Software

GMG, a leading developer and supplier of high-end colour management software solutions, today announced that it has signed an agreement with HP to jointly promote and market the GMG colour management solutions in combination with HP Scitex wide-format printers. In addition, GMG has been awarded the HP Graphics Solutions Partner Gold level for 2011.

GMG wide-format printing applications offer outstanding colour management. Solutions include GMG ColorServer for fully automated colour space transformations and GMG SmartProfiler for calibrating and profiling digital and wide-format printers.

Tailored to the specific needs of HP Scitex customers, GMG will offer a dedicated GMG ColorServer Suite for HP Scitex printers as a customised software bundle including GMG ColorServer/SmartProfiler and a set of preconfigured hot folders and ready-to-use colour profiles. The GMG hot folder technology guarantees every user the best possible production reliability and colour accuracy, helping avoid errors right from the start. Thus, no expert knowledge is needed for the setup of colour-managed workflows, regardless of the number of wide-format printers in use. The GMG colour management solution equally benefits companies that have several similar or identical printers installed, achieving identical quality of the printed output on every device.

The GMG solution for HP Scitex printers will be shown in HP Scitex demo centres worldwide, giving more users access to GMG colour management technology and enabling them to achieve the highest repeatability of consistent colour results on every printing system and nearly any substrate.

"We are very pleased that HP, as the major industry player in the digital and wide-format printing business, considers our colour management technology as the solution of choice," says Paul Willems, CEO of GMG GmbH & Co. KG. "This clearly accentuates the outstanding print quality and degree of innovation GMG is offering the wide-format printing segments with its easy-to-use software tools. We are convinced that our customers will greatly benefit from colour-managed workflows, helping them to meet their customers' expectations for high colour accuracy and colours that obtain a visual match with offset printing which very often is taken as the reference standard to measure the print quality."

According to Yariv Avisar, vice president and general manager, Scitex Large-format Printing Division, HP, "Colour management is becoming an increasingly important part of the wide-format printing workflow as customers look to create a competitive advantage and meet end users' needs for consistent, high-quality output. After in-depth testing, HP concluded that the GMG ColorServer software is an ideal solution to meet these needs for our customers."

The GMG solution for HP Scitex printers is expected to be available in mid-March.

By participating in the Sign Middle East trade show in Dubai from January 24 to 26 2011, Caldera was looking to increase its presence and support in the African and Middle Eastern markets.  Sign and Graphic Imaging Middle East is a specialised event dedicated to the Middle East’s signage, outdoor media, screen and digital printing industries. It’s the largest and the longest running show in the region and attracts both exhibitors and visitors from across the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, India, Pakistan, East Africa etc.

For Pascale Iskandar, Sales Area Manager for MEA, "This venue is the most important for the Middle East and Africa zone. Our presence here is very important in order to give support to partners including Graphic International, System Middle East and Giffin Graphics, but also to present our newest innovations and products to WFP clients."

The Caldera RIP solutions were strongly presented on the show, driving the majority of the printers on the Seiko, HP, Durst and Mutoh booths.

"The presence of Caldera technicians helped us to strengthen bonds with partners and present the new features of the V 8.01, especially the Adobe PDF Print Engine. We are very enthusiastic about the fact that our regional distributors have a strong technical level and an excellent knowledge of Caldera’s solution. This should be highly beneficial to current and future users, " commented Patrick Zimmermann, Training and Support Director

The Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) is an option of the Caldera RIP, developed in partnership with Adobe, which optimises the previewing and printing of PDF documents at different stages of the professional print workflow.  This option enables native rendering of PDF files, without conversion to Postscript, helping to ensure that complex designs and effects (drop shadows, gradients, transparencies…) are efficiently and reliably reproduced through the PDF standard.

"African and Middle Eastern print professionals appreciate that Caldera solutions are easy to set-up and a reliable production oriented product, even though they are highly technical. Our products give them the autonomy necessary in their geographical context, enabling them to concentrate their efforts on servicing their clients and projects," added Sebastien HANSSENS, VP Marketing.

Supply55 Inc. has announced the release of ReelPRO compatibility with Mutoh and Epson wide-format printers as well as the new Roland VS family of wide-format printers.

ReelPRO is an affordable, easy to install, easy to use take-up system which allows wide-format printer users to take control of their workflow. At the heart of ReelPRO is a proprietary patent pending drive train developed by Supply55 which provides superior performance and reliability. ReelPRO immediately starts saving the user money by reducing the number of damaged prints, improving efficiency when printing longer jobs; banners, vehicle wraps, wallpaper, signs and allows the operator to run the printer unattended.

Benefits of ReelPRO:

• Unattended printing
• Avoid dust and dirt on printed images
• Eliminate waste through improved workflow
• Stop kinking and scratching prints as they are moved from the printer to your work tables or as they hit the floor
• Improved profitability through improved efficiency

 

Caldera Graphics, a French RIP developer specialising in wide format printing applications, has been certified as a Color-Logic partner.  Announcing the certification, Color-Logic Director of Sales and Marketing Mark Geeves said: "The continued growth of the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System in the wide-format printer market will be greatly enhanced by our Caldera partnership.  The Caldera submissions for certification ranged from a variety of metallic substrates for signage applications, to metallic images output on fabric.  Caldera Graphics is recognised around the world for its wide-format products, and we welcome them as a Color-Logic Certified Partner."

Advanced tools for 3D packaging visualisation and increased efficiency in the production process; these are the main reasons for packaging and display specialist Seyfert GmbH to opt for ArtiosCAD (www.esko.com/artioscad). Based in Reichenbach/Fils (Germany) and with several production sites in Europe, Seyfert is a leading supplier of high-quality transport packaging, shelf-ready packaging and display products. Since implementing ArtiosCAD, Seyfert benefits from a significantly simpler and faster workflow, thanks to the advanced design and drafting tools. Moreover, the sophisticated 3D tools integrated in ArtiosCAD opened new paths in 3D visualisation and design for the company.

“With our previous CAD solution it was a struggle to keep up with customer demand. We required a solution that enabled us to work faster and process more jobs. We were looking for an open system that included complete 3D visualisation, the latest structural design tools and an efficient administration. ArtiosCAD was just the solution we needed," says Thomas Spittler, Packaging Development Manager at Seyfert. Especially the sophisticated 3D tools had a big impact at the company: “We can now design exact-fitting packaging and inserts. And because ArtiosCAD is an open system, we can import clients’ 3D models of their products and design highly accurate packaging without inputting measurements or having the product on site.”

Workflow automation and reduced turnaround times

With ArtiosCAD, Seyfert's workflow is now highly automated, resulting in the elimination of repetitive, time-intensive tasks and significantly shortened job turnaround times.  When the first design draft is generated, ArtiosCAD provides 3D samples via PDF for clients’ approval: “ArtiosCAD 3D tools have made the approval cycle much shorter and easier,” explains Spittler. “In the past, we had to build expensive models and mock-ups at each construction phase. Now we can simply discuss the design with the client via a video conference call, so everybody can see the latest 3D draft, discuss any adjustments required and progress quickly to the final version. ArtiosCAD eliminates any waste in this process because the final 3D sample that the customer approves is generated from the 2D design which can automatically be converted to a manufacturing file for die-making.” 

ArtiosCAD offers tools specifically designed for structural design, product development, virtual prototyping and manufacturing. It allows Seyfert to quickly create design standards for their corrugated, folding carton and display orders, saving time and eliminating errors. One feature that is particularly of interest for Seyfert is the capability to automatically create different basic parametric designs based on one single Standard, making standardisation and recurring packaging concepts easier.

“The thorough analysis conducted by EskoArtwork before the installation, highlighted how ArtiosCAD could improve the way we operate – and after implementing the software with a Seyfert specific roll-out plan those projections have certainly been realised within a short time frame,” concludes Spittler. “ArtiosCAD has made our workflow more efficient and saves us a lot of time. We now have more resources for developing new creative applications, and can dedicate more time to our clients.”

 

Four Pees, an international business partner providing marketing, sales and distribution services for production automation and colour optimisation solutions announces it has been appointed as strategic partner for Color Confidence in the Benelux. The company has been assigned the task to expand the reseller channel specifically in the pro-photo and prosumer photo markets and increase the overall Color Confidence awareness.

As part of the agreement Four Pees will also be able to sub-distribute specific colour related products to its network of international resellers. This will allow the company to strengthen its position as a one-stop-distributor for automation and color optimisation products.

As a leading value added distributor, Color Confidence supplies resellers with products that make their customers’ images stand out from the crowd. Color Confidence offers the widest range of products and services from the world's leading manufacturers including PANTONE, X-Rite and NEC displays amongst many others, together with an own brand range of calibration and colour management essentials for photographers, designers and anyone for whom colour is important. What makes Color Confidence truly different is its expertise, experience and commitment to training, education and technical support. 

“The Color Confidence product portfolio is a natural extension of our own products”, says Tom Peire, founder and CEO of Four Pees. “The increased focus on the pro-photo and prosumer photo markets in the Benelux creates a synergy with the additional efforts we intended to put in that market anyway. We are also very happy that through this partnership we are able to offer our resellers some essential add-ons to the products we were already selling”.

In the relatively short amount of time, since its incorporation, Four Pees has built up strong relations with resellers in different vertical markets in the Benelux and the rest of Europe. In 2010 the company expanded its team with some very experienced sales professionals. Koen Lesage, Sales Manager Central Europe at Four Pees will specifically take on the responsibility for the Color Confidence product portfolio in the Benelux market.

“Through Four Pees’ extended experience in channel development and reseller management, we are confident that we will be able to grow our channel in the Benelux market”, says Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director of Color Confidence/ TypeMaker Ltd. “With the right dedicated resources that Four Pees brings and the overall added value we have been offering our partners internationally for years, we are confident that we will be able to consolidate our place in the Benelux market.”