VIGC launches new benchmark for print jobs
Printers, publishers and brand owners no longer have to use control strips for quality benchmarking thanks to a new offering from the Flemish Innovation Centre for Graphic Communication. The organisation has launched its image-based Quality Perception Benchmarking Service, which allows for objective comparisons of print jobs.
The VIGC Quality Perception Benchmark is based on seven parameters that are relevant to visual perception of quality. Measurements are based on images in the print job, which means control strips are not necessary.
"Comparing and assessing the quality of multiple print jobs can be very difficult," said Eddy Hagen, managing director and trend watcher at VIGC. "This is because most quality benchmarking systems are based on control strips, which get cut off in the finishing stage.” ? ?
Fons Put, senior consultant at VIGC and responsible for the project, explained how the organisation set about overcoming the challenge: "We had to perform a quality benchmark on finished print jobs, so we couldn't start with the traditional measurements, e.g. density or the colours of CMYK solids in CIELab. We needed to go for other parameters that are important for image perception, such as dynamic range. ?
"So we devised a new, unique measuring methodology to get an objective assessment of these visual parameters. Differences in these parameters between multiple samples can always be related to one or more printing parameters, e.g. density or print contrast."
www.vigc.org