Ghent Workgroup releases 2015 PDF specification

Print Solutions Packaging Solutions

The Ghent Workgroup (GWG) is releasing its GWG2015 PDF Specification for print and packaging production. Built by the foremost graphic arts and PDF experts in the world, the new specification describes file setting and workflow processing requirements necessary to achieve the highest quality production and exchange efficiency of PDF files. Compliance with the new specification guarantees quality consistency across the supply chain up to printing and publishing.

Founded in 2002, the Ghent Workgroup is an international assembly of industry associations and suppliers from across Europe and the United States. This community has produced numerous process specifications for PDF exchange, and has developed useful tools for automating processes and testing to establish consistent PDFs for quality print and publishing.

The GWG2015 Specification is built on the ISO PDF/X-4 standard, and adds a number of specific requirements for different market segments, called variants. The variant ‘family’ covered by the specification is heatset and coldset printing; it includes more conservative variants restricted to the use of CMYK and more progressive variants allowing wider gamut color spaces for image content.

There is now also a specification specifically for packaging. Created by the packaging committee of the Ghent Workgroup, this addresses offset, gravure and flexographic printing.

David Zwang, chairman, Ghent Workgroup, commented: ‘The GWG 2015 specifications, like all of our other efforts, was developed to keep up with the changing state of technology and the market demands. The significant change in the 2015 specification was related to what constitutes the safe colour spaces and conditions that can be used for reliable reproduction. In addition, there were other minor changes that are designed to address user feedback on the GWG2012 specifications.’