ORIS Certified Proof is easy to set up and run, making it an efficient component of your overall QA process. This overview will demonstrate the simplicity of the Certified Proof workflow. Your ORIS reseller is also fully trained and able to integrate ORIS Certified Proof into your overall printing and proofing operations.
 

(Note that this dialog is also available in a simplified form, showing only the control elements needed for day-to-day operations. These include basic job data, the target and actual color bars, Delta-E tolerances and, of course, the buttons for starting and resetting measurement, and printing the certified label.)

The basic setup process is required only during initial installation, or when global conditions, such as the target color space, or the physical conditions of proofing or printing, are modified. Setup consists of creating a list of available proof printers and operators, configuring the Dymo label printer, and selecting the measuring device.

Another critical step, selecting the print target, defines the accepted print standard, its target Lab values and allowable tolerances. In general, this is done only once for each general print condition, and is usually based on industry norms, such as SWOP, FOGRA, GRACoL and others. (Click here for a complete list.) Customized print targets may be created and used, if the company standard deviates significantly from industry specifications. Finally, before measurement begins, define the tolerances your company requires for paper whiteness, average Delta-E variation, and maximum allowable Delta-E variation.

The measurement process consists of two steps: white point calibration and the actual measurement of the target. Simply click on the green arrow button to begin, and place the measuring device on a blank, white area of the proof. After the software automatically calculates the white point, measure the color bar itself. (A plastic guide, available for most handheld measuring devices, is highly recommended.) The software will either display a green check mark icon, signifying that all measurements are within the tolerance limits, or a red warning icon, signifying that the proof is outside the tolerance limits.

If the proof has passed, simply print the label and affix it to the proof. In the majority of cases in a controlled proofing environment, this is the final step, documenting the proof’s compliance, and building customer confidence in the entire process.

If the proof fails, however, ORIS Certified Proof offers several ways to discover the nature of the problem and, in many cases, to detect overall trends that might adversely affect your business.

The first indication of a problem is the color bar display in the software itself. If a particular test patch is outside the specified tolerances, it is marked with a red underline in the main dialog box. Holding the cursor over an individual patch also reveals the Lab values.

More detailed analysis is available in the detailed report feature, which shows all the test patches, their standard value, measured value, numeric variation and, significantly, visual cues identifying the problem colors and the severity of the variation. The detailed report, which can be printed or saved as a PDF file, also includes a visual representation of the target color gamut, superimposed with the actual proof color gamut. (For a sample PDF of such a report, click here.)
 

ORIS Certified Proof allows the user to analyze the accuracy of specific proofing devices, operators or job-related conditions. Measured behavior is visually graphed, as are the tolerance levels (dotted lines in the above screen) set by the user. By isolating relevant variables, the software provides a visual overview of trends, such as possible print head failure, use of incorrect media and other potentially costly errors.

In addition to ORIS Certified Proof’s built-in trend analysis, the data can be exported for use in Excel, or any quantitative or statistical analysis application.