Carlos Tramm
Tramm Imaging Solutions
Curacao, Antilles

Since 1985, the same year Four Lakes Colorgraphics opened its doors for business, President Fred Nelson has relied on Graphiclite color viewing products. With more than fifty people employed in a 24,000 square foot facility, Nelson is confident that everyone involved in a color separation job sees the same color. He takes no chances with the color separations produced at Four Lakes, insisting on the highest quality Graphiclite viewing systems available – signaturized viewers.

Signaturized viewers are approximately twenty times more precise than the industry stipulated standard. All of the viewers at Four Lakes are signaturized and perfectly matched to one another. From the CVS large format viewers all the way down to the smallest GLX transparency viewers, employees at Four Lakes are guaranteed the tightest tolerance viewing conditions possible -- every step of the way. Fred Nelson wouldn’t consider using anything else. "Signaturization might cost you a bit extra on the front end, but because it dramatically reduces spoilage, the savings in time and materials really adds up! Graphiclite signaturized viewers are superior quality products."

A loyal customer for nearly fifteen years, Nelson has seen the industry change significantly. As the needs of his clients change with technology, Nelson has observed that Graphiclite products have kept pace, constantly changing and improving with the times permitting Four Lakes to better serve its clients. "If you are a GTI customer, everybody wins!"

"We have enjoyed significant internal savings as a direct result of the changes we implemented based on GTI’s comprehensive lighting survey."

When Kevin Goad took on a major new account for Quad Graphics in New York City, he knew from experience that setting up a successful facilities management operation is contingent on optimum color viewing communication on-site. After a short time working at the new client location, Kevin recognized that changes in existing lighting and viewing conditions would be necessary to ensure agreement with Quad’s pre-press operations.

Quad Graphics typically uses Graphiclite color viewing and lighting equipment. Kevin suspected that simply installing Graphiclite equipment in the current environment would go a long way in improving color viewing disparities, but might not do enough to remedy the greater environmental problem.

He contacted GTI and inquired about GTI’s LiteSupport Service. GTI offers a comprehensive service program that includes measurement and analysis of lighting and viewing conditions, recommendations to bring critical areas into proper agreement, and a follow-up maintenance plan to ensure continuing compliance with the Standard. The on-site client was eager to establish a tight tolerance color viewing environment, understanding that by "tightening the window" they would reduce color viewing disparities, leading to substantial savings of time and money. GTI was contracted to evaluate the situation.

GTI's Engineer measured and analyzed the existing viewing conditions and made recommendations for a general environmental renovation. He oversaw the changes, which included painting the walls Munsell N8/ gray, installing neutral gray carpeting, and retro-fitting overhead light fixtures with Graphiclite 100 fluorescent tubes. These changes, in conjunction with the purchase of several key Graphiclite color viewing products, placed the renovated viewing facility well within the current industry Standard and in complete agreement with Quad’s on-site pre-press production!

Quad's facilities management operation now performs at a higher quality level with increased efficiency and lower operating costs. Improving color communication with standard lighting has extended those benefits to their clients as well!

Not long ago, facilities management in the graphic arts world was not that common. Today, it is a very popular route being taken by many large and successful corporations. One pre-press company that has been involved in pre-press facilities management since its inception is Applied Graphics Technologies (AGT). AGT recognized years ago that the benefits of on-site operations can significantly increase quality control, save turn-around time, and reduce expenses.

Jerry Regina is the Facilities Manager at two of AGT’s large FM sites in New York City - McGraw Hill and Columbia House. Jerry and his AGT staff work closely with employees of both companies concerning every step in the pre-press process. Jerry confirms that producing color on site "…optimizes color communication. Simply by working in the same building under the same lighting and viewing conditions, you eliminate the guesswork and the dozens of phone calls back and forth. We always view color under strict Standard D5000 viewing conditions. I consider Standard viewing a great necessity in this business. AGT demands of itself the highest quality color images possible. We simply could not accomplish that without tightly controlled 5000K lighting conditions."

Jerry trusts his color images to Graphiclite color viewing systems. At both McGraw Hill and Columbia House, Jerry installed a full line of Graphiclite products including Soft-View Intensity Adjustable Viewers, CVS Color Viewing Stations, EVS Executive Viewing Stations, and GLX Transparency Viewers. From beginning to end, a color image produced by AGT is evaluated in a Graphiclite color viewing environment. AGT and the corporations it serves send their final color scans to printers around the world, confident that they have produced the very best digital image possible.

"I’ve always been a strong believer in the importance of Standard Viewing. Ever since I started out in the industry, I noticed that all of the better printing plants utilized Graphiclite viewers. When it was time for me to equip my own business, I purchased Graphiclite systems with LiteGuard monitors. As a print broker, I have all types of clients, from small ad agencies to Fortune 500 companies. No matter what type of job I am producing, I always stress the importance of viewing color in a Standard, controlled environment. I also try to educate my clients on the importance of relamping.

Not long ago, I was working with a Fortune 500 company that had no way to accurately view color. It was frustrating, because they were always telling me colors were ‘too warm’. I encouraged them to buy a Graphiclite viewer. As soon as it was installed, my communication with them improved dramatically! There is no question that Standard viewing can save time, money and aggravation."

"Color matching in the fashion industry is very important. Color matching plays an extremely critical role in the production of a successful mail order clothing catalog. If the colors in the catalog do not match the "actual" colors of the clothing, the level of product return is very high. The "truer" the match, the lower the incidence of product return and the higher the level of customer satisfaction."

Diana Darling has been on the production side of the fashion catalog industry for over ten years. She has worked for very large and successful clothing concerns, including a well-known women’s lingerie company, which depends heavily on mail order business.

Diana has always been able to maintain a very high level of quality control in the production of her catalogs. A strong advocate for standard viewing and lighting conditions, she has equipped her entire production department with Graphiclite color viewing systems. It has been her experience that Graphiclite products consistently produce accurate viewing conditions. She has been so happy with the high quality of these products that she has encouraged her vendors to purchase Graphiclite viewing systems in order to insure the highest degree of color communication possible.

Whether she is using the full size booths or the smaller, compact units, Diana places a great deal of confidence in the system’s performance. "Feeling confident that we are evaluating color in such tightly controlled viewing environments greatly reduces the margin for error…making my job much easier!" Members of her staff have found the large Graphiclite EVS-2 color viewing booth perfect for group color critiques. The GLX transparency viewers are also very popular at Banana Republic. These tabletop units are considered an essential tool in the production department and are constantly in use.

Diana is quick to comment on the outstanding customer support she has received from both GTI and her dealer representative in New York City. Given the opportunity to make more purchasing decisions, Diana would not hesitate to choose Graphiclite products again and again!

"Years ago, before I opened my own business, I had the opportunity to use two side by side color viewers manufactured by two different companies. One of the units regularly exhibited flickering and required frequent lamp changes. The other unit, a Graphiclite viewer, was relatively problem-free, consistently producing accurate viewing conditions. When it came time to equip my own business with Standard viewing environments, I went with the proven winner…Graphiclite."

Wynn Myers is very concerned about maintaining Standard color viewing conditions. In a very competitive marketplace, Wynn recognizes that color accuracy is critical to the success of his digital imaging company. He currently uses two different Graphiclite units in his daily operations. The TRV-2 is placed right next to the computer monitor and permits his operators to make immediate side by side comparisons between color on the screen and color of the reflective copy. "I think the design of the TRV is very good. The side by side comparison provides such a concentrated field of view you can make accurate color judgments without ever leaving your computer workstation! I rate the TRV-2 TOP-NOTCH!"

Wynn is also a great believer in educating his customers about the importance of viewing color in a controlled environment. While his Graphiclite EVS-2028 is primarily used as the "final checkpoint" before he approves a color image, it has also proven to be an invaluable educational tool. There have been numerous occasions when customers have come into Digital Spectrum for a color approval and have headed for the parking lot to view their color image in "daylight". Instead, Wynn steers them to the EVS-2028 and explains to them the reasons for Standard lighting. He happily confides that one look in a controlled environment is all it takes to make a believer! He has encouraged customers to purchase their own Standard viewing systems and has consequently realized significant improvement in customer communication.

The one occasion that Wynn required technical support from GTI, he was "absolutely amazed" at the response time and professional level of service he received. Wynn has experienced the comprehensive GTI package – accurate, high quality Graphiclite products combined with dedicated and responsive sales and support. As his company grows, Wynn will continue to purchase Graphiclite products, convinced that both Digital Spectrum and its customers all share in the benefits and rewards of GTI’s outstanding reputation.