Details:
Summary:
The widespread and increasing adoption of soft proofing on electronic monitors over the past several years at the expense of hard proofing on paper is the natural evolution of the previous shift in the graphic arts industry towards desktop publishing. Proofs in the graphic arts workflow are intended to carry both form and content information from one location to another for various purposes including design collaboration and process sign-off. The bulk of soft proofs used to date have been for content purposes. Content-only proofs make up only one portion of proofing. In the past few years, systems have advanced to the point where the color of a soft proof can approach that of a hard proof, making soft proofs applicable to a greater proportion of proofing. In order for soft proofing to completely displace hard proofing in any given workflow, mere color duplication is only the start. The checks and balances of a hard proof workflow need to be duplicated, among other factors. This paper discusses the additional non-color considerations which must be taken into account in order to produce a successful soft proofing system.