Many have argued that the dot proof is going the way of the buggy whip. It certainly seems that, given the current state of digital platemaking, the necessity for dots on a contract proof is at best a security blanket for those that can't accept the inevitable—time- and cost-savings are driving the entire packaging supply-chain to accept contone proofs. The problem is that this line of thinking ignores three fundamental shifts:

• Product managers need to drive cost from their process,
• Designers and converters had each better understand the language of the other, and
• Technology now enables greater accuracy.

Designers who once dreamed in RGB (but whose nightmares came in CMYK) are beginning to consider process color solutions that extend the printable gamut, as an alternative to costly spot colors.

Does the proof adequately communicate what you need it to? Is its information accurate, repeatable, controlled, reliable and complete? No one type of proof can address every need. There's no panacea. However, there are a number of solutions to satisfy every need and they are continually getting closer to representing the printed piece.

Spot colors and extended gamut printing, process blends, whites, metallics, embossing, stamping and hybrid screens designed to expand the functionality of the printing plates are all standard benefits of today's digital plating systems.

Driving the adoption and demand for these challenging package-printing features are several industry shifts worth considering:

1. Technology is more reliable, the process more predictable, and the bar is being raised in both the dot and dot-less proofing worlds.
2. Tools are more effective at measuring and predicting color.
3. Even "open-loop" systems provide solutions closer to a standard and thus closer to one another.
4. Users throughout the supply chain are more sophisticated and can more efficiently diagnose and resolve problems. Further, designers are being driven to consider CYMK process workflows in their design for the benefit of cost-savings to customers. The market now understands and relies on inkjet color proofs throughout the process, so they are willing to accept the trade-offs for a proof that's faster, cheaper and familiar to them.
5. New techniques in platemaking, separating, screening and imaging can no longer be completely reflected in a halftone proof, creating a "placebo dot" which is an accurate predictor of the final piece, but sacrifices an exact dot for the ability to measurably match the final piece; remaining true to the spirit of the proof, as well as its value as a contract.

The tools are there, the knowledge exists, everyone is motivated—what's needed is tighter controls and better standards. In other words: education, communication, measurement, reporting and audit trails—language more akin to accounting than printing!

Editor's Note: Part Two of this column will run next month. Jonathan Agger is a partner with Karstedt Associates, PO Box #6, Belmont, MA 02478.

617547-5666, jagger@karstedt.com