Digitally Modulated (DM) Screening

up to 450 lpi on CtP devices!!

We have seen a significant improvement in quality after we started using Auraia screening. Hilite & shadow detail has improved significantly, vignettes and flat tints are incredibly smooth. It´s also nice to see that moire is a problem that doesn´t exist anymore. This will be a great advantage with the tough competition we face these days.
Mr. Håkon Amundsen, Eiker Trykkeri AS/ CEO .

Auraia screening, named after the Greek word for 'beautiful' ('ὡραῖος'), belongs to a new class of screening developed by Hamillroad Software, called Digital Modulation (DM) Screening. Utilising the immense compute power available with modern computers, DM screening is so named because it digitally modulates each and every pixel that it produces, rather than repeating a fixed pattern of dots (as in AM screening) or randomly marking pixels (as in FM screening). The result is an unprecedented quality of screening, which is easy to plate and print using any CtP device (including violet , thermal, UV and inkjet).

The screening analyses each pixel it produces to ensure that no dot is too small to plate or print, no 'non-dot' is too small to fill-in and no dot or 'non-dot' is too large so as to be visible. Dots are created in a carefully controlled manner to ensure detail is placed exactly where it is needed, vignettes are smooth and tints are flat. It cleverly modulates each pixel based on a deep understanding of laser optics, plate technology, ink flow & printing press behaviour to ensure that dot gain is eliminated, resulting in the complete removal of patterning artefacts and graininess. The result is a quality of print, especially on violet devices that was previously unachievable.

The following lists the key advantages and benefits of using Auraia Screening:

• High quality prints equivalent to 250 - 450 lpi [commercial - 2400 and 2540 dpi]
• High quality prints equivalent to 200 - 250 lpi [newspaper - 1200 and 1270 dpi]
• Moire free - both screening and content
• Hilite dots down to 0.5% and shadow dots up to 99.5%
• Smooth vignettes and flat tints
• Large minimum dot size of 17-30 microns; easy to plate and print on press

For further information, please see the Auraia White Paper (1,240KB).

Auraia Screening was available for commercial violet CtP and newspaper violet / thermal CtP devices, but has since been replaced by Auraia-II.