Software

GMG, developer and supplier of high-end color management and proofing solutions, announces that, effective today, it has established a subsidiary in Japan. GMG Japan, headed by Kazutami Ando, is responsible for organizing the distribution of the GMG's software solutions, logistics and technical support. In order to get closer to its clients and global industry partners, GMG Japan intends to extend coverage by reinforcing its local distribution networks.

"The Japanese market is the second largest print market in the world. Establishing a new office in Tokyo underlines the significant role this strategic market plays for GMG. Moreover, an expanded local presence will strengthen partnerships with our industry partners", explains Paul Willems, Managing Director of GMG GmbH & Co. KG. "Despite difficult economic times, GMG keeps on investing in strategically important markets ", adds Willems.

"We see exceptional growth potential for GMG in Japan, as the high quality of GMG's color management software and solutions for printing process control perfectly meets the demands of the Japanese graphic arts industry. The new local sales organization is the next step towards further strengthening the position of GMG in this market", says Kazutami Ando, President of GMG Japan.

GMG Japan's new address, effective September 1, is:

GMG Japan Co., Ltd.
Takechiyo Bldg. 4F
1-14-15 Kudankita
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073
Phone: +81 (0) 3 6272 6580
Fax: +81 (0) 3 6272 6581

Elpical has announced the public beta release of the new Claro Layout, an addition to its product line of automated image enhancement and image management solutions. Claro Layout is an Adobe® InDesign® plug-in and offers hands-off quality analysis and image enhancement to InDesign users.

Professionals working with Adobe® InDesign® now get access to Elpical’s Claro technology for optimizing images inside their documents, without leaving their trusted environment.

Claro Layout allows InDesign users to focus on the creative work and the layout of a document without having to worry about image quality first. They can simply use the original RGB image for designing the document and only when the layout is ready, use Claro Layout to optimize and convert the images to CMYK, without leaving InDesign.

Claro Layout, based on Claro Individual Image Analysis, first automatically and individually analyzes each image and then enhances each image inside the InDesign document according to its particular requirements, as well as applying the desired crop, resolution and color space. This allows the image to be optimized directly in the desired size, offering timesaving and great flexibility in layout.
Images in documents can dramatically increase the size of your file. Normally, after a picture has been cropped or resized, the ‘unwanted’ parts remain and the complete picture is stored. Claro Layout will (if required) crop, resize and optimize the desired picture and keep only this image as part of the document. Hence a much smaller file size.

Images shot with modern cameras are often of a very high resolution, often too high for the desired image format. Claro Layout will resize the image, so that only the number of pixels needed for a perfect print remain. Sales of the beta version of Claro Layout has begun.

Zund Plotting Systems (UK) Ltd. is pleased to announce the release of one of the most powerful nesting solutions on the market. Developed “in-house”, with years of market experience and customer feed back, Zund believe their AutoNest software offers unrivalled ease of use and incredible material savings.

The software comprises a compelling graphical user interface, with drag and drop functionality designed to get you working quickly and efficiently, coupled with a powerful nesting algorithm that continues to look for improvements to the nest, until YOU tell it to stop! Once you are satisfied with the result, one click to send to the cutter and you’re done!

For more information or to request your free trial copy of the software please visit the Zund AutoNest microsite.

Don’t have a Zund??? …don’t feel left out… Contact Zund for information on other machine drivers, even if they are unable to output directly to your machine you can still take advantage of the material savings Zund AutoNest will give you…. simply save the nest as a DXF format file and then import this into your current software for output.

EskoArtwork will exhibit on stand F02:90 at Scandinavia’s largest packaging show Scanpack 2009, which is due to take place in Sweden (Goteborg), October 20 till 23. As well as presenting a range of software solutions that have been developed to help with the creation, delivery and efficiency of the packaging production process, EskoArtwork will also participate in the activities at the Design 2009 area as a member of The Packaging Arena.

"EskoArtwork has a strong expertise in the packaging industry for many years and is eager to present its newest solutions for packaging companies, brand owners and packaging design agencies at Scanpack," says David Joelsen, Business Manager Nordic, C&E Europe at EskoArtwork. "A downturn in the global economy is presenting suppliers with a changing set of opportunities as manufacturers and brand owners look for cost effective and creative ways of presenting their products on the shelves. For us, these economical circumstances make the packaging industry an extremely exciting place to be right now and we are therefore looking forward to a high interest at Scanpack 2009.”

 

Packaging solutions for a competitive edge

At their stand, EskoArtwork will demonstrate software solutions for package design, prepress, workflow automation and integration, output control, collaboration and approval. Products presented are: BackStage and WebCenter which maximize productivity and consistency in the workflow through enhanced management, centralization and control of a job and its approval cycle; the latest versions of ArtPro and PackEdge, the leading and productive editors for the pre-production of labels and packaging; DeskPack tools for Adobe® Illustrator®  and Adobe® Photoshop® ; Studio, a tool for  3D packaging design; and Visualizer, which takes graphic information of a label or package, adds information about substrates, special inks and finishes, and delivers a variety of ultra realistic moving, interactive 2D and 3D representations of the final product.

 

From front end to finishing; EskoArtwork delivers the complete package

In addition, EskoArtwork will demonstrate the Kongsberg i-XE10 die-less cutting and creasing table on the stand. The Kongsberg i-XE10 is a small, servo driven, high-speed machine for cutting packaging and sign and display materials and features the i-cut® vision system for perfect cut-to-print alignment.

Visitors will see how the Kongsberg i-XE10 system, when working with EskoArtwork’s ArtiosCAD structural design software, allows the easy transfer of files from the workstation to the Kongsberg table for cutting and creasing.

ArtiosCAD creates structural packaging designs with the ability to create 3D proofs for customers and is the ideal system to design, develop, prototype and manufacture all types of packaging including corrugated, folding carton and POP display applications. The latest version 7.4 also features the creation of designs with curved creases as part of its 3D module.

 

Discovering New Concepts at Scanpack’s Design 2009

The new Design 2009 area at Scanpack is intended to provide packaging professionals with a new meeting place where they can focus specifically on the creative and commercial side of designing packaging and meet up with graphic designers, structural designers, machine specialists, material experts, product developers and  solution providers. Next to demonstrations of products and solutions, visitors to the area will be able to attend free daily presentations to learn more about packaging design and implementation. For EskoArtwork, also a member of The Packaging Arena, Design 2009 is the ideal opportunity to demonstrate its integrated, specialized products and services for brand owners and agencies such as Visualizer, Studio and Dynamic Content.

Switch 08, update 7 includes a configurator fully supporting Adobe InDesign Server. Through this update Enfocus FullSwitch and PowerSwitch unlock the full performance and reliability benefits of the Adobe InDesign Server solution.

“From the beginning we have supported automation of the Adobe Creative Suite Applications, like InDesign and Photoshop in Enfocus Switch,” comments David van Driessche, Director of Enfocus Marketing. “Increasingly our customers are engaged in high-volume, InDesign-based workflows for one-to-one marketing or Web-To-Print and support for the Adobe InDesign Server solution is an incredible advantage for them.”

Adobe InDesign CS4 Server is a robust and scalable engine that offers the ability to automate the design, layout, and typographical capabilities of Adobe InDesign CS4. “A complete range of innovative solutions has been built around the Adobe InDesign CS4 engine,” says Chris Kitchener, senior product manager for Adobe InDesign Server. “The combination of Adobe InDesign CS4 server and Enfocus Switch allows for powerful automation of those solutions, saving our customers hours of time and dramatically increasing their productivity.”

Enfocus Switch allows configuring and automating Adobe InDesign Server into a larger workflow through simple drag-and-drop. Switch features such as organising file reception through FTP, watched folders and email, sorting of files and automatic email notifications to customers enable complex workflows to be built around the Adobe InDesign Server engine.

By combining the InDesign Server and Switch you can now manage documents, newsletters and marketing materials from creation until final delivery through design templates; setup self-service and automated ad creation portals; and extend the versatility and power of Web-To-Print engines.

Caldera Graphics, the French software editor leader in large format imaging and production workflow has announced a strategic partnership with KIP Europe for the supplying of production RIPs with the wide format KIP Color KC80 color laser printer for imaging applications.

With this printer, KIP has the ambition to revolutionize wide format color printing in large quantities, a domain where inkjet technology is a slower and more expensive solution. The KIP Color KC80 and its 4 color laser technology are unique on the market, and targeting not only blue-black poster applications or posters in ppc or glossy coated. Many substrates are being validated which will increase of the range of possible applications of this printer.

“It was important for KIP to rely on a professional RIP like Caldera for better targeting the graphic art potential of the KIP Color 80. This innovative product will revolutionize wide format printing on problems such as client print delays (210m/hour) and printing costs (4 to 5 times less than ink jet)” says Patrick Gomez, Sales and Marketing manager KIP Europe.

The GrandRIP+ software solution from Caldera ensures application oriented added value to Kip Europe clients, which rests on the strong experience of the French editor in the domain of imaging: color management, tiling, layout, spooler management, task automation…. This enables the printer to offer its clients an extended panel of features.

According to Valery De March, OEM Director of Caldera Graphics, “We not only address clients who want to print maps and blueprints, but rather those that want to do color imaging in large quantities. To respond to the technical specifics of the KIP Color KC80and its laser technology, we have developed a specific screening for this machine. The output results and feedback from clients are excellent.”

The Caldera GrandRIP+ - KC80 solution has already been set-up with success at many European digital printers, such as Pixart in Italy, who were searching for a solution which would enable them with one single RIP to manage their production on various types of machines, including solvent and UV technologies, as well as the new KIP Color KC80.