Software

The convenience of automating the scheduling and collation of versioned jobs is now seamless on Inca Digital wide format printers with the launch of the Inca Print Run Controller (PRC) software module.  With high speed printing rates making digital production more versatile and profitable, PRC allows users to schedule the print order and produce print jobs quickly and simply to prevent RIP and workflow bottle-necks, streamline production, reduce operator error, reduce post-print collation requirements and enhance customer service.

Inca has developed PRC to assist in the production of an individual order incorporating different elements or images, sizes or languages. It is also applicable when a large number of images need to be output in varying quantities with variable elements to a large number of recipients.  PRC's ability to streamline the overall production process allows digital output on medium - longer run lengths to compete with screen printing and offset litho technologies.

"The introduction of PRC is another change in the capabilities of wide-format digital print by shortening turn around times and reducing the margin for error", says Linda Bell, Inca CEO.  "The software module is ideal for users of Inca Onset, S20 and Spyder machines where speed no longer has to be sacrificed when variable images and versioning are incorporated into a print run."

PRC's ability to RIP once/output once or RIP once/output many, depending on run lengths, cuts job changeover times considerably.  Users now have the opportunity, for example, to pre-define print jobs by geographical location and delivery priority.  This has the potential to significantly reduce shipping and collation costs, whilst at the same time maximizing the time customers have to produce the job.

Another benefit is that PRC allows job scheduling to be managed in the studio before it enters the pressurized environment of the shop floor.  Printer operators can focus on the task of printing to improve efficiency and productivity still further.

PRC is fully compliant with PPML 2.10 (Personalised Print Markup Language) and works with a user's RIP to transform image files into a format which can be output as normal.  The ability to work with industry-standard PDFs and conform to preflight parameters also ensures that colour integrity and other workflow criteria are maintained throughout.

There are versions for a range of Inca machines and the software is available from Q4 2009 from Inca Digital or its exclusive distributor Fujifilm Sericol.

GMG, developer and supplier of high-end colour management and proofing solutions, is pleased to announce that the company has joined the EQUIOSNET Partnership Program launched by Dainippon Screen. The aim of the program is to provide a variety of printing solutions that use end-to-end automation to prevent human errors, shorten turnaround time and optimise the entire production process.

Screen is focusing on the development of more automated and efficient systems in the printing industry. Consequently, Screen customers will be able to benefit from GMG's colour management expertise as GMG is well-known for providing high-quality, fully automatic colour conversions and outstanding technology for the stabilisation of nearly every printing process.

"We look forward to a close collaboration with a global company such as Screen within the EQUIOSNET Partnership Program. We believe that this program will benefit our mutual customers greatly", says Paul Willems, Chief Executive Officer of GMG GmbH & Co. KG.

The growth in demand from display producers wanting to work with industry-standard PDFs has led UK-based wide-format RIP software specialist Shiraz Software to develop and launch an integrated plug-in for use with its Signature and Server versions. Designated the Shiraz Adobe PDF Engine plug-in, this new option embeds complete functionality within the existing RIP and now enables users to adhere to the standard delivery format common throughout the digital print market.

Shiraz Software RIP now benefits from the same core technology used by Adobe to build Acrobat, and this ensures high-performance PDF processing which is optimised consistently on all platforms. The optional plug-in extends the RIPs functionality to full Acrobat 9 (PDF 1.7 +Ext) certification, providing greater security and reliability in distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms across all work-flow environments. This requirement is becoming increasingly relevant and important to wide-format digital print service providers who are being driven to adopt commonality with other creative professionals in the graphic arts market.

The Shiraz Adobe PDF Engine plug-in is available for integration within Shiraz v6.60 and Signature v7.0. This makes it ideal for users of multiple output devices which use the company’s Server option as well as smaller companies using the Signature product for driving a single printer.

Able to handle live transparency and layering, as well as PDF files of virtually all sizes and specifications, this Shiraz plug-in produces high quality rendering for smooth graduations and blends. It provides the exceptional quality and reliability found in proven Adobe technology and is fully interoperable with other products in the company’s portfolio, such as Illustrator and InDesign.

All colour spaces are supported, including RGB, CMYK, L*a*b (CIELAB), as well as spot and indexed requirements. Font rendering is accommodated to include unicode (UTF) and double-byte fonts which allow the use of complex and extended character sets. The Shiraz Adobe PDF Engine plug-in is efficient on multiple CPU systems in a thread-safe manner and offers excellent memory management.

The release of this new, essential option now gives existing and new users of our products the ability to conform with industry standard PDF work-flow which is rapidly becoming an essential requirement within the wide-format digital printing industry, states Ramin Shahbazi, Shiraz Softwares business development director. We've put our Adobe PDF Engine plug-in through intensive and rigorous testing world-wide prior to bringing it to market and this solution will now provide reliable, accurate and supported implementation of the latest Adobe PDF specification.

Shiraz Software provides software, work-flow management and RIP solutions for all users of wide-format ink-jet printers, with products including its Server options for businesses running multiple printers and Signature, which is designed as an entry-level stand-alone solution. All versions are fully upgradable and are available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux platforms.

A low-cost image management and printing option, Shiraz Focus, is also available for professional photographers. All current releases are fully compatible with Windows 7 and Macintosh OSX Snow Leopard (10.6)

Caldera has extended its partnership with Adobe and announced the integration of the Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE) into its RIP solutions. The association of the two technologies will guarantee for production printing fast and reliable reproduction of files in the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), including complex images and transparencies.

Caldera has built the technology into its new generation of RIP solutions and will be available with Caldera's V8 software edition which will be released at the end of 2009.

The Adobe PDF Print Engine enables integrated, end-to-end PDF workflows for printing graphically rich content, including variable content for personalized publishing. The Caldera print solutions powered by Adobe PDF Print Engine allow PDF files to be rendered natively, without conversion to PostScript, helping to ensure that complex designs and effects, even variable print elements with transparency, are efficiently and reliably reproduced.

"With the Adobe PDF Print Engine, the Caldera RIPing speed is not only increased for all PDF files, but the output is much more consistent with the design and editing products of the Adobe Creative Suite. Adobe PDF Print Engine eliminates the need for flattening transparency, maintaining content in a device-independent state right up until final rendering," said Guillaume Muller, R&D director.

With this new Adobe PDF Print Engine, Caldera simplifies upstream PDF workflows and unifies prepress production. It empowers designers to create leading-edge content with confidence, knowing that it will be reproduced as expected by print producers.

Leading RIP manufacturer EFI and Surrey based Canon, large format printer distributor, Velmex announced today their newly formed relationship to distribute the prepress and production range of EFI products supported by their newly acquired  EFI- Fogra certification.


Velmex Distribution based in Mitcham Surrey, announced today their strategic relationship with EFI to boost their product offerings into the large format channel.   EFI’s prepress and production products provide an end to end solution when used with the recently Fogra certified Canon iPF5100 or iPF6100 products.  Velmex, the leading Canon UK large format distributor now have a Fogra certified engineer who can calibrate and install a Colorproof XF system that produces an “EFI-Fogra.cert” compliant proof.  By passing this certification Velmex are now able to offer a full chain of Fogra compliant products. The importance of this solution means Velmex are now able to distribute the total printing package to the reseller channel, and offer their customers a full EFI – Fogra certification on their printing systems once calibrated.  Daniel Judge, Technical Manager for Velmex distribution said, “It gives us the opportunity to provide a further value added service to our resellers, allowing them to sell our solutions with the knowledge we can provide the qualification to back it up”

Whilst EFI’s product range is vast the concentration for Velmex is around three products, EFI’s Colorproof –XF, Colorproof – Express and for production environments the EFI Fiery XF. “Our aim was to provide quality products that gave our customers a good range to choose from, whatever their requirement” says  Judge,  “These products provide the perfect balance to our portfolio, and our EFI Fogra Certification means we can now provide a full end to end solution or any element within that.”    EFI, a company with a pedigree in rip production since 1989, are based in Foster City in the Silicon Valley, they have 23 offices worldwide and are leaders in the digital print industry.  EFI together with Tecco and Fogra set up the “EFI Fogra cert” initiative for compliant proofs to guarantee high quality and reliably printing, it means that resellers, consultants, printing houses and prepress business and their customers can understand what the standardisation means and receive all the benefits from it. As an EFI Fogra certified engineer Judge can go onto a customers site and using the approved EFI Colorproof XF and Canon iPF5100 or iPF6100 printer produce a proof card to be submitted to Fogra so the customer can receive Fogra certification on their printing system.  “This opens up sales avenues for our channel” says Judge, “the feedback we’ve had from our resellers is excellent and we have all products and upgrades now in stock and we’re looking forward to a long term relationship with EFI to help take us further into the proofing market”

From Left to right: James Harvey (CIP4), Mark Wilton (Wilton & Partners), Carsten Knudsen (President and CEO of EskoArtwork) and Peter Dhondt (Business Development Manager at CERM)

EskoArtwork and CERM customer 5Sept Etiquette wins 2009 CIPPI Award for Small Business Process Automation Implementation of the Year

Judges applaud proactive approach, collaboration among vendors and exceptional documentation of realistic ROI and savings

EskoArtwork (www.esko.com) is proud to have supported 5Sept Etiquette to win the first place of the 2009 CIP4 International Print Production Innovation (CIPPI) Award in the category "Small Business Process Automation Implementation of the Year". 5Sept Etiquette, based in Courthézon near Avignon in the south of France, specializes in printing labels for the food, wine and healthcare industries.

EskoArtwork and CERM (www.cerm.be) jointly developed a prepress automated workflow featuring an intelligent JDF connection between EskoArtwork BackStage workflow server and the CERM MIS system for the label industry. This joint solution was first installed at 5Sept Etiquette.

 “The 5Sept Etiquette application is unique in that this is the first time we have seen this level of JDF automation being utilized in a label converting operation,” says James Harvey, Executive Director of CIP4 and the Review Panel Chair for the awards. “It was the first web-fed label printer to present an application running on JDF and it was a terrific demonstration of teamwork among two different vendors and a printer. The automation eliminated waste and enabled this company to produce an additional 9,500 jobs per year.”

The CIP4 International Print Production Innovation (CIPPI) Awards (www.cip4.org) were established in order to recognize leading printers, publishers or prepress services that have demonstrated uncommon leadership in their pursuit of process automation technology. Annually, a panel of expert judges reviews entries in a variety of categories to weigh the relative merits of each application before casting their votes.

Added value through MIS integration using JDF

5Sept Etiquette works with EskoArtwork and CERM to eliminate duplicate information entries in its separate CERM MIS and EskoArtwork BackStage production systems using a structured JDF integration. "EskoArtwork and CERM worked closely with our IT staff to define the right specifications and implement a working solution,” says Patrick Wack, President of 5Sept Etiquette. “Beyond our main focus of eliminating duplicate entries, we also wanted to make it possible to automatically create the imposition for the plates or clichés and for the die-cut. Plus we wanted to set up an automated production planning tool, capable of following production in real time."

Within six months, the JDF interface provided by EskoArtwork and CERM was functional and being used in production. 5Sept Etiquette’s production team noted an immediate and significant increase in quality and reliability. "In practical terms, we now feel like we’re using a single unified system, rather than two interconnected systems,” says Wack. “Reliability has taken a huge leap forward – incidents caused by insufficient or inaccurate job preparation have totally disappeared." 5Sept Etiquette has also noticed a dramatic reduction in paper waste and a general increase in productivity, allowing for the shorter turnaround times demanded by today’s quality-driven customers.“ As a result, even in a troubled economy, we’re actually growing our business in the high-end market," concludes Wack.

“This was a remarkable transition,” concludes Harvey. “The operation went from a somewhat chaotic and labor intensive paper-based management system to fully automated MIS/production integration, a very remarkable achievement that shows the value of JDF integration beyond commercial printing into the label converting market.”