Calibrating Myth or Fact

[CanarcticPress]

I have two xerox machines a DC 260 and a DC700. I recently got a DTP - 41 and it has made calibrating so much easier. I asked my tech if it was ok to calibrate daily ( I figured this would keep my colors at the highest potential), he was responded with saying I should only do it twice a year or when there's major issues. I have also been told that I should calibrate weekly. Could anyone shed some light on this for me. Thanks

[che.c]

I calibrate off the glass, am running a DC240 and DC260. I often calibrate several times a day.

If the job's colour critical I gotta calibrate before I run it.

If it's got light tints I gotta calibrate before I run it.

If the client wants a hard copy proof and I want to stand a chance in hell of matching it when it comes back, ready to print, I gotta calibrate before the proof, then calibrate before the run.

And that's not bringing new drums bedding in into the equation.

Or the printer settling down for a run.

In short, calibrate. If you're having problems with colour, calibrate first thing every time. Then start playing around with profiles etc.

[UberTech]

Perhaps he got confused with your question. Maybe he thought you ment calibrate the tool you are using not the machine, which the twice a year thing is consistant with, although a bit long.

The machine should be calibrated atleast once a day, with a stock change, or before a proof.

[cosmo]

wow, twice a year, he must be dreaming, you should do it every day at least, its an easy thing to do and it helps maintain consistency.

[X33]

do it as many times as you want as long as you get the color consistency that you want.

once a day, once a week, once a month, once a year, or never.

Some people never do it and the color that comes out is enough to meet their expectations.

[mtiosavljevic]

it's logical to check how much diference between every daily calibrating or weekly calibrating. And on that information decide how much recalibrating you need for your device..

[Colour_Guy]

I'd recommend calibrating it everyday. It takes 25-50 sheets for colour to stabilize when you start up the machine in the morning so let it run a while before calibrating.
If you are in Yellowknife, your humidity can drop to very low levels in the winter and this will cause colour shifts so you need to manage the humidity in your shop to get consistent results.

-Xerox colour guy

[billyinlasvegas]

It all depends on how picky your end users are.

Hardware is a big issue too. When I used to have a DC40 we calibrated every few hours. This was also the case with our DC12's and DC2045 and DC2060. Then when I got a DC5000 I went down to calibrating once a day or before big runs or stock changes.

Now I'm running an iGen4 and I calibrate about once a day and my color is pretty consistent. But I've never heard of calibrating once a year, that would be nice tho'

[rick_cri]

All the components and the enviroment affects the color quality like offset process. In Offset process you must calibrate your press to get the best quallity. In this case, digital process reduces your time because in 3 minutes or less you can calibrate your system, but if you want to maintain this quality in all jobs you must calibrate each one before print .

[abccolor]

As per the Xerox/Fiery Color documentation..... page 58

Scheduling calibration
Calibrate the Fiery Color Server at least once a day, depending on the volume of print jobs.
If it is very important to maintain consistent color, or your copier is subject to wide
fluctuations in temperature or humidity, calibrate every few hours. For optimal performance,
calibrate whenever there is a noticeable change in print quality or printing results are not as
expected.
Because the copier may be less stable after a period of idleness or immediately after
maintenance, we recommend that you print approximately 50 pages before you calibrate.
If you must split a print job into two or more batches to print at different times, it is
important to calibrate before you print each batch. You should also calibrate the
Fiery Color Server after copier maintenance.
NOTE: Because printed output from the copier is very sensitive to changes in temperature and
humidity, do not install the copier near a window, in direct sunlight, or near a heater or air
conditioner. Paper is also sensitive to climate changes. Store it in a cool, dry, stable
environment, and keep reams sealed until they are used.