Software

Enfocus announces update 2 of its PitStop Pro 10 and PitStop Server 10 software tools. This update answers the needs of customers who require the ability to quickly and easily look at, and interact with, complex PDF files on e-reader devices such as the Apple iPad.

"Viewing PDF files on tablet devices has not always proved to be a straightforward task. While they have become increasingly important within printing and publishing workflows, these devices might have limitations which cause lengthy delays waiting for a PDF to open. This can even crash the PDF reader application completely," explains Elli Cloots, Director of Product Management at Enfocus."With update 2 of PitStop Pro 10 and PitStop Server 10, we address the increasing market need for matching PDF files with these successful e-reader applications."

Quality PDF files for e-readers

Update 2 of PitStop Pro 10 and PitStop Server 10 offer printers and publishers extended processing capabilities through the standard Enfocus Preflight Profiles and Action Lists. This allows them to choose parameters such as the file resolution, and to optimise the PDF accordingly for faster and better e-reader viewing. When zooming into a PDF, both images and text will retain the necessary image quality and level of interactivity. PitStop can also check live URLs in the PDF to ensure that they are linked to a website.

With this latest version of PitStop Pro 10 and PitStop Server 10, Enfocus brings the PDF user experience to a higher level, while maintaining the same quality. Enfocus worked alongside several pilot customers to solve their most common problems, with particular focus on the extremely popular iPad device. Instead of a time-consuming process of manual inspection at the production side, quality PDF files can now be made suitable for viewing on any e-reader, giving the user a more enjoyable experience.

“This is an important step in a new direction for Enfocus,” says Cloots. “This feature has been developed upon the request of several major publishing houses. As their needs change, we also further develop our solutions to ensure those needs are met. We expect these kinds of applications to become increasingly important, and we’ll be continually developing our software to keep pace.”

PitStop Pro 10 and PitStop Server 10 became commercially available in October 2010, and include powerful PDF editing and preflighting, color management and collaborative working tools. Update 1, announced in February 2011, added support for Adobe® Acrobat® X Standard and Pro, and compatibility with the latest PDF/X-4:2010 and PDF/A ISO standards.

Availability

PitStop Pro update 2 and PitStop Server 10 update 2 are free updates for all existing PitStop 10 users, available from June 16, 2011 from www.enfocus.com.

ONYX Graphics, Inc. has announced it now supports Epson Stylus Pro 4900, 7890 and 9890 printers with the company’s ONYX ProductionHouse, ONYX PosterShop and ONYX RipCenter Version X10 RIP software packages. ONYX RIP software solutions include key features such as native PDF file handling, ONYX Smart 16-Bit color blends and gradients and workflow automation. The Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer is a 17-inch desktop photographic printer.

The 24-inch Epson Stylus Pro 7890 and 44-inch Epson Stylus Pro 9890 models are Epson’s mid-range, high quality wide format printers. ONYX Graphics developed the Epson Stylus Pro 4900, 7890 and 9890 printer drivers and profiles to operate the printers at top performance capabilities.

The ONYX drivers include support for the following Epson Stylus Pro Series features:

Resolutions:

• 2880x1440, 1440, 720x1440, 720, 720x360, 360x720 and 360 dpi

Ink configurations:

• For Epson Stylus Pro 7890/9890 printers: Epson UltraChrome K3® ink set
• For Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printers: Epson UltraChrome® HDR ink set

Print methods:

• ONYX halftone modes (for maximum control of ink usage)
• Continuous-tone mode that supports Epson AccuPhoto™ high-definition screening technology

The drivers also include 32-bit ONYX ICC profiles for high quality and productivity print modes on popular Epson media.

Availability

The ONYX drivers and media profiles for the Epson Stylus Pro 4900, 7890 and 9890 printers are available now from the Printer & Profile Download Manager on the ONYX Graphics web site: http://www.onyxgfx.com/downloads. All current ONYX ProductionHouse, ONYX PosterShop and ONYX RIPCenter Version X10 license holders can download the drivers and profiles and run the printer with no additional driver permissions needed.

 

X-Rite Photo Marketing announces its schedule of June Webinars that have been developed to address specific color management topics and are designed to appeal to both professional and serious amateur photographers.

Four free Webinar topics this month are sure to help photographers gain new confidence and to learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions to the live trainers.

"Just in time for summer photography, this month our hour-long educational webinars will teach imaging professionals and enthusiasts how X-Rite's line of color management tools can bring their digital photography color to new levels and help them incorporate a near-effortless color workflow into their every day imaging projects," said Mark Rezzonico, vice president X-Rite Photo Marketing. "Also this month we are pleased to feature two new webinars co-sponsored by Nik Software and onOne Software geared to help photographers of all levels tap into their creativity and think outside the box. All photographers who are passionate about their photography, color accuracy and workflow efficiency are encouraged to regularly join our ongoing series of X-Rite Webinars."

June Webinar Schedule

Thursday, June 9, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT and 1:00 PM EDT

RAW COLOR POWER with Adobe Lightroom and the ColorChecker Passport

Professional photographers and photo enthusiasts will learn how to bring their digital photography color to a new level. This webinar will instruct attendees on how to quickly and easily capture accurate color, instantly enhance portraits and landscapes, create their own color look with one click, maintain color control and consistency and achieve superior color results in a fraction of the time.

Topics that will be covered include:

• Creating and Using Camera Profiles
• Custom White Balance with the ColorChecker Passport
• One click accurate color edits
• Matching color response of two or more cameras
• Matching color response under different lighting conditions
• Color editing in Adobe Lightroom
• Color editing in Adobe Photoshop

 

Wednesday, June 15, 2011, 12:00 PM EDT and 3:00 PM EDT

Wildlife and Nature Photography, Too!

In this free webinar, wildlife and nature photographer, Juan Pons will share some of his best techniques and tips for making exciting nature and wildlife photographs. He will share the techniques he uses for attracting wildlife, finding interesting and exciting places to photograph close to home and how to make excellent wildlife and nature images in the process.

Juan will discuss the necessity of good color management workflow and the tools he uses - X-Rite ColorChecker Passport and ColorMunki Photo. In addition, he uses Silver Efex Pro 2 and other NIK Software solutions to enhance and expand his raw capture images.

Topics that will be covered include:

• Getting extraordinary shots in ordinary places
• Techniques for attracting wildlife
• Finding interesting places near you
• NIK Software solutions for enhanced images
• Using ColorChecker Passport for camera profiles
• Profiling a color monitor and projector with X-Rite ColorMunki Photo

 

Thursday, June 23, 2011, 3:00 PM EDT

Take Control of Your Color and Unleash Your Creativity with Brian Matiash

This webinar is the first in a series co-hosted by X-Rite and onOne Software. For those curious about HDR photography and advanced amateur photographers shooting in RAW, Brian Matiash, of onOne Software, will show how to incorporate X-Rite color management solutions, including the ColorChecker Passport and ColorMunki Photo into a photographer's workflow. He'll show photographers how simple color management can be and the important role it plays in achieving great looking images. In addition, Brian will use the onOne Perfect Photo Suite to take his foundation image and stylize it so that it becomes truly memorable.

Topics that will be covered include:

• Getting the exposures you need
• Color management begins at capture
• Monitor calibration for a color managed workflow
• Using onOne Perfect Photo Suite to stylize images

Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT and 1:00 PM EDT

Beyond Monitor Calibration - Get Prints That Match Your Display!

Perfect for wedding, portrait and landscape photographers as well as photo lab professionals and photo enthusiasts doing their own printing, this webinar, featuring the award-winning X-Rite ColorMunki Photo, will teach attendees how to put a color managed workflow in place from image capture through printer output including creating custom profiles and learning how to use them correctly to produce prints that match a display every time.

Topics that will be covered include:

• Monitor to Print Matching (Calibration and Profiling)
• Obtaining consistent color in camera
• Benefits of creating and using custom printer profiles
• Soft-proofing in Adobe Photoshop
• Applying printer profiles in Photoshop
• Digital Projector Profiling

Webinar registration can be found on XritePhoto.com Visit the Webinar page found under the Learning section.

 

 

X-Rite, Incorporated, the world leader in colour management, measurement and communication technologies and the Color Management Group (CMG) today unveiled a new web-based resource centre for digital imaging professionals who are upgrading to X-Rite's new line of i1 Professional Color Management Solutions. Customers visiting www.i1upgrades.com, can learn about the new line of products, choose the most appropriate upgrade package to suit their needs, purchase on-site or WebExTM training sessions and obtain expert technical information, in just a few simple steps".

"CMG has been a long-term strategic partner of X-Rite's," says Buzz Apostol, X-Rite's VP of sales.  "This latest initiative is a further testament to their commitment and expertise with our products.  In fact, many of their consultants were part of the beta teams that helped drive the development of our new i1Color Management Solutions. We are thrilled with their initiative and have every confidence that i1upgrades.com will prove to be a high-value source of information and guidance for digital imaging professionals throughout North America."

"CMG's experience in handling the fulfillment of upgrades for other industry leaders is second to none.  With i1upgrades.com, CMG has created a user-friendly resource centre that includes everything a customer might be looking for when thinking of upgrading, from pre-sales information to help them choose the most appropriate solution, to an highly-efficient and easy-to-navigate upgrade system, to post-sales support with a technology and FAQ corner," comments Jim Luttrell, X-Rite's Field Marketing Manager for the Americas.

Designed to accommodate all levels of proficiency and expertise, X-Rite's new line of i1 Professional Color Management Solutions consists of a combination of hardware, software, and comparative colour targets specifically focused on meeting the unique needs of packaging, pre-press, and publishing professionals, to provide them with exceptional value at very attractive price points. 

"X-Rite's colour management technologies are the cornerstone of graphic arts colour workflows. Our experts have relied on X-Rite technology to serve their customers' colour critical applications for years, helping them produce consistent, accurate colour. The Color Management Group is passionate about colour and we are very excited to partner with X-Rite on this effort. X-Rite's latest software, i1Profiler, is the culmination of industry-leading technologies that raise the bar on colour performance. We look forward to helping our experts, and their customers, experience these great new benefits," comments Marc Levine, Color Management Group's Director of Business Development.

The portfolio is comprised of i1Basic Pro, i1Photo Pro, i1Publish Pro and i1Publish (software and target suite).  All four feature groundbreaking new i1Profiler software technology designed to accommodate all skill levels, and provide the power and control needed to create the highest quality colour profiles, as well as the new PANTONE Color Manager colour swatch bridging software.

i1Photo Pro and i1Publish Pro include i1Profiler software, an i1Pro spectrophotometer, PANTONE Color Manager software, ColorChecker Proof target, mini ColorChecker Classic target, and ColorChecker camera calibration software. i1Publish includes all of the above except for the spectrophotometer.

For more information on these solutions, upgrades, and pricing, please visit: www.i1upgrades.com

"Since our founding, CMG alliance companies have been instrumental in executing technical and partner programs that meet both industry goals and customer needs. We are delighted to partner with X-Rite, and look forward to evangelising and helping our expert resellers creatively market this long-anticipated software. The new technologies, combined with the skills of our members will benefit customers worldwide," states Lida Jalali Marschke, Founder, Color Management Group.

Triakon, one of the most advanced sign and display production companies in Belgium, is enjoying the tangible benefits of the EskoArtwork solutions. Triakon has an extensive client base including design agencies, retail chains and a number of other companies that require digital printing and sign and display work. While these requirements are met using a range of large format and digital printing systems, it's the EskoArtwork Kongsberg i-XL24 cutting table and i-cut Suite software that turn the many semi-finished products generated by these printers into end products.

Check and check again

While the Kongsberg i-XL24 has proven to be an essential addition finishing signs, labels, posters, invitations, wobblers, labels as well as greetings and business cards, the i-cut Suite installed last year made an impact on the company's prepress workflow.

The first step in the production process is the arrival of client supplied PDF or open files in Triakon’s prepress department. Technical aspects are checked using i-cut Preflight and where necessary text changes are implemented and spot colours prepared. Prepress manager Jef Maerevoet explains: "Editing boxes is easy with the i-cut Preflight. We also use several action lists, for instance to automate the conversion from RGB to CMYK. The use of action lists enables us to abbreviate repeated actions as we don’t need to enter the same settings time and again."

Triakon is a pioneer when it comes to the acquisition of new technologies. "We are a new, hi-tech enterprise and we are passionate about technology as we feel we owe it to our clients", explains Managing Director Lieven de Schamphelaere, who has been running the company together with his brother since 2011. "The most significant aspect of our approach is the interaction with our clientele. We ‘check and check again’ when we receive material, as a result of which our clients know they can rely on us. Service requires an in-depth knowledge of the technology in question and the ability to solve problems."

"Using i-cut Preflight we can optimise the technical aspects of the file for the digital press or printer on which it will be processed. Of course pre-flighting is part of our service to our customers. They are only too happy that we can prevent those small errors that sometimes still occur during preparation, " continues Lieven de Schamphelaere.

The second part of the i-cut Suite – i-cut Layout – also plays a vital role during preparation states Dirk Poels, who is in charge of the print fleet. "This program enables us to create the most appropriate imposition for files on a specific printing machine. The necessary coordinates for the cutting paths for finishing are inserted. The files are positioned on the material to ensure that we can maximise its use on the print system on which it will be processed. We also enter additional positioning markings for finishing on the Kongsberg."

[photo shows Triakon's Managing Director - Lieven de Schamphelaere]

WoodWing, a leading supplier of innovative cross-media publishing solutions, announced today that it is teaming up with Enfocus, a leading vendor of modular tools safeguarding job quality and enabling automation throughout the complete media production chain. As part of the partnership, Enfocus will become a WoodWing Authorized Technology Partner, while WoodWing joins the growing Enfocus Crossroads community as an Application Partner. Together, the companies will offer enhanced integration between WoodWing Enterprise 7 and Enfocus Switch, enabling publishers to further automate and streamline their media production processes.

Founded in 1993, Enfocus is based in Ghent, Belgium. Switch, one of its flagship products, is available in three versions with different levels of functionality. All offer an easy-to-use visual interface enabling users to set up and control their automated processes. Among other features, the application automates the receiving, sorting and delivery of files. Depending on the Switch version, extensive integration with other applications can be provided to automatically create PDF files, preflight PDF and image files, apply color corrections, impose and proof jobs, and more. Established in 2007, the Enfocus Crossroads community – connecting users, Application Partners and Integrator Partners – provides a pool of expertise and resources to make automation with Enfocus Switch more accessible to users in the printing and publishing industries.

“WoodWing is a leading software supplier to the publishing industry,” said Fabian Prudhomme, Vice President of Enfocus. “With WoodWing joining the Crossroads community, publishers will now be able to make a big step toward full automation. Switch automates the delivery of assets to WoodWing Enterprise and supports the processing of the final content from Enterprise to a multitude of output channels. This allows publishers to focus on more value-added tasks. During the WoodWing Xperience event from May 24-25 in Amsterdam, attendees will be the first to see our enhanced integration between the upcoming Switch 10 and WoodWing Enterprise 7.”

Anyone interested can follow the WoodWing Xperience on Twitter at #WWXP.

“An open architecture, the use of open standards and the resulting high flexibility are essential characteristics of WoodWing Enterprise, our cross-media publishing system,” said Hans Janssen, CEO of WoodWing Software. “This openness enables our customers to integrate specialized applications from our Technology Partners and to build a best-of-breed solution that’s the most cost-effective and efficient for their business. The close integration of Enterprise and Enfocus Switch is a good example of the success of this strategy and its value for WoodWing customers.”

The backbone of any publishing process

WoodWing's Enterprise is a versatile cross-media publishing system for the creation and production of print, online and mobile publications. At the heart of the system is the Enterprise server, the backbone of multi-channel publishing processes. On top sits Content Station, the content management application, which enables content producers, editors, photographers and managers to perform their daily tasks, from content planning to final publication to multiple channels – all from within one user-friendly interface.

Full integration delivers even more automation

With the enhanced integration of WoodWing Enterprise and Enfocus Switch, publishers are now able to automate even more of their media production processes. Reception, sorting, processing and routing of assets can now be fully automated by Switch. The processed assets – including metadata such as brand, category, issue and status – can also be uploaded automatically into Enterprise.

Enfocus Switch can also be used to adapt assets. For example, Switch can download a high-resolution CMYK image from Enterprise, resize it to the appropriate resolution, and convert it to an RGB image. The modified image is then simply uploaded back into Enterprise as a new asset. Switch also integrates with numerous other Crossroads partner applications, providing publishers a complete, feature-rich, streamlined workflow. A print-ready PDF file, for example, can be downloaded from Enterprise using Switch and then routed to an appropriate application for automated preflighting, ink optimization, proofing, imposition and final delivery to the RIP for plate output.

For publishers, Switch offers a visual way of connecting and building the workflow – as well as controlling it. Users save both time and money on building, debugging, and on the daily monitoring of the workflow. Workflows can be further enhanced through scripting, changes to metadata or any kind of advanced manipulation of files.