The
graphic arts industry has more than one set of quality guidelines for various
types of products and processes. Guidelines are specific about topics including
screen ruling, ink density, dot gain and so forth.
In North America, there are some common guidelines and organizations used by
printers:
SNAP
The full name of SNAP is Specifications for Non-Heatset Advertising Printing.
This report includes pigmentation standards for process inks, recommended
ink film densities, screen rulings, stock brightness, opacity and hue standards,
type reverses and proofing standards for non-heatset applications such as
newsprint and insert printing.
SWOP
SWOP's (Specifications for Web Offset Publications) goal is to improve the
quality of printing and the communication between print buyer and printer
through specifications and tolerances. SWOP provides specifications for advertising
and editorial input to publication printers. When specifications are followed,
all input received by printers can be reproduced as intended and desired by
the advertiser/publisher with minimal difficulty. Quality should be measurable
and verifiable at each step in the process of reproduction, which allows everyone
in the imaging chain to monitor and improve performance by statistical methods.
If you want to have more information about SWOP, try to visit:
www.swop.org/specifications.html
CGATS
CGATS was formed in 1987 following a year-long assessment of the need for
an umbrella standards committee by the Image Technology Standards Board (ITSB)
of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and received ANSI accreditation
in 1989. The goal of CGATS is to have the entire scope of printing, publishing
and converting technologies represented in one national standardization and
coordination effort, while respecting the established activities of existing
accredited standards committees and industry standards developers.
If you want to have more information about CGATS, try to visit:
www.npes.org/standards/cgats.html
GRACOL
The full name of GRACOL is long - General Requirements for Applications in
Commercial Offset Lithography. The purpose for GRACOL has always been to establish
better communication within the Graphic Arts. With the support of the industry
in the surge for common practices and standardization, GRACOL's mission to
provide the foundations for excellence can only be fulfilled before a wider
audience.
If you want to know more about GRACOL, try to visit:
www.gracol.com/index.html
