Software - Workflow

EFI, a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, has announced that MOSAIC has selected a suite of integrated EFI technologies to bring increased efficiency, productivity and profits to this diverse print service provider. MOSAIC recently purchased EFI Pace, EFI Digital StoreFront, EFI Auto-Count, and EFI PrintFlow scheduling to optimize its business.

In operation for more than 60 years in Cheverly, Md., MOSAIC offers conventional, waterless, UV and digital printing to the four vertical markets it serves: the creative market (agencies, designers, marketing & pr firms), the membership market (associations and trade unions), corporations, and government. They provide national direct mail printing and distribution services; training and educational curriculum services; point-of-sale; lenticular; packaging; books and manuals; cross-media campaigns; multimedia program development; website development and hosting; and custom programming.

MOSAIC was using a version of EFI PSI along with spreadsheets and third-party solutions to manage its operations. The company reviewed several options with the goal of finding an integrated workflow solution, and EFI came out on top.

"Our extensive review led us back to EFI, and our recent experience at the Connect users' conference sealed the deal," said Brendan Connors, CEO. "As an industry leader, MOSAIC's passion is to exceed our customers' expectations. The EFI Pace platform, including the Auto-Count and PrintFlow capabilities, will improve our customer experience and help reduce the steps needed to deliver our products and services. MOSAIC selected Pace due to the mobile and web accessibility as well as the focus on workflow optimization."

In addition, the company is moving to the Digital StoreFront (DSF) web-to-print platform, replacing their current system. "DSF will provide us with the tools to create a customer experience full of flexibility, ease of use, and speed to market," continues Connors. Another unique advantage of the EFI suite is integration with SmartLinc Process Shipper, which Connors notes "will provide MOSAIC with an integrated system to add efficiency to our process and up-to-date information to our clients."

"We're excited about our newly expanded relationship with MOSAIC, who understands the powerful advantages of implementing a suite of integrated EFI solutions," said Marc Olin, senior vice president and general manager of APPS, EFI.

 

WoodWing, a leading supplier of innovative cross-media publishing solutions, announced today that it is teaming up with Enfocus, a leading vendor of modular tools safeguarding job quality and enabling automation throughout the complete media production chain. As part of the partnership, Enfocus will become a WoodWing Authorized Technology Partner, while WoodWing joins the growing Enfocus Crossroads community as an Application Partner. Together, the companies will offer enhanced integration between WoodWing Enterprise 7 and Enfocus Switch, enabling publishers to further automate and streamline their media production processes.

Founded in 1993, Enfocus is based in Ghent, Belgium. Switch, one of its flagship products, is available in three versions with different levels of functionality. All offer an easy-to-use visual interface enabling users to set up and control their automated processes. Among other features, the application automates the receiving, sorting and delivery of files. Depending on the Switch version, extensive integration with other applications can be provided to automatically create PDF files, preflight PDF and image files, apply color corrections, impose and proof jobs, and more. Established in 2007, the Enfocus Crossroads community – connecting users, Application Partners and Integrator Partners – provides a pool of expertise and resources to make automation with Enfocus Switch more accessible to users in the printing and publishing industries.

“WoodWing is a leading software supplier to the publishing industry,” said Fabian Prudhomme, Vice President of Enfocus. “With WoodWing joining the Crossroads community, publishers will now be able to make a big step toward full automation. Switch automates the delivery of assets to WoodWing Enterprise and supports the processing of the final content from Enterprise to a multitude of output channels. This allows publishers to focus on more value-added tasks. During the WoodWing Xperience event from May 24-25 in Amsterdam, attendees will be the first to see our enhanced integration between the upcoming Switch 10 and WoodWing Enterprise 7.”

Anyone interested can follow the WoodWing Xperience on Twitter at #WWXP.

“An open architecture, the use of open standards and the resulting high flexibility are essential characteristics of WoodWing Enterprise, our cross-media publishing system,” said Hans Janssen, CEO of WoodWing Software. “This openness enables our customers to integrate specialized applications from our Technology Partners and to build a best-of-breed solution that’s the most cost-effective and efficient for their business. The close integration of Enterprise and Enfocus Switch is a good example of the success of this strategy and its value for WoodWing customers.”

The backbone of any publishing process

WoodWing's Enterprise is a versatile cross-media publishing system for the creation and production of print, online and mobile publications. At the heart of the system is the Enterprise server, the backbone of multi-channel publishing processes. On top sits Content Station, the content management application, which enables content producers, editors, photographers and managers to perform their daily tasks, from content planning to final publication to multiple channels – all from within one user-friendly interface.

Full integration delivers even more automation

With the enhanced integration of WoodWing Enterprise and Enfocus Switch, publishers are now able to automate even more of their media production processes. Reception, sorting, processing and routing of assets can now be fully automated by Switch. The processed assets – including metadata such as brand, category, issue and status – can also be uploaded automatically into Enterprise.

Enfocus Switch can also be used to adapt assets. For example, Switch can download a high-resolution CMYK image from Enterprise, resize it to the appropriate resolution, and convert it to an RGB image. The modified image is then simply uploaded back into Enterprise as a new asset. Switch also integrates with numerous other Crossroads partner applications, providing publishers a complete, feature-rich, streamlined workflow. A print-ready PDF file, for example, can be downloaded from Enterprise using Switch and then routed to an appropriate application for automated preflighting, ink optimization, proofing, imposition and final delivery to the RIP for plate output.

For publishers, Switch offers a visual way of connecting and building the workflow – as well as controlling it. Users save both time and money on building, debugging, and on the daily monitoring of the workflow. Workflows can be further enhanced through scripting, changes to metadata or any kind of advanced manipulation of files.

Fujifilm today announces the launch of a new web-to-print solution, XMF Print Centre. Taking advantage of the company’s expertise in online print services such as photobook creation, XMF Print Centre allows print service providers of all sizes to maximise the opportunities provided by the internet to create, produce and fulfil many different types of print and ultimately drive new print revenue into their businesses.

Suitable for both B2C and B2B environments, XMF Print Centre is a fully-featured web-to-print platform that builds on the renowned flexibility and ease-of-use of Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow. It allows a print service provider to easily create single or multiple e-commerce portals tailored to the requirements of individual or multiple customers, and supports a wide variety of printed products including brochures, posters, booklets, point of sale items, calendars, photobooks, newsletters and business cards, to name but a few. XMF Print Centre also features a comprehensive back office administration system for managing all aspects of the online print environment.

The addition of a web-to-print front-end to XMF not only provides print service providers with an online ordering system for their customers that is available 24/7, but streamlines the way many different print services are ordered and fulfilled. This includes the creation of new print jobs, reprints of existing jobs or complementary services such as print distribution. In particular, when coupled with Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow, XMF Print Centre takes full advantage of XMF’s in-built Pure PDF technology and automated print production capabilities, allowing print jobs to be quickly and easily routed to whichever output device is appropriate.

XMF Print Centre has been designed from the outset to be a cloud-based system and is suitable for many different types of print business, from digital sign printers wishing to add an e-commerce platform to help drive a local digital print business, to much larger print businesses utilising a number of different print technologies that wish to add web-to-print capabilities to their armoury and maximise the opportunities of tight integration with a production workflow.

John Davies, business strategy manager, workflow, FUJIFILM Europe, comments: “By introducing a web-to-print solution into our product portfolio, we are now able to offer customers a more complete offering - from selling print through to guaranteeing the quality of the final printed product. Web-to-print is yet another way to increase the efficiency of the delivery of printed products, especially when you consider the automation that is possible with digital printing systems.

“The phrase ‘web-to-print’ often underplays the benefits that an online portal can bring to a print company. Printers should take advantage of a web-to-print solution to provide them with an additional sales and marketing channel and a new way to communicate with their customers. For certain types of work, XMF Print Centre will grant printers access to specialist markets they would otherwise not address, generating new, profitable revenue streams,” concludes Davies.

Commercial availability of XMF Print Centre is scheduled for Autumn 2011. It has been developed for both offset and digital print service providers and is compatible with numerous workflow systems including Fujifilm’s own print production solution, XMF Workflow.

 
Four Pees, exclusive worldwide distributor of the PrintFactory software suite for banner, sign and super wide format printing is proud to announce that PrintFactory Go, to be launched at Fespa Digital in Hamburg, Germany will feature a direct link with the Zünd Cut Center solution. This solution signifies the end to complex print-and-cut workflows.

With jobs getting more complex and turn-around times under pressure in the large format printing industry, there is a growing demand for closer integration between printing and cutting solutions. Just-in-time production requires careful production planning and scheduling and minimizing the chance on production errors.

Zünd and PrintFactory have met these needs by linking the Zünd Cut Center solution to PrintFactory. The result of this collaboration is PrintFactory Go with full support for Zünd Cut Center; a stand-alone PrintFactory Editor application with all job preparation tools of the full PrintFactory suite and dedicated print-and-cut functionality.
 
Zünd Cut Center, an intuitive graphic user interface available to all Zünd cutter functions

The Zünd Cut Center software is especially designed to match Zünd’s modular cutter range allowing each system to be configured to and grow with the changing needs of customers. With a wide range of tools and material handling options, Zünd’s digital cutting systems enable cutting, creasing, routing and engraving for almost any given sheet, board or roll material.

No more complex print and cut workflows

Thanks to the direct connection with Zünd Cut Center, PrintFactory Go obtains information from the Zünd Cut Center via a network connection and makes it available to every PrintFactory Go user. This means that the desired output like material, cutting method and tools can already be determined during the designing phase of the print files. A one-click vectorizor tool can quickly create outlines. The definition of the cutting tools is done by layer names, and register marks placement can be done manual or automatic. The finishing tool can quickly create products like banners (fold, bleed and eyelets), flags (tunnels and folds), roll up banners (fold, bleed), displays etc. A ‘hidden’ RIP with queuing interface allows follow-up of job progress and outstanding jobs.

Timesaving in the whole workflow

Because of the integrated RIP, operators using PrintFactory Go don’t have to wait but can start work on new jobs while the jobs they finished are being produced in the background. While printing those jobs, cutlines and markers are automatically generated together with a barcode. By reading this barcode, the Zünd cutting tables automatically load the necessary media and tools. This intense integration between PrintFactory Go and Zünd Cut Center reduces job preparation time drastically, but also cuts down production errors significantly.

Happy customers are long term customers. This is the ethos adopted by Danish magazine printer, Datagraf, and one the company also uses when choosing its own suppliers. This approach resulted in a strong relationship with Enfocus and the implementation of a variety of automation and PDF preflighting tools.

Datagraf specializes in handling the entire process of producing and developing communication and marketing on behalf of its customers, from start to finish. A key part of the company's total concept approach involves improving consistency and accuracy of file delivery, and enhancing its service offering for customers. Central to this philosophy are the Enfocus tools that maximize productivity by automating many manual tasks and improving the print production process efficiency. "The integrated Enfocus tools streamline our entire operation,” explains Thomas Storgaard, (former) Premedia Manager at Datagraf. “Today, there are less steps in the production process and the set-up works much faster, which means jobs are completed quicker.”

Clear investment path

Datagraf's investment program began with a single copy of PitStop Pro to preflight incoming PDF files and check them for errors. “With the ‘desktop revolution’ people thought they could do everything, but that is not the case – lots of errors can soon add up, costing time and money,” comments Storgaard. “We wanted to introduce a new way of working to eliminate these errors. PitStop Pro has helped us achieve this. We also used the tool to report back to our customers so that they understand what to do and, crucially, what not to do. This speeded up production at our end, and helped our customers be more efficient with their time as well.”

The first step towards an automated production process came with the implementation of PitStop Server, which allowed Datagraf to use a convenient watched folder architecture to automate the preflighting of the incoming PDF files. In a following phase, the company opted for Enfocus FullSwitch and PowerSwitch to eliminate the repetitive tasks associated with receiving and sorting files, and build an advanced workflow that integrates seamlessly with third-party technology. “The Switch family lets us do a lot of the necessary behind-the-scenes technical work. It makes the entire workflow much clearer and easier,” says Storgaard. “

Continuous communication

Datagraf’s latest addition is PitStop Connect. This tool enables Datagraf to set up Connectors containing PDF preflight and delivery specifications and create a personalized level of customer service: “We make the Connectors bespoke to each client, which allows us to work more with our customers. By delivering specific Connectors that match their needs, we make clients feel as valued as possible.”

For Storgaard, the value of PitStop Connect extends way beyond ensuring little time is lost because of problematic PDFs. It helps the company enhance their service to customers. “It is a huge improvement to the way we work. Customers just drag the files they want to send us onto a special icon on their desktop. It’s that easy,” he explains. "It’s such a quick way of working and has proved very valuable – especially when everyone is pushed for time.”

Also the ability to integrate PitStop Connect directly into the Switch workflow was a key factor in the buying decision, as PDF files are seamlessly imported directly into the automated workflow. And because metadata can be linked to the file, all key customer information such as company name, contact email address, number of copies required, is imported as well. "The ability to preflight at the creative side ensures a fully automated streamlined workflow from creation to print. The combined result is a quicker, more responsive operation that addresses our customers’ needs and the market challenges they are facing,“ comments Storgaard.

Flexible solutions

Another benefit of the Enfocus solutions is that they integrate perfectly with other products such as the Adobe CS Suite®. "The fact they can link with anything makes them very powerful,” continues Storgaard. “The solutions open doors for us – they have created a new way of working, enabling us to connect with a wider range of customers.”

Storgaard is unequivocal about the impact the Enfocus solutions had on the way Datagraf operates. “We now work far more efficiently. For example, if someone in the team has to do things three times we talk about how the Enfocus solutions can help reduce the steps. That flexibility in-house gives us the freedom and power to do what we need to do, when we need to do it. And we can make changes without having to go to an external consultant, which means we’re resolving issues quicker and more cost effectively.”

“We have gradually added these tools as the company expanded and our workflow grew," he concludes. "I love the way the products have evolved over the past few years. Enfocus listens to what we need and develops flexible solutions that meet our requirements. Their products are part of the glue that holds Datagraf and its customers together!”

Datagraf has worked with Peter Leth Kjær of InProduction Aps as their preferred partner on Enfocus solutions through the process. InProduction is Enfocus Certified Expert in Denmark delivering workflow consultancy, support and implementation of Enfocus solutions.

 

EFI today made available the latest version of its Fiery Command WorkStation print job management and user interface software, with all-new features to improve image quality, colour output, usability, and imposition workflows. Available to most Fiery users worldwide*, Fiery Command WorkStation version 5.3 can be downloaded at no cost at www.efi.com/cws5.
 
"Fiery Command WorkStation is the recognised industry standard for production printing job management technology, serving as the window into the entire printing workflow," said John Henze, vice president of Fiery marketing, EFI. "Known for its intuitive interface, Command WorkStation gives businesses a productivity boost for production printing. It enables seasoned pros to more quickly produce even higher quality output, while making it easy for less experienced users to produce professional looking documents in just a few clicks."
 
The Fiery Image Enhance Visual Editor (IEVE) is a powerful industry-first feature newly available in this version of Command WorkStation. IEVE allows for editing of each image in a job without going back to the native design file, saving time and simplifying the editing process. It provides an interactive toolset for optimising image appearance and applying per-image corrections, to ensure photos look their best. This tool gives users the control to adjust brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows, colour balance, sharpness and to make red-eye corrections on any image within a job. Users can save preferred settings as presets to apply to other images or other jobs on the Fiery, ensuring consistent and optimised output.
 
The newest version of Command WorkStation includes imposition workflow improvements that make operators more productive. Enhancements include the addition of a user-defined finish size workflow in Fiery SeeQuence Impose (an add-on module) to honour the designer's intent by automatically detecting the trim box and bleed box defined in the source document. Now, operators gain greater control and can get the job done faster with fewer errors.
 
Another key addition in Command WorkStation is integration with the industry leading profiling and colour management software, EFI Color Profiler Suite. This new integration makes users even more productive since they don't have to leave the Command WorkStation interface to use Color Profiler Suite tools to diagnose profile problems, compare colour gamuts, and create and edit profiles. This saves valuable time and eliminates guesswork.
 
This latest version also has enhancements that make the software easier to use, which further support the ongoing goal of Command WorkStation - to make common tasks more accessible and required job information readily available to operators so they can be more productive. 
 
For more information, including videos of features in action, please visit the newly re-designed Command WorkStation website at http://w3.efi.com/fiery/Products/CWS5.