Connecting the Dots

1. Connecting the Dots Bob Chung, Professor RIT, Rochester, NY, USA

2. Connecting the dots Printing industry trends Printing certification New rules of the game Managing change Topics

3. Given 9 dots in a 3 by 3 formation, what are the minimum number of connected straight lines needed to connect all 9 dots without lifting the pencil? Connecting the Dots      

4. Most of us would agree, it’s ‘5.’ Connecting the Dots 1       2 4 5 3

5. A better answer is ‘4’ if we think outside the box, i.e., there is no boundary. Connecting the Dots 1       2 3 4

6. 6 We tend to stay inside the boundary and follow existing rules. Following rules may not solve new problems, i.e., ‘business as usual’ may not be the best thing for a company. Finding new solutions require thinking outside the box. The Take-aways

7. Technology outlook • Digitization and the Internet are breaking down technology and distance barriers. • The speed and ease of moving job contents and business information has transformed our industry from a local/regional business to a national/international business. • DRUPA 2012 showcases technology advancements • More color • More personalized to high volume workflow solutions • More automation • More digital printing presses Printing Industry Trends

8. Competition outlook • The competition used to be the printer across town. it’s now everywhere, i.e., • The printer across the country and the printer across the ocean. • The e-media provider who is providing print as an e-media alternative. • Our own clients who start their in-house, in-plant printing operations due to ease of operation, cycle-time reduction, information sensitivity, etc. Printing Industry Trends

9. Print buyers outlook • Print buyers are becoming more global. They want to work with few preferred suppliers to keep their supply chains manageable. • They prefer bluish paper and demand color predictability. • They view printing certification as a sound basis for building trust between printers and themselves. Printing Industry Trends

10. 10 • RIT perspectives 2009 – The U.S. printing industry requested RIT to create a certification scheme 2010 – Conducted standards and certification survey, personal visits to Europe (Switzerland, the Netherlands, U.K., Germany), joined ISO/TC130 2011 – Certification scheme development, conformity assessment, ANSI/CGATS TR 016 2012 – PSA certification scheme, testing, partnership with IDEAlliance and APTEC. Printing Certification

11. G7 is a press calibration method and a qualification scheme per G7 Pass/Fail Criteria. • No audit, no production variation assessment • PSA is the next level of G7 that focuses on dataset conformance. • RIT and IDEAlliance, working together, define “G7 GRACoL Certified Printer” based on the PSA certification and G7 Master Printer status. Printing Certification

12. Printing Certification

13. Customers prefer paper with bluish cast. • The bluish white of the paper (containing OBA) causes two problems in ISO 12647 compliant workflows. • It affects printed colors, including greys and solids, thus, printing conformance. • There is a mismatch between non-OBA proofs and OBA prints. New Rules of the Game

14. 14 • ISO/DIS 15339-1 (2011)is a new paradigm. • It uses digital data as common input to multiple printing technologies. • It uses RPC as aims and substrate correction to enable printing to substrate-corrected dataset. New Rules of the Game

15. ISO/DIS 15339-1 addresses product color match by utilizing calibration, process control, and color management at printer’s discretion. New Rules of the Game ISO/DIS 15339-1 Product Control ISO 12647-2 Process Control

16. RIT has done extensive tests on proof-to-print match under the influence of OBA (ISO/TC130/WG3 N1349, 2012). New Rules of the Game The results are positive. ISO 12647-7 Proof ISO 15339-1 Print ISO 15339-1 Proof

17. “Connecting the Dots” is about managing change. • Print buyer is the key driver for change. They demand printing certification and print-to-proof match under the influence OBA. • RIT developed the PSA certification scheme to address both of the demands based on the ISO 15339-1 standard. • The first PSA certified printer, Hung Hing Printing (China) Co Ltd, is located in Shenzhen, China. • Because Hung Hing is a G7 Master Printer, IDEAlliance will award Hung Hing Printing the world’s first certification as a “G7 GRACoL Certified Printer” based on its recognition of RIT’s audit results. Conclusion

18. Managing Change • Plan • What are my customer’s requirements? • Why certification is important to my company? • Who else is interested in certification? • Do • Implement standards compliant workflow • Decide certification scheme • Select a team • Institute training • Check • Conduct self studies • Measure progress • Close process gap • Act • Contact certification body • Prepare for on-site audit • Participate in the audit • Celebrate the success

19. Thank you for listening. Q/A Bob Chung, Professor RIT, Rochester, NY, USA rycppr@rit.edu