Achieve Legacy Color with Fiery FS600 DFE on Iridesse

On the new Fiery FS600 DFE for Iridesse certain changes were made by Fiery which may lead to color differences as compared to earlier versions if legacy jobs created with earlier DFE versions are printed using the FS600 with default settings.  To achieve the same color with those legacy jobs certain settings must be changed on the FS600

About Color Settings

FS600 features Fiery Edge as the default color processing system. This technology delivers more accurate color, enables more operator control, and can deliver cost savings by limiting spot color recipes to 3 colors plus black. However, there are times when your priority in printing will be to match the color that you printed in legacy jobs, created with the older color process under FS400 software. This color-matching will be particularly important when your customers are using specific colors for company or product branding. To achieve legacy color, you can change color settings on the FS600 system to replicate the color from an FS400 system. Depending on your legacy printing, there may be up to three changes to make:

1. Use Non-Edge Profiles. Import and use non-Edge color output profiles to match the profiles used with FS400. The legacy non-Edge profiles are density-based, while the Fiery Edge profiles on the Iridesse are dE Linearization based. The color is very different for both CMYK and spot colors – so to achieve color matching, you must use the same type of non-Edge output profile that you used in the legacy printing. You should also disable Fiery Edge processing within SpotPro.

2. For Spot Colors, Switch spot color groups from M1 to M2. Under the FS400 system, all predefined spot color groups are under M2 (uv-cut) mode. Under the FS600 system, spot color groups using M1 mode are enabled by default. To achieve the legacy spot color aims, you must disable the M1 color group and enable the M2 group.

3. Set Fluorescent Pink to Print as a Spot Color and not Deliver Gamut Extension. If your FS600 system has gamut extension with FPink enabled, the new color will be very different from the legacy color. Legacy color uses CMYK and FPink is applied as a specialty dry ink spot color. To achieve color matching for your legacy printing, you will need to change Fluorescent Pink to behave as a simple spot color and not be used to extend the gamut for all colors.

To know what exact steps to take to achieve color matching, you should compare legacy prints to current prints and determine if the mismatch occurs with CMYK printing, Pantone spot color printing, or printing with gamut extension. You may need to perform one or more of the following:

· Use Section I below to correct for a CMYK color mismatch between legacy prints and the current FS600 output.

· Use Section II below to correct for a Pantone spot color mismatch between your legacy prints and the current FS600 output

· Use Section III below to correct for a color mismatch between your legacy prints and the current FS600 output when your system is using Fluorescent Pink gamut extension (CMYK+).

· Use Section IV below to change the settings back to the FS600 defaults for future jobs, after completing the printing for legacy jobs. This is important to ensure that your Iridesse Press consistently delivers superior color.

I. Returning to Legacy CMYK Color

FS600 color updates on the Fiery server include the use of Fiery Edge Output Profiles and the use of default M1 Spot Libraries. If you want to match legacy color produced with FS400 software, you must first import the older non-Edge Output Profiles.

Import the non-Edge FS400 Output Profile that was used to print the legacy job.

1. From the Server menu, select Device Center.

2. Under Resources, select Profiles.

3. Click the triangle next to Output Profiles to view all the available output profiles. Notice that the output profiles listed here have “v2F” and “Fiery Edge” in their names. This means that they have been created with FS600 software and intended for use with the FS600 software release.

4. To create the same color that you produced and printed with FS400, you must now import non-Edge profiles:

   1. From the Profile Manager header bar, select Import > Output:

   2. Scroll down if needed, and select the EFI (E) drive on the server.

   3. Select the folder for your location – either North America or Europe.

   4. Select Non-Edge Profiles.

   5. The available non-Edge Output Profiles then display

   6. Select the non-Edge profile that best matches the one that you used to print the legacy color on FS400. If you are not sure which one was used, select the profile that best describes the paper coating and weight.

   7. Click Open.

   8. Click OK to the message that displays.

Your selected FS400 Output Profile now displays under Output Profiles in Device Center. This means that it is available for use with jobs and can be selected for use from the Job Properties Color tab.

Selecting a non-Edge Output Profile to print a legacy job.

Once the legacy profile is in the Device Center profiles list, it is available for selection for a job:

1. In Properties for the job, on the Color tab, select the non-Edge profile from the Output profile drop-down menu. It will be listed along with the Edge profiles, but not have “Fiery Edge” in the name. Also, it will be listed as “v1F”.

2. Recalibrate using the calibration set associated with the legacy profile. The calibration target will be different because it is density based.

3. In addition to printing the legacy job with this non-Edge profile, scroll down on the Color tab and ensure that all the other color settings are the same ones that were used when the legacy job was originally printed. In addition, the checkbox setting for Adobe PDF Print Engine Preferred must be the same as was originally used.

II. Returning to Legacy Pantone Colors

Use this section only if your legacy job contains spot colors that cannot be replicated on the newer FS600 system. If needed, you can identify spot colors in a job by sending the job to the Held queue, selecting it, and viewing the Job Summary pane on the far right of the Job Center display. At the bottom of the display, you can see all the spot colors in the job listed.

If your legacy job contains spot colors, the color created with the older FS400 may not match the color on your FS600 system. FS400 software uses a default M2 spot color library with non-Edge profiles. The FS600 uses a default M1 library with Fiery Edge profiles and a new Fiery Edge Spot Color processing feature.

Therefore, to achieve legacy spot color on your FS600 system you must first change the default library from the M1 spot color group to the M2 group, and then disable Fiery Edge processing within SpotPro.

Changing the default library from the M1 Group to M2 (Legacy) Group.

1. Select the SpotPro shortcut icon.

2. Click the Cog Wheel next to the Group header.

3. The Enable/Disable spot color groups window opens. Scroll down and locate PANTONE SOLID COATED – V5 (M2), and PANTONE SOLID COATED – V5 (M1).

4. Click to remove the checkmark for PANTONE SOLID COATED – V5 (M1). You are disabling the M1 setting.

5. Click to select the checkbox for PANTONE SOLID COATED – V5 (M2). You are enabling the M2 setting.

6. Click OK at the bottom of the window, but do not exit SpotPro.

Disable Fiery Edge processing within SpotPro.

1. Click the Preferences shortcut at the top of the window

2. On the Preferences window, click to deselect the checkbox for Fiery Edge spot color processing

3. Click OK. A message displays to let you know that the spot colors are being recalculated using the revised settings

4. Click OK to this message. A progress bar then reports how long the recalculation takes to complete.

III. Returning to Legacy Color with Spot FPink from Gamut Extension with FPink

If you did not complete Section I and II above, please do this now. In these steps you will use a non-Edge Output Profile and an M2 spot group instead of the M1 default. When these steps are completed, follow the procedure below.

Set FPink to print as regular Spot Color and not be used for Gamut Extension

FS600 includes CMYK+ as a color mode setting for jobs. This setting extends the color gamut for CMYK colors as well as Pantone Spot Colors. To achieve legacy color when your system is enabled with FPink gamut extension, you must still use the CMYK+ setting to activate Fluorescent Pink as a spot color. However, you will also change the formula for FPink in SpotPro so that it is applied as a traditional spot color.

1. In SpotPro, from the Output Profile drop-down menu, select Gloss Coated CMYKFPink v2F – Fiery Edge Iridesse

2. Select the Fluorescent Pink Group and the FPink spot color name

3. On the right of the window, click the pencil Edit icon

4. In the Separations area, change the CMYK percentage values to 0.0 and the total Fluorescent Pink value to 100. This will create pure pink for the legacy printing.

5. Click Save and Done to complete the procedure.

Making Job Settings with FPink for Legacy Color

Now that you have changed the default color settings from FS600 to FS400 values, the last step in producing legacy color is to select the correct properties for the job you are printing. To make the correct job settings for a job with FPink as a spot color:

1. Double-click the job in the Held queue to open Properties.

2. Select the Color tab.

3. For Color mode, select CMYK+.

4. Select the checkbox for Use CMYK+ only for spot colors.

5. For the Output profile for non-spot colors drop-down menu, select the profile that you used for the legacy printing. 

6. For the Output profile drop-down menu, select Gloss Coated CMYKFPink v2F – Fiery Edge – Iridesse.

7. Scroll down through the color settings on the rest of this Color tab and check to ensure that they are the same settings that you used with the original legacy printing that you are trying to match.

8. Select or deselect the Adobe PDF Print Engine Preferred check box at the top of the window to make this matches your legacy print job. This APPE setting must be the same as the original job to match the color.

9. Click OK to the Color tab.

10. Make any other settings as required for the job and print it.
    
    Note: It is not possible to enable the use of FPink as a spot color on FS600 without also applying gamut extension with FPink to recognized spot colors in Spot Pro. To ensure certain spots are CMYK only, these need to be assigned within a custom color group with the exact CMYK inputs.

IV. Return the System to Full FS600 Color

When you complete the printing of legacy jobs, please remember to return the system to its original color settings:

1. Open SpotPro and then click the cog wheel next to the Group header. Scroll down and remove the checkmark for PANTONE SOLID COATED – V5 (M2), and select the checkbox for PANTONE SOLID COATED – V5 (M1). This returns the system to the M1 default group for spot colors.

2. In SpotPro, select Preferences, and then click the checkbox to turn on Fiery Edge Spot Color Processing. This enables the system to use the FS600 Fiery Edge profiles.

3. If you turned off Fluorescent Pink gamut extension and set FPink to print as a spot color with 100% Pink (Section 3 above), the CMYK values for FPink should automatically be reset when the spot colors are recalculated. Check that the CMYK values for the FPink spot color are not 0.0. If you do see 0.0 values, you can correct the formula by selecting Revert to Factory Setting from the More icon.