Prepress Systems

Innovations in workflow automation and production integration will make prepress technology a major focus of Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2002, to be held October 6-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Here's a sampling of manufacturer introductions slated to be made at the show.

Avanti Computer Systems will release a Windows-based 4.1 upgrade for its print management software solution. All technical modules have been significantly upgraded, say company officials, including those for estimating, scheduling, executive reporting, order entry, and invoicing.

New functionality includes Internet job tracking and reporting, a chargeback feature for added invoicing flexibility, and enhanced inventory functionality for better customer support and productivity.

Blanchard Systems will introduce enhancements to its Vortex automated workflow system. Vortex Velocity, a Web-based application for automating file submission and imposition, consists of auto-imposition, versioning, and asset management modules.

Using customized libraries from the asset management system, customer and job information is entered, including the way the Vortex workflow solution processes pages in a given job. Velocity enables users to create jobs and generate a folder structure (loading dock) for sending page files directly into the system.

Using job metadata, the module-based system automatically takes page files and fits them into predefined imposition templates that are ready for printing.

Creo will show the newest member of its Spire color server line, the Spire CXP6000 server, designed to drive Xerox's DocuColor 6060 digital color press.

The CXP6000 server is based on a new platform that integrates advanced Fusion imaging hardware technology from Creo, explains the company. Fusion hardware boards assemble pages at printer-rated speeds and impose on-the-fly while sending pages to the printer. The same technology also powers Creo's Spire color server that drives the Xerox DocuColor iGen3 digital production press.

Also on display will be Creo's new Six Degrees software, designed to automatically link related e-mail messages, files, and people on the user's desktop for quicker navigation through projects. The software operates on Mac OS X with Microsoft EntourageX, and on Windows 2000 and XP with Microsoft Outlook.

Fujifilm will launch, through its Graphic Systems Division, both its Brillia LP-NV high-speed photopolymer plate as well as its FinalProof Luxel 5600 digital contract proofing system. The plate, compatible with any violet-laser computer-to-plate system and optimized for use with the company's recently introduced Saber V series platesetters, is designed to hold halftone dots ranging from 2% to 98% at 200 lines per inch, and is rated to last for up to 200,000 impressions.

The FinalProof Luxel 5600 is an automated, four-page proofing system that uses real pigments, actual printing stocks, high resolution and screening technologies, and advanced color management tools. Driven by Fujifilm's NT-based ProofManager digital front end, the system supports 1- and 8-bit TIFFs as well as TIFF/ITP1 files.

Group Infotech will introduce its PrintLine Automation (PLA) digital workflow system, which combines production applications along with data management capabilities. Workflow components inside the system focus on loose data elements that are assembled as needed after an output target is specified (the target may be anything from a large web or digital press to an e-book or XML output).

This capability, referred to as "Fate Processing," provides a system granularity that operates at the sub-page level, says the company. Data management components within the system employ information in a relational database environment, while metadata is generated and harvested as files are processed and manipulated.

According to Group Infotech officials, PLA is a media-independent solution that fits into existing prepress environments, and interfaces between input and output components.

Heidelberg USA will demonstrate its AxisControl color measuring system, the latest addition to its Prinect product portfolio. AxisControl uses spectrophotometric measurements, performs colorimetric analyses, and uses the information from the color bar to calculate the control parameters for on-line color control. It can measure up to eight colors in a single pass, says Heidelberg, and can also evaluate perfected sheets on presses equipped with reversing units.

AxisControl is fully integrated into the company's CP2000 control center, and can be used on all Speedmaster SM 52, SM 74, SM 102, CD 74, CD 102, and SM 74 DI models.

Kodak Polychrome Graphics will introduce its next-generation Matchprint Color RIP Version 2.5 software for large-format ink-jet printers. The software offers expanded application and color control, including Scitex CT/LW and JPEG file capability, new color space support for RGB and L*a*b files, and printer support for the HP DesignJet 10/20/50 PS Series.

A drag-and-drop interface and selectable job priority function speed job workflow, says the company.

Other features include enhancements to cropping and tiling production tools, improved nesting, a color-managed print preview using ICC profiles, a new color profile database, and external measurement device support.

Markzware will demonstrate its new FlightCheck for Windows Version 4.5 software, which offers expanded support for Microsoft Publisher 2002 as well as Quark-XPress 5.0, Adobe InDesign 2.0, and Illustrator 10. The standalone application preflights digital documents by checking for over 150 potential printing problems, assisting in corrections, and collecting job elements such as images and fonts.

Primac Systems, Inc. will unveil Revision 12 of its turnkey information management software. New features include the ability to e-mail all reports and forms, export data from reports to other applications, select financial report/inquiry criteria on a more detailed level, and provide additional detailed reporting for invoice and transaction history.

Additionally, Revision 12 allows users to post inventory transactions to the current fiscal period as well as into two forthcoming fiscal periods.

printChannel.com will showcase improvements to its recently released print i/o Version 2 platform, including stronger integration with key procurement applications and streamlined handling of processed orders. Other features include enhancements in imposition processing, and improved ability to create and handle supplier networks for specific products and customers.

printChannel.com also plans to highlight a wide range of new usability benefits based on feedback from early adopters of its print i/o procurement platform.

Prolatus will demonstrate a suite of premedia production solutions based on its Catalyst Technology software platform. Says the company, the software reduces file sizes by up to 20 times their original size while maintaining complete image integrity, expediting production workflow, and eliminating harmful compression.

The solution suite is made up of virtual facilities management, load balancing, remote proofing, and asset management. Also slated to be on display is MarkUp, a hard-proofing solution that displays proofs electronically; WebConnect, which turns a Web site into a full-production portal; and Transport, which affords uniform and managed file submission.

RealTimeImage will introduce its full-scale Express solution for RealTimeProof, which is designed for users who want local file storage, tracking, and approval management tools. Says the company, Express solves wide-area network bottleneck issues by uploading files to the local Express server instead of the ASP, thereby cutting upload times to a minimum. The uploaded files then can be efficiently viewed from anywhere using the company's streaming technology.

Xerox Corporation and Electronics for Imaging (EFI) will unveil several EFI software solutions designed for use with Xerox DocuColor digital color systems. EFI's new Velocity workflow software allows users to maximize the combined capacity of their equipment by managing as many as 12 printers as a group. Velocity's modular approach allows users to control the entire workflow process, from load balancing to imposition and job costing, from one interface.

Two Fiery-optimized variable-data printing software packages, Pageflex Persona and Atlas PrintShop Mail, also are available to add flexibility to complex print jobs. Pageflex Persona features flexible containers that dynamically fit content within a document by changing size and position, while Atlas PrintShop Mail simplifies the process of creating a variable-information document.

Fiery servers include support for the emerging variable-data printing PPML (Personalized Print Markup Language) standard, while the software platforms are compatible with languages such as Xerox VIPP and Fiery FreeForm technology for seamless integration into existing workflows.

EFI also will introduce its EXP6000 Fiery color server based on the firm's new Fiery Q4000 platform. Offering what EFI says is "breakthrough RIPping power" to the Xerox DocuColor 6060, the server offers extensive variable-data printing support, intelligent printer data stream support for transactional printing, and production automation and workflow management features.

X-Rite will introduce its new Model 939 portable spectrodensitometer, featuring the manufacturer's high-resolution 31-point spectral engine, which yields an average agreement of .15 Delta-E and a maximum .30 Delta-E.

The offering can store more than 3,000 color references and samples, is easy to calibrate for either black-and-white or color validation, and includes optional, changeable aperture sizes.