User:Bostonmacmike

MixMaster Ink Recycling Software
The MixMaster, an ink recycling / formulation software designed for the Lithographic - Offset printing industry; developed and marketed by MixMasters Inc., licensed by Pantone Inc.

The MixMaster was the first software for the offset printing industry that reversed engineered the traditional way of mixing Pantone colors. The MixMaster creates Pantone spot colors by using other spot colors as mixing ingredients.

How it works
The Pantone color guide, designed and printed in booklet form for the lithographic industry contains over 1000 shades of color. Creating these colors requires mixing a combination and percentage of the primary base colors together. The MixMaster’s recycling process works by analyzing the ingredients found in Pantone spot colors. Spot colors that share similar basic ingredients are sorted and recycled based upon the percentage of usefulness. The following example shows how Pantone 167 can be recycled into Pantone 469. The first part of this example displays the basic color relationship between the Pantone 469 and Pantone 167.

Ex. Basic color ingredient comparison for Pantone 167 and Pantone 469.

Pantone 469 and Pantone 167 both contain Pantone Yellow, Pantone Warm Red and Pantone Black. The MixMaster analyzes the different percentages of ingredients in each formula and then calculates the amount of Pantone 167 that can be recycled into Pantone 469.

Prior to the MixMaster’s recycling technology many lithographic printers had very limited strategies to reduce excess ink inventories. One method relied upon reusing colors in inventory for new jobs; a slow and unreliable means for reusing ink inventory. Another process required mixing small amount of spot colors into dense black. As not to alter the color quality of the dense black the amount of work off was limited to 10 percent. The last and least effective strategy involved the complete disposal of inks. Disposal is expensive, non profitable and promotes a lack of using green based recycling technologies.

History
Versions 1, 1.4, 2.0

The first three releases of MixMaster were designed for computers using MS-DOS. Primary functions focused on spot color recycling.

Version 3 The first Windows release of the MixMaster. Product improvements concentrated on incorporating ink inventory management features.

Version 4

Current version is 4.0.8, 2nd generation release for Windows. The newest MixMaster supports batch corrections and additions, an ink estimator, a customizable ink can labeler, over 20 statistical reports, data import / export routines and a users log on feature.

Version 2, MixMaster Jr

The MixMaster Jr., a more simplistic interpretation of Version 4, designed for the quick print market.

References / External Links:
http://www.mixmasters.com

http://www.pantone.com/pages/partners/find_a_licensee.aspx

Offset Lithographic Technologies (fourth edition), Goodheart – Wilcox (publishers) Kenneth F. Hird, Charles E. Finley (authors) Pages 481 - 486