Color & Quality
Consistent color, predictable quality and less waste - from prepress to press.
Make Every Sheet Count
Maintaining consistent color across different jobs, substrates, presses and production sites can be challenging. Small variations can lead to additional press adjustments, wasted sheets, reprints and customer complaints.
ECO3 helps connect color management and print quality throughout the workflow, giving production teams greater control over the final result.
The goal isn't simply better color.
The goal is predictable production with less waste and fewer surprises.
Control Color Before It Reaches the Press
APOGEE Color Quality Manager provides end-to-end color control within the APOGEE workflow, helping manage color consistency from prepress through production.
Business outcome: More predictable color and fewer problems to correct during production.
Measure Quality Instead of Relying on Guesswork
PressTune measures spectral data and compares actual printed sheets against the target standard. Where a significant difference is detected, PressTune can generate a new calibration curve and send it to APOGEE for use in subsequent plate production.
Business outcome: Use measurable production data to identify quality differences and bring the process back toward the agreed standard.
Reduce Waste During Make-Ready
ECO3's PaperTune module intelligently places color bars on make-ready sheets, allowing those sheets to be reused up to four times rather than discarded after a single job.
Business outcome: Less paper waste and lower make-ready costs without changing the way your press team works.
Reduce Ink Without Compromising Quality
InkTune is designed to reduce ink usage while maintaining print quality, integrated into APOGEE.
Business outcome: Lower ink consumption, improved cost control and better visibility into production performance.
Improve Detail and Color Reproduction
ECO3's Sublima cross-modulated screening combines AM and FM technologies to support high screen rulings and fine detail while reducing visible dot patterns and moiré. Sublima supports commercial and packaging printing up to 340 lpi and newspaper printing up to 180 lpi.
Business outcome: Sharper detail, stronger color reproduction and consistent quality across demanding print applications.
Innovative Screening Savings
SPIR@L screening technology uses alternative shapes rather than the traditional ink dot, proven to use less ink while maintaining high print quality.
Business outcome: Lower ink consumption, cost savings, without sacrificing high quality prints.
The Challenge: Consistent Color Is Hard to Maintain
- Time-consuming press adjustments
- Excessive make-ready sheets
- Reprints caused by quality issues
- Difficulty maintaining standards across presses
- Different color requirements across production sites
- Pressure to reduce ink and material consumption
Quality Across the Workflow
A connected approach can help manage quality throughout production, not only as a final inspection step.
This creates a continuous quality loop rather than relying on the press operator to correct problems after they occur.
Why ECO3?
A job that needs to be reprinted, a press that requires excessive adjustment, or sheets that are discarded during make-ready all affect the profitability of the print operation.
ECO3 brings color management, screening, workflow automation and print-quality tools together so that quality can be managed as part of production—not treated as an isolated final check.
From APOGEE workflow automation and Color Quality Manager to InkTune, PressTune and Sublima, ECO3 provides tools that help printers improve consistency while controlling production costs.
The objective is simple:
Produce the right color and quality consistently—while using less time, ink and material to get there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is color consistency important in commercial printing?
Consistent color helps printers meet customer expectations, reduce reprints and avoid unnecessary press adjustments, waste and production delays.
How does ECO3 help manage color quality?
ECO3 provides color-management and quality tools that can be integrated into the production workflow. APOGEE Color Quality Manager supports end-to-end color control, while PressTune uses measured spectral data to compare printed output with a target standard.
Can ECO3 help reduce ink consumption?
Yes. InkTune is designed to reduce ink usage while maintaining print quality and is integrated into the APOGEE workflow. SPIR@L screening technology uses alternative shapes rather than the traditional ink dot to use less ink, less print time, and maintain high print quality.
How can printers reduce make-ready waste?
PaperTune, available within APOGEE Impose, intelligently positions color bars on make-ready sheets so they can be reused up to four times.
What is print screening and why does it matter?
Screening determines how an image is represented on the printing plate or output. Advanced screening can improve detail, color reproduction and the appearance of printed images. ECO3's Sublima technology combines AM and FM screening to improve print quality and reduce visible dot patterns and moiré.
Can ECO3 support color consistency across different print applications?
Yes. ECO3 provides workflow and color-quality technologies across commercial, packaging and newspaper production. Sublima, for example, is supported by APOGEE, Arkitex and Amfortis workflow platforms.
Can color quality be measured rather than judged visually?
Yes. PressTune uses spectral measurements to compare printed sheets with the target standard and can generate and send updated calibration information to the press when significant differences are detected.
Ready to Make Color More Predictable?
A connected approach to color management and print quality helps your team prevent problems earlier, measure what is actually happening and maintain more consistent production.