Software

Print software manufacturer Wasatch has announced an unprecedented discount on upgrades for its premium RIP software package, SoftRIP. Users are now able to upgrade from limited versions of its powerful RIP software, with some versions upgradeable to full SoftRIP for as little as £99, and further huge potential savings available right across the board, on software packages with a value of up to £2450.

Restricted, standalone editions of the software are already supplied as standard by several printer manufacturers. The full SoftRIP package features a number of tools to improve productivity and ensure exceptionally loyal colour matching, while being able to control up to four printers simultaneously. Amongst its array of powerful workflow options are real-time queue monitoring, a tiled view for over-sized or overlapping jobs, and the ability to archive printed files complete with colour settings. The cost estimator also gives a realistic end-to-end picture of how much money is spent on each job.

Wasatch, which is one of the largest RIP versions in circulation, engineered its Precision Stochastic Screens (PSS) halftoning specifically for the software to give it a 16-bit deep rendering pipeline that produces perfectly even gradations and greys without stairstepping. This method also increases throughput speeds by up to 30% for variable-dot printers and more than 100% for fixed-dot printers.

Wasatch’s Phil Pirie claims that one of the primary reasons for upgrading is to take advantage of the quality benefits available from the latest generation printing systems. “Upgrading from feature restricted or printer specific Wasatch versions can really release the potential of the latest print hardware, with drivers now available for all current devices, including the recently launched HP Designjet latex printers. In terms of colour quality, with its 16-bit rendering, we firmly believe that SoftRIP now sets the benchmark that all other RIP software will have to be judged against.”

Phil is also enthusiastic about the high value benefits of this upgrade program - specifically its accompanying service agreement. "When users purchase a Wasatch upgrade they’re not only buying a comprehensive product with astounding colour capability but also one of the best support packages on the market,” he explains. “The contract means that leading industry technicians will advise individual users by phone, fax or e-mail, using their experience to walk them through use of the software, device setup, network and computer connectivity, colour management and other printing issues. This deal also includes eligibility for free downloads of SoftRIP updates released during the six month service contract.”

With printers needing to promote a wider range of services than ever before, SoftRIP allows them to broaden their portfolio to incorporate personalisation and versioning via variable data (VDP) simply. Lines of text and individual graphic elements can be added to a background image without slowing down the production process. Data can be incorporated from standard mail merge formats, comma separated values (CSV) and Microsoft Excel. The VDP option makes the manipulation of images and text easy, putting automatic resizing and sequential numbering at the user's fingertips.

Rotating, resizing and mirroring are readily manipulable, and for textile printing, which has become incrementally more popular in the sign and display market, continuous patterns can be engineered with utter simplicity. The user creates a single pattern shape which SoftRIP then multiplies and aligns exactly. Installation of the software is equally painless, with only the printer, profile and connection types needing specification before the RIP is ready to use.

Contour cutting is also made accessible with the Wasatch SoftRIP. Paths can be used from popular design applications, such as Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw, and complex shapes can be nested and duplicated simply within the RIP. The software excels in environments where a separate printer and cutter is used, and can track register marks between multiple devices. Free 30-day trials of the premium Wasatch add-on products are available for users who want to try out a number of advanced modules, including variable data printing, contour cutting, separations printing, and seamless textile repeats.

Wasatch SoftRIP is available in the UK and Europe from Tech8

Premedia specialist rebrands international operation to reflect its success in the global photobook market

Pre-media software specialist, TranseoMedia has announced it is rebranding its rapidly expanding international operation as TAOPIX™ to better reflect the strategic direction of the business, which is now focused on selling its proprietary photobook software, TAOPIX™ to a global marketplace.

Says James Gray, CEO, TAOPIX™: “The rebranding of the international side of our business to TAOPIX™ is part of the company’s long term commercial strategy to move further towards establishing itself as a leader in the global photobook business where our proprietary photobook software, TAOPIX™, has seen extraordinary success over the past 18 months.”

Mr Gray says when TranseoMedia was launched as a premedia specialist two years ago, it had three products to offer the UK market: DirectSmile, iWay, and its own photobook software, MediaAlbum (now TAOPIX™). Since then, the international photobook market has exploded and the company is seeing global demand for its photobook product exceed all expectations and sales projections. “Our key global markets already know us as TAOPIX™,” continues Gray. “So, as a result of this and the huge success of our photobook software, we have made a decision to more closely align the company and product brands at the international level so we are more easily identified as a single brand in all the regional markets we are now working in.”

In the UK, the company will remain trading as TranseoMedia UK, where it will continue to be the exclusive UK distributor of DirectSmile’s image personalisation software and its own TAOPIX™ photobook solution, as well as a reseller for PressSense’s web-to-print system, iWay. Gray adds: “UK customers will see no change in the level of service and support they have received to date. As TranseoMedia UK, we remain committed to the UK
market and to our image personalisation and web-to-print and products.”

In line with the new international positioning, the latest version of the company’s website www.taopix.com will also go live on 30th June 2009. “The new site will host an extensive range of new interactive functions,” continues Gray. “Primarily, we want the site to act as a comprehensive photobook information resource. Customers will be able to use the site to watch tuition videos to further increase their skills and knowledge in this area. There is also a section dedicated to outlining all the commercial opportunities our photobook solution offers.

“Our TAOPIX™ photobook software solution is unique in the market and it has now become by far our best selling product. We also know we are still only touching the edge of this global market, so the scope for the continued growth of this product internationally is enormous. In fact, we will also be announcing the opening of regional offices later in the year to further help us build our presence in key regional markets.” concludes Mr Gray.

As mid-summer arrives, and with over 85,000 students having engaged in PrintIT! over the last four years, more than 200 schools have already pre-registered to take part in the fifth annual PrintIT! competition. This unprecedented number of advanced registrations comes prior to its official launch to teachers and schools, which is set to take place later this year, for completion as part of the curriculum during the Autumn term.

PrintIT! 2009/2010 is set to provide students studying for their GCSEs in Graphic Products and Product Design an even more comprehensive overview of the printing industry, with a new competition focus and the prestigious annual awards ceremony, which will take place during IPEX 2010.

During the fifth year of PrintIT!, students will be challenged to design a print-based promotional campaign to promote Fairtrade products in supermarkets. As well as covering all the traditional print processes, this new focus expands the student’s remit of learning to include wide and large format print processes, allowing scope for a wider variety of end products, from leaflets and shelf wobblers through to posters, mobiles, aisle and storefront banners. In addition, the curriculum-mapped course will also place a greater emphasis on sustainability, giving students an understanding of the environmental issues facing print.

PrintIT! 2009/2010 is also set to showcase the very best of UK print to students at the annual awards ceremony, which will take place at the NEC, Birmingham during IPEX 2010. Finalist students and their teachers will be invited to tour the show floor, visit partner stands, experience the very latest in print technology and talk to industry specialists about careers in print, before attending the annual awards ceremony, which will take place during the exhibition.

Comments George Clarke, managing director of Heidelberg UK, chairman of PrintIT! and president of IPEX 2010, “Each year the entries for Print IT! seem to get better and better and I am sure this year’s emphasis on sustainability will encourage students to combine creativity with practicality. I am looking forward to viewing some interesting and thought-provoking entries. The commitment of these pupils is fantastic and I hope that, inspired by what they will see at the awards ceremony at IPEX, some might be tempted into the printing industry, a sector which offers an exciting range of career opportunities.”

Led by Proskills, PrintIT! is targeting Year 9 and Year 10 students, aged between 14-16 years, which includes the year before GCSE selection, as well as those studying for their GCSEs in Product Design and Graphic Products. Teachers at participating schools receive a detailed Course Book with in depth information and instruction in delivering the course, and every student will receive their own Student Work Book.

Vital to the success of PrintIT! is the Twinning programme, which partners print companies with their local school in order to work with the teachers to deliver the course. Acting as a learning-aid to PrintIT! students, Twinners create a vocational feature for the course by visiting the student’s lessons or providing tours of their own premises to see print in a production environment.

PrintIT! project director Paul Evans said, “With the opportunity to invite finalists and their teachers to experience the world of print at IPEX, we are gearing up for a bumper year in terms of registrations, to add to the 85,000 students and 1,000 schools that have already engaged in PrintIT! to date.” He continued, “As usual, to achieve our goals, we are very much reliant on the continued commitment and goodwill of our industry sponsors and twinning print partners, without whom we could not deliver this initiative, that has received endorsement from Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in recognition of its engagement between industry and education.”

For information on becoming a sponsor or Twinning partner, contact Paul Evans at Proskills UK on paul@proskills.co.uk.

Wasatch SoftRIP's Spot Color Replacement and Color Atlas Generator are helping companies increase sales, develop new clients, and expand their business.

Wasatch SoftRIP has been instrumental in helping Photo ColorGraphix, a wide-format printer in Thousand Palms, CA, improve their workflow and expand their business. When they opened their doors fifteen years ago, Photo ColorGraphix was a commercial photo lab. Over time, their business evolved and they now provide digital printing, finishing, and fabrication services. Recently, they expanded their services to include fine art reproduction and window graphics.

To handle their printing needs, Photo ColorGraphix needed a RIP that was reliable, robust, and easy-to-learn. Wasatch SoftRIP fit the bill on all counts.

Read more about Photo ColorGraphix' success with Spot Color Replacement and the Color Atlas Generator at this web page:

http://www.tech8ripsoftware.com/learning-library/training-videos/

Wasatch SoftRIP is available in the UK and Europe from Tech8

Saving money and managing inventory has become easier, thanks to the new Wasatch Cost Estimator. This powerful feature helps you control media, ink, and other production costs by accurately estimating the cost of every print you produce before you start production. Cost Estimator is included free of charge in Version 6.5 of Wasatch SoftRIP.

Wasatch SoftRIP is available in the UK and Europe from Tech8

Unique, cross-media workflow solution gains host of new enhancements to enhance its cross media capabilities

FUJIFILM Europe has announced the commercial availability of version 2.1 of its XMF cross-media workflow solution. With a wide range of new features, XMF v2.1 is the ideal solution for managing complex, multi-process production environments, maximising both print quality and efficiency.

XMF v2.1 boasts an array of new features for advanced performance and improved efficiency. Enhanced support for existing digital presses includes high resolution rendered and colour managed files combined with JDF job tickets to ensure data integrity and improve operational efficiency. Support for the HP Indigo 3500, 5500 and 7000 digital press has been added, further expanding XMF’s cross media functionality. A number of enhancements are also included within XMF’s JDF based imposition including the smart positioning of custom marks and the ability to dynamically add proof control strips.

John Davies, workflow business manager for FUJIFILM Europe, says: “Printers are looking to reduce costs while increasing their flexibility in order to maximise their opportunities in these difficult times. XMF delivers faster processing while providing the flexibility to move jobs between presses, either offset or digital, at the click of a mouse, which in turn helps press utilisation. Couple this with an efficient web portal delivering print ready jobs direct to the workflow to maximise production efficiency, and you have an extremely competitive advantage.”

XMF is unique in being built from the ground up around JDF and the Adobe PDF Print Engine. With Fujifilm’s image processing, imposition and intelligent automation technologies built-in, XMF improves the control of quality across multiple print processes, increasing efficiency and productivity, ensuring colour consistency and optimising print production.