Software - Workflow

Enfocus will present its latest developments in workflow automation and PDF preflighting for the publishing industry at Publishing & Media Expo.  The event is scheduled to take place on 26th and 27th February 2013 in London.

Highlights at the show will include the newly released updates of the industry-leading preflighting software PitStop Pro 11 and PitStop Server 11, as well as the latest enhancements to Switch 11. Enfocus will be attending the event with its Certified Partner, Adaptive – a provider of pre-media solutions to design agencies, printers and publishers throughout the UK.  Enfocus and Adaptive will exhibit on stand A40.

“The industry is under pressure to achieve and maintain profitability,” comments Maxim Heyndrickx, Enfocus Int. Sales Account Manager. “With market conditions getting harder through demand for shorter runs, quicker turnaround and just in time delivery, ensuring a smooth production process is essential. At the heart of the most successful businesses are highly automated workflow processes that eliminate as many human touch-points as possible. Our solutions help companies achieve this, and we look forward sharing our expert knowledge with them during Publishing Expo.”

During the show, Enfocus will demonstrate the latest versions of PitStop Pro 11 and PitStop Server 11, of which the Update 2 releases are now available. In addition to full compatibility with the latest releases of Microsoft Windows and Adobe® Acrobat® , publishers will benefit from the enhanced Action List technology, a set of new value-added features and improvements to existing functionality. The extended Smart Preflight concept will drive per-file productivity and preflight accuracy to the next level. For more details on the newest features in PitStop Pro 11 update and PitStop Server 11 update, check www.enfocus.com/en/company/press-releases/enfocus-releases-new-updates-to-pitstop-pro-11-and-pitstop-server-11

Enfocus will also demonstrate the latest enhancements to Enfocus Switch 11 that deliver workflow automation solution for the most common, time-consuming tasks faced daily by all publishing production departments. Enfocus recently released the Switch Web Services module that allows users to build secure, browser-based interfaces into a Switch workflow environment for job submission, file upload, review and approval. "Visitors to our booth will learn how Switch increases productivity by streamlining publishing workflows, from automating simple, repetitive tasks to working with metadata and integrating MIS systems, to setting up a complete web-to-print solution using PitStop Connect, " adds Heyndrickx. To read more about Switch, go to www.enfocus.com/en/products/switch.

Enfocus has released PitStop Pro 11 Update 2 and PitStop Server 11 Update 2. The new versions are fully compatible with the latest releases of Microsoft Windows and Adobe Acrobat. In addition, printers and publishers will benefit from the improvements to the usability of Action List technology to increase automation even more.

Both releases also include value-added new features such as Split Pages as well as improvements to existing functions. The further development of Smart Preflight enables more workflow functionality to be driven dynamically, improving productivity and preflight accuracy.

“For our more than 130.000 PitStop users worldwide, this latest update will be welcome news,” says Andrew Bailes-Collins, senior product manager at Enfocus. “With this release, we demonstrate our commitment to keeping pace with the newest releases of world-standard software and operating systems. At the same time, we continuously add sought-after features and functionality based on customer input. This is part of our philosophy to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and underlines our industry-leading position.”

Improved functionality equals greater productivity and fewer errors

These Update 2 releases bring a number of new advantages and efficiencies for users of both PitStop Pro and PitStop Server. “Our objective with these releases is to enhance even more the ability for printers, publishers and designers to quickly and easily fix last-minute file problems and decrease the amount of manual work that is required for these professionals to accomplish their day-to-day work,” adds Bailes-Collins. “Early user feedback has been extremely positive. We are confident our users of PitStop Pro 11 and PitStop Server 11 will enjoy the benefits enabled by this free upgrade.”

System support: printers and publishers can now seamlessly deploy the Enfocus solutions as they upgrade their Microsoft environment, with the full support for Windows 8 (for PitStop Pro and PitStop Server) and Microsoft Server 12 (for PitStop Server). PitStop Pro now offers full support for Adobe Acrobat XI Standard and Pro, which will also be highly appreciated by designers.

Split Pages: a new global change in PitStop Pro - also available as an action - allows users to split pages in half, either vertically or horizontally. This is especially useful for designers, printers and publishers who receive PDF files as double page spreads and require a single page for their workflow. This new feature can even be used for de-imposing of completely imposed PDF files.

New predefined Action Lists: three new pre-defined Action Lists – available in PitStop Pro and PitStop Server – make the 'Split Pages in Half' action more efficient, reducing valuable prepress time for printers and publishers. Action Lists encompass the three mostly commonly used page sizes: A4, A5 and US Letter.

Enhanced Preflight Profile Editor: allows users to turn Action Lists off and on from within the Editor, with an easy check-box interface that specifies whether or not an Action List should run. In PitStop Pro, users can now also edit an Action List directly in the Preflight Profile Editor without the need to export, edit and re-import.

A new scaled Preflight Report in both PitStop Pro and PitStop Server makes a low resolution version of the report on an A4 page size that can easily be emailed. This will be of particular interest for users with PDF files with very large dimensions such as those used in large format printing, as the previous annotated reports were too large in size to allow this before.

Smart Preflight for accurate and efficient PDF preflight & correction

Enfocus is continuously extending the power of its Smart Preflight concept, with new functionality that drives productivity even further. When Smart Preflight is used within PitStop Pro, users can now select values to be used within the Preflight Profile or Action List from a user-defined dropdown menu. This is not only a faster way to access these actions, but allows printers and publishers to eliminate human error and reduce the level of expertise required to engage Smart Preflight.

Variable Sets can now be locked and encrypted, just as Preflight Profiles and Action Lists can be protected in both PitStop Pro and PitStop Server. This protects the Variable Set from being edited or copied. In addition, Action Lists in the Preflight Profile Editor can be controlled by a Boolean variable, making PDF preflighting more dynamic.

Availability

The respective Update 2 releases are immediately available at no charge to existing users of PitStop Pro 11 and PitStop Server 11, as well as users of the more recent Update 1 versions. Both products can be downloaded from the Enfocus website, www.enfocus.com. For more information, users can contact their local reseller or email sales@enfocus.com.

Enfocus has announced that its Enfocus Switch 11 can now be setup to automatically connect to EFI’s Fiery XF or Colorproof XF RIP. This new automation capability will benefit a broad range of professionals involved in large to super-wide format printing such as ad agencies, prepress businesses, publishers, newspapers, packaging companies, full-service printing houses, photographers and print shops. Connection to EFI’s Fiery XF or Colorproof XF RIP is provided through a new configurator which comes standard with Switch 11 update 2 and later versions.

“Our mission is to lead the print industry’s transformation from analogue to digital colour through best-in-class products, technology and services. The integration with Enfocus Switch enables our customers to bridge the gap between their existing workflow and the Fiery's wide format production and proofing systems seamlessly,” says Stefan Spiegel, General Manager of Fiery wide format production and proofing at EFI.

“At Enfocus, we aim to be a world-class software vendor that provides solutions to the broad publishing market supporting end-to-end automation with an innovative modular and open approach," comments Angelo Manno, Global Account Manager Crossroads & OEM at Enfocus. "With EFI as a Crossroads partner, our customers can fully automate their digital print production workflows economically and without the need to manually intervene. This will reduce errors, streamline production and shorten time to market."

Support for naming conventions, metadata, integration with databases, preflighting files, and more, helps customers take full advantage of Switch's Smart Automation features. Processed files are automatically routed to the appropriate RIP and output device for correct printing and finishing. Without any manual intervention, the correct settings for the output device will be used, such as color management, sheet size, rotation, scaling, nesting, tiling, step and repeat, footer, and finishing.

 

ONYX Graphics has added support for the Roland SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 large format printer/cutter to its software soliutions. The new printer driver is available for ONYX Thrive version 1.2 print workflow software and all ONYX RIP version X10.2 software packages and supports the SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 printer’s new Eco-Sol MAX 2 ink set including light black ink, optional white and metallic silver inks, and resolutions up to 1440 dpi. In addition, several universal media profiles are included that support a wide range of banner and vinyl media.

For best results, ONYX Graphics recommends ONYX Thrive print workflow software with the Roland SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 printer/cutter. ONYX Thrive software is a scalable solution based on Adobe PDF Print Engine technology enabling users to achieve brighter, more vibrant images, reduce manual intervention and eliminate repetitive tasks. It includes ONYX Graphics’ unique PowerChroma™ Black Generation tool with a new GCR (Grey Colour Replacement) Plus feature, white and specialty ink tools, an easy recalibration tool and highly automated colour profiling with Black Diamond tools.  ONYX Thrive software also includes network licensing and a production manager that enable users to customise their print workflow and easily grow with business demands.

The Roland SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 printer driver is available now to registered licensed users of ONYX Thrive version 1.2 print workflow software and registered licensed users of ONYX ProductionHouseT, ONYX PosterShop and ONYX RIPCenter version X10.2 RIP software.

For more information, please visit www.onyxgfx.com.

Caldera won a Best of 2012 award at last month's Viscom Frankfurt show with its InkPerformer module. The ink consumption management tool impressed the awards' judging panel with the 'considerable potential savings' the software offers, while also helping print business take a step towards more sustainable production.

InkPerformer, created in conjunction with Alwan Color Expertise, is a ground-breaking solution that allows PSPs to not only monitor but also control their ink consumption for optimal ink economy without compromising on output quality.

"We are truly delighted that InkPerformer has been recognised by the Viscom jury as one of the top products to have been launched in 2012," says Sebastien Hanssens, Vice President Marketing, Caldera. "It is testament to our hard work, and our collaboration with Alwan, that InkPerformer won the software award and we feel the product really deserved it. It is always foremost in our development strategy to create products that make printing more rewarding for our users, and it is edifying when they are then independently acknowledged to do so by industry experts."

Launched in May this year, InkPerformer is an option for version 9 of Caldera's RIP solutions that sits in the print workflow before the RIP process and allows users to determine the required level of ink saving, and the threshold at which black is allowed to replace other ink colours in the print. As the Viscom jury noted, this simple adjustment can realise reductions of between 20 and 35 percent of the typical ink laydown, thus offering significant financial and environmental savings for PSPs and paying for itself within weeks.

FFEI has chosen Enfocus' industry standard PDF preflighting technology to be included in its RealPro Workflow product range. The announcement follows a longstanding collaboration developing third party workflow solutions for OEM partners such as Fujifilm.

By integrating Enfocus PitStop Technology within RealPro Workflow, FFEI customers will benefit from highly automated file checking and correction as part of a defined workflow stage.

“The addition of Enfocus PitStop Technology within RealPro Workflow means FFEI can offer a fully integrated workflow solution that combines best in class OEM technologies with our own powerful prepress tool set and native JDF & PDF architecture,” comments Mark Ridgeway, Software Product Manager, FFEI. “The result is a highly automated late binding PDF workflow offering the ability to make late changes with minimum impact on
production schedules. The feedback from our distribution channels and their customers is that this gives them the opportunity to replace piecemeal and legacy workflow solutions with a single modern and efficient solution that can handle both offset and digital printing requirements at an affordable price point.”

The solution, available via FFEI’s network of dealers and OEM partners, will take full advantage of Enfocus Preflight and Action List automation directly within the workflow, delivering increased prepress efficiency, improved flexibility in the pressroom and reduced overall costs related to re-work.

RealPro Workflow automatically alerts users to any preflight failures and provides instant access to both the preflight report and associated PDF file from one of RealPro’s multiple Mac or PC clients. This integration also ensures files are always correctly prepared for the specific output process, especially important where jobs may be retargeted for offset and or digital devices.

“FFEI’s decision to integrate our acclaimed Enfocus PitStop preflighting and correction technology within their own RealPro scalable workflow solution proves that PitStop answers the automation and quality requirement needs when processing PDF files,” comments Angelo Manno, Global Account Manager Crossroads & OEM, Enfocus.  "PitStop has evolved over 15 years to continuously address new market requirements.  FFEI’s OEM partners and their end-users will therefore greatly benefit from a technology which has become the de facto standard in the industry.”