The new Soft Proof Module is an optional extra on Bodoni's pressSIGN-Pro and pressSIGN-Trends systems. Existing users can upgrade.

It allows users to compare any two out of six different parameters at the same time, including the press target, paper type, tonal adjustments, and ink zone differences.

The system can be used at the side of a press, in a production office, or even remotely from a customer's own office via pressSIGN Internet Server.

Bodoni managing director Ian Reid said the module could save time and money by reducing the requirement to make physical proofs.

"People can actually see how close they are printing to target and what impact the paper colour has," he explained. "And customers with a decent monitor can pass jobs from Timbuktu if they want to."

Watford-based Bodoni is supplying the Soft Proof Module with a free copy of viewSIGN software, which allows users to test the visual accuracy of their monitors.

The Soft Proof Module is available now and costs £1,500.

Separately, the firm has added support for Barbieri's LFP spectrophotometer to the latest version of pressSIGN. The Barbieri device is widely used in the wide-format market due to its ability to measure substrates such as fabrics.