Page 54 - Print 21 Magazine May-June 2019

Software
Going with the
(work)f low
Much ado is made about hardware in the printing world – we spill plenty of ink on these pages about the latest and greatest presses. Yet without workflow software to efficiently feed them jobs, these shiny new machines may as well be expensive paperweights. Jake Nelson looks at some of the most recent innovations from workflow software developers.
When it comes to workflow software, printers are
spoilt for choice, with equipment manufacturers supplying their
own robust solutions in addition
to the wide variety of third-party suites on the market. To help cut through the decision process,
we’ve looked into just a few of
the newest developments.
Visibility with
Agfa Apogee
Agfa released version 11 of its Apogee workflow software in November, including a number of new features such as the automation of all prepress tasks.
Apogee v11 enables printers to intelligently combine print jobs
to optimise press time, a feature which Erik Peeters, global marketing manager for software solutions at Agfa, says is a big step forward in production efficiency. “Combining orders reduces plate changes and lowers production costs,” he says. “As paper waste is significantly less, the ecological footprint decreases too. As always, Apogee looks beyond pure functionalities and takes the full production cycle into account.”
Apogee v11 incorporates AutoImpose, which processes orders in a fully automatic way. “This a key feature for digital print production,” says Peeters. “Especially combined with Agfa’s cloud-based automation solution, PrintSphere AutoPilot, which uses XML or JDF information to intelligently route orders to the appropriate output device”.
54 Print21 MAY/JUNE 2019
Digital workflow: manage, measure, control and optimise
EFI connects
with Duplo
EFI has linked Duplo slitter/cutter/ creasers into its Fiery production workflow, adding digital finishing into the solution. Anthony Parnemann, regional manager at EFI, says it will be a boon to digital printers who need to integrate slitting, cutting and creasing. “This new offering allows for efficient, automated imposition layout and production from prepress through the finishing stages delivering precise throughput faster and saving up to 70 per cent of setup time,” he says.
“The automated solution will reduce human setup errors, plus users now will have the ability to quickly verify job designs with a visual preview of finishing lines before printing.”
This new functionality is available for the Duplo DC-646 and DC-746 slitter/cutter/creaser models. “The new integration connects Duplo devices to Fiery Impose software, giving users an automatically generated, accurate preview of slit, cut, and crease locations in their printing jobs,” says Parnemann.
“Users also can save new layouts as templates to automate imposition on future jobs, and, using the existing support for Duplo barcode support in Fiery Impose, can load printed jobs directly into the DC-646 and DC-746 for automatic setup for the job based on the barcode.
“This is another example of
how Fiery solutions can easily integrate beyond printing to enable customers to be more productive and profitable,” he says.
A QuickStart for
sign and packaging
automation
For sign and packaging printers who need to hit the ground running, Esko, the developer of Automation Engine, has a range of turnkey QuickStart solutions that can be
set up in under a week. WebCentre QuickStart for Corrugated is a design workflow management solution for corrugated converters.
According to Scott Thompson, regional marketing and channels manager at Esko Australia, these suites are based on worldwide best practices for labels, folding carton, and sign and display. “No matter the output required, you can be assured of error reduction, shorter production time and shorter lead times with complete traceability from the moment a project is initiated to the print floor and even back to the brands.
“Esko can have you up and running in five days, digitising
all your products, automating repetitive pre-press tasks faster and more efficiently, and delivering on time with full transparency on the complete process,” says Thompson.
Thompson says Automation Engine is a scalable solution with extensive business integration capabilities. “Not only does this make Automation Engine the heart of any size prepress production operation, but also ensures the right information is fed to the right system at the right time.
“It enables unparalleled workflow automation with rock-solid quality control,” he says.