This article covers Transitions, the first calibration step in the EasyMedia Wizard. This step optimizes the blending of light and dark inks to ensure smooth tonal transitions.
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This optional process is only required when using light inks, such as light cyan, light magenta, or light black.
After setting up your project in EasyMedia, you can choose how to begin the transition process.
Choose how to get started
Create new transition curves
Run Wizard (Print, Measure, and Build a target)
If you choose to print and measure a target, follow these steps:
- First, select your spectrophotometer device.
- Choose the targets to measure. For more details, please refer to your device technote.
- Click "Next".
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The next interface allows you to configure the target print settings, such as loading, quality, and scale.
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You can also configure advanced printing settings using the Printer and Media buttons (as in the Print Module > Printer and Media tabs).
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Below, you can set "Ink Clipping" values globally and for each ink.
Good to know
The "Ink Clipping" option helps prevent unwanted bleed before printing a test pattern, functioning similarly in transitions, linear applications, and ink limits. This option is particularly useful if you know that you cannot deposit a large amount of ink on your media. By setting a smaller global ink limit, you can effectively avoid dirtying your printer.
- Click "Print".
- Once printing is finished, click "Next"
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In the measurement interface, click the "Setup..." button. This opens a separate window.
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The available setup options and the measurement process depend on the spectrophotometer model being used. For more details, please refer to the corresponding technote. If no technote is available, you can refer to the example of a Barbieri spectrophotometer setup.
- Click "OK" to apply changes, if any, and close the window.
- Click "Start" to begin the measurement.
- Once the measurement is complete, click "Next".
Load or import an existing measurement file
As the name suggests, "Load an existing measurement file" allows you to load a measurement file from different sources:
- Load the last measurement file
- Load a file in the project's directory
- Load another file
- Import from the current transition file (.ppi files)
Create from scratch
If you choose to create new transition curves from scratch, the module takes you directly to the transition curve editor, where you can review the transition values as a graph or as numeric values and adjust them manually.
Edit or check the current transition curves
The "Edit or check current linearization" option is available only if the project already includes a transition setup.
In this case, the options below (Run wizard, Load a measurement file, or Create from scratch) are not available because you can only review or edit the curve values for the existing transition.
Verify Transition Curves
Once the measurements for the light and dark ink targets are complete, the interface displays a two-dimensional graph showing the measured values against the ink percentage. You can choose to display the graph using either spectral density or Hue (ab):
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Manual intervention is generally not required at this step. This step is mainly intended for reviewing the measured values.
Separate curves are displayed for light and dark inks, reflecting differences in density. Navigation buttons, "Next" and "Previous", allow you to view light or dark ink curves.
- Vertical Axis (Y): Represents spectral density, expressed as a percentage.
- Horizontal Axis (X): Represents ink percentage, expressed as a percentage.
- In this view, the spider graph displays the hue of primary colors.
- Light inks such as Light Cyan or Light Magenta are included in the corresponding Cyan and Magenta channels.
- Lab / Lch values: When moving the mouse over the curve, the corresponding measured values for the selected point are displayed on the left side of the interface. These values can be shown in either Lab or Lch format.
- Display dark/light curves: Shows or hides the dark/light ink curves in the graph. This can help you focus on the transition behavior of the dark/light inks when reviewing the curve.
- Ink channel buttons: On the right side of the interface, one button is available for each ink channel. Clicking one of these buttons filters the display so that only the selected color is shown. The "All" button restores the full display and shows all color curves again.
- Ctrl Pts (Control points): Enable this option if you want to display the control points on the graph. These points correspond to the measured values from the printed target used to build the curve. For example, a standard target with 21 patches results in 21 data points.
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Pmax / Dmax: These fields allow you to adjust the target values for each ink channel. One field is available for each color, with values ranging from 0.0 to 100.0:
- Pmax: Indicates the maximum ink percentage on the horizontal axis.
- Dmax: Indicates the maximum spectral density on the vertical axis.
Review Transition Ratios
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This area is intended for verification and adjustment of the transition ratios before proceeding to manual curve editing.
Clicking the "Next" button displays the transition curve verification screen:
- Display: Use the radio buttons at the top of the interface to choose the graph view: Light/Dark, Dark/Light, Ratios.
- Use: The “Use” drop-down menu lets you choose which value is used to display and evaluate the transition graph: Projection, DeltaE, or L (Lab). This helps you assess the transition from different perspectives, such as curve continuity, color difference, or lightness progression.
- Ink channel buttons: On the right side of the interface, one button is available for each ink channel. Clicking one of these buttons filters the display so that only the selected color is shown. The "All" button restores the full display and shows all available curves again.
- Ratio (%): These fields allow you to define the dark/light ratio for each ink channel. One field is available for each color, with values ranging from 100 to 700.
- Auto button: Restores the automatically calculated ratio values and cancels any manual changes made to these fields.
Edit Transition Curve
Clicking the "Next" button will show the following transition curve:
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You can adjust the transition curve values manually, either by moving the points in the graph view or by changing the numeric values in the numbers view, to minimize the overlap between light and dark ink application.
- Graph: Displays the distribution of light and dark inks according to density. You can adjust the transition curve values manually by moving the points in the graph to reduce the overlap between light and dark ink application.
- Ink channel buttons: On the right side of the interface, one button is available for each ink channel. Clicking one of these buttons filters the display so that only the selected color is shown. The "All" button restores the full display and shows all available curves again.
- Preview bar: Displays a visual preview of the transition result based on the current curve settings. This helps you evaluate how changes to the transition curve may affect the appearance of graininess and the distribution between light and dark inks (see Tips and Tricks).
- Number fields: You can adjust the transition curve values manually by changing the numeric values to reduce the overlap between light and dark ink application. In this example, the light ink is used up to a density of 36%, while the dark ink starts to be used from 6%.
- Make equal settings for all inks: Enable this checkbox to apply the same transition settings to all ink channels. This can be useful when you want to keep consistent transition behavior across all light/dark ink pairs.
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Light Ink Replacement in High Densities: This area optimizes color management by applying Gray Component Replacement (GCR) or compensation for light inks. You can select one of the options (None, Weak, Normal, Strong, or Custom) to adjust ink usage during color transitions in high-density areas.
For example, by selecting the "Strong" option, you can significantly reduce light ink application in darker regions, effectively minimizing the risk of over-inking and enhancing print quality, while the other options allow for varying degrees of light ink usage.Info
Recent advancements in printing technology have improved ink efficiency, making stronger compensation options more effective for achieving the best results. Therefore, when using the "Light Ink Replacement in High Densities," it is important to choose the right compensation level based on your printer and printing needs. Experienced operators may need to conduct some testing to find the optimal setting.
Tips and Tricks
- You might be interested in consulting: Technical knowledge > Technical glossary > Color Management.
- The software automatically applies a limitation to the dark inks, clipping them at 95% by default. This provides a margin for subsequent linearization adjustments.
- The software also automatically determines an appropriate limitation for light inks. These values are displayed within the interface.
- Check graininess in light tones to help determine the most appropriate transition point between light and dark inks:
Next Step
Once you have finished checking and/or modifying the transition values, click "Next."
The module will ask if you want to test the settings you just adjusted. If you choose to do so, the printing/measurement settings will appear again.
After printing, the wizard will ask if the test results were satisfactory. If so, you can proceed to linearization.