This standard is about capturing material in digital form using either a scanner or a digital camera. It includes detailed intervention where automatic settings do not give the required result.
The standard applies if you produce digital artwork for print or work in a pre-press or digital printing environment.
Subject to the demands of any brief, you are responsible for deciding on the approach you want to take, both creative and technical. You need to have enough flexibility to change your approach when you think it is necessary.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Decide on approach
assess the likely quality of images that will be captured from material against customer expectations
inform customers of the advantages and disadvantages of capturing material
inform customers when other approaches may be more suitable
assess the operations necessary to produce the required output
make arrangements to sub-contract any work you cannot carry out in the workplace in accordance with organisational procedures
select the most suitable equipment for the material to be captured and the output required
Prepare equipment and material for capture
carry out any low-resolution image capture necessary to establish the required software values
apply the software values which are appropriate for the material to be captured and the output required
check that the equipment to be used, and the material to be captured are clean
handle the material in a safe manner
load the material in line with manufacturer's instructions
Produce images
produce images which comply with specification in terms of physical size, file size, content, orientation, colour, sharpness, brightness (exposure), contrast, colour space - RGB, CMYK and greyscale and output resolution
produce images which are free of unwanted physical defects, fingerprints, dust damage and scratches, newton's rings, moiré patterning from screened originals, pixelisation, colour, posterisation and halo effects
assess images against customer requirements and workplace standards
detect any problems with the images and identify which are due to faulty capture and which are due to other factors
discuss any problems with colleagues and, where necessary, with customers and agree the action to be taken to resolve problems
follow workplace procedures in dealing with potential problems, recognising any potential legal issues
communicate with customers in accordance with organisational requirements
maintain the confidentiality of customer material in line with organisational procedures
save image data files in the correct format in accordance with organisational requirements
produce images to the correct image profiles in accordance with organisational requirements
maintain version control in line with organisational procedures
Knowledge and understanding
You need to know and understand
the law as it affects printing: defamation, copyright and ownership of images, obscenity, incitement, forgery, data protection
ethical issues relevant to printing: confidentiality, the personal issues important to others, including ethnic origin, gender, religion, sexuality
the hazards and risks in your own job, their assessment and the action to take to deal with them
relevant health and safety regulations on the safe handling of equipment and materials, and the safe use of computer equipment
manufacturer's health and safety requirements relevant to your job
the safe handling of customer material
the secure methods for archiving digital and conventional artwork
how to communicate with customers and colleagues
workplace objectives, priorities, standards and procedures
the identification and assessment of printing options
the reasons for selecting one process over another
the choice of processes for any particular product
the role of images in graphic communication
changing image styles, fashions and demands in printed products
the stages in the printing process from pre-press to printed product
the relationship between resource usage and profitability
how to maximise productivity
the set-up of scanning equipment
the operation of scanning equipment
colour theory, including additive and subtractive systems such as RGB and CMYK colour gamuts
the relationship between image size, file size and resolution
the different file formats for digital images and the reasons for using them
the range of methods, equipment, material and software appropriate to the imaging requirements
the methods of controlling contrast, density and colour characteristics during scanning
the relative merits of the methods, equipment, material and software
how to assess material for capture and the potential problems that may be encountered and their solutions
colour management and how to set up, maintain and use image profiles
how to deal with embedded information
file management procedures
the causes and treatment of common faults in scanning
the main features of quality assurance and quality control systems
techniques for controlling quality, including inspection, testing, sampling, use of input and output controls
light standards for viewing and assessing colour print
Scope/range
Materials
The operator can capture the following material:
reflective material, e.g. photographic prints and printed material from books, magazines and newspapers.
transparencies and photographic negatives.
black-and-white and colour material, including line, halftone and continuous tone.
material with a wide range of tonal contrast.
a key requirement is the ability to handle safely the material, particularly if this is the property of other people.
Equipment
Whichever device is used, it must be capable of allowing the operator to make adjustments covering the range of adjustments to the scanned image set out in this standard. 'All-in-one' devices at the lower end of the market (e.g. fax-copy-scan-print inkjet devices) are unlikely to have sufficient range of operator-selectable settings for this standard.
Operators are able to capture single and multiple originals and handle complex settings for difficult originals, e.g. originals with limited tonal range and with colour faults.
Discussions with customers
Operators will not have to discuss all of image capture with customers, but will be able to do so when the need arises, e.g. when they have questions, when they have to deal with "difficult" material or when there are problems. The operator will tell customers about capacities and limitations and suggest other approaches where necessary.
Assessment of scanned output
Operators are able to make an accurate assessment of the output and detect any defects and the reasons for them.
Legal issues
Legal issues are, by their nature, difficult to predict and are unlikely to occur in most cases. Operators are aware of the legal knowledge specified for this Standard so that they can spot any potential problems and take the action required in your workplace.
PRODPP125 – Plan and capture digital images
Overview
This standard is about capturing material in digital form using either a scanner or a digital camera. It includes detailed intervention where automatic settings do not give the required result.
The standard applies if you produce digital artwork for print or work in a pre-press or digital printing environment.
Subject to the demands of any brief, you are responsible for deciding on the approach you want to take, both creative and technical. You need to have enough flexibility to change your approach when you think it is necessary.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Decide on approach
Prepare equipment and material for capture
Produce images
Knowledge and understanding
You need to know and understand
Scope/range
Materials
The operator can capture the following material:
Equipment
Whichever device is used, it must be capable of allowing the operator to make adjustments covering the range of adjustments to the scanned image set out in this standard. 'All-in-one' devices at the lower end of the market (e.g. fax-copy-scan-print inkjet devices) are unlikely to have sufficient range of operator-selectable settings for this standard.
Operators are able to capture single and multiple originals and handle complex settings for difficult originals, e.g. originals with limited tonal range and with colour faults.
Discussions with customers
Operators will not have to discuss all of image capture with customers, but will be able to do so when the need arises, e.g. when they have questions, when they have to deal with "difficult" material or when there are problems. The operator will tell customers about capacities and limitations and suggest other approaches where necessary.
Assessment of scanned output
Operators are able to make an accurate assessment of the output and detect any defects and the reasons for them.
Legal issues
Legal issues are, by their nature, difficult to predict and are unlikely to occur in most cases. Operators are aware of the legal knowledge specified for this Standard so that they can spot any potential problems and take the action required in your workplace.
Keywords: digital, print, pre-press, images