Approximate time to complete section: 3 minutes

Welcome to the ColorCert QA Tools Operator Training! This course has been designed for users that are new to ColorCert, those wanting a refresher, as well as seasoned ColorCert users that have not yet used the all new interface introduced in version 5. In this course you will learn:

1. Launching ColorCert
2. Quick Compare mode
3. Creating standards
4. Measuring trials (samples)
5. Understanding the data
6. Creating customers
7. Project mode
8. Notes & Tags
9. Understanding the interface
10. Customizing your display

Click the activity links under each section to navigate through this course. To get started, watch the first video below.

Approximate time to complete section: 7 minutes

In this module we will begin by launching the ColorCert QA Tools software. You will then learn about

1. Toggling between the new and old ColorCert interface
2. Your ColorCert license information
3. Reviewing your PantoneLIVE® status
4. Verifying your database connection
5. Verifying your instrument connection
6. Seeing your NetProfiler status

Approximate time to complete section: 7 minutes

Quick compare mode is a frequently used feature within QA Tools that allows you to determine the numerical difference between two samples. In this module we will learn:

1. Toggling into quick compare mode
2. Identifying when the software is in quick compare mode
3. Creating a "Standard"
4. Measuring a "Trial"
5. Reviewing the data
6. Using an existing standard in quick compare mode

Approximate time to complete section: 10 minutes

You will really begin to make efficient use of QA Tools when you begin creating digital standards of your colors. In this module, you will learn:

1. Measuring a physical standard to digitize it
2. Understanding the interface
3. Reviewing the data that you have measured
4. Creating a name
5. Adding notes and other descriptive details
6. The QA Tools tolerance hierarchy
7. Assigning your new standard to customers and/or projects
8. Adding tags to your standard

Approximate time to complete section: 3 minutes

Now that we have standards, let's begin measuring data. In this module, you will learn:

1. Selecting a standard to compare to
2. Searching when there are many standards
3. Measuring your trials

Approximate time to complete section: 6 minutes

The most common way to organize your standards is by customer: In this module, we will learn the process for creating new customers in your QA Tools database.

1. Creating the new customer
2. Adding notes
3. Custom search rules
4. Custom tolearances
5. Assigning existing colors

Approximate time to complete section: 3 minutes

Project mode is a very useful feature when measuring trials in production, or in any situation where you need to measure multiple samples of different colors.

1. Placing QA Tools into project mode
2. Measuring trials while in project mode

Approximate time to complete section: 5 minutes

Now that we understand how useful project mode can be, let's learn how to create new projects.

1. Creating and naming projects
2. Adding notes to your project
3. Adding search rules
4. Adding a project tolerance
5. Adding colors to projects

Approximate time to complete section: 7 minutes

Notes and Tags are used to record details or information about measurements, in this module we will learn:

1. How are notes and tags different from one another
2. When might you wish to use a note vs. a tag
3. Using the details widget to apply and view notes and tags
4. Viewing notes and tags in the samples widget
5. Removing notes and tags

Approximate time to complete section: 3 minutes

Now that we understand how to use notes and tags, let's learn how to create new tags.

1. Opening the tag editor
2. Creating new tags
3. Creating multiple new tags
4. Creating new tags "on the fly" during production

Approximate time to complete section: 1 minute

Now that we have a basic understanding of ColorCert QA Tools usage, let's take a closer look at each of the available widgets and the information they provide. Widgets are windows or views into your data. QA Tools allows you to look at your data in whatever way is most meaningful to you. The next series of modules will focus on these various widgets. We will begin this tour by reviewing what is likely the simplest of these, the Visual Color Widget.

Approximate time to complete section: 2 minutes

Viewing your data in a L*a*b* plot is very useful for understanding how your measured trial compares to the defined standard. So much so that we have included 2 different L*a*b* plots from which you may select. In this module focused on the L*a*b* View Widget you will learn about:

1. The standard plot
2. The trial plot
3. The tolerance plot
4. Auto zoom
5. Manual zoom

Approximate time to complete section: 3 minutes

Our second L*a*b* widget is the L*a*b* Plot Widget. This widget allows us to view either the current trial, or all trials. In this module you will learn:

1. Standard/Trial/Tolerance plots
2. Current trial view
3. All trials view
4. Manual zoom slider

Approximate time to complete section: 1 minute

The spectrum view widget allows us to see the spectral curve for both defined standard and the current trial. This widget is especially useful for ink technicians.

Approximate time to complete section: 3 minutes

This module will introduce you to the Trials widget. This widget contains several important features that you will learn in this module including:

1. Viewing L*, a*, b*, C*, and h° data for your measured trials
2. Delta E and Pass/Fail data
3. NetProfiler status
4. Navigating amongst your measured trials

Approximate time to complete section: 2 minutes

The density widget is especially useful when printing and measuring process colors. In this module you will learn:

1. Selecting your preferred density status
2. Viewing the graphical and numerical density data
3. Identifying the dominant filter
4. Understanding your printed density in relation to the defined standard

Approximate time to complete section: 2 minutes

The trend widget is helpful to understand how your production is varying over time. Print production can sometimes drift, and trend charts will help you spot and correct issues causing drift to occur. In this module you will learn about:

1. Viewing the plot of your trials
2. Viewing the trend line
3. In tolerance vs. out of tolerance plots
4. Selecting the metric(s) to view

Approximate time to complete section: 2 minutes

The trials with deltas widget allows you to view various regarding your measured trials. In this module you will learn about:

1. Date and time stamps
2. Delta E data
3. Pass/Fail data
4. NetProfiler status
5. Quality level bar graph
6. Toggling the bar graph view

Approximate time to complete section: 6 minutes

The best match feature may be one of ColorCert's most useful features, providing the press operator actionable information for correcting and maintaining solid colors within tolerance. In this module you will learn about:

1. Identifying if your color is within tolerance
2. If in tolerance, can the match be improved
3. Does the density/strength need to be increased or decreased to improve the match
4. If out of tolerance, is it possible to be in tolerance using the current ink and substrate

Approximate time to complete section: 2 minutes

In this module you will learn about the history widget which plots a bar graph of all trials for a selected color on the job you are running.

Approximate time to complete section: 2 minutes

In this module you will learn about the Numbers widget. This widget contains several important features that you will learn in this module including:

1. Viewing L*, a*, b*, C*, and h° data for the selected trial
2. Delta E and Pass/Fail data
3. Viewing optional Delta E formulas
4. NetProfiler status

Approximate time to complete section: 5 minutes

Now that we understand all of the widget options available to us, we can create custom layouts. In this module, we will learn about

1. Changing the screen layout to show more or fewer widget windows
2. Adding widgets to your display
3. Changing widgets
4. Creating custom display
5. Naming your custom displays
6. Generating reports