Vital questions you need to ask
press manufacturers pre-purchase

Buying a new digital press isn’t just a purchase; it’s a strategic move that can drive growth. Speed, throughput, ease of use, color accuracy, print quality, and cost all matter. But color is where your press truly proves its value. Exceptional color builds customer loyalty and gives you a competitive advantage.

In today’s print environments, where owners face skilled labor shortages and increasing production demands, it’s essential to evaluate how easily you can:

  • Create precise custom color and media profiles.
  • Maintain consistent, accurate color day after day, job after job.
  • Automate repetitive tasks, allowing print operators to focus on higher-value work.

Color automation loves inline measurement instruments

The good news? The latest digital press technology now has measurement instruments built in. This means no more stopping presses to take handheld measurements to check or correct color quality. No more waiting for a print operator with the training to operate a handheld spectrophotometer. Inline instruments automatically measure color and provide real-time feedback, eliminating manual, time-consuming tasks.

But achieving true color automation takes more than just measurement hardware; it requires the right digital front end (DFE). A DFE isn’t just a print driver; it’s the brain of your digital press, controlling color management, workflow efficiency, and automation. The DFE can streamline operations, minimize errors, and make color control virtually effortless.

To get the most accurate and consistent color from your press investment, it’s crucial to understand the DFE’s role and ask the right questions before you buy.

Must-ask questions about color automation

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So, grab a pen, and arm yourself with these YES/NO must-ask questions when talking to press manufacturers about color automation with their presses and their digital front ends:

Calibration and profiling:

  • Can I start calibration and profiling in ONE simple step with the DFE? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Can this be done directly from the main print production interface? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Once calibration is started, does the process run automatically, allowing me to leave the DFE and focus on other tasks? YES 🔲 NO 🔲

Verification against industry standards:

  • Can verifications against industry standards run automatically at scheduled/pre-defined times without manual intervention? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Will I be free to work on other tasks while verification runs in the background? YES 🔲 NO 🔲

Spot color optimization:

  • Does the DFE automatically optimize spot colors using an inline measurement instrument without requiring me to manually re-run the process? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Can I select the number of optimization iterations in advance and let the system complete them without further input? YES 🔲 NO 🔲

Process color optimization:

  • Does the DFE optimize process colors (CMYK) automatically, including multiple iterations if needed, without having to repeat manual steps? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Can process color optimization run in the background while I continue with other production tasks? YES 🔲 NO 🔲

Spot color verification:

  • Can spot color verification be fully automated and scheduled? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Will spot color verification tasks free me up to do other work while the DFE handles measurement and reporting automatically? YES 🔲 NO 🔲

Automatic corrective actions:

  • If a verification fails, does the DFE trigger corrective actions such as recalibration or printer gradation adjustment automatically? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Are printer self-calibration steps included in the automated corrections? YES 🔲 NO 🔲

Custom targets, references, and patch sets:

  • Can I set custom tolerances, patch sets, and references once and have them applied automatically in future verifications without extra setup each time? YES 🔲 NO 🔲
  • Can the DFE benchmark the printer against its own previous state automatically, instead of an industry standard? YES 🔲 NO 🔲

The Fiery color advantage

It may or may not surprise you that the answer to all of the above questions is YES for Fiery digital front ends (DFEs). Fiery DFEs include the most advanced color management tools available for autonomous use of inline measurement instruments. Fiery Color Profiler Suite and Fiery ColorGuard automate calibration, profiling, and verification tasks, helping your press stay in control without constant operator intervention.

If your answers to the above questions included even a few NOs, it’s probably time to take a closer look at a Fiery DFE to power one of the many supported cutsheet presses to take full advantage of Fiery Automatic Color Control.

Whether you’re matching brand colors, producing process work, or verifying compliance with industry standards, Fiery helps your press work smarter, not harder — delivering consistent, repeatable color every time.

Want to dive deeper into automatic color control? Check out these helpful resources.

  • PRESS Play with Fiona & Ray podcast
  • Fiery Automatic Color Control video
  • NAPCO Meeting Today’s Color Management Demands white paper
  • Color Management vs. Color Control: What’s the Difference? blog

Or contact us to book a demo with a Fiery expert.

Happy press shopping!

About Author

Roland Campa

Roland Campa, Senior Product Line Manager, Fiery, LLC: An experienced and multi-skilled color management expert with a degree in Communication Technology in Print from the University of Wuppertal. Roland began his career at GretagMacbeth as Product Manager for ProfileMaker before joining EFI, where he specialized in linearization, profiling, and color verification. For over 16 years, he led product management for Fiery for large format. Now at Fiery LLC, he oversees key color products including Color Profiler Suite, ColorGuard, and Graphic Arts Pro Package, continually driving innovation in professional color solutions.