The seminars will focus on the importance of colour control and seek to de-mystify complex terminology and standards. According to the BPIF there are big savings to be made.
The free seminars offer a complimentary health check to identify savings and a free print test for the first 30 delegate companies at each seminar to check how they stand up to ISO standards.
Companies in attendance will be eligible for a 50% saving off the full price of a BPIF technical compliance certificate in process colour management.
The first seminar, on 15 October, takes place at the Epson (UK) offices in Hemel Hempstead. The second seminar, on 5 November, is being held at Weetwood Hall Hotel in Leeds.
The certificate is designed to raise the colour bar for the printing industry, especially SMEs aiming for the BPIF ISO 12647 standard.
BPIF Consultancy services director Phil Pateman said: “We launched the standard about four years ago and have had a lot of interest, but it's not had the traction to get enough people completing it.
“We need a way to help SMEs to aspire to it because there are huge benefits for people with their presses configured correctly and the right pre-press set up.”
Printers could “knock off a lot of time” from their makereadies, could slash their wastage and maximise ink coverage to reduce amounts used, he said.
“Even if you're knocking off fractions of a minute it clocks up, and if you have to run 250 sheets to get the colour right, improving your performance can cut this down to 50 sheets.
“Meanwhile once you are getting a consistent quality of print to a set standard it will enable you to attract more clients.”
Pinstripe Print Group managing director Nigel Lyon will address the gathering at the Epson HQ on the benefits of achieving the BPIF ISO 12647 standard.
A York-based reprographic company, which is currently undergoing the steps needed to notch up accreditation, will also explain why and how it is working towards the standard.
The two seminars are being held in association with GMG and Sun Chemical but Pateman said the emphasis would be on how to improve quality of workflow and print, not selling products.
He said if the seminars were successful, the BPIF may roll them out to target retailers on the importance of colour to their brands and how it could benefit the printers on their rosters.
“The BPIF is wholly committed to providing sustainable colour management schemes that reach out to everyone in the printing industry,” he said.
“Those that have achieved certification are benefiting from enhanced printing through demonstrable ISO colour standards.
“At the same time they are enjoying benefits through improved productivity by reducing makeready times, paper, ink and consumables wastage.”
He added: “By attaining the BPIF technical compliance certificate in process colour management, printers will able to take advantage of those benefits.”
Full price for the certification is £1,995, with an annual renewal fee of £600 which will require an audit to confirm compliance has been maintained.
Printers attending the seminar will be entitled to a discount of nearly £1,000 off certification if they sign up to the scheme within seven days of attendance. This, he said, was a fraction of the cost of similar initiatives from the likes of Heidelberg.
