Page 55 - Print 21 Magazine May-June 2019

Software
Fujifilm flows
into the future
Fujifilm’s XMF software solution is built on Adobe’s PDF Print Engine (APPE), and designed for both digital and offset production. Its Pure
PDF workflow built from the latest Adobe technology ensures optimum efficiency, says Fujifilm. “XMF
has led the way in combining the creative depth of Adobe’s Creative Suite applications with efficient and streamlined print production.
“As it is based solely on APPE, and not slowed down by legacy PostScript applications, XMF is considerably faster, more efficient, and far better placed to handle tomorrow’s more complex files,” the company says.
Because it is built around the JDF standard, XMF can link with MIS systems and allows communication between applications plus full visibility of job progress and costs. “Add to this the fact that XMF is scalable, with the ability to add multiple additional servers, and it’s evident that an investment in XMF today is an investment in the future,” the developer says.
Prinecting to
Industry 4.0
The 2019 update to Heidelberg’s Prinect workflow software
adds Prinect Smart BI business intelligence software, which Dierk Wissmann, national sales manager for Gallus, Prinect and digital at Heidelberg ANZ, says will help connect printers with big data operations. “The primary target of this cloud-based big data service is
to provide print shop management teams a deep insight into their print shop numbers to better identify untapped potentials.
“Print shops will gain within days a far better understanding
of their actual production and business situation, with one target: to take better and fact-based decisions for a profitable future,” he says. “Pre-delivered reports
and easy tools to define individual reports and dashboards within minutes will allow insight into
the print shop’s performance.”
Prinect 2019 is available on a subscription basis, meaning no upfront investment is necessary. Wissmann says, “The payment is based on the actual usage and not on the functionality of the system. This allows each company to set up the process to become the smart print shop of the future.”
Kodak taking care
of consumables
A new addition to Kodak’s Prinergy workflow software is the Decision Analytics – Ink and Plate Usage Service. Aimed at offset printers, the system is designed to optimise the use of consumables, analysing and predicting ink usage on press and allowing operators to monitor results by plant, press, product and/or job.
Allan Brown, vice president
and general manager of Kodak’s unified workflow solutions, says the service will translate into improved efficiencies, reduced risk, and cost savings for printers. “Kodak’s Ink and Plate Usage Service opens the door for granular visibility into the actual costs of manufacturing for printers. It affords them the ability to optimise the manufacturing process and reduce costs, which ultimately leads to amplified profitability," he says.”
PrintIQ thinks
with portals
PrintIQ, operated through a web browser, offers a range of features including outsourcing, capacity planning, picking and processing, and a digital storefront.
This last feature offers big benefits to printers, according to Mick Rowan, product director. “The most powerful feature might just be the ability to get online with a customer-facing, brandable digital storefront with little internal effort,” says Rowan. “The portal is
built to make it easy for customers to engage over the web, on their phone, or on a tablet, and comes without the baggage of many standalone, or bolt-on, digital storefront applications.”
The cloud-based nature of the software is also an asset, says Rowan. “The PrintlQ workflow offers the reliable single source
of truth about every job accepted
for production and if you pair this with a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, the cost to bring the solution in-house and operate it effectively brings modern tools without severely impacting capital,” he says.
Ricoh brings offset
and digital together
Ricoh’s TotalFlow print server, which ships with presses including the
Pro C7200 and C9200 series, allows seamless integration of digital into an offset workflow.
Henryk Kraszewski, senior product manager for commercial and industrial print at Ricoh says, “For example you might have a business that operates Heidelberg presses and bases its workflow around Prinect. The pre-press operator only touches the job once, and then determines where it’s best output – the Heidelberg press, or the Ricoh presses with TotalFlow print server.
“The job doesn’t get reprocessed, which ensures job and colour integrity,” he says.
Kraszewski adds that with TotalFlow, the operator can select where it would be most efficient to print.
Equios is end-to-end
Screen’s Equios workflow software is a scalable solution designed for both conventional and digital printing, which supports print-on-demand (POD) and computer-to-plate (CTP) applications and enables high-speed variable-data printing.
According to the manufacturer, Equios can handle jobs from beginning to end. “Equios controls production from the time a job is captured or created through all stages of production to postpress and delivery of the finished project.
“Wherever JDF is deployed, Equios integrates seamlessly all the way to the bindery, thanks to the Equiosnet Partnership Programme with third- party vendors of hardware and software,” says Screen. 21
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