PrintPreview with HELIOS WebShare enables local and remote ICC color-matched proofing on monitor or printer, via any web browser.
All major image formats and PDF documents are easily viewed and proofed in WebShare. ICC profiles can be uploaded and selected for the specific monitor or printer, and the desired printing process. Color matching is performed by the PrintPreview server.
Use any monitor throughout the design and review process for content proofing. Use a calibrated proofing monitor for highly accurate color proofing of composite or individual separation plates and/or spot colors.
The color info panel shows final print process separation and spot color values for specified points of the soft proof.
The HELIOS soft proofing system, together with designated monitors, and light booth, received FograCert soft proof certifications for fulfilling all of the FograCert soft proofing system criteria. To replicate this setup, refer to the HELIOS web site for details.
PrintPreview generates proofs for printing via WebShare. Since PrintPreview does all the complex content rendering and ICC color matching, it can print matching remote proofs to mainstream inkjet or laser printers without the need for a local RIP solution.
Annotations can be added to images, PDFs, and Office documents, and with HELIOS ImageServer, InDesign XPV documents as well. Selecting a point or area allows adding notes. Reviewer comments are formatted as threads with timestamps and IDs. Annotations are maintained across document versions, and can also be printed.
WebShare previews of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents can be enabled via the included HELIOS Tool Server OfficeReader feature. Tool Server requires Microsoft Office on Windows or Mac.
PrintPreview offers highest rendering quality and compatibility, supporting transparency, in-RIP separation, overprint/knockouts, DeviceN, spot colors, PDF ICC color spaces, ICC-4 profiles, DeviceLink profiles, and high-precision rendering and antialiasing for text.
PrintPreview also generates proofs of PostScript jobs printed via HELIOS EtherShare or PCShare print queues, “lpr” tools, or ImageServer hot folders. Standard separated jobs, jobs with any number of spot color plates, composite and in-RIP separation jobs are supported. A PrintPreview queue is in essence a virtual printer, which saves a bitmap proof into a PDF file. It utilizes the final printer PPD and ICC profiles to accurately preview the final output. The preview file represents the final output in all relevant aspects: completeness of page, correctness of page elements including OPI resolving, proper typography and fonts, color fidelity, and page geometry according to the final RIP’s PPD.
The PrintPreview license is tied to a specific machine. The total number of licensed HELIOS Universal File Server users per day is permitted to use PrintPreview.