Blueprint for Success

The scans can be viewed on a color touch screen user interface before being printed, helping to verify quality, avoid mistakes and reduce wasted prints.

“The key is our FreeFlow Accxes Print Server,” said Frame. FreeFlow Accxes offers color calibration with other network printers, enhanced management of print queues and the capability to scan documents to a mailbox on the print server, network FTP location or remote printer.

“Color has become extremely important,” said Frame.

Color My World

While color is typically not very important to the A/E accounts, except for presentations to project owners, color becomes extremely important on the construction side because color documents are more clear and concise and help reduce construction errors. However, as Fitt points out, contractors are limited in printing in color since most of the digital files they receive from A/E firms are in black and white.

“So, even those that want to print in color, many times can’t because the digital files are black and white,” she said

Fitt said Océ has been very active in trying to educate the market on the importance of color. “We have a full-time marketing employee whose primary role is educating the market on this important trend,” she said, adding that the company has developed marketing deliverables such as a color blog site (www.colorforconstruction.com) and industry research and a whitepaper defining the value of color in construction documents.

“We have also brought to the market an innovative new color printing technology called Océ CrystalPoint that makes the printing of high-quality, large-format color documents more cost effective (able to print onto uncoated plain or recycled paper), more productive (up to four D-size print/minutes with instantly dry, no-mess toner printing), and more usable in outdoor environments (print on Tyvek for water fast, durable prints),” said Fitt.

At the top of the list of color advancements is providing color reproduction capabilities for CAD/GIS drawings at a low cost and with a big improvement in both quality and throughput, according to Vilanova.

“This is particularly true with the launch of double-swath technologies that print swaths from the top and bottom printhead arrays at the same time, ensuring high print quality at high printing speeds,” he said.

As color becomes more prevalent in many technical design offices, Vilanova believes it plays a dual role in construction projects. One-color codes are used in the description of technical modules. “For instance, in detailing hot and cold water pipes,” he explained. “Color codes are a safety measure to make sure that the proper information is prescribed in the project.”

Additionally, two-color printing is used in high-quality presentations and renders to communicate the project to the end customers. “Full-color presentations with impact are key in winning new projects over competitors,” he declared.

“The trend toward color is becoming more evident as more companies are producing documents with color to differentiate job functions,” agreed Hunter.

Ypina adds that color in construction documents allows subcontractors to view layers of plans in different colors on one document versus using multiple sheets.

“Also, being able to carry these color documents to the field is most beneficial,” she said. “We have color scanning in our product to support these changing market requirements.”

One of the biggest problems with color in construction has also been addressed. “Inkjet prints are not water fast and fade quickly in the rain, sun and heat," explained Gigl. “However, new technology has addressed this issue as well. Printed documents can now be UV lightfast and waterproof.”

In situations where customers require something more durable, Gigl said products like the Color 80 support Rite-in-the-Rain; an acrylic coated bond that is very inexpensive.

“If more durability is required, then the weatherproof film makes an incredibly strong GIS map or CAD document,” he said. “KIP has repro shops with the Color 80 that provide maps on weatherproof film to the local power companies after storms, giving them a durable print that survives in the wind and rain.”