SMART DESIGN

42 | L&L
color has changed, not what is supposed
to change. It cannot compensate for ink
and substrate variances.
Flexography has come a long way
through process improvements and
advanced technology to better allow print
to hit G7 requirements. This is important
as the market is seeing increased
demand by brand owners to match offset
printed products to flexographic printed
products on the store shelf. The steps to
achieve G7 calibration are as follows:
• Ensure inks hold to ISO standards
• Print a P2P (Press to Proof) to target
conditions
• Evaluate print samples to match 50,
40, 40 CMY (as defined by ISO)
• Generate plate output curves to NPDC
• Print another P2P and production run
to verify print conditions
The key challenges to keep in mind
are matching inks with ISO standards,
and handling substrate variation. As all
materials vary there will be different white
points, and inkjet proofers will need to
effectively simulate correct colors over the
variety of media options. Also, Hammer
has found issues in matching gray
balance in offset print to HP Indigo output.
Iovoli says, ‘Now this is something of
a closed-loop proofing system. It’s very
exciting to have color verification on
press for acute definitions which brands
like Coca-Cola demand. This greatly
benefits us in cost of pre-press and in the
consistency we’re able to provide
our clients.
‘Right now we do not have all of our
customers on board and we’re limited
to utilizing G7 to new work because we
have to have the file designed to meet
our press conditions. Nonetheless, we
are optimistic about the system and the
benefits we’ll find moving forward.’
G7 MASTER
Hammer has tasked three associates
to achieve and maintain G7 certification
– one pre-press, flexo and offset
professional. The converter has invested
in a new Epson X900 series proofing
system with on-board X-rite spectrophotometer
to achieve more accurate
measurement and certification of proofs.
Never one to rest on its achievements,
Hammer’s next step is to move into ‘G7
Extreme’ by applying the G7 gray balance
methodology to expanded gamut printing
incorporating the colors orange, green
and violet (OGV).
G7 is truly a revolutionary method
to meet print buyer requirements and
offers assurance that the final color
quality of the printed media is true to
the creative intention, and is delivered
at a competitive cost. As the trend
for shorter-runs and frequent design
changeovers continues across package
printing, the industry can expect to see
a shift towards this grayscale process
of achieving consistent visual color
matching.
100 YEARS: STICK WITH
WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT
Hammer Packaging celebrates 100 years of
business in 2012. A supplier to many Fortune
Top 50 businesses and the world’s most
recognized brands, the company was founded
in 1912 as Genesee Valley Lithographic
to service the agricultural business in the
Rochester, New York area. Today, Hammer
Packaging is led by president and CEO James
E. Hammer, the maternal great grandson of
founder Herman J. Meyering.
Operations have grown into two facilities
totaling 360,000 sq ft for offset and
flexographic printing and warehousing. It
leads the market in technology adoption,
purchasing the latest from the likes of
Heidelberg and KBA by regularly investing
back into the business. Its edge comes too
from early adoption of standards. Hammer
Packaging has been ISO 9001:2000
registered since 1997, and implements
HACCP guidelines for product safety along
with its most recent achievement of G7
certification for visual print consistency.
The label and package printing converter is
consistently climbing the ranks of the leading
printers in North America by sales volume
according to the Printing Impressions 400
listing and is listed in the 2011 Rochester Top
100 privately held companies in the region.
For a century Hammer Packaging has evolved
and prospered by sticking with what it knows,
and it will continue to focus on quality and
innovation in the years to come.