X-Rite unveils InkFormulation 6 and ColorQuality 6 software

X-Rite, a developer of color management tools, has launched Version 6 of its InkFormulation and ColorQuality software packages. Developed for ink manufacturers and printers who formulate their own ink, X-Rite’s InkFormulation claims to provide fast, accurate and consistent ink formulation, formula creation, storage, approval and retrieval for offset, flexographic, gravure and screen-printing inks.

InkFormulation 6 and ColorQuality 6 give ink suppliers and printers more flexibility over recipes and assortments, improve basic materials handling, automatically determines the right ink film thickness and helps to eliminate hazardous waste. InkFormulation 6 and ColorQuality 6 are now also XRGA compliant.

Thanks to a sophisticated math engine that provides better prediction of ink interactivity with substrates, InkFormulation 6 is able to calculate rapidly the optimal and most cost-effective recipe based on the printing process, ink, illumination, pigment pricing, and number of components and materials to be used. InkFormulation 6 helps printers and ink suppliers speed up the ink formulation workflow process (including liquid inks and special inks), with consistent, reproducible results on a broad variety of substrates and ink film thicknesses, including transparent films and metalized substrates. It also increases color accuracy.

With Version 6’s improved Basic Material Module, users can work with a variety of additives within one assortment, allowing them to change a single additive in a recipe without having to re-do the draw down or create a completely new assortment. The new enhancements of this module simplify the handling of assortments and recipes, giving users more control over their ink database.

The new Film Thickness Calibration Module allows users to determine the right ink thickness for flexo, gravure and screen printing. Users no longer need to re-measure known recipes for different line screens or rollers and adjust the film thickness manually; they can simply enter the roller or screen volume as a parameter. The software will automatically calculate the required film thickness and apply it to the whole assortment.

InkFormulation 6 and ColorQuality 6 now both support the new X-Rite Graphic Arts Standard (XRGA). Databases in both applications contain XRGA data, and data being imported from connected instruments will automatically be converted, if necessary. Version 5 databases will be automatically converted as well when imported into Version 6.

X-Rite’s Leftover Management feature, also included in InkFormulation 6, allows leftover inks to be reused in new recipes during the formulation process. InkFormulation provides recommendations on how to reduce the amount of leftover inks and allows for any surplus to be reworked into new formulations, reducing inventory and waste, lowering disposal costs and providing a rapid return on users’ InkFormulation investment (typical ROI for spot color printers, especially in flexo, gravure and screen printing, is less than six months, says the company).

InkFormulation 6 offers flexibility of data exchange with networked databases and internet communication features so ink suppliers and printers can share color data with locations across the globe. The new version now also supports the latest generation of CxF (Color Exchange Format), the universal file format for color communication, allowing them to communicate accurately all commercially significant aspects of their ink’s formulation requirements. At each step of the process, colors are defined and stored as CxF files so that they can be seamlessly exchanged between instruments and applications throughout the printing workflow.  

InkFormulation 6 also features a number of usability enhancements including more flexible sorting criteria for recipes; simplified substrate database access; a new Print Layout Editor to allow users to define and customize their print layouts (logos, images and labels can be inserted and printed to label ink cans and simplify inventory creation); a new ‘undo’ function to allow users to return to the preceding step within the formulation workflow rather than having to begin all over again; and simplified user administration tools. 

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