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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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X-Rite Introduces its New i1 Pro 2 Color Management Solutions

X-Rite recently announced its new portfolio of i1 Professional Color Management Solutions, which now includes a newly redesigned i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer, and is available through LexJet.

Color management productsThe newly enhanced i1Pro 2 device has been redesigned to provide an even higher level of accuracy, versatility, ergonomics, functionality and value, X-Rite says. Combined with the recently released i1Profiler software v1.3, which accommodates all levels of proficiency and expertise, the new i1Pro 2 portfolio of four different products is specifically targeted to meet the needs of photo, pre-press, digital print and publishing professionals.  

This new portfolio, comprised of X-Rite’s i1Basic Pro 2, i1Photo Pro 2, i1Publish Pro 2 and i1Publish products feature the new i1Pro 2 second generation spectrophotometer, accommodating three measurement modes in one device. These modes include the most commonly used M0 (Standard Illuminant A), the emerging M1 (illuminant D50) and M2 (known as UV-cut). Also included are i1Profiler, X-Rite’s next-generation color profiling software, PANTONE Color Manager color swatch bridging software and ColorChecker Camera Calibration software.

“Exceptionally accurate color measurement and calibration remain basic building blocks for professional-level workflow,” commented Vic Stalam, X-Rite’s Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing.

i1Photo Pro 2 is specifically designed for discerning photo professionals to manage their RGB workflow from camera to display and projector to print. Thanks to the iterative profiling capability of the i1Profiler software, professional photo users will enjoy the highest quality color results that especially target highlight and shadow details and delivers greater color accuracy for more neutral grays and natural skin tones.  With the new Optical Brightener Compensation capability, photographers can even optimize their prints by taking into account optical brightening agents often found in photo papers and create output profiles for specific lighting conditions in studios or galleries, or wherever the print will be displayed.

i1Basic Pro 2 is for high-end monitor profiling, monitor and printing quality verification, and spot color measurement; i1Basic Pro is ideal for an effective workflow in a color-managed system. i1Basic Pro includes i1Profiler software, PANTONE Color Manager software and an i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer.

i1Publish Pro 2 includes fully-featured ICC profiling solutions for imaging professionals that need to organize and manage their complete RGB, CMYK and CMYK+ (CMYK plus any 4) prepress workflows, complete with new assurance validation and verification functions using digital standards. This includes a display QA function to check soft proofing for ISO (G7, SWOP, PSO, Japan Color) and a printer QA function to check print quality using ISO media wedges (IDEAlliance ISO Control Wedge or Fogra Media Wedge). With the emerging M1 measurement capability, imaging pros can rely on consistent measurement for visual match under industry standard viewing conditions, including the ability to appropriately account for paper Optical Brightening Agents (OBA).

i1Photo Pro 2 and i1Publish Pro 2 include i1Profiler software, an i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer, PANTONE Color Manager software, ColorChecker Proof target (for direct viewing analysis of ColorChecker target compared to customer’s printed target), mini ColorChecker Classic target, and ColorChecker camera calibration software. i1Publish (a standalone software package) includes all of the above except for the spectrophotometer.

For more specific information about the new i1 Pro line, click here, or contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538 to help decide what the best color management solution is based on your workflow.

Posted on by Sean McGettigan Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Loading a Substrate on the HP L26500 Latex Printer

How to load media onto HP latex printersWith the HP L26500, there are two main ways that a substrate can be loaded. When loading a typical substrate, the process is similar to other HP wide format inkjet printers and identical to the HP L25500.

However, a new way to load flexible substrates like fabric, mesh, or banner material is to use the media loading accessory that comes with the printer. This accessory makes loading these substrates much easier and helps to reduce misfeeding these materials.

In the videos embedded below, learn how to load a substrate into the L25500 using the traditional method and with the loading accessory. Stay tuned for more videos about the L26500 in the coming weeks…

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Tips & Tricks
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Free Color Management Webinars in January from X-Rite

Color management webinarsComing up this month for photographers, labs and photographic and fine art reproducers looking to ensure color fidelity from capture to print, X-Rite Photo Marketing announces its schedule of January 2012 Webinars.

Three free Webinar topics this month are designed to help photographers gain new confidence and to learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the live trainers.

Wednesday, Jan. 11, Noon and 2 p.m. EST
Oz to Kansas with Vincent Versace hosted by Nik Software and X-Rite: Join Vincent Versace, best selling author and internationally recognized pioneer in the art and science of digital photography for this webinar co-sponsored by X-Rite and Nik Software. Oz to Kansas: The Black and White on Black and White Conversions is the evolution of thought that began with the chapter in his first book, “Welcome to Oz: From Oz to Kansas. How to convert an Image to Black and White Without Ever Leaving the RGB Color Space.” This webinar takes a practical applications approach to when, why and how to convert an image. In it, attendees will learn which methods give them the best results and when to choose a simple or a complex solution.

Some of the topics covered in this webinar are:

  • The only soup to nuts overview of the Nik Software Silver Efex Plug-in. How to use it and when
  • The importance of color management, particularly to black and white
  • When and why photographers should and should not use global de-saturation
  • Split Channel conversions, what they are good for and a way to get the same effect with a file two thirds the size
  • When to use the Black and White adjustment layer to bring out and separate the tones in a color image
  • Multiple Channel mixer black and white conversions that replicate the physics of film
  • What is “Faux-infrared” and a look at how to convert files to black and white from digital cameras that have been modified to shoot Infrared
  • When and how to most efficiently use the Gradient tool for black and white conversion

To register for this webinar at Noon EST, visit: http://www.niksoftware.com/learnmore/usa/index.php/webinars/signup/12041

To register for this webinar at 2 p.m. EST, visit: http://www.niksoftware.com/learnmore/usa/index.php/webinars/signup/12061

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST
Stop guessing. Start knowing. Two New X-Rite Solutions for Great Color! Knowing that a monitor is accurately showing the true color and tonal range of images is the first and most important step to getting great prints. If a monitor isn’t properly calibrated and profiled, a photographer could be guessing whenever they make any edits to their images. This webinar is perfect for anyone that has had trouble getting prints that match the image on their monitor.

During this webinar, attendees will learn how X-Rite’s two newest display solutions – the ColorMunki Display and i1Display Pro – feature all-new state-of-the-art hardware and software for color calibration and profiling of displays, laptops and projectors.

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST
Beyond Monitor Calibration – Get Prints That Match Your Display! Perfect for wedding, portrait and landscape photographers as well as photo lab professionals and photo enthusiasts doing their own printing, this webinar, featuring the award-winning X-Rite ColorMunki Photo, will teach attendees how to put a color managed workflow in place from image capture through printer output including creating custom profiles and learning how to use them correctly to produce prints that match a display every time.

Topics that will be covered include:

  • Monitor to print matching (calibration and profiling)
  • Obtaining consistent color in camera
  • Benefits of creating and using custom printer profiles
  • Soft-proofing in Adobe Photoshop
  • Applying printer profiles in Photoshop
  • Digital projector profiling

Webinar registration can be found on XritePhoto.com. Visit the Webinar page found under the Learning section.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends
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Vote for Your Favorite (LexJet) Products in the Readers’ Choice Top Product Awards

Vote for the top products in the graphics industryWide-Format Imaging magazine announced today that readers and subscribers to the magazine can vote for the Readers’ Choice Top Product Awards, starting tomorrow (a.k.a., Dec. 14) through Jan. 27, 2012.

Go to http://2012topproducts.questionpro.com vote for the products that have caused the most excitement in the industry and have been a valuable asset to wide-format print service providers’ (PSPs) businesses over the last year. Hint: LexJet’s products, which were nominated in the following categories…

From wide-format flatbed printers and wide-format media, to laminating equipment to inks, RIP software and scanners, Wide-Format Imaging’s Top Products Awards will recognize the products that are doing the most for a PSP’s bottom line.

The nominated products were submitted by manufacturers from Nov. 15 through Dec. 12 and then supplemented by products received by the magazine in 2011. Winners will be announced at the International Sign Expo in Orlando, March 22-24, and featured in the March issue of Wide-Format Imaging magazine.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends
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Free Color Management Webinars This Month at XritePhoto.com

X-Rite Photo Marketing announces its schedule of November Webinars that have been developed to address specific color management topics and are designed to appeal to both professional and serious amateur photographers.

Color management webinarsFour free Webinar topics this month are designed to help photographers gain new confidence and to learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions to the live trainers.

Here’s what’s on tap this month…

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2 p.m. EST, Take your images to WOW! hosted by Winifred Whitfield: Winifred Whitfield is a photographer and digital painter. In this webinar she will demonstrate how precise color management and Nik Software give her the competitive edge to produce her stylized images. Winifred uses Nik Software to enhance her images, add structure, and even provide the artistic color palette that launches her creative process. Her creative workflow depends on precise color management with X-Rite solutions and begins and ends with Nik Software. Winifred will show attendees how she prepares the images in Photoshop with Nik Software before she begins the painting process and how she enhances her painted images with Nik Software as a final step.

In this webinar Winifred will cover:

  • Be creative: Use Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro 4 and Viveza 2 to create stunning images and to spark creativity
  • Shoot colors right: Create custom camera profiles with X-Rite ColorChecker Passport
  • See colors right: Monitor and projector profiling with ColorMunki Display
  • Print colors right: Profile monitor, projector and printer with ColorMunki Photo

Friday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m. EST, Improve your Color Management Skills, Part 3: Photographers can improve their color management skills by joining professional photographer and X-Rite Coloratti Jon R. Trengereid for the final session of a three part international education series and complete introduction to Adobe Lightroom 3. This webinar will help photographers get the best out of their equipment, speed up their workflow, gain greater control over their RAW files and get accurate colors every time.

Part 3, final session, will cover:

  • The RAW converting process, including RAW development for color images and RAW development for grayscale images
  • How Lightroom communicates with Photoshop
  • Printing from Lightroom, including creating a Print Template, setting up the print driver to communicate with Lightroom and printing with color management

To register for Part 3 visit:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/995974289

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m. EST and 1 p.m. EST, Stop Guessing – Start Knowing! Accurate Monitor Color with X-Rite: Knowing that a monitor is accurately showing the true color and tonal range of images is the first and most important step to getting great prints. If a monitor isn’t properly calibrated and profiled, a photographer could be guessing whenever they make any edits to their images. This webinar is perfect for anyone who has had trouble getting prints that match the image on their monitor. During this webinar, attendees will learn how X-Rite’s two new display solutions – the ColorMunki Display and i1Display Pro – feature all-new state-of-the-art hardware and software for color calibration and profiling of displays, laptops and projectors.

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m. EST and 1 p.m. EST, Beyond Monitor Calibration – Get Prints That Match Your Display!: Perfect for wedding, portrait and landscape photographers as well as photo lab professionals and photo enthusiasts doing their own printing, this webinar, featuring the award-winning X-Rite ColorMunki Photo, will teach attendees how to put a color managed workflow in place from image capture through printer output including creating custom profiles and learning how to use them correctly to produce prints that match a display every time.

Topics that will be covered include:

  • Monitor to Print Matching (Calibration and Profiling)
  • Obtaining consistent color in camera
  • Benefits of creating and using custom printer profiles
  • Soft-proofing in Adobe Photoshop
  • Applying printer profiles in Photoshop

Webinar registration can be found on XritePhoto.com. Visit the Webinar page found under the Learning section.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Save Ink, Time, Media and Money: How to Find the Correct Color Space

It’s a common problem with files that come in from artists, photographers and agencies: Untagged images without an assigned color space. Printing untagged images will almost always produce an unusable print, wasting time, ink and material.

So, how do you find out which color space in which the file was originally captured? The first step, and the most reliable and obvious way to find out, is to go to the source of the image – the person who sent it – and find out the color space in which it was captured. Barring that, it’s actually pretty simple and this front-end step will eliminate the aforementioned printing headaches…

If a file comes in that is untagged when you initially bring it into Photoshop, you should receive a message from Photoshop that asks you what to do with the color space of the image. You should have a choice between Leave as is (don’t color manage), Assign working RGB and Assign profile:Missing profile and how to find it

If this prompt does not show up when you originally open the untagged image you will have to edit your color settings/preferences by going to Edit > Color Settings.

You will want to check all of the boxes below your color management policies, labeled Ask When Opening. The screen should look like this:How to find out the color space of an image

Then, in Photoshop you will locate Assign Profile; in CS5 it’s under Edit > Assign Profile. When the Assign Profile window comes up you can choose between a number of different color spaces.

Given a properly profiled monitor, the profile to choose is the one that looks most accurate to you. Select that one and hit OK to assign the profile tag to the image, and there you have it.

If you have any difficulties with this, or you’re having a hard time finding where to go in your version of Photoshop, feel free to give us a call at 800-453-9538.