The Printing United Alliance has introduced G7+, a major overhaul of the existing G7 presss calibration standard that will better suit digital print technologies printing on a wide range of substrates, while preserving continuity with the existing workflow.
Described as ‘the next evolution in colour calibration; G7+ is a new and improved calibration specification that replaces legacy G7 with new logic and algorithms, but delivers similar overall appearance. It is designed to address the widest range of printing technologies, including digital toner and inkjet on substrates ranging from paper to textiles, rather than being offset-based as is the existing standard, which is now 19 years old.
G7+ is said to maintain the features, benefits and general appearance of G7, but with more accurate grey balance, improved tonality and better performance in unusual printing conditions. Colour management consultant Paul Sherfield of the The Missing Horse Agency told Digital Printer that it will be integrated into the forthcoming revision to the ISO 12647–2 standard, which will also support the current Fogra model plus the Spot Colour Tone Value (SCTV) approach, which he noted works better in extended gamut printing, particularly in controlling the generation of orange and green channels/inks.
‘Printing United Alliance is excited to announce G7+ to continue our mission in supporting leading printers and print buyers around the world,’ said Jordan Gorski, executive director, Idealliance. ‘G7 has raised the bar in the world of print and colour output as colorimetry and visual output became the norm rather than simply relying on density for matching colour. G7+ now integrates all modern print technology to be a standard that is applicable to all print, on all media, paper, board, film, signage or textile, for any output condition that will truly provide print buyers and printers the ability to match color on packaging, publications, signage and wide-format graphics, while maintaining alignment to the standards in place among existing workflows.’
Enhancements and optimisations include improved grey balance and tonality across a wider range of print systems, including textile, web offset, newsprint and inkjet, while maintaining Gracol visual similarity; smooth, highly saturated colour in high-coverage inkjet printing; the use of Substrate Colorimetric Colour Aims (SCCA) for more precise neutral grey on coloured substrates; and the attainment of accurate ICC profiles and lifelike images on calibrated systems without colour management.
The first opportunity for those interested in learning more about G7+ in person will be during the Printing United Technical Event Series in March 2024 in Dallas, Texas, USA. Training and certification will also be offered via Printing United.
