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                                                                      NEWS RELEASE


For Immediate Release

G7 Media Contact:
Dianne Kennedy
dkennedy@idealliance.org
630-941-8197


              GRACoL® Launches G7TM Press Pre-Qualification Project
                                    G7 Works When the Press Works!

Alexandria, VA, March, 20, 2008. IDEAlliance today announced that its GRACoL Committee is launching a
new activity to assist printers in qualifying their presses for G7 Calibration. The new G7 press pre-qualification
toolkit will provide guidelines and tools to help printers access the readiness of their press to undergo G7
calibration.


Background
After nearly two years of on-press G7-calibration experience on over 200 presses worldwide, the GRACoL
Committee has learned some critical lessons. The first lesson was that G7 alone is not enough. Good printing
techniques must be practiced on a daily basis if the true benefit of G7 is to be realized. The second lesson is that
a stable, well-maintained press is critical to the success of the G7 calibration process. According to Gerry Gerlach,
Integrity Graphics and Chair of the GRACoL Committee, "While most printers keep their presses well maintained,
the truth is that some printers do not. When a G7 calibration is attempted on a press that is not stable and well
maintained, the exercise quickly runs into significant difficulties. A requirement to assess press performance prior
to a G7 calibration comes from industry professionals who assist printers to achieve G7 calibrations on a daily
basis. It is a significant concern and a disappointment for a printer to attempt G7 calibration without success. We
hope that our new G7 press pre-qualification project will address this issue."


The GRACoL Press Operator's Guide Project
During the summer of 2007, the GRACoL Committee worked to address the first consideration by developing the
Press Operator's Guide to Color and G7. GRACol members joined other industry associations to complete this
project to provide guidance to the pressman so that G7 techniques can be used along with process controls
defined in ISO 12647-2 on a daily basis. The goal of the Press Operator's Guide initiative was to identify current
pressroom best practices and specify a new set of best practices to implement G7 techniques press side.
According to Dianne Kennedy, the IDEAlliance GRACoL Program Director, "The experience of our printer and
press manufacturer members shows that G7 techniques are not incompatible or in competition with the best
practices defined by ISO 12647-2 and widely implemented around the world. By documenting these best practices
along with additional G7 best practices for the press room, IDEAlliance hopes to provide a much needed bridge
between G7 and ISO 12647-2 process controls so that pressmen can reap the benefits of both sets of process
controls being used in tandem." The Press Operator's Guide to Color and G7 can be downloaded from
www.gracol.org.

G7 Press Pre-Qualification Project
The IDEAlliance GRACoL Committee is now launching a new activity to address the second item of concern--the
readiness of a press for G7 calibration. Experience has shown that G7 calibration is not possible if the press
cannot reach and maintain gray balance and exhibit a stable printing condition. The committee's new project is to
develop guidelines and tools to assist printers in pre-qualifying their press prior to attempting calibration to G7.
The G7 pre-qualification toolkit will consist of easy to follow steps that will help printers audit press performance
and provide the printer with a G7 readiness assessment. If the press achieves a favorable rating, the printer is
ready to proceed with G7 calibration. However if faults are discovered, the printer will be advised to seek
professional assistance to tune the press before proceeding with the calibration. Anyone who is interested in
participation should contact Dianne Kennedy.
Jeff Collins, Quality Control and Color Manager, Print Fulfillment Services, and co-chair of the GRACoL Committee
will be leading the press pre-qualification activity. According to Collins, "I am excited to help provide new tools to
printers that will not only ensure they can successfully calibrate their presses to G7, but also quickly diagnose
problems that may go undiscovered and silently compromise the quality and efficiency of the printer."

About G7TM
G7 is an IDEAlliance specification that outlines methods to calibrate proofing systems and presses based on
principles of digital imaging, spectrophotometry, and computer-to-plate (CtP) technologies. The goal of G7 is to
simplify calibration and help printers reliably achieve a close "visual match" from proof to press and from press to
press. G7 is intended to be in compliance with the ISO 12647 Standards and has incorporated aim values from
ISO 12647 into their process. G7 is unique, however, in that it breaks from tradition by focusing on colorimetric
data for gray balance in the mid-tones, image contrast and image weight in a precise and 100% colorimetric
manner rather than relying totally on densitometric aims, i.e. dot gain, for each color which alone does not define
vital visual metrics of an image. With G7, widely different printing processes can share not only common gray
balance, but also common tonal contrast and image weight, regardless of paper type, ink quantity, screening type
or imaging technology. This "shared appearance" concept offers a significant new default compatibility benefit
when exchanging files between different imaging systems. G7 is currently being applied to many types of printing
including commercial and publication printing, newsprint and even flexo and gravure. G7 is the trademark and
intellectual property of IDEAlliance.

Note: Although G7 was developed by the efforts of the GRACoL Committee, it should not be confused with
GRACoL. G7 is a trademark of IDEAlliance. Learn more at http://www.gracol.org.

About GRACoL®

In 1996, a graphics arts task force was formed by the Graphic Communications Association (now IDEAlliance) to
develop a document containing general guidelines and recommendations that could be used as a reference source
across the industry for quality color printing. Since that time, the GRACoL Committee has developed, maintained
and published printing guidelines that have since become de facto standards on many pressrooms. The mission of
GRACoL is to improve communications and education in the graphic arts by developing best practices and
specifications that reflect the influence and impact of new technologies in the workflow of commercial offset
lithography. GRACoL is a registered trademark of IDEAlliance. Learn more at http://www.gracol.org.

About IDEAlliance
IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization that has been a
leader in information technology and publishing since 1966. IDEAlliance advances core technology to develop
standards and best practices to enhance efficiency and speed information all facets of publishing ­ creation,
production, management, and delivery of knowledge-based content ­ digitally and in print. IDEAlliance members
represent a unique convergence of the leading brand owners, agencies, publishers, printers, materials suppliers
and solution providers. IDEAlliance provides a user-driven, cross-industry, and open environment in which its
members can strategize, innovate, standardize, and implement solutions to real business challenges in publishing.
GRACoL, SWOP, and G7 are all specifications developed by IDEAlliance working groups and committees. See
http://www.idealliance.org for more information.

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