of the name is not shown if the screen does not include support dots.

• the number of pixels of the minimum dot (9 = 9 pixels).

Those characteristics have been assessed by the wizard when measuring the LEN file's
mindot strips.
Minimum Dot on Plate
The minimum dot on plate in microns is the diameter of the minimum dot that prints in a
stable way.
FM Dot Population
The FM dot population indicates the amount of dots used to print the highlights.

1/1 means that all the dots are kept (the screen doesn't
use FM screening)

1/2 means that half of the dots are kept (resulting in FM

screening)

38
 Print Control Wizard
5

1/4 means that a quarter of the dots are kept (resulting

in FM screening)
A lower FM dot population gives lighter highlights, but
may increase graininess.

The FM dot population indicated for a screen is the one the screen transitions to in its
lightest highlights.
If you see 1/4, it means that the screen gradually transitions from 1/1 (no FM) to 1/2, then
to 1/4 in the highlights, as you can see below.

39
5 Print Control Wizard

Lightest Tone Value

This is the lightest tone value that you can achieve with the minimum stable dot (Minimum
Dot on Plate).
2. Based on this information, choose to use either:
• (one of) the recommended screen(s). See Choosing (One of) the Recommended Screen(s) on
page 40.
• a different screen (you will need to inspect screens manually). See Choosing Another
Screen Manually on page 40.

Note:
You can do this in case you are not satisfied with any of the suggested screens, and want
to choose a different screen based on your print sample.
However, this is a complex assessment requiring in-depth technical knowledge, so we
recommend you don't do this unless you are an expert user.

Choosing (One of) the Recommended Screen(s)

You can see a green check next to the screen that gives you the lightest tone value. This is
the screen that the Print Control Wizard recommends as the optimal screen.
It is selected by default.

Note: We recommend you select one of the recommended screens. However, if you are an
expert user, you can also choose another screen manually.

• If you are satisfied with the screen selected by default:

a) Make sure that the Accept the selected screen as the optimal screen option is
selected.
b) Click Next.
• If you want to use another screen from the list of suggested screens:
a) Click your desired screen.
b) Make sure that Accept the selected screen as the optimal screen is selected.
c) Click Next.
After selecting your screen, we recommend that you check its highlights visually on your print
sample. See Inspecting Your Screen's Highlights on page 43.

Choosing Another Screen Manually

If you are not satisfied with any of the recommended screens and want to choose a screen
manually, select Inspect the screens and choose the optimal screen later (one extra step
per screen) and click Next.

Attention: This is a complex assessment requiring in-depth technical knowledge, so

we recommend you don't do this unless you are an expert user.

To choose a screen manually, you need to inspect the mindot strips on your print sample.

40
 Print Control Wizard
5
• When working with flexibles, the mindot strips look like this:

• When working with labels, they look like this:

There is one strip per screen (that is, per variant of the screening technology used to print the
sample).
The Print Control Wizard will show you an analysis of the values you measured for each screen/
strip (in a separate wizard step per screen), starting with the (top) left strip.
1. In the first Linearize Screen - Find the Minimum Tone for (Your Separation Name) step,
the wizard shows you a detailed result of your measurements for the first screen/strip.

The patches on screen are arranged as in your print sample, by minimum dot size
(horizontally) and FM dot population (vertically).

41
5 Print Control Wizard

For each patch, you can see the tone value produced by the screen used in this patch, and
the wizards' evaluation:
• the patch with a green check is the one the wizard considers optimal: it prints in a
stable way and produces the lightest highlights of all the stable patches,

• patches with no specific markings also print in a stable way,

• patches with a red cross do not guarantee a stable print (you can hover on a specific
patch to see more information),

• greyed out patches cannot produce a stable print (for example a minimum dot of 1 pixel
is too small to be a reliably printable dot).

Tip: A stable print gives a smooth result without any clumping or missing dots.

2. Locate the strip printed with the first screen on your print sample and inspect it on a light
booth with your magnifier.

3. If:
• you agree with the wizard's evaluation for this screen, just click Next,
• you think another patch is better than the one the wizard considered optimal, select
your preferred patch in the wizard and click Next,

Note:
You can select any patch except the greyed out ones.
For example in some cases you may want to select a patch with a higher tone value but
that gives a more stable print, or a patch that gives a slightly less stable print but a lower
tone value.

• you are not happy with any of this screen's patches on your print sample, select Reject
all patches and click Next.

42
 Print Control Wizard
5
4. Do this for all the other screens/strips in your print sample.
5. Once you have evaluated all the strips, the wizard will list the screens you chose in the
Linearize Screen - Select the Optimal Screen step.
For each of the screens, you can see:
• the Screen Name,

• the Minimum Dot on Plate,

• the FM Dot Population,

• the Lightest Tone Value.

You can see a green check next to the screen that gives you the lightest tone value. This
is the screen that the Print Control Wizard recommends as the optimal screen for printing
highlights.
6. If:
• you want to use the screen that gives you the lightest tone value, just click Next.
• you want to use another one of your chosen screens, select it and click Next.
If needed, you can also go Back to evaluate the screens again.
After selecting your screen, we recommend that you check its highlights visually on your print
sample. See Inspecting Your Screen's Highlights on page 43.

Inspecting Your Screen's Highlights

The Linearize Screen - Visual Inspection of the Screen for [Your Separation] step will help
you check the highlights of your selected screen visually on your print sample.
1. At the bottom of your print sample, locate the HIGHLIGHT CHECK B area, and look for the
column corresponding to your selected screen.

43
5 Print Control Wizard

This column shows what the screen's highlights (in the 0% to 5% range) look like when
using:
• different FM Dot Populations (HIGHLIGHT 1/1, HIGHLIGHT 1/2 and HIGHLIGHT 1/4),

• different numbers of pixels for the minimum dot (for example 3, 4, 5, 6… depending on
your screening technology).
2. In the Print Control Wizard, your selected screen (with its FM Dot Population and number of
pixels for the minimum dot) is highlighted.

44
 Print Control Wizard
5
Locate that same area on your print sample, and inspect it on a light booth using a
magnifier.
The highlights gradient should fade smoothly, as in the A gradient below.

If you encounter any of the following issues, the highlights quality is not good enough:
• B: the screen prints too dark, giving a hard edge in the highlights,
• C: there is tone reversal in the highlights,
• D: the print is too grainy.
In this case, inspect the neighboring highlight gradients (within the same or another FM Dot
Population) to try and find better quality highlights.
If you don't find any satisfactory highlights for your selected screen technology, inspect the
highlights of another screen technology (for example Crystal C instead of Crystal).
3. If you have found a highlight gradient on your print sample that you consider better than
the one selected in the wizard, you can select that one instead:
a) Select the Modify check box above the highlights gradients.
b) If needed, select a different screen technology in the list.
c) Select the highlight gradient that you found to be the best.
d) Click Next.
Otherwise, just click Next.
4. The wizard generates your chosen screen (with its particular screen technology, FM Dot
Population and number of pixels for the minimum dot), together with a custom adjustment
curve based on your gradation measurements.

Attention: You cannot use any screen while the wizard does this. This also means
that you cannot use Imagine Engine's Image to Screened Separations task. This
may last several minutes.

5.2.2. Handling the Remaining Separations

Once the wizard calculated the best curve and screen for the separation you used to print a
sample, you need to decide what to do for the remaining separations.
In the Linearize Screen - Screen Linearization Was Done Successfully step, you can see the
Screen and Adjustment Curve that the wizard calculated for your sample's separation.

45
5 Print Control Wizard

Note:
The adjustment curve is a flexible PressSync curve. This is a PressSync curve with additional
options for greater control in the highlights and shadows (such as a minimum dot, and specific
curve shapes in the highlights and shadows).
See Flexible PressSync Curves on page 9 for more information.

• Under Do you want to linearize another ink?, select either:

• Yes, I want to start a linearization cycle for another ink to print a sample using
another separation, measure it, and have the wizard calculate a screen and curve for it.
• No, I finished linearizing individual inks. I want to copy the screens and curves
found to the remaining inks to copy the screen and curve from your sample's
separation to the other separations.
• If you only linearized one separation, the wizard will copy its screen and curve to the
other ones.

• If you already linearized two or more separations, do the following in the Linearize
Screen - Copy screens and curves step:
1. select the ink you want to copy screens and curves to,
2. in the Copy Screen and Curve from column, select the ink whose screen and
curve you want to copy,
3. do this for every remaining ink.

5.3. Resulting Screens and Curves

When you have a screen and curve for every separation, you can see them displayed in the
Report step: you can see the Screen Technology and Ruling used, and the Screen and
Adjustment Curve calculated by the wizard for each separation.
You can also see the name of the PressSync Curve Set that the Print Control Wizard created
for your Printing Condition. This PressSync curve set contains the curve(s) for all your
separations.
Click Save and Quit to finish creating your printing condition and close the wizard.
You can see your printing condition in the Print Control Wizard window with a green check
indicating that you have completed it.

You can still view its details if desired by clicking (but you cannot edit it anymore once it is
complete).

Note:
If you make changes to your production workflow (for example you print on a different
substrate, or you switch to a different ink vendor), we recommend you make another printing
condition to get adapted screens and curves.

You can duplicate your existing printing condition (so that you only need to change a few
settings instead of filling everything in), then make a new printing sample and measure it.

46
 Print Control Wizard
6

6. Using Your Printing Condition in

Imaging Engine
Once the Print Control Wizard created a printing condition containing the optimal screen(s) and
curve(s) to use for your production workflow, you can use this printing condition when RIP'ing
your files with Imaging Engine.
To do this, open Imaging Engine's Image to Screened Separations ticket and select your
printing condition in the Printing Condition field (above the other settings).

Note:
• You can only use a printing condition that you have completed (you can see a green check
in the Print Control Wizard).
If you are still working on your printing condition in the Print Control Wizard, you will not be
able to select it in Imaging Engine yet.

• After making a printing condition for your production workflow, you should always use it in
Imaging Engine when printing with that production workflow.
If you make changes to your workflow (for example you print on a different substrate, or
you switch to a different ink vendor), we recommend you make a new printing condition in
the Print Control Wizard.

Selecting a printing condition automatically fills in the relevant Image to Screened

Separations settings, so that the task uses the screen(s) and curve(s) calculated by the Print
Control Wizard, and the ruling used to make your print sample.
Please see the Imaging Engine documentation for more details.

47
7 Print Control Wizard

7. Managing Your Printing Conditions

You can manage your printing conditions on the first screen of the Print Control Wizard
application (the screen you see before opening the Create Printing Condition wizard).

You can: by either:

delete a printing condition • clicking

• right-clicking and selecting Delete

• going to File > Delete

edit a printing condition • double-clicking it

• clicking

• right-clicking and selecting Edit

• going to File > Edit

This opens your printing condition at the point you last saved
it.
After completing a printing condition, you cannot edit it
anymore.

duplicate a printing condition • clicking

• right-clicking and selecting Duplicate

• going to File > Duplicate

export a printing condition, • right-clicking and selecting Import or Export

or import one you made
elsewhere • going to File > Import or Export
See Importing and Exporting Printing Conditions on page 49
for more information.

48
 Print Control Wizard
7
Note:
• If you made a printing condition then later changed some of your production settings (for
example to use a different substrate), we recommend you duplicate your original printing
condition, then change the relevant setting(s) in the duplicate and make a new print sample.
This way you can make a new accurate printing condition without needing to re-enter all
your production settings in the wizard.

• If you upgraded your Print Control Wizard application to a newer version, and you still
have an unfinished printing condition from the older version, you can still edit it in the new
version.
However, some settings may have changed (some older settings may not be available
anymore, and there may be new settings), so we recommend you first duplicate your old
unfinished printing condition, then edit the duplicate.

7.1. Importing and Exporting Printing Conditions

If you are working with several sites that don't use the same curves database, and you want
to standardize your printing using the printing condition you created, you can export it then
import it at another site.
You can either export and import a completed printing condition to use it as is, or a export/
import a printing condition in progress (for example if you use the same printing setup but
want to measure a printing sample at each site).
• To export a printing condition:
a) In the initial Print Control Wizard window, select the printing condition to export and go
to File > Export (you can also right-click it and select Export).
b) Browse to the location you want to export it to, change the File name to use if desired,
and click Save.
The printing condition is exported as a File Packer archive (*.fp). This archive contains all of
your printing condition's information (including measurements, screens and curves if it had
them).
• To import a printing condition:
a) In the initial Print Control Wizard window, go to File > Import (or right-click in the
window and select Import).
b) Browse to the exported *.fp archive containing the printing condition you exported and
click Open.
The printing condition is imported exactly as it was before the export. If you already had a
printing condition with the same name, the name of the imported one will end with _(1).

49