Supercolor Optimizes Color Management

Heidelberg's new Acrobat plug-in ensures color fidelity in PDF documents

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will launch Supercolor, a new software tool developed by Heidelberg to analyze the colors and color spaces of PDF documents and to optimize output on different media. Supercolor extends the company's expertise and tools for color management, using Heidelberg's "Color Matching Method" (CMM), which experts praise for its excellent color management results. Supercolor is an Acrobat plug-in that can be used on both Mac and PC.

The Supercolor concept is targeted at all users in the graphic arts industry who need to process PDF documents with professional results and absolute color fidelity for output in offset printing, digital printing and Web publishing as well as for CD ROM productions. Supercolor supports ISO standard PDF/X-3, the new PDF specification optimized for print output.

Supercolor can eliminate the problems that can occur - particularly during printing - when using colors from the PDF color spaces Lab, ICCBased, DeviceN, CalRGB and DeviceRGB. Supercolor checks PDFs for all the color spaces, ICC profiles and special colors used. This provides a reliable means of identifying potential sources of error quickly. Supercolor shows all colors and color spaces used in the PDF and enables them to be processed individually:

• Graphics and images are transferred to the required output color space in accordance with a rendering intent.
• Special colors can be renamed, combined or deleted. Special colors can be converted to the process colors, either by using internal color tables or by integrating global color tables (e.g. PANTONE®, HKS).

Supercolor has even more outstanding functions. It features a whole range of different settings for overprinting/knockouts (cutouts) and individualized handling of gray values (e.g. retention of black generation). Supercolor also supports automatic color changing. For example, Supercolor will automatically change a specified RGB color into its CMYK equivalent or a spot color. This function is particularly useful when working with Microsoft Office files.

Straightforward navigation means that image- and graphic-heavy documents too can be checked and optimized quickly and reliably. Either the entire document or only individual pages can be edited. Because Supercolor used in combination with Adobe Acrobat 5.05 also supports batch processing, several PDF documents can be optimized automatically.

Supercolor is just as well suited as an independent color management software in a manual workflow as it is when used as an add-on module for post-editing in an automated workflow such as the new Prinect Printready System. For customers with the existing Meta Dimension workflows, Supercolor can further enhance it's functionality, by giving customers the choice of inrip or interactive color management. Color processing with Supercolor is also a perfect way of ensuring excellent trapping results with a downstream trapping program such as Supertrap.

Supercolor is available in most markets immediately through Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG sales companies.

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Supercolor analyzes colors and color spaces of PDF documents and optimizes output on different media.

For further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Matthias Hartung
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 77
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 46
E-mail: matthias.hartung@heidelberg.com

Supercolor features at a glance:

• Interactive color management based on user-defined rules.
• Clear presentation of actual and target status of document.
• Fast recognition of RGB, device-specific and calibrated colors.
• Conversion of RGB/CMYK graphics, images and all device-independent color spaces based on Heidelberg CMM in accordance with the rendering intent.
• Retention of black generation during CMYK-to-CMYK conversion.
• Use of DeviceN target profiles.
• Straightforward removal of embedded profiles.
• Use and extraction of PDF/X output intents.
• Embedding an output profile as a PDF/X output intent.
• Renaming and deleting of special colors.
• Conversion of special colors into process colors by incorporating global color tables.
• "Definition" of special colors, e.g. for automatic conversion of RGB colors in Office documents into CMYK.
• Special settings for overprinting/knockouts.
• Extensive ICC-profile support.
• Automatic batch processing with Adobe Acrobat 5.05.
• Contains powerful color measurement tool.
• Contains PANTONE and HKS color tables.
• Contains several standard ICC profiles for EuroOffset and SWOP.