The tests were conducted in October under the supervision of faculty and students at the University’s prestigious Department of Printing and Media Technology, using the demanding Altona test suite for both measurement-based and visual evaluations.
The Wuppertal tests were especially meaningful because system vendors had no direct influence on the outcome. Each vendor was asked to submit names of customers using their systems but, unlike previous competitions, did not supply color specialists or other direct assistance to achieve favorable results. Wuppertal students went to each of the sites, to supply the test files, supervise test conditions, and collect the output for expert evaluation.
All test output was created under real-world production conditions and time constraints, by actual end users skilled in using their respective systems.
The measurement and visual evaluations were also blind in nature. Judges were not given any indication of the 14 systems’ product or manufacturer names.
Results
The only system to receive a “Very Good” rating from the judges was ORIS Color Tuner, using Epson 4000 output on CGS proofing media. The entry, submitted by d and d digital data repro GmbH, of Oeynhausen, Germany, was given an overall rating of 8.2 out of a possible 10 for measured accuracy.
As the judges noted, “The best system is that of d and d digital data repro GmbH, with an average delta-E of 1.1” The same company was also rated first in the visual evaluation, with a score of 7.55 out of 10. Another ORIS Color Tuner system, using an Epson 7600, at Repro Schmitz Kommunikationen-Service AG in Cologne, Germany, won third place in the measured color test with a score of 7.3 out of 10
