RealPro Colour Cloud, which will be available on a pay-as-you-go basis, provides profiling tools for workflow users wishing to control colour centrally across a wide range of devices.

Nick Gilmore, software business manager at FFEI, said: "For the first time, affordable, ink saving, device link profiles can be easily and quickly created.

"These ink-optimised device link profiles can be purchased online as required, downloaded and used within FFEI’s RealPro Workflow System as part of a standardised PDF/JDF workflow.

"Because RealPro Colour Cloud profiles adhere to the ICC standard they can also be used by many other leading RIP’s and DFE’s driving digital presses, including  Xerox, Canon, Kodak, Ricoh and Konica Minolta as well as leading CTP systems."

Registered users will be able to upload colour measurement data, create ICC profiles and ink saving device link profiles, with averaged and mixed datasets.

Users can then upload and process test images to ensure the profile settings are correct before purchasing and downloading the ICC or device link profile.

Gilmore said that the software as a service (SaaS) model was ideally suited to infrequently used products like device link profiling. "SaaS allows you to pay for your software while it’s earning you income," he added.

"Subscribing, instead of purchasing, requires less capital and keeps it off your balance sheet as software costs are treated as operating expenses, not capital expenses.

"Within the cloud you are selling data as consumable rather than physical software. There are no start-up costs or support costs and so the final price significantly reduces the cost of profiling for the end user."

In addition to users of FFEI's own Caslon inkjet label press and RealPro workflow, Gilmore expects the cloud-based profiling tool to prove popular with colour consultants, who will be able to use it to reduce costs for end users.

"RealPro Colour Cloud fits with the consultancy that goes hand-in-hand with producing good consistent colour. A consultant can provide a customised solution based on the expertise of their client yet even after the consultant has gone, the affiliate model can provide entirely new and ongoing revenue streams that were never previously possible," he said.

"The application is hosted centrally, so new releases can be put in place without requiring customers to physically install new software. Furthermore a user’s data is centrally hosted, so a consultant can enable an account for each client meaning their data history is far more structured."

Purchasing will be done using tokens that can be purchased and allocated to a user account; this enables the end user or consultant to control their spend in any way they wish.

At Drupa, FFEI will be offering their RealPro Colour Cloud software to a select number of end users and channel partners to work with them to ensure the production release in July has been qualified on as many different printing presses and processes as possible.