ECI

The European Color Initiative (ECI) is a group of experts, working on device independent processing of color data in digital publication systems. ECI has been founded in June 1996 in Hamburg at the initiative of the publishing houses Bauer, Burda, Gruner+Jahr and Springer.

Berlin, Februar 15, 2012: ICC profiles for »Improved News Print» and »Surface Finishing« have been developed by the ECI and are available immediately for download. Click here to go directly to the download area.

Berlin/Munich/Wiesbaden, February 15, 2012: In the light of the established collaboration between the European Color Initiative (ECI), Fogra and the German Printing and Media Industries Federation (bvdm), the Fogra characterization database has been extended to three newly developed sets of characterization data.

While FOGRA48 addresses heat set printing on improved newsprint stock FOGRA49 and FOGRA50 cover standardized offset printing based on FOGRA39 with additional surface finishing namely matt and glossy laminated sheet-fed offset prints using OPP films.

Click here to read more....

Berlin, December 21, 2011:  The Technical Page 2 of the Altona Test Suite 2.0 is available for download from this website immediately. Developed during many months of hard work by ECI, bvdm, FOGRA and Ugra, the Altona Test Suite 2.0 offers a unique method to test components and systems in digital prepress and print workflows for their capability to process PDF/X-4.

The Altona Test Suite 2.0 consists of several parts. At this time, only the «Technical Page 2» is made available. The remaining parts of Altona Test Suite 2.0 will be made available in the 2nd quarter of 2012.

Click here to read more...

In April 2010, the ISO TC 130 committee met in St. Gallen. During this week a forum around printing standards and their effect on real world printing was held. Hosted by Zollikofer AG, VISCOM and VSD several European experts reported about their view on the application of printing standards in Europe.

Due to clouds of volcano ashes hovering all over Europe many people from farther away were unable to attend, so that we decided to share video recordings as well as the slide presentation files here on the ECI website.

Click here to go to the page with the video recordings and slide presentation files. [2010-05-08 / odr]

As announced earlier, the set of PSR gravure profiles has now been extended with the addition of the “SC-Plus” standard.

The complete set of documentation, recommendations for use, and characterisation data for paper types “LWC Plus”, “LWC Standard”, “SC Standard”, “SC Plus” and “News Plus” is now available for download. The documentation is now also available in French, in addition to English and German. [2010-01-19 / bsc/odr]

Media Standard Print (Edition 2010), 33 pages A4 (PDF file) is currently being prepared. Media Standard Print is the basis of a smooth co-operation between print buyer, prepress services and printer at print media production: data file formats, colour formats, printing conditions, workflows, process control tools, based on international standards such as ISO 12647. The complete series of updated standard printing conditions for offset printing to ISO 12647-2 are available in the 2010 edition, jointly elaborated and recommended by bvdm, ECI, Fogra and Ugra.

After completion and publication of another new standard printing condition for gravure printing (PSR V2 series, SC Plus paper) the Media Standard Print 2010 will be published by September 2010.

Workflow, quality assurance, digital printing, profiles and proofing - these were the topics of the 3rd Print Media Production Forum (PMPF) on October 1 and 2, 2009 in Stuttgart. Organized by the German Printing and Media Industries Federation (bvdm) and the European Color Initiative (ECI) in cooperation with University of Wuppertal and Stuttgart Media University, the conference was held in German language only.

170 participants at the two day congress and the pre-congress workshops updated their knowledge on processes, tools, standards and new methods of media production. Conclusion of the two day event: the challenges of media production still are growing. Speed, quality and innovative, compelling products require well organized workflows and tools. The Print Media Production Forum again presented new developments in a vivid way and again proved its role as a reliable technology navigator for the print and media industry. See www.pmpf.de/rueckblick.php for more information.

The new PSR V2 gravure profiles have been available for download since 25 June 2009. Now the set of profiles has been extended to include the necessary documentation, usage recommendations and characterisation data. These may be found in the download area.

Additionally, most of the presentations from the PSR Seminar held in Cologne on 25 July 2009 are now available for download in both English and German, and in some cases also French.

Some proofing system manufacturers offer colour adaptations which include optimisations which are not available in the ICC process model, such as simulation of print behaviour (noise), multiple iterations etc. These special adaptations and their support are available directly from the relevant proofing system supplier. This type of information is no longer available from this server. [bsc/odr-2009-10-14]  

German Printing and Media Industries Federation (bvdm) and European Color Initiative (ECI) are inviting to the 3rd Print Media Production Forum in Stuttgart. The Forum 2009 is held in german language only. It offers on a high level up-to-date topics around the complete print workflow from creation to print run. Comprehensive know how for the practicioner is presented at 3rd Print Media Production Forum on October 1-2 2009 in Stuttgart (Haus der Wirtschaft). The day before (September 30) workshops on PDF/X-4 are providing in-depth application information. Reduced membership fees apply for members of print- and media associations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and for members of ECI. For more information (program and registration) please see www.pmpf.de

June 25, 2009 – The presentations from the introductory seminar on the new version of the Process Standard Rotogravure (PSR V2), held in Cologne on June 25, 2009, are now available for download. Click here to go to the download area...

June 1, 2009 – For three new printing conditions, published by Fogra in June 2009, ECI offset profiles are now available. The new profiles are for LWC paper and uncoated white paper. The ECI, bvdm and Fogra recommend the immediate use of the new characterization data sets and profiles.

At the same time an updated and extended set of the ECI/bvdm Gray Control Strip is available in the download section.

Click here to read more...

May 8, 2009 – A free introductory seminar on the new version of the Process Standard Rotogravure (PSR V2) of the European Color Initiative (ECI) for gravure colour management has been arranged by the European Rotogravure Association (ERA). The seminar will take place on Thursday 25 June 2009 in Cologne. Click here to read more...

February 2, 2009 – Since 2007, the ECI Gravure Working Group has been working, under the chairmanship of Bernhard Schmidt (Prinovis Nuremberg), on the improvement of the existing standards (ECI_PSR_V1) for paper classes SC-St (super-calendered), LWC-St (lightweight coated) and LWC Plus (improved LWC paper). In the coming months more information about “PSR_.papertype_V2.icc” (PSR v2) as well as results of this project will become available. Click here to read more...

September 3/4, 2008, Wuppertal (Germany): Latest technical information around the complete print workflow

The second Print Media Production Forum (PMPF), organized by bvdm and ECI on September 3/4, 2008 at the University of Wuppertal presented latest technical topics around the complete print workflow on a high professional level using selected examples from creation to print production. The conference was held in german language only. Review the complete programme on www.pmpf.de

For four new printing conditions, published by Fogra in July 2008, ECI offset profiles are available as extension to the package “ECI_Offset_2007”.

The two profiles for heatset web offset printing on MFC paper (machine finished coating) and SNP paper (standard newsprint) are based on an extensive test print series conducted by the ECI Working Group Web Offset printing with substantial contribution from the bvdm.

For offset printing with non periodic screening, ECI added three profiles for the paper types 1 and 2 (gloss- and matte-coated) and paper type 4 (uncoated white).

The ECI, bvdm and Fogra recommend the immediate use of the new characterization data sets and profiles, as the new profiles are an extension, and do not replace any of the current valid profiles in the package “ECI_Offset_ 2007”.

Further information is provided in the section “Colour standards → Offset”. The package “ECI_Offset_2008” in the section “Downloads” contains the new profiles as well as the still valid profiles “ISO Coated v2 (ECI)”, “ISO Coated v2 300% (ECI)”, “ISO Web Coated”, “ISO Uncoated”, “ISO Uncoated yellowish” and “SC Paper (ECI)”. [2008-07-14 |::| FS]