QuadTech, Inc - Print with flying colours

Could you describe the history of QuadTech as a company?

Craig du Mez: QuadTech was founded in 1979 and today is the world's leading innovator of advanced colour and inspection technology for the printing industry. We exist to simplify complex print processes and make printers more profitable with automated solutions for colour management, register control and defect management. Headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin, US, QuadTech has offices around the world, with over 10,000 systems installed in more than 100 countries. We also have an extensive global network of service operations and a technical support call centre that is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What are some of the 'seven colour management breakthroughs' you're introducing to the market?

Our ColorTrack software, InkWeigh and DeltaCam inline colour measurement technologies were first introduced in 2016. Since then, new features have been developed to deliver what we call our 'seven colour management breakthroughs'. For starters, our Pre-Laminate/Post- Laminate Colour Support allows users to define pre and post-laminate colour targets within the job, measure colour inline and use both targets to manage the difference on-press. Another streamlining process is the Enhanced Colour Measurement, which we achieve through strip scanning. Using a hand-held spectro, we can gather a full set of colour targets for solids, tones and substrate in a single sweep. Moreover, our Spot Colour Tone Value Calculation allows customers to conform to the new ISO 20654 standard by checking how well their Spot Colour mid-tones match their targets.

What about developments that focus on ink strength and quality?

Our ColourTrack Press-Side Recipe Correction Module lets us track ink quality and manage corrections when needed at the printing press. It also streamlines the correction process, allowing for fast, accurate colour correction at press to greatly reduce waste caused by colour problems. ColourTrack also lets press operations manage ink colour without the need for correcting ink, making it easy to accurately predict the impact an ink concentration change or anilox colour change will have on colour.

Are there any other breakthroughs that simplify the printing process?

We're able to simplify ink quality tracking via our patented Virtue Scales. This lets clients track ink consumption without the use of costly scales on each ink unit. Because it's software-based, this precise tracking solution can be retrofit to any flexo or gravure press, allowing you to standardise to a single colour management solution across any range of press types and models. Meanwhile, a complete, simplified workflow increases press productivity by 25% or more, and cuts set-up time by up to 75%. Print houses can keep records of which ink batches are used, and dramatically reduce ink inventory and storage needs.

More broadly, why should customers choose QuadTech for their printing needs, over its competition in the marketplace?

No other company offers anything close to our level of connected colour-quality workflow solutions. Our automated technology is performance proven. We are currently the only supplier of advanced press controls to offer this kind of performance, savings and increased profitability to the market.

What plans does QuadTech have for the future?

There is an enormous opportunity for printers and converters who can adopt complete, simplified workflow solutions that increase press productivity, significantly reduce colour make-ready and set-up time, and reduce ink inventory needs. This will have a huge impact on profitability by decreasing liability exposure and rebates. Printers who fail to make this a priority will have difficulty surviving against competitors who do, something that drives all the work we do. Workflow innovations may not seem as splashy as the latest featureladen smartphone, but there is some serious money to be made for printers who solve brand-owners' very costly colour quality and consistency issues, issues that we plan to focus on, now and in the future.