Software

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.”

ONYX Graphics, Inc. today announced the release of ONYX® PrepEdgeTM Pro software Version 2.1 and ONYX PrepEdge software, a new entry-level job preparation tool designed specifically for wide format printing.

"More than 70% of wide format shops say prepress job preparation is their biggest workflow bottleneck," explains Dean Derhak, ONYX Director of Product Management." Shops have embraced ONYX PrepEdge Pro software because it addresses their main workflow bottlenecks and increases overall shop productivity. The prepress operators using the product gave us suggestions on how we could improve the toolset for this release."


New Entry-Level Version

ONYX PrepEdge software is a simpler, lower-cost version of the ONYX PrepEdge Pro software. It was developed specifically for shops without access – or with limited access – to a professional designer to prepare print jobs. This package offers a complete set of easy, wide format job preparation tools without the more complex design and PDF Editing capabilities. The new ONYX PrepEdge software can reduce labor costs in the prepress and production stages because it can be used by non-designer prepress operators." The return-on-investment is very compelling for these shops because, with a small investment in ONYX PrepEdge software, they can prepare jobs more quickly while reducing production costs," said Dean Derhak.


Enhancements to ONYX PrepEdge Pro Software

Based on prepress operator’s requests, ONYX PrepEdge Pro software version 2.1 includes enhancements to the tiling and contour cutting tools to further reduce prepress operator time. Customers also suggested an improved look to the white ink tool to make each option visually intuitive. The result is a powerful tool that quickly lets prepress operators set up white ink jobs. The enhancements support the white ink workflows of Océ Arizona® series UV curable flatbed printers and Roland® VersaWorks® RIP software.


What People Are Saying

"Hems and grommets are easy now with ONYX PrepEdge Pro software; we love how it handles all of our banner set-up. Plus we use it all the time to prep files and make cut paths. ONYX PrepEdge Pro software really takes care of our file preparation needs and saves us a lot of time!" said Maureen Promboof, DigiGraphics, Warrenville, IL.

"We are so satisfied with ONYX PrepEdge Pro software that we use it all the time. Our team puts it to work on PDF files when we need to change orientation, add bleeds and marks or compensate for missing fonts. It helps our team get files ready to print quicker and tackles our general pre-flight tasks with ease," said Kelli Jarzombek of 1st Source Digital, Selma, TX.

"Our team is able to seamlessly utilize ONYX PrepEdge Pro software on our Macintosh® systems and submit jobs to Caldera or ONYX software; this improves our workflow and allows us to complete tasks quicker," commented Doug Seney of Light Visions Ltd., Winnipeg, MB.


RIP-independent and platform-friendly

ONYX PrepEdge software works with all wide format software RIPs. It is the only job preparation software that can run on Mac® OS® X 10.4 or higher, Windows® XP or Windows Vista®. ONYX PrepEdge software offers capabilities specific to the wide format printing workflow, works well with design applications, and goes beyond the PDF editing tools that are currently available.


Availability & Pricing

ONYX PrepEdge software is now available in two versions: ONYX PrepEdge and ONYX PrepEdge Pro packages. Both packages include wide format tools for sizing and cropping, tiling and tiling templates, printing job tickets, grommeting, contour cutting, color management, image place holding and white ink workflow. ONYX PrepEdge Pro software adds a full PostScript®/PDF editor, vector image object editing tools, color correction tools, a color library matcher, spot color replacement and a text editor. To view an online demonstration of ONYX PrepEdge Pro software, visit www.onyxprepedge.com.

Enfocus releases PitStop Pro 09 and PitStop Server 09. As off September 16, 2009, the fully functional new versions of Enfocus’ industry-leading and indispensable tools for editing, checking and fixing PDF files are available for users.

PitStop Pro 09 and PitStop Server 09 include significant enhancements that streamline desktop and server-based processing of PDF files in fast-paced printing and publishing environments.

Enfocus PitStop Pro 09 is the essential Adobe Acrobat plug-in to check and fix PDF files in professional publishing environments. An extensive array of editing tools makes it easy to do last-minute corrections, both for individual objects and globally throughout the complete PDF document. The tools in PitStop Pro are completely production oriented and allow users to tackle those problems they actually experience in their workflows. The industry-standard preflight engine in PitStop Pro checks all aspects of their PDF files and pinpoints exactly where the problems are. Embedded Certified PDF technology digitally signs PDF files to ensure their quality.


Availability
   
PitStop Pro 09 is available as off September 16, 2009 in English (other languages will be available in October). Fully functional (time-limited) trial versions of PitStop Pro can be downloaded from the Enfocus website (www.enfocus.com). PitStop Pro is sold through an extensive distribution network and directly from the Enfocus website. To find a preferred reseller, go to the “Buy” section on the website.


Enfocus PitStop Pro 09 - Main New Features

Even more efficiency
Less and less time is available to check and fix incoming PDF files. PitStop Pro 09 is faster than ever before and has a user interface optimized to help you be as efficient as possible. Toolbars, menu items and panels have been streamlined and work together more smoothly as before. They can be hidden from view completely if you are working with other Adobe Acrobat functionality and re-appear in your completely customized workspace at the click of a button.

Apply document-wide changes in seconds
With PitStop Pro 09, making document-wide changes is easier and faster than ever before. The redesigned, enhanced global change engine offers many additional benefits: effortlessly save different versions of global changes with predefined settings and keep shortcuts to your favorite global changes at the top of the global change panel. Additionally: a configured global change can be run in one simple click!

The range of global changes that can be implemented throughout the document has also been dramatically extended. Even more changes are possible: tasks such as applying stamps, inserting cover pages, renumbering pages, converting all colors, fixing office generated PDF files… all done in just seconds.

Quickly and efficiently check and correct design layouts
Receiving PDF documents with incorrect page sizes, without proper trim and bleed settings or with text set in safety margins is a frequent problem. PitStop Pro 09 includes powerful design layout tools that can quickly visualize existing page boxes and safety zones. Design layouts including proper page boxes and printer marks can instantly be applied as well.

Customized workspace
PitStop Pro has grown into a powerful application with many tools, menu items, settings and panels. PitStop Pro consolidates some of these tools to focus more on how you use them in your daily work, and additionally it offers support for workspaces. Each workspace lets you configure exactly those tools and panels you want to see. Hide all PitStop user interfaces? Automatically open documents neatly aligned next to the preflight or global change panel? All these customizations are possible with the new workspaces feature.

Manage settings more consistently
PitStop Pro 09 includes a brand new preset manager that manages all presets (preflight profiles, Action Lists, global changes, workspaces, design layouts…) in the same manner. Default settings, your local presets and company wide settings on a server can now all be easily and efficiently managed. Additionally, use favorites to link to frequently used presets and quickly filter the list using a search field.

Certified PDF 2 compatibility
PitStop Pro 09 is fully compatible with the Certified PDF 2 technology that allows checking a document and embedding the preflight results in the XMP metadata for the actual file. Standard and secure digital signatures are used to enable tracking of who checked and who edited the document.

Certified PDF 2 is an Enfocus maintained, public standard that is compatible with the Ghent PDF Workgroup’s Proof of Preflight specification.

The most important international standard for the printing industry is to be revised and UK printers are being asked to contribute ideas and requirements. ISO 12647 specifies the parameters for printing conditions for various printing methods including sheet fed offset and digital proofing. Initially published in 1995, ISO 12647 covers all forms of conventional printing and is being updated to reflect the digital reality of modern print.

As part of this revision, the UK representatives of TC130, the ISO technical committee tasked with reviewing the standard, are inviting printers to contribute to this work. A meeting is taking place at the London College of Communications on the 28th October, 2009 from 10 o'clock. A limited number of places is available for printers interested in sharing views and ideas about how ISO 12647 can be improved to better meet their needs and the needs of their customers.

For more information:
Phil Green, London College of Communication: pj.green@lcc.arts.ac.uk

GMG, supplier of high-end color management and proofing solutions, is presenting GMG SmartProfiler, a user-friendly solution for the creation of ColorServer profiles, at Print 09 in Chicago from September 11-16.
 
GMG SmartProfiler is a wizard which allows customers to calibrate and profile different output devices, such as digital presses or large format systems, easily and without profound knowledge of color management. The software is aimed at users who want to create their own profiles and/or calibrate output devices, or who work according to in-house standards, including flexo and packaging print houses who often face these challenges. All the necessary functions are available in GMG SmartProfiler, which will be available as an additional option in combination with GMG ColorServer 4.6 within the next 60 days.

Users, especially in the digital and large-format printing sectors, increasingly expect high color accuracy, repeatability and colors that match those of print media produced by classic printing processes, such as offset or gravure printing. Many digital printing and large format systems operate in hybrid environments, e.g. with digital and offset presses. There is a clear demand that the end product must look identical in all printing processes. Needless to say, the same also applies to companies where several output devices of an identical or similar type are installed.

With centrally controlled color management, companies can greatly increase productivity, production reliability and in particular the color quality of their products. Due to the identical quality of the printed output, flexibility in hybrid production environments is enhanced, because the output system to be used for printing can be selected at the last minute.

The creation of individual profiles and printer calibrations is now extensively assisted by a wizard. The software offers predefined settings for a wide variety of applications. Sources of error are minimized, since the user is guided step-by-step through the core applications of GMG SmartProfiler:

- Profile creation,
- Calibration,
- Creation of new calibrations and linearizations.

The high degree of automation in GMG's color management will help to cut costs, while increasing productivity and achieving consistent colors.

"In recent years, GMG has earned itself a first-class reputation with its trendsetting color management solutions for the graphic arts industry, especially for the traditional proofing business." says Paul Willems, CEO of GMG GmbH & Co. KG. "However, digital and large format printing, as well as flexo and packaging, are growing market segments which will benefit extremely from GMG's outstanding color management expertise. The potential uses for GMG SmartProfiler together with GMG ColorServer 4.6 are as manifold as are digital and large format printing applications, for example. Therefore, there is no doubt that our new solution will set important quality standards in these environments."