Curve for uncoated stock...

[impodave]

Hello. 
It's been a long time since I last visited B4Print....

We have a project right now that has extremely dark screens - 80 or 90% in some cases.

My boss thinks that we should have a workflow that runs a linear curve or something less than linear to compensate for this dark artwork.  This job is printed on 70# opaque offset.

Suggestions are appreciated ...  Thanks !!

[Joe]

Usually a linear curve makes the output match the input so in your case an 80% and 90% screen will give you an 80% and 90% screen on plate. (In theory at least) Then you will have dot gain when it runs on press. The better the paper the less dot gain you will have usually.

Now you can create a dot gain curve to pull everything back to how you want it to look.

[David]

we would usually run a shadow/mid curve for the uncoated stocks.
Usually pull the mids (50%) down 10% and the deep shadows (80-90%) would come down about 6-7%.

But, that was for a fairly new sheetfed press, YMMV.

[Diddler]

Hello.
It's been a long time since I last visited B4Print....

We have a project right now that has extremely dark screens - 80 or 90% in some cases.

My boss thinks that we should have a workflow that runs a linear curve or something less than linear to compensate for this dark artwork.  This job is printed on 70# opaque offset.

Suggestions are appreciated ...  Thanks !!

I run XMF Colorpath it takes care of situations like this perfectly. We have sets of curves for different stocks / situations. All I have to do is place a test strip on the side of a job every 3 months or so to check its accuracy and update our curves.
Mucking around with curves by guesstimate can be a never ending game of chasing the desired outcome.

[Farabomb]

Hello.
It's been a long time since I last visited B4Print....

We have a project right now that has extremely dark screens - 80 or 90% in some cases.

My boss thinks that we should have a workflow that runs a linear curve or something less than linear to compensate for this dark artwork.  This job is printed on 70# opaque offset.

Suggestions are appreciated ...  Thanks !!

Mucking around with curves by guesstimate can be a never ending game of chasing the desired outcome.

For 8 years I've tried to make it clear to management this doesn't work. Even with evidence right in their face they refuse to do it the correct way.

[Joe]

Hello.
It's been a long time since I last visited B4Print....

We have a project right now that has extremely dark screens - 80 or 90% in some cases.

My boss thinks that we should have a workflow that runs a linear curve or something less than linear to compensate for this dark artwork.  This job is printed on 70# opaque offset.

Suggestions are appreciated ...  Thanks !!

Mucking around with curves by guesstimate can be a never ending game of chasing the desired outcome.

For 8 years I've tried to make it clear to management this doesn't work. Even with evidence right in their face they refuse to do it the correct way.

It is cheaper to do it the wrong way in the short term.

[Farabomb]

I'm sure the savings over the past 8 years have been tremendous. Just like the 2 plates we wasted today because the shop is kept freezing overnight. I'm sure the money saved easily surpasses the cost of 2 40" plates. 

[Joe]

Long term I'll bet you wasted a lot more than 2 plates. Some people just can't project for the long term what their idiotic decisions will really cost them.

[LEPTON]

there are many ways to compensate the dot gain on press.  In the XMF has an option to add a profile for output.  Get the profile SWORD for conventional offset,  there are two or three options for offset.  You may try those profiles in order to get the better result.  Although ,  you ought to have the linearization first.  And then try to add the profile.  Or try the caracterization from calibration manager,  you must have a spectrometer for this purpose.  But it takes a lot of work.  With the caracterization you jump the step of linearization.