COLOR SEPARATIONS

WASATCH EXCLUSIVE ROSETTE SCREENS

Only Wasatch Has True Precision Rosettes
Other RIP companies make vague references to their rosette capabilities, but we have yet to see one that provides the quality output available with Wasatch Precision Rosettes Screens^®. Only Wasatch SoftRIP SP gives you the tools you need to get imagesetter quality process color separations using inkjet technology.

How to tell if you really need WPRS
Wasatch Precision Rosette Screens have revolutionized the production of high–end process color separations using standard inkjet printers instead of expensive image–setters. These moiré–free sets of halftone screens produce perfect center–filled rosettes using the full printing width available on wide format digital printers. As important as this capability is for high–end process color printing, not everybody needs it. For example, it isn't really needed at all for spot color. Even for process color, some "lower end" printing may not be sensitive to the moiré problems that these screens solve.

A Simple Test
Here's a way to judge whether you need Wasatch Precision Rosette Screens, or whether your needs can be met with the PostScript screens included with the basic Wasatch SoftRIP package.

The "Failed CMK Rosette" shown above illustrates the problem that arises when process separations are slightly out of register. This problem nearly always occurs with digital halftones of less quality than Wasatch Precision Rosette Screens.

One way to test is by making separation films of a test image that really shows the problem. A good choice is an image that prints a large area of a solid light gray using all four inks. We commonly use a test pattern consisting of a 10X10 inch square with 15% each of C, M, Y, and K.

Turn off all linearizations and color configurations in your RIP, print a set of four films from this file, tape the CMK films onto a light box, and look for the failure of the CMK rosette. Use a screen of 55 lpi or 65 lpi to make it easy to see. This is not merely a "high lpi" issue—the moiré generated by failure of the CMK rosette with lower lpi screens is just as offensive. Try the same experiment at 35 lpi, or lower, to find out.

With Wasatch Precision Rosette Screens and accurately registered films, you'll see no failure at all. Instead, you'll see something resembling the 'CMK Rosette' illustration shown above.

With any lesser screening method, such as the PostScript Screens in Wasatch SoftRIP, you'll nearly always see the kind of problem illustrated in the 'Failed CMK Rosette' example.

The question as to whether you need Wasatch Precision Rosette Screens is simply the question of whether you care about this moiré.

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