Vio Certified Soft Proofing (VCSP) launched yesterday (Wednesday) for all of Associated's newsprint products, which include the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, Loot and Metro.

The bespoke package combines the Remote Director colour-managed soft-proofing technology from Integrated Color Solutions (ICS) with the Enfocus Pitstop library and Vio's Digital Workflow Suite.

Remote Director, which  launched in the US in 2003, enables printers and publishers to sign off certified proofs using colour-calibrated screens.

The JDF-compliant set-up allows repro houses and advertisers to certify soft proofs remotely, without having to print and send hard-copy contract proofs by courier. It also ensures that only pre-flighted and certified ads are proofed.

Vio chairman Richard Horwood said that the project, which brings ICS kit to the UK for the first time, could cut contract proofing costs by up to 95%.

"If you're paying 1,000 for adspace in a regional newspaper, and several hundred on top of that for the proofing process, it's a significant saving," he said.

But Horwood insisted that publishers' gatekeeper repro houses, or preferred suppliers, would not lose out from the installation.
"They are our clients. This will save time and decrease costs for them too, and increase their margins. The only loser is the courier," he said.

Associated technical services director Glenn McFie said that he expected to receive more colour ads following the installation of VCSP, which will be available alongside traditional proofing channels.

Story by Josh Brooks