Soft and hard proofing: What are they, and why are they essential for the graphic arts industry?
The time a printing press is running is perhaps the most expensive part of print media. The main purpose of proofing is to produce a soft or hard copy of the final result on the press. In a market where margins are still under pressure, graphic arts companies have little choice but to find ways to produce more efficiently. Soft proofing and hard proofing may be more valuable to you than you realize. In this blog post, I’ll explain what these two concepts mean and why, as a graphic designer, you can no longer do without proofing.
Soft proofing?
The ultimate goal of digital printing is to ensure that the image coming out of the printer matches as closely as possible what you see on your screen. This starts with properly profiling—or calibrating—your screen. When the ambient light is stable, you can be sure that the light intensity, contrast, and colors on your screen are accurate. We call this soft proofing.
Soft proofing should usually be done before you start using your photo or image editing software. The ES 2000 Photo Spectrometer can be used for this purpose. By calibrating your screen, you create a profile that you will later use in your image-editing software. Once your screen is 100% correctly calibrated, you can begin the most important step of the printing process: printing.
Professional image-editing programs always have a built-in soft proofing feature. To give you an idea of how this works, here’s a brief overview: first, open the soft proofing feature in your image-editing program. Next, select the print profile for your paper brand and type. This might look something like this: “my_calibration_ES2000.” You will now see on your screen exactly how the image will be printed. This gives you the opportunity to make any necessary changes and prevent costly misprints.
Simply put, soft proofing is a mechanism that allows you to see exactly on your computer screen what the print will look like on the paper you have selected.
Hard proofing?
Unlike soft proofing, hard proofing does not take place on a computer screen. In hard proofing, a print is produced on a printer that simulates the output of another printer. Hard proofing is therefore also known as hard-copy proofing.
If you frequently work with clients for whom a one-to-one match between the print and brand colors is extremely important, hard proofing offers you certainty. Think, for example, of official marketing materials such as brochures and flyers. With hard proofing, you ensure the highest quality.
Hard proofing is therefore commonly used by advertising and design agencies. When a hard proof is created, it can later be printed exactly as is at the printer’s. The goal is to adhere to the Fogra 39 standard used in the printing industry. So if you want to maintain complete control and are accountable to your clients for the entire color management process, a hard proof is recommended. What you see is what you get.
To set up in-house hard proofing?
You’ll need a printer that’s certified for proofing, along with a photo spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer can be built into the printer, but you can also use a standalone photo spectrophotometer. The proofing software we use at OneXillium is from EFI. It’s the market leader when it comes to color management solutions. In addition, you’ll need certified paper to ensure color fastness.
Without soft or hard proofing?
Graphic design companies can benefit greatly from creating proofs. You’ve already read about some of the benefits throughout this article, but in my opinion, the three most important advantages of creating proofs are:
1. Always produce precise, predictable, high-quality prints
When used correctly, proofing results in the best possible color output. In many cases, your customers will expect this from you as an expert.
2. Printing errors are often hidden costs
The costs associated with poor color management are often underestimated; it’s perhaps not surprising that operators aren’t too eager to show off all their misprints. However, failed prints due to incorrect colors do lead to significant productivity losses. On top of that, they also result in unnecessary waste. And that can cost a printing company a pretty penny.
3. Comply with industry standards, such as Fogra PSD
Is obtaining and maintaining important certifications, such as ISO, G7, and Fogra PSD, important to you? Specialized proofing software, such as Fiery XF, meets the requirements of these standards.
With soft or hard proofing?
Are you curious about the possibilities of soft and hard proofing? My colleagues—the graphic analysts—and I can advise you and offer support, both regarding hardware—such as printers and photo spectrophotometers—and the software required for hard proofing. Feel free to contact us with no obligation; we’d also be happy to invite you to our Experience Center for a full demonstration.