Graph Expo 2003 Preview: Prepress Systems

This year's Graph Expo event, to be held September 28 through October 1 at McCormick Place in Chicago, promises to offer visitors a bounty of prepress products and solutions.

Following is a glimpse of what some equipment manufacturers plan to present at the show.

Agfa will be showing its ApogeeX workflow solution, which, says the company, is based on PDF, JDF, and Digital Film technology. ApogeeX incorporates a range of features including job management, advanced job tickets, PDF trapping, enhanced connectivity, and the ability to approve pages and flats via the Web.

Agfa also plans to demonstrate its new Sherpa 24m four-up contract proofing system, which takes full advantage of the company's ColorTune Pro color management software, QMS quality management software, and AgfaJet Digital proofing base. Additionally, Agfa will show its Grand Sherpa, offering high-resolution digital ink-jet proofing in 50", 64", and 87" widths.

Also on the roster for Agfa are its Sublima screening solution, Xcalibur 45 thermal platesetter, and Palladio four-up flatbed platesetter.

CGS Publishing Technologies International will demonstrate its Oris Works Version 4.4 workflow automation system. Says the company, the hot folder-based system now provides full support for industry-standard PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3 files, as well as ICC color management, job tickets, and other color preparation improvements.

CGS also will show the next version of its Oris Color Tuner color proofing system, and plans to announce new OS X developments for the Macintosh computer, along with what it says is a new, affordable environment for PDF editing using existing software.

DuPont Imaging Technologies will have on display its CromaPro XP ink-jet color proofing system, offering a high-end color management and RIP solution to drop-on-demand ink-jet printers.

According to the manufacturer, CromaPro XP seamlessly integrates the DuPont CromaNet color management and profiling software with a genuine Adobe PostScript 3 RIP and a new line of cross-platform proofing media. Because CromaPro XP is International Color Consortium (ICC)-compliant, it can use existing ICC profiles and generate new profiles.

Enfocus Software plans to debut in North America its CertifiedPDF.net offering, and a new version of PitStop server with major upgrades. According to the company, CertifiedPDF.net, a comprehensive on-line resource for PDF specifications, closes the loop on PDF workflows. Contributing members such as printers, publishers, and industry associations can publish the specifications they support, along with related documentation, while subscribing members can search for and download relevant specifications free of charge.

Esko-Graphics will showcase its PlateDriver platesetter, which comes with a three-year warranty on its FreeBeam optical system. The offering, designed for imaging violet silver (5-mW) or longer-run violet polymer (30-mW) plates, is available in a range of models, including four-up, eight-up, semi-automatic or automatic, plate type used, individual or standard register, and a choice of speeds.

Esko-Graphics also will show its Fastlane Next Generation advanced workflow system for commercial printing and packaging environments. Fastlane features PDF input/output compatibility, automatic batch imposition, and FastVariants, a module that handles double-burns for versioning, says the manufacturer. Esko-Graphics is also set to demonstrate its EskoScan scanner families, and FlowDrive, the latest version of its output management system for medium-size commercial printers.

Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. will showcase its Saber series of violet computer-to-plate (CTP) platesetters, including the four-page Saber Luxel Vx-6000 and eight-page Saber Luxel Vx-9600, both of which are the fastest in their respective classes, says the manufacturer.

Additionally, Fujifilm will highlight its recently developed Co-Res screening technology software. When combined with the Saber platesetting devices, this software package can provide additional speed (up to 40 plates for the eight-up Saber) or finer resolution (300 lpi can be output at a resolution of 2,400 dpi).

Fujifilm also will demonstrate its line of proofing solutions, including FinalProof, its high-end digital contract proofer. Also on display will be Match Certified, the company's color matching service that uses Fujifilm proprietary software, specialized charts, and measurement equipment to help customers visually and colorimetrically match their FinalProof or PictroProof digital contone proofers to specific printing conditions and ink sets.

Finally, Fujifilm's FinalProof TPM media for Creo proofing devices will make its debut at the show. The new product, which will be commercially available later this summer, is a proofing material that combines Fujifilm's high-end color and digital contract expertise with Creo's Trendsetter writing devices, the company says.

Global Graphics Software, creator of the Harlequin RIP and Jaws PDF products as well as other prepress solutions, will be represented in a number of OEM booths at the show, including A.B. Dick, Canon, Esko-Graphics, Heidelberg, Hewlett-Packard, Kodak Polychrome Graphics, Konica Graphic Imaging, Onyx Graphics, Presstek, Rampage, Ryobi, Scitex Digital Printing, and Xitron.

Heidelberg will feature its Prinect Printready System for automated JDF workflow. A modular system that can be scaled to suit a printing business's own particular needs, Prinect Printready automates all prepress production stages, and also includes transparent data forwarding to press and postpress operations, say company officials.

As part of Heidelberg's Prinect workflow management system, Printready represents the industry's first prepress workflow to be based entirely on JDF, thus making it possible to map and automate all prepress tasks.

In addition, Heidelberg will highlight its MetaDimension RIP and workflow solution. Says the company, MetaDimension allows customers to use the same prepress process for both offset and digital printing, enabling the same job to be easily run on either technology, based on user needs.

Integrated Color Solutions will showcase its SWOP-certified Remote Director system, which uses ICC profiles and unique peer-to-peer communications on commercially available equipment to verify that every monitor is displaying consistently accurate color simultaneously at different locations. According to the manufacturer, Remote Director also supports mixed RGB and CMYK workflows, and enables users to mark up changes, make corrections in native applications, and reproof files on the fly.

Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) plans to exhibit its SWOP-certified Matchprint Virtual Proofing System, a color-critical monitor proofing solution that includes high-end color monitors, controlled lighting, color management and calibration technology developed by KPG, and RealTimeImage's Web-based collaborative proofing solution. In addition, KPG will introduce its line of next-generation thermal printing plates.

The company also says it will announce a significant development in its proofing portfolio in the weeks leading up to Graph Expo.

Lucid Dream Software will showcase Version 3 of its OnTimeProof remote proofing system, designed for use within a variety of production workflows including Heidelberg Delta RIP, Harlequin ScriptWorks RIP, and Adobe Distiller. OnTimeProof allows clients to view proofs of RIPped jobs on line using a standard Web browser. The offering also allows users to collaboratively annotate their files during the proofing process, cutting down on the number of times a proof has to travel between client and printer, say company officials.

Lucid Dream also plans to show its I-Trap trapping solution. This raster-based trapping software application combines the company's sophisticated trapping technology with Global Graphics' SDK plug-in for the Harlequin RIP. In addition, Lucid Dream will showcase its TIFF, Delta, and PDF conversion and integration tools, including PDFFlow, DCSFlow, TIFF/ITFlow, ProofFlow, PrintFlow, and CromaFlow.

Markzware plans to announce the release of its FlightCheck Version 5 preflight application, which is Mac OS X native and supports the new OS X font architecture. Say company officials, new capabilities include more comprehensive PDF checking, as well as the ability to preflight more than one document simultaneously. Dynamic Ground Controls will allow users to specify controls for the file type being preflighted, including PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, QuarkXPress, and Adobe InDesign.

Presstek, Inc. will show its thermal laser imaging and environmentally friendly plate technologies in a variety of CTP applications. The company will highlight its new, process-free, wet offset ablative Applause plate running live in chemistry-free CTP workflow demonstrations. Visitors to Presstek's booth will see the Dimension platesetter imaging the commercially available chemistry-free Anthem plate, as well as the process-free Applause plate.

RealTimeImage's on-line proofing technology will be shown in product offerings from KPG and other vendors, say company officials. RealTimeImage also plans to showcase its family of RealTimeProof on-line proofing solutions, featuring new color management advancements, localization, and OS X compatibility.

Screen (USA) will showcase Trueflow Version 2.1, the latest generation of its workflow management solution. Trueflow 2.1 is a page-based workflow that creates customized job tickets and process plans that control and perform user-defined functions. Features include a new graphical user interface with easily identifiable icons, separation of output calculation and recording tasks, an expanded set of imposition schemes, a spot filtering function, and new output formats.

Further, the company plans to highlight Truenet, its JDF-based business solution for automated print management. Says the manufacturer, Truenet can take users from order creation through prepress, press, and ultimately into finishing and delivery, using modules integrated with e-commerce and MIS systems. At Graph Expo, Screen will introduce new modules related to Truenet.

Screen also will show its Plate-Rite 4100, a four-page platesetter that can be configured for automatic operation with the manufacturer's SA-L 4100 single-cassette autoloader option. Finally, Screen will demonstrate its Spekta Hybrid AM/FM screening technology.