Color on press, explained. Short lessons at your own pace. Demonstrations use sample data; they are not connected to a real press.
Every dot of ink has a face. Meet the five colors of ColorLoop.
The file on the computer never changes.
What happens on the press does, all day long.
Paper, board or film each take ink their own way. A new batch can shift the color.
Paper, board and film differ in how much ink they absorb, how smooth they are and how white they are. On coated paper, dots stay sharp. On uncoated paper, ink soaks in and dots spread, so the same file prints darker. Even two batches of the same stock can differ. That is why color is measured on the real material, not on the screen.
Too much ink and the dots swell. Too little and they fade.
Each printing unit lays down a very thin film of ink. A thicker film makes colors stronger and dots bigger; a thinner one washes them out. On offset, the balance between ink and water also moves during the run. Operators bring the color back by adjusting ink, zone by zone across the sheet.
Heat, speed and wear change how ink reaches the page.
As a press runs, rollers warm up, speed changes and parts wear. All of it changes how much ink reaches the sheet. A press that is right in the morning can drift by noon. That is why color is checked during the whole run, not only at the start.
The light and the person change how color is judged. Measurement gives the team a shared target.
Color is often judged by eye, under the light of the pressroom, and every eye sees a little differently. A scanner or spectrophotometer turns color into numbers, so every operator, on every shift, works to the same target.
Print. Measure. Adjust. Print again.
Every sheet before the color is right uses paper, ink and press time.
ColorLoop keeps the settings your operators validated for each combination of paper, ink and printing unit. Those settings help refine the next preset.
During the run, each measurement informs the next correction. Your operator can lock a key, adjust the response or take over.
Explore the animated presetPlate coverage and validated settings inform the first ink-key positions.
ColorLoop calculates the ink-zone corrections and sends them to the press console.
Retain the settings for the paper, ink and printing unit, ready to inform future presets.
A workflow explanation, not a measured performance comparison. Compatibility and configuration are reviewed for your press.
No retyping at every handover.
Explore how ColorConnect and ColorLoop
work together, step by step.
ColorConnect prepares the job. Prepress files become a color preview, plate information and ink coverage. The job is ready to schedule and send to the press.
One action, two things ready. ColorLoop sends the preset to the press console and creates the job in your measurement system. No duplicate entry.
Corrections go back to the console. ColorLoop compares each ink zone with its target and sends the correction. The operator can lock a key, tune the response or stop automation.
A run you can understand and review. ColorLoop records measurement history and a quality grade. ColorConnect brings that information back to the print shop.
Start with the way you print.
We’ll work from your press, your substrates
and your measurement equipment.
ColorLoop uses your plate coverage, paper and ink to calculate the first settings. Then every measured sheet informs the next correction.
Tell us about your flexo presses, inks, substrates and color targets. We’ll explore how a connected workflow could fit your production.
The anilox meters the ink. The raised plate carries the image. The substrate receives it, then moves on to the next color.
In flexo, the anilox’s cells meter ink onto the raised areas of the plate.
The plate transfers the image to the substrate. Drying prepares it for the next printing unit.
Process footage for illustration. Flexo scope and equipment connections are reviewed for each project.
A measurement becomes an adjustment at the press console. Repeat the loop as the run progresses.
Each measured sheet is compared with the target, patch by patch.
Illustration · sample valuesColorLoop calculates a correction for each ink zone. The operator keeps control.
Illustration · sample valuesPreset accuracy. Convergence. Stability. Speed. Makeready.
Explore three sample jobs to see what sits behind a quality grade.
Job quality score
Five criteria. One view of the run.
Ink keys were right from the first sheet.
In tolerance after 40 sheets.
Stayed in tolerance for the whole run.
Ran at 15,000 sheets an hour.
12 minutes from first sheet to production.
The score is saved with every sheet and sent to ColorConnect.
Illustrative jobs and scores, not customer results
Measurement history and job scores help your team review production and share the result through ColorConnect.
Open a browser. Find the job.
See what is happening.
Keep everyone working from the same information.
Your connected pressroom
Press 1
In production Needs attention14,200sheets/h
6,480good sheets
Press 2
In production Needs attention12,800sheets/h
4,120good sheets
Press 3
Makeready Needs attention4,000sheets/h
0good sheets
Press 4
In production Needs attention15,000sheets/h
9,870good sheets
Press 5
Stopped Needs attention0sheets/h
3,200good sheets
Press 6
In production Needs attention11,600sheets/h
2,210good sheets
Simulated workshop · sample values
Color previews, plates, ink coverage and scheduling, brought together from your prepress files.
Explore a live workshop view for connected presses, with production status, color quality and alerts.
Status, speed, output and color quality, together in the workshop view above.
Explore a secure customer portal for job progress, quality information and available product documents.
Production files and customer data stay in your print shop, on your own Windows workstation or server.
No desktop installation for portal users. ColorConnect is available in 8 languages.
Start with job preparation. Explore performance, analytics and compliance modules as your needs grow.
Available modules depend on your license and configuration. We’ll confirm the scope and availability for your workshop during a demonstration.
Explore reporting modules with the team. Availability, required source data and supported outputs must be confirmed for your configuration.
ColorConnect
Digital Product Passport
Waiting for the job
Illustrative workflow. Modules and source-data requirements depend on your configuration.
Bring material, ink and recyclability information together to support packaging assessments.
Explore digital product records and QR access to composition and traceability information.
Prepare structured material declarations by production site for supported reporting formats.
Modules, required source data and applicable obligations are reviewed for your use case. Product documents support your process; they do not replace a regulatory assessment.
About the EU packaging regulationColorConnect keeps production data on your premises, with user roles and two-factor authentication. For your digital equipment, the CRA is a separate conversation worth having.
For actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe security incidents.
The regulation’s main requirements become applicable.
Is your press ready for ColorLoop? Send four photos of your console from your phone. It is free, takes about two minutes and commits you to nothing.
On your phone, at the press.
Click or scan to start your check.The whole console, inside its cabinet, the ink-key count, the machine plate.
Rutherford tells you within one business day whether your press is ready.
Then order your ColorLoop. Available worldwide. Compatible consoles include Heidelberg, Komori, Koenig & Bauer, Manroland, Mitsubishi, Ryobi, Goss and Presstek. Questions? contact@rutherford.fr
