Abstract

The role of a color-managed inkjet proof is to predict and simulate the visual appearance of printed color. The proof-to-print visual match works well under different viewing conditions when the input ICC profile and the output ICC profile, built from characterization datasets, do not contain optical brightening agents (OBA).

OBAs influence printed color when measured for characterization and viewed. These brightening agents absorb UV wavelengths in the illuminant and fluoresce in the blue wavelengths. As more and more OBAs are used in printing paper production, the role of color proofing becomes more difficult. The difference in the amount of the UV component of the measuring and viewing light sources cause a problem where the OBA effect, as measured, may not be the same amount of OBA effect that should be proofed under the viewing illuminant.

There are two objectives in this research project. The first objective is to show how printed colors, under identical printing conditions on OBA and non-OBA substrates, look different than when they are proofed using current characterization for proofing practices. Both M0 (UV-included) and M2 (UV-cut) measurement data are collected from color patches with selected tonal values and input ICC profiles created from this data are used to proof the brightened reference print. The results show that the UV-cut characterization treatment produces a very poor proof to the reference, while the UV-included proof was ranked as a fairly high match. A third commercially available software designed to improve upon the UV-included treatment, the X-Rite Optical Brightened Compensation module, was also tested and found to be a good match to the reference as well.

The second objective is to propose different ways the characterization data can be adjusted for the OBAs in a reference print on brightened paper, by accounting for the influence of UV in the measurement illuminant, and the influence of UV in the viewing illuminant. By means of psychometric analyses, the results show that (1) the proof-to- print match is the worst when OBA in print and UV in the measurement illuminant are not addressed (UV-cut characterization data from M2); (2) although not conclusive, the proof-to-print match improves when OBA in print, UV in the measurement illuminant (characterization data from M0), and UV in the viewing illuminant are addressed.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Color printing--Quality control; Paper--Printing properties--Testing; Optical brighteners; Colorimetry

Publication Date

12-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Department, Program, or Center

School of Media Sciences (CIAS)

Advisor

Robert Chung

Advisor/Committee Member

Robert Eller

Comments

Physical copy available from RIT's Wallace Library at Z258 .M45 2014

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

PRNTMED-MS

Download

Share

COinS