Software

Worldwide GMG/X-Rite “scrapping campaign” for old i1 measuring instruments

Colour Management 17 June 2009

i1 x-rite gmg

GMG, developer and supplier of high-end color management and proofing solutions, has launched a campaign enabling customers using old i1 measuring devices (Revision A or B) to buy a new i1 at the special price of Euro 699 until August 15, 2009. To take advantage of this offer, old i1 devices have to be returned to GMG via its authorized dealers.

The aim of the campaign is to ensure that as many customers as possible work with state-of-the-art devices. GMG ProofControl, in combination with i1 measuring instruments, has been an indispensable part of daily proof production and verification for years. But only measuring instruments that operate within the specifications of the prescribed standard really fulfill their purpose.

Consequently recertification is an important issue. The factory calibration of an i1 is valid for 12 months, after which X-Rite offers recertification for all spectrophotometers. As a result devices are sent to the X-Rite Service Department, where they are tested and cleaned before being subjected to the same calibration procedure as a newly manufactured unit.

However, with much older Revision A or B devices in daily use, recertification is often not worth while for financial reasons, because the repair costs far exceed the remaining value of the device. In addition, in comparison with first generation devices, new i1 instruments perform measurements twice as fast due to the progress made in sensor development.

Wasatch Variable Data Printing software is helping creative companies to increase their profits worldwide

RIP Software 01 June 2009

Wasatch

Wasatch SoftRIP has been a key factor in helping Academy Awards, a custom car flag, banner, and sublimation print shop, make their workflow more efficient and productive. Since 2001, Academy Awards has been using Wasatch SoftRIP's Variable Data Printing (VDP) to print customized high school lockers, car flags, banners, novelty items, and more.

Academy Awards receives nearly 10,000 orders to customize lockers for high school athletes before the beginning of each school year. They also receive 20-100 orders per week throughout the year. Before they started using the Variable Data Printing option in SoftRIP, Academy Awards spent hours manually entering data for each individual order. But, with the ability to import their saved information directly into variable data fields, those days are in the past.

Wasatch SoftRIP is available in the UK and Europe from Tech8

Wasatch SoftRIP helps you automate your workflow in even the most complex production environment

Workflow 28 May 2009

Wasatch Workflow

Wasatch SoftRIP helps you automate your workflow in even the most complex production environment. With the ability to set up and configure multiple hot folders for each printer installed on SoftRIP, you have the power to customize a workflow that suits your needs.

And, you can use your hot folders in conjunction with Wasatch Port Redirector or Wasatch ImageNET to print from your Mac or from any application installed on your system.

Wasatch SoftRIP is available in the UK and Europe from Tech8

Wasatch News - Black Point Compensation

Colour Management 19 May 2009

Wasatch Black Point Compensation

EASY COLOR MATCHING ACROSS DEVICES

Black Point Compensation addresses problems caused by differences in the darkest level of black achievable on one device and the darkest level achievable on others. It is a powerful tool for correction of problems with "dusty blacks".

An Industry Standard

Popularized by its use in graphics applications, Black Point Compensation is a pre-standard variation of the ICC-defined Relative Colorimetric rendering intent and is under consideration for inclusion in the standard by ICC.

Color Rendering

Black Point Compensation is included in SoftRIP as a new rendering intent and can be selected for use with existing ICC profiles. It will not invalidate ICC profiles in any way, but will only work in Wasatch systems that have a revision date of April 21, 2009 or later.

Easy to Use

To use this new feature, simply select BPC Relative Colorimetric from the ICC Input Profiles section in the Color Transforms screen. This will automatically transform the gamut of your ICC profile to accommodate for the darkest black achievable on your device.

G7 Certification Easier

The addition of Black Point Compensation helps users control the overall tone of an image. It also provides another way to address the "dusty black" problem and helps make the GRACoL® G7 certification easier to achieve.

Wasatch SoftRIP is available in the UK and Europe from Tech8

Océ Showcases Innovative Large Format Printing and Workflow Solutions

Workflow 13 May 2009

Solutions are on Display at the 2009 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention and Design Exposition

May 1, 2009, San Francisco, CA – Océ, an international leader in digital document management, is displaying its new print, scan and workflow solutions to help architectural firms improve communication and collaboration with project team members throughout the design-build process, leverage the value of color, streamline workflow, and increase productivity. These innovations are showcased in Océ’s booth (#1657) in the Technology Pavilion at the 2009 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition, April 30 – May 2 in San Francisco, CA. Also being demonstrated are large format printing and productive project management software solutions geared toward helping architectural users to streamline their daily operations.

Océ will debut the Océ PlotWave® 300 printer - a compact, all-in-one, large format monochrome print system that is ideal for firms that need a print/copy/scan system that fits into small spaces plus is intuitive and economical to operate. Recognizing the power that color provides in technical documents to minimize complexity and add clarity, the Océ ColorWave® 600 printer offers the best of toner and inkjet printing in one system for high speed, high production color toner printing on plain paper. Océ also unveils Océ Repro Desk® Studio, the newest print software for CAD environments, which eliminates complexity and reduces time spent on print jobs plus provides tracking and reporting for cost recovery purposes, and Newforma® Project Center software, which helps architects organize and manage project email, share and track project information with external team members, and streamline the design review and contract administration processes.

"Like most businesses challenged by today’s economic uncertainty, architect professionals are feeling the squeeze to do more with less," said Sal Sheikh, Vice President, Marketing, Océ Wide Format Printing Systems division of Océ North America. "Océ’s latest printing, workflow and project management innovations enable our architectural customers to help meet tighter budget constraints and shorter project deadlines by saving time, lowering operating costs, reducing errors and streamlining project processes."

New Simple, Green, Durable All-in-One Printer Saves Money and Space
The compact Océ PlotWave 300 all-in-one, large format monochrome system is ideal for lower volume technical document users. As technical document printing becomes increasingly less centralized, users require a print/copy/scan system to be easy to use, energy efficient, quiet, instantly print-ready, and able to withstand the workload of multiple walk-up users. The Océ PlotWave 300 system uses patented Océ Radiant Fusing technology to provide the most efficient way to fuse toner onto paper. The system starts up instantly, uses half the energy of comparable systems, makes no noise when idling and produces virtually no ozone emissions.

Ideal for users with limited space, the Océ PlotWave 300 does not need extra tables, paper racks or ventilation so it can easily fit into tiny spaces. Designed with simplicity in mind, the system includes features such as a built-in USB port for printing and scanning right from the printer, an output delivery tray on the top of the machine, air separation to prevent prints from curling, and a scroll and click panel and smart buttons that makes it easy to use for both experienced and new walk-up users. The system is constructed of solid, hard-wearing materials designed to make it last longer than comparable systems – perfect for firms looking to keep new equipment costs in check.

Océ ColorWave 600 Printer Helps Architects Leverage the Power of Color Throughout the Design/Build Process
The Océ ColorWave 600 printer brings the benefits of monochrome printing to color printing – fast turnaround times, easy workflow, cost-effective quality on plain paper and reliable print stacking – enabling firms to incorporate color plan sets into not only the design phase of a project but also throughout the entire project’s lifecycle. Color in technical documents minimizes complexity, adds clarity, and can reduce construction-related problems to help avoid costly rework and speed project completion.

The Océ ColorWave 600 printer harnesses unique Océ CrystalPoint™ technology to combine the best of toner and inkjet printing in one device for high speed, high production color toner printing on plain paper. Prints are instantly dry, regardless of coverage, and waterfast. There’s no risk of smearing or information loss when prints are used outside in the rain or even when highlighting changes on a drawing. With the Océ ColorWave 600 printer, there is no longer a significant difference between color and black & white output when it comes to productivity and print quality. Plus the printer produces no ozone, odor or fine powder emissions.

Designed for the technical document printing market, the Océ ColorWave 600 printer can also be used to produce short-term graphics applications such as architectural renderings, temporary signage and artistic impressions. With an impressive print speed of two E-size sheets per minute, the Océ ColorWave 600 printer delivers high quality color prints on plain and recycled paper plus a range of specialty media including blueback papers, outdoor papers, films and Tyvek®.

Innovative Workflow, Project Management Solutions Improve Productivity, Reduce Errors
New Océ Repro Desk Studio is an innovative entry-level wide format software package that gives end-users an easy-to-use tool to print to their in-house print devices, or even to an external print provider, all with the same, clear user interface. The software eliminates complexity and reduces the time spent on print jobs. Integrated accounting allows jobs to be assigned to users and projects, turning print costs into chargeable income. The accounting features of Océ Repro Desk Studio software have been co-developed with Sepialine, an industry leader in cost tracking and recovery technology for service professionals.

Newforma Project Center project information management software enables a more productive environment for the entire design/construction project team by streamlining work processes; reducing exposure from errors and omissions; and improving documentation organization, access and communication. Users can easily organize and manage project email, share and track project information with external team members and streamline the design review and contract administration processes. With integration support for Océ Client Tools™ software, users simplify printing and avoid costly workflow bottlenecks via batch processing of multiple file types, digital file previewing from the desktop before printing, and local or remote job submission.

Product Availability
All systems and solutions are available now except for Océ Repro Desk Studio software. For more information, call Océ at 800-714-4427 or visit www.oceusa.com.

Corel to Offer New Creative Experiences with Windows 7

Prepress & Design 13 May 2009

Corel Logo

Company's Future Consumer Graphics and Digital Media Releases to Showcase Windows Touch Capabilities

Maidenhead, London - 5 May 2009 - Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL) (TSX:CRE) today announced that it is working with Microsoft Corp. on Windows 7. Corel (www.corel.com) is committed to delivering its core applications for the Windows 7 platform and is currently developing its next generation of creative consumer products that will offer an all-new, hands-on experience built on the power of Windows Touch technology.

Offering unprecedented stability and performance along with new features such as Windows Touch, JumpLists and Libraries, Windows 7 delivers exciting new possibilities for Corel's software development teams while providing consumers with a more engaging and expressive computing environment.

"Corel has a long history of 'firsts' when developing software for the latest Windows platforms. With the upcoming introduction of Windows 7, Microsoft's new operating system will redefine how people think about computing. Drawing on our customer research, we're taking advantage of the solid performance and powerful touch capabilities Windows 7 offers to turn the typical user experience of mouse clicks and menus on its head, completely changing how users interact with creative software," said Joe Roberts, Executive Vice President, Products for Corel.

"Corel's consumer graphics and digital media products are ideally suited to take advantage of the new hands-on capabilities in Microsoft's latest platform. We believe the user should always be at the center of the creative process and Windows 7 will enable us to eliminate the traditional software menu model to offer a new environment that fosters more natural and connected interactions between people and their content - whether it is a favorite photo, video or digital painting."

Microsoft recently introduced the Windows 7 Release Candidate and Corel is working closely with the company to prepare for the debut of this new operating system later this year.

"We are excited to see Corel's commitment to deliver a suite of solutions for Windows 7," said Mike Nash, Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management at Microsoft Corp. "Corel's adoption of key Windows 7 technologies such as jumplists, touch and libraries is a great example of the kind of innovation that is possible on Microsoft's upcoming Windows release."

For more information about Corel's plans for Windows 7, please visit www.corel.com/windows7