The Chicago Tribune recently installed SeeColor Corp.’s Computer-To-Proof color halftone proofing software, and the Los Angeles Times is increasing to 12 the number of SeeColor proofing systems it is using at its three print sites.

Both newspapers are owned by Tribune Co. and purchased the SeeColor proofing solution and HP 1050C printers through Pitman Co.

USA Today has been using SeeColor’s Computer
-To-Proof with HP 1050C hardware for more 
than one year.
Photo courtesy of SeeColor

“Our software is now used by more than half of the top 15 by circulation U.S. daily newspapers,” said Ron LaForge, president of SeeColor.

The Chicago Tribune (Monday – Tuesday, 539,815; Wednesday – Friday, 676,573; Saturday, 558,466; Sunday, 1 million) selected SeeColor for its ability to assure that color hue, density and dot size are used to accurately control color match. The Tribune also selected SeeColor for its straightforward approach that is easy to use. Other newsprint proofing systems that do not control the dot size were considered, but were eliminated from consideration because of the complex way in which they tried to reproduce accurate color, said SeeColor.

“When the Chicago Tribune’s masthead blue changed recently, it was an easy process to set up the new color profile. The proofs match the new color dead-on,” LaForge said. “Our patented technology consistently provides press-accurate proofs, so long as the printers are calibrated regularly. SeeColor produces consistent repeatable color at every Chicago print site, even remote locations match press color.”

For output, Computer-To-Proof uses the post-RIPped bitmap file — the same file that is used to make the plates. SeeColor stresses that its solution provides true WYSIWYG “what you see (on the proof) is what you get (on the printed product).”

The installation at the Chicago Tribune follows on the heels of the Los Angeles Times (daily, 1.06 million; Saturday, 951,547; Sunday, 1.39 million) purchasing an additional eight proofing systems, bringing the number of systems it is using to 12. The Times is expanding its use of the SeeColor Computer-To-Proof system from its prepress area to its three print sites. SeeColor’s ColorLoop printer linearization software is used to ensure consistent, accurate proofs from printer to printer and from print site to print site.

The Los Angeles Times has been a pioneer in color proofing. In the past, the newspaper has used Iris printers for its digital proofing. Following changes in technology, it decided to develop its own International Color Consortium profiles for Hewlett Packard 2000 printers.

Last year, the Times installed its first Computer-To-Proof software and HP 1050C printers to better satisfy the needs of its advertisers. In California, many advertising agencies have also installed SeeColor proofing to better predict how their ads will appear on newsprint. A Computer-To-Proof broadsheet page proof on newsprint paper costs less than 50 cents, and is produced in about two minutes. National advertisers will be able to enjoy the benefit of seeing consistent proofs of how an ad will look in both the Times and the Tribune.

SeeColor still going strong at USA Today

USA Today has been using Computer-To-Proof at 36 sites domestically and five sites internationally for a little more than a year,

At USA Today (Monday – Thursday, 1.77 million; Friday, 2.18 million) SeeColor has brought both cost and time savings to the newspaper. Before the installation of Computer-To-Proof, USA Today was creating proofs on-press.

“[Computer-To-Proof] has certainly reduced cost inasmuch as we no longer use a press to produce proofs. We actually had a (Goss) Community press that we ran proofs on. Now that we’ve seen that go away, obviously there’s a cost savings there,” said John Yates, director of production operations at USA Today. “Aside from the cost benefits, the time now to generate the proof has allowed us to … take advertising much later in the schedule, so there’s benefits to the advertisers there.”

Bruce Dewar, vice president of advertising operations and administration, agrees that Computer-To-Proof has been a great benefit to advertisers.

“Because we have these proofers at each of our print sites, any advertiser that runs an ad in the paper is guaranteed that we’re going to have a matchable proof out at the sites when we print their ad,” Dewar said. “In that past, with a press proof, if you didn’t have your ad in by our four-day close, we wouldn’t guarantee that we would get a proof turned around and actually get something out for the press sites to match to. [Computer-To-Proof] generates a much more consistent proof than we could ever hope to generate off the press.”

In the future, USA Today sees the possibility of extending advertising deadlines even further by having networked SeeColor systems at the advertising agencies, or at least by sharing look-up tables, so the ad creators can know beforehand what the ad will look like in the paper. SeeColor introduced a new PostScript option for Computer-To-Proof at Nexpo that will help make that possible.

Not only does every USA Today advertiser get a proof, but every editorial page gets proofed as well.

“Any color page running in our paper has a proof — every day. That was not even possible before,” Yates said.

USA Today calibrates all the proofers to the same target and aims to have its 46 presses match the proof.

The Arizona Republic installs SeeColor

The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic also selected SeeColor’s Computer-To-Proof system earlier this year, and is doubling the size of its installation by ordering four more systems.

Excluding USA Today, The Arizona Republic (Monday – Friday, 482,259; Saturday, 508,025; Sunday, 599,450) is the largest of Gannett Co. Inc.’s U.S. properties.

“With our old … system, our proofs used to cost $7 each,” said Jerry Shinaut, quality assurance manager at The Republic. “We now proof every page, and with the SeeColor system, the cost is down to around 50 cents. We are saving over $100,000 a year.”

The Arizona Republic used a competing proofing system for more than a year, but in the end decided on Computer-To-Proof.

Rounding out SeeColor’s list of seven installations at top-15 newspapers are The Washington Post, the (New York) Daily News, and the Chicago Sun-Times.