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Now that a number of color prepress systems are on the market and the concept of making editorial corrections in appearance variables rather than in ink amounts is beginning to be accepted, it is appropriate to see what further improvements can be made. The required operations are reviewed. It is concluded that the main challenges are a more convenient operator interface, an accurate soft proof, and full (instant) interactivity. Calibration of input and output devices to the requisite accuracy is also important but easier to accomplish. The problem of gamut compression that is usually required to accommodate the smaller dynamic range of the printer also calls for attention. Printing with more than four inks is discussed as well. The extent to which the editorial process can be made automatic has been the subject of much speculation and some research. After listing the separate operations and discussing the ease (or difficulty) of automating them, it is concluded that fully automatic adjustment is neither possible nor desirable. Instead, it is suggested that most efforts should be applied to making the operator's job easier and faster.
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