While Ugra administered the PSO / ISO certification, the process was not new to Christinger, this was the first time the company had attempted it on its HP Scitex TJ8350 Industrial Press. Certification lasts for two years and its achievement indicates that results on the certified device are comparable to offset lithography and repeatable. “The process is a comprehensive and time-consuming one and we felt that if we were to make it successful we should engage our key suppliers,” said Karlheinz Kaiser, CEO, Christinger Partner AG. “So, with HP, and colour management software supplier, GMG, we began working through the process.”

GMG supported the certification process at Christinger Partner with its colour management consulting services. “Our main target is to increase and leverage the transfer of technical know-how about our products and technology towards the customer,” explains Steffen Raeuchle, product manager at GMG. “Christinger Partner benefits from intensive training on our key colour management solution, GMG ColorServer/SmartProfiler, to really get the most from its HP Scitex TJ8350.”

The importance of the PSO / ISO certification to Christinger is significant as it affects many aspects of the business. “It is not unusual for us to have parallel production of jobs,” Karlheinz Kaiser explained. “Being Switzerland, these are often divided along language lines: we do the longer runs on litho presses and the shorter ones digitally. Since these are large graphics, for example with City Lights displays and backlits, they should look the same. Also, printed products should look the same from the large public displays to store graphics, posters, point-of-sale materials etc. This way, they are consistent.”

There can be time-saving benefits for customers as well as for Christinger. Indeed, such is the level of confidence in Christinger’s ability to guarantee and achieve a 100 per cent faithful colour reproduction from supplied artwork, that the company now prints 90 per cent of files without an approved final proof from the customer. These previously had to often be delivered via courier or express service. Once Christinger receives the artwork, an in-house produced PSO/ISO reference proof is used to check the final colour results on press. “With the certified PSO / ISO processes in place, the colour data is standard and the presses calibrated, therefore the results are assured,” Karlheinz Kaiser continued. The result is independent of who prepared the file or operated the press.”

Following the award of the certification, Christinger ran workshops for the whole company with GMG, telling them about the PSO certification and what it meant. Erwin Widmer, general manager, Ugra, said, “The Ugra PSO certification helps to transport the customer’s requirements through the whole company in a crystal clear – and automated – fashion and leads to better quality and higher satisfaction.”

(Photo: Mr Luzi Bytyqi (chief turbojet operator) and Mr Oliver Schmitter (color management specialist and project manager for the PSO / ISO certifications), Christinger)