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WEBINARS 2022-2024

Processing Steps Label

It is common practice in the tag and labels workflow to include visual representations for finishing foiling and embossing, or irregular shaped cutting  in prepress PDF files.
The GWG initiated a standard for this (ISO 19593-1) which is now available in more recent applications of different vendors. It defines a standard way to include processing steps (i.e. data for additional steps in the production of labels besides printing) in a PDF. This removes the need for conventions and vastly improves the reliability to communicate this information.
In this webinar you will learn what processing steps bring to you when you are designing, preparing or printing labels and tags, how they can be used in products and workflows available on the market today and how this not only facilitates data exchange between participants in the label production but also reduces the risk of compromising quality when printing.

 

presented by:

Frank Vyncke
Hybrid Software
Co-Chair Packaging  SubCommittee GWG

Pascal Wybo
Hybrid Software

Processing Steps Packaging

It is common practice in the packaging workflow to include visual representations for finishing e.g. cutting, creasing, foiling, etc… in prepress PDF files.  Until recently this was done in an ad hoc way using various methods like layer naming or separation naming. But this didn’t prevent mis-interpretation of such data or even creating wrong print output.

ISO 19593-1 is a standard that was introduced 5 years ago and is now available in more recent applications of different vendors. It defines a standard way to include processing steps (i.e. data for additional steps in the production of packaging besides printing) in a PDF.

In this webinar you will learn what processing steps are, how they can be used in products and workflows available on the market today and how this not only facilitates data exchange between participants in the packaging production but also reduces the risk of compromising quality when printing.

 

presented by:

Lieven Plettinck
Esko
Co-Chair Packaging  SubCommittee GWG

Frank Woltering
Esko

PDF preflight – nearly 30 years old and still relevant!

Using preflight (or quality control) for PDF files started around the same time PDF became a viable format for use in graphic arts. The first preflight applications date back to 1997 (and they are still around!). So what is it? How has the technology changed over the years, and how is it possible that it’s still an essential technology today?

In this webinar, Loïc Aigon (PitStop Product Manager at Enfocus Software and co-chair of the GWG specification subcommittee), and David van Driessche (CTO at Four Pees, Executive Director of the GWG, and co-chair of the GWG specification and process control subcommittees), take you on a trip through time to the origins of PDF preflight and how it evolved since then. Learn whether, when, why, and how you should preflight. And where you can find more help to get you going.

Why are you still using a 20-year-old standard? Stop that!

Recent figures suggest that at least 50% of the printers out there are still actively using the PDF/X-1a standard when requesting PDF files from clients (or creating them internally themselves). Did you know that PDF/X-1a is a more than 20-year-old standard?

Is your car 20 years old? Your computer? Your phone? Probably not. Watch this webinar to learn why it is a bad idea to use PDF/X-1a these days (and what you should be using instead). Learn why PDF/X-1a was a good idea 20 years ago, but no longer today. Have a look at more modern standards. Ask all your questions to the experts.

This webinar is presented by Christian Blaise and David van Driessche, who combined have more than 50 years of experience with PDF, standards and automation.

Digital Embellishment

Embellishment and in particular digital embellishment is a real hot topic and an increasingly popular way for printers to differentiate themselves and add value (and margin) to their printed products.

In this webinar we will outline some techniques and best practices for creating PDF print files with content for finishing and embellishment and review PDF standards for the communication of non-printing content (processing steps).

>presented by:
Andrew Bailes-Collins
Ultimate Technographics Inc.
Technical Officer GWG

Canva – Creative Cloud Express

As members of the subcommittee “Office Document Printing” we need to stay up-to-date with the evolution in the market. Online creating tools are becoming more and more present in our industry and well worth to investigate. In this webinar, we want to advise the users how to create a useful and reproducible PDF out of Canva and Creative Cloud Express. On top of that, we want to offer (digital) printers a possible solution for the incorrect PDF files.

 

presented by:

Koen Degrande
Igepa
Chair Office Document Printing Subcommittee GWG

Pantone Colors in Adobe Applications – What are my options?

As has been widely published, the Pantone Color libraries will be removed from Adobe applications sometime in March 2022. This has already created panic and confusion amongst some in the design and printing communities and a lot of talk online about workarounds, whose is responsible for color, and how creators will still be able to achieve the results they expect. In order to bring some clarity to the situation, the GWG in its role as an creator of standards and best practices for the graphics industry have decided to host a webinar to discuss this. The goal is to explain how spot colors work in print production workflows and output devices, and talk about your options if the Pantone Libraries are no longer available to you.

presented by:

Andrew Bailes-Collins
Ultimate Technographics
Technical Officer GWG

David van Driessche
callas software
Executive Director GWG
Co-chair Specifications & Process Control Subcommittee

WEBINARS 2021

One Standard to rule them all!

So you’ve done your best and learned about PDF, the PDF/X standards,  the GWG specifications… Now what? Which of the 15 PDF/X standard versions should you use? Or should you rather use the GWG specification? And if so, which version of those? The amount of standards and specifications easily fills a dense forest. This webinar will help you find that single tree you would best use in your production workflow!

presented by:

David van Driessche (callas software – Executive Director GWG)

Christian Blaise (agileStreams – Marketing Officer GWG)

WEBINARS 2020

Creating PDF files from design applications

In this webinar, we focus on how to create a reliable PDF by implementing the GWG settings. There is a live demonstration on how to load, install and use the latest GWG settings in your application. At the end of the webinar creating PDFs from design applications will have no more secrets for you.

presented by:

Carl Van Rooy (Senior Innovation Consultant VIGC – Vice Chair GWG)

Koen Degrande (Service Engineer Sagam/Igepa Benelux)

Creating PDF files from non-designer applications

In this webinar there is a focus on how to create a reliable PDF out of “non-designer” applications.  This webinar can be useful for office users, printing companies, copy shops. Office users will learn how to create their PDF correctly and what are the common errors and how to solve or prevent them. Printing companies and copy shops will learn how to advise their customers about how create a printable PDF.

presented by:

Carl Van Rooy (Senior Innovation Consultant VIGC – Vice Chair GWG)

Koen Degrande (Service Engineer Sagam/Igepa Benelux)

6 things about color and PDF

Whether you are producing a creative marketing piece or high-profile packaging, getting color output aligned with your own or your client’s expectations should be easy, but there are many variables that can prevent that from happening. Many times, the intended output is not reflected in the settings used or applied to create the PDF file for print, which can cause confusion and possible production delays. The GWG provides great white papers and recommended setting files, but creative applications like Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop have some confusing settings that can even appear to contradict each other.

In this webinar we take a look at some of the more troublesome color reproduction issues, and how they can be identified in advance and prevented.

This session is presented by David Zwang analyst, process consultant and GWG Chairman, and Steven Carter consultant, member of several ISO TC130 workgroups dealing with PDF, and GWG Co-chair of the Packaging Subcommittee.

1. Common Color Spaces
2. Image and Object Profiles
3. Transparency
4. Output Parameters
5. RIP Processing
6. GWG Output Test Suite

10 things you should know about fonts in PDF (and probably don't)

As reliable as PDF files are, there are still things that can wrong with them from time to time. One of the leading causes of such problems usually is the subject of fonts. Watch this webinar to understand fonts better: because it’s always smart to know your enemy, we’ll dissect some fonts for you and talk about character codes, glyphs, encodings, Multiple Master fonts, city fonts and much more.

Presented by David van Driessche (callas software) and Christian Blaise (agileStreams)

1. Where do fonts live in PDF?
2. Glyphs
3. Encoding
4. Font Size and x-Height
5. Font Types in PDF
6. Opentype SVG Fonts & Type 3
7. Character Widths
8. Embedding and Subsetting
9. The Mystery of Missing Glyphs
10. Text-ToUnicode

Everything you wanted to know about PDF transparency

Thursday 26 March, 2020

This webinar will help designers better understand native transparency – the benefits and challenges – and the use of best practices to avoid common print problems associated with transparencies.  You will discover the solutions available to ensure that designs print trouble free and you will learn the fundamental concept of what transparency is, how it is used, and what can be done in terms of best practices to avoid some of the more common pitfalls associated with using – and printing – transparency.

Click on the download slides button to download the package including the PowerPoint Presentation and the sample files used in the webinar.

presented by Andrew Bailes-Collins (Enfocus)

10 things you do with PDF, but (perhaps) know you shouldn't

Every day, you work with PDF and make changes to your files in several applications and workflows. There are things that we are sure that you usually do with PDF, but do know that they may damage your files or your workflow? Join us on the journey of the 10 things you do with PDF, but (perhaps) know you shouldn’t and you will understand why you shouldn’t and how to do differently.

Presented by David van Driessche (callas software) and Christian Blaise (agileStreams)

1. Illustrator® is not a PDF editor
2. Importing Illustrator® into Indesign®
3. Converting Text to Outline
4. Converting Text to Outline using Transparency
5. Converting CMYK to CMYK using ICC Profiles
6. Merge PDF files and font instances
7. Redistill
8. Overprint Preview
9. Convert to Image
10. Local fonts in Acrobat®

Q&A Problem Solving Webinar

A panel of specialists of vendor, association and industry representatives sat together during our Q&A webinar on Tuesday May 19th, 2020 at 4pm CET. These are the video’s of all the questions that were answered

What does a typical GWG PDF workflow look like?
Do you have any suggested preflight settings for metal deco printing?
Ink saving error in editorial system PDFGenerator Release CUEPrint.
ICC- profiles in a PDF-file for black and white film.
What is the best way to automate a workflow for an online shop?
Why does RIP render transparency differently?
Why does the GWG export in PDF/X-4 with different setting give different file sizes?
What would be the best way to have non-prepress staff preflight pdfs for compliance?
How to print correct when using EFI Fiery Impose/Compose and flattening the imposition?
What is the best and most user-friendly way to provide pdf settings files to designers?
Should color output from a pdf when properly managed be equal to a .tif or .jpg file?
What about ICC based RGB Overprint in Ghent PDF Output Suite?
WEBINARS 2019
Digital Printing
What is PDF and PDF/X?
PDF Creation & Workflow Strategies
Large Format Print
Packaging for Brand Owners
Future of Print Workflows: PDF 2.0 and PDF/X-6
Color Management: Fun for Designers and Print Buyers
WEBINARS 2017-2018
Ghent Workgroup - General Introduction
9 reasons to preflight
PDF 2.0 - What's new?
2017 PDF Survey results
PDF and PDF/X-plus
Ghent PDF Output Suite 5.0
Processing Steps
PDF for Packaging - The missing link?