Signlab Changes Colors

[Steve Prince]

When I render to bitmap the color changes.

Thanks for any ideas as to why?

Setings: Color management - Roland VersaWorks US
SignLab 9.1

Steve
Superfast SIgns

 

[shoresigns]

The colour changes on your screen? Or the printed colour changes?

If it changes on your screen, I would suggest opening a support ticket or bug report with SignLab so they can fix the problem.

If it changes the printed colour, it's because Versaworks processes vectors and raster separately, so you need to ensure that you're using the same settings for both. Here's a doc from Roland that explains it.
http://support.rolanddga.com/Docs/Documents/departments/Technical Services/Manuals and Guides/Color_Management_Presets_in_Roland_VersaWorks.pdf

EDIT: it could also just be that you're rasterizing something that has a spot colour in it. That could potentially change how it looks on screen and would more than likely change how it prints.

 

[OPENSignsInc.]

Been using signlab since 6.0 (8, 8.1,9) and am now using 9.1 for edge2 and 10 for our mimakis.

It's a vicious circle, but the problem probably lies in the profiles/calibration of your monitor & signlab.

Signlab uses different profiles for bitmaps (even rgb & cmyk are different) and vectors and both need to be calibrated to your monitor (you will need a calibration device like x-rite, spyder, etc.) and usually just defaults to a generic rgb profiles for both. This gets even more complicated when you try calibrating your monitor to your printer, as now you're dealing with 2 different types of light (subtractive rgb vs additive cmyk).

Another issue is that signlab still can't render cmyk/spot color vectors into cmyk bitmaps(only grayscale or up to full color rgb) nor can it edit the cmyk bitmaps either.

You'll also have to keep in mind that these values change (ever so slightly) over time as your monitor and printer wear out.

 

[heyskull]

One of the main reasons why I don't use Signlab for Printing.
The built in RIP is way to complex and expects you to tweek and make your own profiles.
Most RIPs have a generic set of profiles that will come close to printing decent matches, sadly you will spend months getting it almost right and then print one colour and it is way off.
Buy another RIP and ignore Signlabs.

SC

 

[GAPrinting]

One of the main reasons why I don't use Signlab for Printing.
The built in RIP is way to complex and expects you to tweek and make your own profiles.
Most RIPs have a generic set of profiles that will come close to printing decent matches, sadly you will spend months getting it almost right and then print one colour and it is way off.
Buy another RIP and ignore Signlabs.

SC

I am trying to work through some colour ripping issues with signlab. Are there any rip programs that signlab can send directly to? We have a free version of flexi but learned we cannot go straight from signlab to flexi pm.
Thanks,
Jon

 

[d fleming]

I am trying to work through some colour ripping issues with signlab. Are there any rip programs that signlab can send directly to? We have a free version of flexi but learned we cannot go straight from signlab to flexi pm.
Thanks,
Jon

Signlab has its own rip.

 

[Neil]

I am trying to work through some colour ripping issues with signlab. Are there any rip programs that signlab can send directly to? We have a free version of flexi but learned we cannot go straight from signlab to flexi pm.
Thanks,
Jon

Have someone build you an output .icc profile for Signlab/VPM and use that.
It's so much easier having the whole workflow within Signlab.
But you need to have it set up by someone who knows colour management, ink limits, linearization curves, rendering intents and how to create a printer profile.

Then all you need to do is adjust your max ink setting to suit different media.

 

[karst41]

With the HP Latex 500 series the SO Fiff in the rendering intent has been eliminated in Flexi Sign.
With the Older Latex Printers 260 series and Flexi 10 So Diff in the rendering intent would lay down a excellent saturation off the CMYL LcLm.
Basically building a color Pantone or otherwise, you were dialing back the numbers mores than anything Else.

Also FWIW
Pantone Color Bridge:

If you want to hit a "Formula" vs that of the CMYK you need to turn OFF Color Correction
And for building color, load in the dirt cheapest vinyl you can find. When you walk into the color
Then Load the expensive film and make final adjustments.

I like SO Diss selected in the rendering intent and use either a 12 pass or 16 pass.

Hope this Helps

 

[GAPrinting]

Signlab has its own rip.

Yes, we have been using its own rip program for a long time, but recently upgraded to an HP Latex 365, and since then the signlab RIP cannot get gradient colours right no matter what we do.

 

[GAPrinting]

Have someone build you an output .icc profile for Signlab/VPM and use that.
It's so much easier having the whole workflow within Signlab.
But you need to have it set up by someone who knows colour management, ink limits, linearization curves, rendering intents and how to create a printer profile.

Then all you need to do is adjust your max ink setting to suit different media.

I will have to see if we can find someone who can build profiles and see what they can do

 

[Milestone]

When I render to bitmap the color changes.

Thanks for any ideas as to why?

Setings: Color management - Roland VersaWorks US
SignLab 9.1

Steve
Superfast SIgns

Make sure the "Printer Proofing" mode is OFF under the "view" column

 

[Milestone]

Make sure the "Printer Proofing" mode is OFF under the "view" column

I absolutely despise that "Printer Proofing" in SignLab, everytime I start it, I always make sure to turn it off! uggghhhhhh

 

[Manning]

I've been using SignLab for 25 plus years and never once inquired about "printing proofing"... Just always have had dull colors on screen. Thanks

 

[gabagoo]

MY version 8 sometimes changes the colours, but not always. Have never really figured out why it happens, but I also run Flexi so I send files across the network and do what I need in there. It seems to like to change white backgrounds to yellow quite a bit too

 

[FrankW]

I think the main problem is a lack of understanding ICC-workflows. There are some logical reasons why colors changing when converting data to bitmaps (why do you do that?). So it is probably no bug in signlab, but a problem of settings.

 

[SignLine Norfolk]

In relation to the OP, the issue is Signlab can't render to bitmap CMYK designs and keep them in CMYK, it changes them to RGB, to create a CMYK image I use Corel instead, then take it back into Signlab.

I was just searching online to see if they had addressed this issue in Version 10 which has led me to here, so that is a no then.

I did ask Cadlink about this years ago and they said that a CMYK bitmap doesn't exist, well, it does in Corel so I can't see how that is true, so you have a lovely CMYK design, render to bitmap and it renders it to a RGB bitmap and it looks naff.

You should be able to print it in CMYK though if you don't render it to a bitmap.