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  • 1.  Quick Question on G7 Calibration Frequency for Electrophotograhic machine

    Posted 08-06-2025 11:27 PM
    A quick question regarding G7 calibration, just wanted to seek some clarification and hope to get an expert opinion on this.
    I'm currently having a discussion about G7 process to internally and received a query from our engineer about how often G7 calibration should be performed on a Konica Minolta Production Printing (KM PP) machine. I don't recall this being explicitly covered in the course materials. Should we follow the machine recommendation?
    According to our service manual, it recommends performing G7 calibration at least once every 3 months. However, given the inherent variability of electrophotographic systems, I'm wondering:
    Would it be acceptable to rely on regular engine/controller calibration instead, assuming it maintains consistent output?
    Appreciate any insights you can share. thanks in advance!


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    Jonathan Quisit G7 Expert
    Regional Solutions Manager
    Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia
    Singapore
    98334387
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  • 2.  RE: Quick Question on G7 Calibration Frequency for Electrophotograhic machine

    Posted 08-07-2025 12:47 AM
    Great question! In the training we recommend to re-calibrate as seldom as needed. I found with a room full of xikon devices in a humid harsh direct mail environment- daily calibration was easier than the traditional xikon TVI calibration. 

    Steve Smiley

    SmileyColor & Associates
    123 21st Street
    San Leon, TX 77539  USA
    469-309-2025






  • 3.  RE: Quick Question on G7 Calibration Frequency for Electrophotograhic machine

    Posted 08-08-2025 01:34 AM

    Thanks Steve for your input



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    Jonathan Quisit G7 Expert
    Regional Solutions Manager
    Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia
    Singapore
    98334387
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  • 4.  RE: Quick Question on G7 Calibration Frequency for Electrophotograhic machine

    Posted 08-07-2025 11:32 AM

    Hi Jonathan,

    Here's how I think about it:

    If your internal engine/controller calibration brings the press back to a known, stable state (as it should), then you should perform that internal calibration as often as the device engineering recommends-daily, weekly, or however needed based on usage and stability. That gets you back to the OEM's expected baseline.

    G7 calibration, on the other hand, is external to that system, it sits on top of the internal calibration. Once G7 curves are applied and the system is in compliance, there shouldn't be a need to recalibrate to G7 unless something in the system has changed significantly.

    According to the G7+ training, if you need to recalibrate often, it's a sign that the internal system isn't holding stable, and the priority should be to figure out why that drift is happening. In a well-maintained system, G7 recalibration should be rare, only  when necessary, too often can introduce variations, and re-profile seldom as possible because every profile produces slightly different color.



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    Timothy Quinn
    Nazdar Consulting Services
    G7expert @gmail.com
    G7expert @yahoo.com
    G7expert @outlook.com
    G7expert @ X
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  • 5.  RE: Quick Question on G7 Calibration Frequency for Electrophotograhic machine

    Posted 08-08-2025 01:31 AM

    Hi Timothy,

    Thank you for your sharing. Just a follow up question.

    Our device engineering team recommends performing daily controller calibration to stabilize output. However, we've observed that this process may override or disrupt previously applied G7 calibration curves, potentially leading to shifts in gray balance and tonalityeven if density targets are met.

    Given this, I would like to clarify:

    1. Again my question, is it necessary to reapply G7 calibration after performing daily controller calibration, even if the system appears stable?

    2. Does daily controller calibration inherently interfere with G7 curves, and if so, what best practices do you recommend to maintain G7 compliance without over-calibrating?

    3. Is there an official guideline or SOP from Idealliance on how to balance internal device calibration with G7 methodology for toner-based systems?

    I just want to ensure our calibration workflow aligns with G7 standards while maintaining operational efficiency. 

    Thank you.

    Jonathan



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    Jonathan Quisit G7 Expert
    Regional Solutions Manager
    Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia
    Singapore
    98334387
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  • 6.  RE: Quick Question on G7 Calibration Frequency for Electrophotograhic machine

    Posted 08-18-2025 09:33 AM

    Hi Jonathan,

    I oversee production of our toner based Versafire, similar to your press. We perform daily recalibrations in order to maintain G7 output. 

    We do this with both a Calibration & Profile applied. Just as your engineering team recommends, we perform a daily recalibration to bring the machine back to a repeatable baseline state. The output of this baseline state is NOT inherently G7, but it is a repeatable output of color by recalibrating back to that baseline state. 

    To obtain G7 output, we apply a profile which remaps the baseline state to output G7. That profile will always sit ontop of the press's calibration. 

    You recalibrate the machine to a repeatable baseline state every morning. You do NOT re profile - you do this once, and it continues to sit ontop of the press's calibration. 

    So in house, you would technically perform 2 different types of calibration to the machine. The Recalibration to baseline state (every morning), & Profiling (do this once - always remains applied on top of the calibration)

    1. (scan large color patch chart printed after calibrating machine & create profile) --> do this once, Profile remains applied ontop of machine's calibration.  

    2. (Recalibrate machine to repeatable baseline state) --> do this every morning (per your engineering team)

    I hope this helps to clarify some things. 

    Thank you

    -James



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    James Ryan
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  • 7.  RE: Quick Question on G7 Calibration Frequency for Electrophotograhic machine

    Posted 08-18-2025 10:06 AM

    Hi Jonathan,

    I Steve and Tim have expressed more or less the same thoughts I would, but I might add yet another way to think about this. Whatever calibration method is employed it must be considered in light of the device's normal output variability.  It makes little sense to employ a method that is more precise than the inherent "noise floor" of the device. Otherwise you may achieve a falsely optimistic result that is immediately nullified by the variability of the machine. You may get a beautiful report, but it may bear little resemblance to production realities. By and large, manufacturers set their calibration pass/fail tolerances realistically for the given devices stability.

    I can't comment on the G7 calibration specifically because I'm nit familiar with its implementation in your DFE. In general, it is too time-consuming to be used as a frequent recalibration method, and in any event, the standard machine calibration is the primary means of keeping output within acceptable bounds. How frequently that should be done is determined by testing--YMMV.

    This perhaps broadens the topic unnecessarily, but there may be a certain limitation to performing a G7 curve calibration on electrographic presses. The underlying assumption is that they are designed to behave like an offset press, so as long as we correct the gray balance and tonality all the values will fall into place. The complication is that these devices don't produce overprints that look quite like offset; the dray trapping tends to make them appear too clean; they "pop" a bit. The only cure for this is to profile the press and convert incoming files in a color server of the DFE. The G7 compliance is achieved upstream, in a sense, by making sure that images look correct when a G7-compliant profile is assumed/assigned. The color managed conversion to the press space that preserves this appearance. This is no different than the workflow with inkjet printers. Some applications even allow the press profile to be quickly updated with small-chart measurements, but here again, one must consider whether the device is stable enough to gain a real benefit. In this scenario, any curve calibration that aims at smooth, linearized output would be adequate. 



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    Mike Strickler
    MSP Graphic Services
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