Expo Opens Its Doors

As Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2003 takes place this month at McCormick Place in Chicago, the event promised to afford attendees a hands-on opportunity to see newly released printing technologies up close.

Myriad products covering all facets of the graphic arts—from prepress, press, and postpress, to business management systems and Internet-based offerings—were to be on display across 370,000 square feet of floor space in over 500 manufacturers' booths.

Following is but a sampling of what was to be shown on the show floor:

CGS Publishing Technologies International's Oris Color Tuner Version 5.1 has been released. The color management software, designed to produce contract-quality proofs on ink-jet devices, offers a unique color matching technology to match even the most challenging color environments, according to the manufacturer. The system can accept virtually any file format, including PDF, PDF/X, PostScript, DCS, copydot, and more.

Oris Color Tuner features automatic color calibration, allowing a range of users to achieve consistent color among multiple output devices and the print shop. Spot colors are handled separately from CMYK, allowing better control over color output from ink-jet devices. Version 5.1 features wizards that walk users through the automatic calibration process for even greater ease of use.

Markzware was introducing the latest release of its award-winning FlightCheck Professional Version 5, now with Apple Macintosh OS X support.

Using a simple drag-and-drop interface, FlightCheck Professional is a preflight quality control tool that scans a wide variety of file types, including InDesign, QuarkXPress, Portable Document Formats (PDF), PageMaker, Multi-Ad Creator, Illustrator, Photoshop, FreeHand, and CorelDraw. FlightCheck inspects a document using hundreds of available checks, and warns the operator about any potential problems that may reside in a digital file, including font and graphic incompatibilities. The application verifies critical file elements, such as color space and resolution, to assure validity.

After verification, FlightCheck Professional generates a detailed report, indicating whether the file has passed or failed preflight tests, and spells out specific problems that must be addressed to ensure that the file will travel on to the next stage of production without error or delay.

Kodak Polychrome Graphics was showing its Sword Excel fourth generation of thermal computer-to-plate (CTP) technology.

Extending the benefits of Sword technology, which combines a no-preheat/no-post-bake thermal plate with negative "write the background" processing, Sword Excel delivers run lengths of up to 500,000 impressions and hard dots that yield resolutions ranging from 1% to 99% at 200 lpi, says the company. The ultra-high resolution makes Sword Excel plates compatible with the latest advances in stochastic screening at 20- and 10-micron dot diameters. Other benefits include faster imaging speeds, greater press chemical resistance, and reduced processor maintenance.

Jetrion LLC—the global ink-jet product, service, and integration arm of Flint Ink—was scheduled to present new high-performance continuous ink-jet (CIJ) and drop-on-demand (DOD) inks.

Jetrion also was delivering a series of educational presentations, conducting personalized, on-site digital printing audits, and providing equipment demonstrations for printers and converters.

Says Jetrion, the new CIJ and DOD inks are designed to help printers achieve excellent accuracy and print quality on a wide range of substrates for direct mail, coding, marking, point-of purchase, and signage applications. The new offerings complement Jetrion's existing line of ink-jet products that also were featured at the company's booth.

For the first time at Graph Expo and Converting Expo, the four divisions of Sun Chemical were to combine their displays to demonstrate the breadth of the Sun Chemical product line. These include Vivitek, the company's newly launched printing consumables and services distribution business, as well as Sun Chemical Ink North America, Kohl & Madden, and SunJet, an ink-jet focused division.

Vivitek will be able to supply services such as color and brand management, print consultation, analytical testing, and safety systems. Sun Chemical also displayed products from its lineup of ink and coating products for publication, commercial, packaging, and industrial applications.

Standard Finishing Systems featured its Standard Horizon CABS (computer-aided binding system) 5000 perfect binding system.

The CABS 5000 in-line system includes the MG-60H gatherer, the SB-15 15-clamp perfect binder, and the HT-100 three-knife trimmer. Designed for commercial printers, in-plant printers, and binderies, the CABS 5000 automated binder offers quick set-up features and advanced control technology for ease of use.

Up to six MG-60H gatherers can be put in line for a total of 36 gathering stations.

The MG-60H can feed single sheets or folded signatures up to 30 pages. The SB-15 perfect binder cycles at up to 5,200 books per hour with fast, highly automated digital set-ups, says the company. The HT-100 three-knife trimmer features automated set-up and operation through a touch-screen color console.

Lucid Dream Software, Inc. was demonstrating the new version of its OnTimeProof Web-based remote job approval system, which incorporates Global Graphics Software's Jaws PDF Courier 1.2 software.

Jaws PDF Courier 1.2 is an enhanced version of Global Graphics' software designed for the customized creation and Internet-based delivery of documents in Portable Document Format (PDF). It places preflighting upstream at customer sites to assure print service providers that the PDF files they receive can be printed. Easy to deploy, the addition of comprehensive and affordable preflighting makes highly automated, efficient workflows a reality for virtually any print service provider and any production workflow, say company officials. It also includes better security, additional page sizes, improved color handling and accuracy, and support for PDF 1.4 and Enfocus Certified PDF workflows.

Lucid Dream's OnTimeProof remote proofing system is designed for use within a variety of production workflows, including Harlequin ScriptWorks and Heidelberg Delta. OnTimeProof allows users to view proofs of RIPped jobs on line using a standard Web browser, and to collaboratively annotate their files during the proofing process.

StaffingTools.com planned to showcase its prepress course offerings, including font management in OS X, Creo Preps, and Pantone Hit The Spots; Enfocus PitStop Server; and coming soon, Acrobat 6, QuarkXPress 6, and Masking in Photoshop 7.

StaffingTools.com courses include pre-tests, customized training curriculums, post-tests, and certificates of completion. Users learn at their own pace, at any time, without travel expenses or lost production time. The 24/7 courses include unlimited access to retest and retrain for a full 365 days a year. StaffingTools.com offers a hosted Learning Management System (LMS) that requires no additional hardware or software purchases, so companies can ensure that their employees are completing courses on time and with the test scores that they want them to achieve.

Muller Martini featured a live/multimedia presentation titled "Connect to the Finish." Videotaped visits of several facilities that use Muller Martini systems combined with live demonstrations provided show goers with a working vision of how CIP3's PPF architecture is making finishing an integral part of the computer integrated manufacturing workflow.

Among the featured finishing systems that Muller Martini demonstrated at its exhibit are AmigoDigital, a short-run automated perfect binding system based on the company's AmigoPlus model. Says the manufacturer, AmigoDigital can be connected directly to a digital printing system to produce in line up to 1,000 fully variable-data books per hour.