The Ghent Output Suite

Didier HaazenChair Compliancy Testing SC

Problem

• You can have all this fancy, shiny, good looking PDF’s & PDF-standards

• But what does it help if they’re not rendered properly by your workflow-system or RIP

Goal

• Need for a easy to use, vendor independent set of files (test patches) to check PDF-workflows and RIP’s

A historical overview

• 2001: Global Graphics PDF/X overprint patch− Nice , but limited− Only covers certain types of overprint− Delivered as an EPS to be placed in a

layout application and then exported as PDF/X-file

A historical overview

• 2002-2004: Altona Test Suite (Technical page)

− The other side of the coin…− Interpretation most of the times up to

vendors to figure out the result• Beyond knowledge and capacity of most regular

users

A historical overview

• 2006: Ghent Output Suite− What if we take best of both worlds

• Nice, real live situations -> e.g. cases that can be created with regular layout and PDF creation tools

• Combined into tiny, ‘little’ test patches that can be used to test almost any kind of workflow step or output form: page layout, page assembly (imposition), RIP’ping for proofing, platemaking, digital printing, Gravure!

• Result, Ghent Output Suite v1, dd. Feb. 2006

The Ghent Output Suite (v3)

• Areas that are covered− Overprinting− Fonts− Font substitution− Gradients− PDF/X Output Intents− DeviceN colors− Spot to CMYK conversions− Default CMYK color spaces− White knockout / overprinting− Rendering Intents (CM)

The Ghent Output Suite (v3)

• Patches - basics− One file per issue− Always visual comparison− Created with real live layout tools and

PDF software− Important: PDF/X-compliancy

• No shiny fancy tricks or new features • All regular PDF/X-3 and PDF/X-1a content

(overprint, fonts, gradients, DeviceN)

The Ghent Output Suite (v3)

• Patches - Interpretation− The “X” approach

Visual comparison with reference image (rendered object)

Some real examples

Some real examples

Some real examples

Some real examples

Some real examples

Some real examples

• And the moment you think, this will never happen to us…

To come (GOS v4)

• Transparency Blend Space patches

To come (GOS v4)

• Transparency Blend Space patches

To come (GOS v4)

• Flattened Object Rendering precision

To come (GOS v4)

• Patches for− 16 bits images− JPEG2000 compression− Optional Content (PDF layers)− Etc.

To come (GOS v4)

• Reminder− These are only test patch proposals, no

final decisions have been made yet

To come (GOS v4)

• Stay informed− http://www.gwg.org/future_specifications

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Thank you

Questions?