Alwan to Showcase Hydra-Powered Color Management Applications at PRINTING United Expo 2026
Alwan to Showcase Hydra-Powered Color Management Applications at PRINTING United Expo 2026
Hydra-powered applications can deliver a return on investment with a single job
September 7, 2026, Lyon, France
Alwan Color Expertise will showcase its Hydra Profiling, HydraFix and HydraSpot applications at PRINTING United Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, September 23–25.
Powered by the Hydra Spectral Color Engine, Alwan’s patented spectral prediction technology, these applications enable prepress and print production operations to achieve exceptional color accuracy and significant ink savings in minutes.
In addition to powering Alwan’s own solutions, the Hydra Spectral Color Engine is available to strategic partners for custom OEM integration.
Profile
Hydra begins with a unique approach to spectral profiling.
Hydra Profiling®:
Hydra Profiling requires as few as 40 patches for offset CMYK and up to 190 patches for digital CMYKOGV to build accurate profiles for conventional and digital printing devices.
The resulting Hydra Profile is a standard ICC profile that can be used with any ICC-compatible application or device. It also contains spectral data that can be used by spectral color management modules, including the CMM within Alwan ColorHub.
By dramatically reducing the number of required patches, Hydra makes test charts faster and easier to print and measure while reducing the opportunity for production and measurement errors.
HydraFix®:
HydraFix helps digital presses remain color-accurate as substrates and production conditions change.
Using a single compact test chart and only a few minutes of production time, HydraFix updates the press profile without requiring repeated device linearization and profiling or the creation of numerous paper-specific front-end queues.
The result is faster recovery to nominal printing conditions, more consistent output and significantly less production downtime.
HydraSpot®:
HydraSpot extends Hydra’s predictive spectral modeling to spot color reproduction.
Digital presses can achieve spot color matches below Delta E 1, typically within only one or two iterations.
HydraSpot also provides multi-illuminant optimization, enabling printers and converters to match brand colors under the actual lighting conditions in which the finished product will be viewed.
Integrate and Automate
The Hydra Spectral Color Engine can be integrated into digital workflows to automate color matching across printing devices, substrates and production environments.
Alwan ColorHub:
Introduced in 2004, Alwan ColorHub is Alwan’s industry-leading PDF color management server.
Alwan ColorHub integrates Hydra’s spectral capabilities to provide highly accurate color reproduction for process and multicolor jobs using two to seven colors.
Within one powerful application, users can profile their presses, update existing profiles, fine-tune spot color reproduction and automate color matching across devices and workflows.
Alwan ColorHub also incorporates Alwan’s Minimum TAC and Ink Usage technologies, providing substantial ink savings without compromising print quality.
Together, Hydra-powered Alwan applications deliver measurable improvements in accuracy, productivity and ink consumption, with the potential to pay for themselves on a single production job.
OEM Integration
The Hydra Spectral Color Engine, along with Hydra Profiling, HydraFix and HydraSpot technologies, is available for OEM integration into color management software, RIPs, digital front ends and other print production solutions.
See Hydra at PRINTING United Expo 2026
Visit Alwan Color Expertise at Booth C3521 during PRINTING United Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, September 23–25, to see Hydra and Alwan’s complete range of Hydra-powered applications.