AGFA Printer Printer User manual

Stay Ahead with Agfa Graphics.
Training Manual
:ANAPURNA Mw
Creative with
White ink
ab
2
Introduction
A. INTRODUCTION
This document is intended to get started with white ink applications on the
:Anapurna Mw. (other then the defaults you can select in Wasatch SoftRip)
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General Information
3
B. GENERAL INFORMATION
- Printheads: Color order and positioning
This schematic overview shows us that we immediately can print white followed by a
color in one print run. This is called “Pre-white” printing.
tthe 2 white printing heads are
aalternately jetting to achieve
tthe optimum printing speed...
If we want to print color first, and white
on top, we need to do it in two separate
print runs, using the “C/W” and “feedback”
option in the AgfaRip. This is called “Postwhite” printing.
When working with a spot white, the Wasatch SoftRIP will need to receive some extra information from you to determine the
position where the white has to be
printed. You can define a spot white
either by defining a spot color in
Wasatch (spot color replacement) or
by using a spot channel in Photoshop.
If you want to use a spot channel,
make sure that the preferences (file
menu) of the Wasatch SoftRIP are set
to support this extra channel and that
your image is in a CMYK color space.
The option ‘process extra channels as
Hi-Fi Channels’ has to be enabled for
psd (photoshop) or tiff file formats.
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White applications
C. White applications:
Pre-White:
Print on frontside of a media, normal printing.
To be used on all Frontlit applications, on Transparant as
well as on Opaque substrates.
Post-White:
Print on the backside of a media, mirror/wrong reading printing.
To be used on all Backlit applications on Transparant substrates.
The White is printed in the 2nd printrun!
Profiles:
Available in:
- Q 720 DS (Double Strike) Bidir @ 6 m²/h - 65 ft²/h
- Q 1440 SS (Single Strike) Uni-dir @ 4m²/h - 43 ft²/h
Overview of standard White Image Configurations:
- Mw_1440_SS_Uni_FWP
- Mw_720_FWP
- Mw_720_NZP
- Mw_720_Spot White
- Mw_720_White Fill
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The Day&Night application
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The Day&Night application:
1st printrun
2nd printrun
+
Only color + text
mirror image
=
pre-white
e-white + color
no text, mirror image
The purpose of this application, is to reach the
same visual effect with and without light emitted through the back of the image.
Most backlight applications look as they should,
when light is emitted through the back, but look
too dark when the light is turned off.
We use a clear plexi, or a glass surface for this application.
The images are printed in mirror, as we will look through the back of the media, which will
also give an extra glossy punch to the image.
First, only the image(color) is printed, and in the second print run we print the white background, and the image again.
Notice that the text is only printed in the first print run and not in the second.
This is due to the fact that there is no feedback option for the color print in the AgfaRip at
this stage, it will be in the future. Therefore, as we need to manually re-align the media after
the first print run, which can cause a slight misalignment, and that might be visual when
small text needs to be printed twice in register.
When printing on multiple small media sizes, it’s best to use a spacer between the
media when you place them on the table, as the heat from the lamps can expand the media,
which will visually show on the far most media. The space between media only needs to be
2mm. (the spacers are only used to position correctly, should not be there when printing!)
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The Opaque white application & Post white
The Opaque white application:
This application is printed on the back side of substrate, mirror/wrong reading printing.
Used on Transparent media, such as clear plexi or glass.
color
pre-white +
color mask
It’s a combination of a color print (1st printrun)...
pre-white +
color file
followed by a “PreWhite” colored mask (2nd printrun)...
and Pre-White color print (3th printrun)
Which results in an opaque image with a transparant part
Post white:
This application is printed on the back side of substrate, mirror/wrong reading printing.
Used on all BackLit applications on Transparent media
White is only applied in the 2nd printrun
+
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=
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Preparing an image
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D. Preparing an image:
We will show you how-to, by going step-by-step through the next photoshop example….
We want to create some colored and white text onto a black KapaColor plate,
the printed end result should look like this:
We start by making the following file in Photoshop:
p:
The textt color which represents the white ink/text is
not important in this stage, as you can see in the preview
above.
The next step is to define which parts should be printed in white,
and create a spot channel for it.
We also want to have white under the colored text, so we have to select
everything out of the white background. The image must be flattened first.
To do this, there are several ways in Photoshop. You can use the “Pen
tool”, to make a path around objects, and make a selection out of it….
The “Magic Wand Tool” can also be used…
But in this case, we will work with the “Color Range” tool.
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Preparing an image
Following window will open…
We
W select the “Highlights”…
All
A background white is now selected, and also very
important,
the inside areas of the letters are also
im
selected,
which is more difficult if you should use
s
tthe Magic Wand Tool on this example…
We now have to invert the selection, so thee text parts will be selected…
Go to:
The text outline is now selected…
This is also the area where white is printed underneath a colored surface.
We get the best result, if we shrink the “to-become-white layer” a bit…
Go to:
A contraction of 2 pixels will
work perfect on an image which
w
has a
h
150dpi on output format.
1
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Preparing an image
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We now have the complete white layer as a selection…
The next step is to
t make
k a spott channel
h
l outt off it…
it
Go to: The channels tab, and select “New Spot Channel” on the pull-down menu
TThe Solidity must be 100%,
tthe name and color is not important…
The complete selection is now added as a spot channel.
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Preparing an image
We now have to delete the parts which will be printed only with white ink,
so the areas with no other color on top…
Make the spot channel invisible again,
by toggling the channel visibility…
Delete the white in areas…
The
T white ink areas are now deleted from
the
t CMYK layer, but are still present in the
Spot
channel layer. You can check this by
S
toggling
the CMYK color channel visibility…
t
Save your image as a .Tiff or a .Psd, but make sure the “Spot Colors” tab is active!
Always make sure you have flattened the image before saving!!
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Preparing an image
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If you should need to add additional white areas and you have
already created the Spot Channel,
you can do this as follows:
Make the spot channel invisible again,
by toggling the channel visibility…
And select the CMYK channels…
h
On the CMYK level, make a selection of the
additional area...
TToggle back to the Spot Channel and
u
use the Fill command…
T new selection will now be part of
The
tthe Spot layer…
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Opening the image in Wasatch SoftRip
Opening the image in Wasatch SoftRip…
When following Warning pops up upon opening:
TThat means that your current Image Configuration, is a
C
CMYKLCLm mode only, with no white.
Y
You have to select the IC with “Spot White”
first, and re-open the image file again to render it for
aaccurate display.
Check the file in Wasatch SoftRip before printing…!!
Move the mouse button over the places where the white ink should be, in this screendump,
the letter “W”, and check the input values on the Info-tab.
All colored texts should show the color value + a 100% white value
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Opening the image in Wasatch SoftRip
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Creative with White ink