DM screening draws on techniques from both AM and FM screening and is said to enable existing high-end violet and thermal CTPs to produce images that emulate the quality of a traditional 400-500lpi screen.
Announcing the technology in November 2009, Hamillroad chief executive and Harlequin founder Andy Cave described it as a "an FM screen with some elements of AM on top" that looked at every pixel to eliminate problems such as dot gain or patterning.
Hamillroad has now published a 94-page sample book containing 15 real world jobs, including invoices, shipping notes, letterheads, compliment slips, business cards and company brochures on a wide range of stocks from 70gsm uncoated NCR paper through to 350gsm silk coated board.
Each sample is printed on the left hand side with a 175 lpi AM screen and on the right hand side with Auraia-II for easy comparison, while on the front of each sample is a narrative providing background information on the job and the benefit the printer was seeking in using DM screening.
Some jobs were also printed using a coarser 133 lpi AM screen or a finer 250 lpi AM screen, while at the back of the book are two technical pages, one on coated and one on uncoated, showing some more specific technical benefits of Auraia.
These are followed by four ICC prints, of a 175 lpi screen and Auraia both on coated and uncoated stocks, that were used to measure the press curves used to align the colour of Auraia with the 175 lpi screen.
The complete book was plated on a violet CTP, so an additional fifth ICC print was included which was plated on a thermal CTP to enable a direct comparison of the results from the two competing plate technologies.
Hamillroad has said that the technology can ensure production of rosette-free, moiré-free and noise-free flat tints that equal or better the smoothness of conventional screening.
In addition, press ink duct settings were recorded for one of the jobs which showed ink savings of up to 20% could be achieved, depending on job. Hamillroad said that the software would allow "an incredible ROI to be obtained with a relatively small investment".
Hans Kellogg, Professor in Graphic Arts Management at Ball State University, said: "I just finished the Auraia Sample book and I must say it is very impressive. What are most striking are the smooth tonal renditions of the vignettes and flat tints and its ability to hold open the subtle detail within the deep shadows."
A total of 2,000 copies of the sample book are available to commercial printers/publishers, industry consultants/analysts, printing associations and colleges/universities on a first-come, first-serve basis. The book is free of charge and Hamillroad is limiting individual distribution to one book per request.
To request a sample book, email auraia@hamillroad.com and include a shipping address and contact information.
