Page 57 - Print 21 Magazine May-June 2019

Software
Software Version 38
and counting
The arrival of Infigo coincides with the latest release of printIQ’s system, Version 38. While many software platforms launch a single definitive version of the software and leave
it to slow cook for years in their customers’ business without change, printIQ is hyper active when it comes to development. With two or three full releases every year it’s most definitely ‘not in maintenance mode.’
The level of development is based on the understanding that businesses need to change over time. What was sufficient last year is old news now.
A perfectly adequate software system can quickly fall short of a customer’s ambitions if it’s not continually upgraded and improved. New attributes, more capabilities, extra processing are part of the upgrade path of any software system that wants to remain at the leading edge.
“printIQ has an outstanding track record for APIs and technology.” – Joseph Cushing
The latest iteration of printIQ’s software, Version 38, began rolling out to customers last month. With the majority of its 45 staff engaged on product development and support, printIQ has the flexibility to respond to changing industry conditions and customer requests. It’s a development philosophy that Adrian Fleming, sales director, believes gives the company and
its workflow system a marked differentiation from others. “We’re constantly developing
and upgrading, listening to what our customers are asking for and introducing new modules, printIQ is definitely not in maintenance mode,” he says.
The latest version is again aimed at improving overall usability and keeping up with the ever-changing industry requirements. The changes span all the main areas of the core printIQ product, with new features and refinements to make it easier and simpler to setup. Many of the numerous user experience improvements and subtle changes are based on customer feedback and requests.
The new Version 38 ranges over the entire printIQ production system with additions and changes to quoting, production, capacity planning, inventory as well as accounting, freight, and reporting
Main
and invoice consolidation. For instance, in quoting, while it’s great to have machinery capable of doing inline finishing, when a press is running at a reduced speed due to complex processes it is essential this be reflected in quoted prices. The latest release has a new setting called ‘Inline with Press’. When this is used, customers select Inline or Offline accordingly. If Offline is selected, the quote will calculate
it as always.
When set as Inline, the speed of the press is reduced to match the run time of the slowest finishing operation. Quoted press times for all operations will reflect the extended run time required. This functionality is perfect for allowing estimators to calculate whether to finish online or offline.
Think outside the box
In response to numerous customer requests printIQ can now accept
print files other than PDFs. A new setting has been added to allow users to upload other file types via the document upload without triggering the validation rule. On the production side the job status will be ‘Awaiting Artwork’ and the customer will now get an updated message to reflect that not just PDFs can be uploaded.
The printIQ deployment team is currently contacting all customers to ensure they make the best use
of the new developments and attributes in Version 38. It is all part of the company’s determination to ‘think outside the box’ and ensure that printIQ leads print into its automated future. 21
Team effort: (from left) printIQ’s Jonathan Bowen, Linda Pollard,
Mick Rowan, and Matt Miloszewski
Below
Hands around the world; Douglas Gibson, Infigo, with
Mick Rowan, printIQ, in Chicago
printIQ scores Chicago coup
printIQ landed a big win in the Windy City, with leading Chicago graphics firm Cushing partnering with the company for an end-to-end workflow solution.
Opening up the North American market for its workflow solutions is a work in progress for printIQ. Now the hard slog is beginning to pay off with increased signings in the USA. Latest to come on board is Illinois printer, Cushing, which sealed its deal after months of discussions following an initial meeting between the Cushing and printIQ teams at Print18.
According to Mick Rowan, director of product development and marketing at printIQ, the Cushing deal united printIQ staff on both sides of the Pacific. “We had Jonathan out of Canada, Matt out of the States, myself and Adrian out
of Australia, and Anthony out of New Zealand, involved in the sales process. It was definitely an international affair,” he said.
Rowan is optimistic that printIQ and Cushing will have
a long and fruitful working relationship. “At the end of the day they’re good people, they were enthusiastic about the sale and they loved what they saw. The end result is that Cushing and printIQ are a great fit and we’re glad to be partnering with them,” he said.
Joseph Cushing, executive vice president at Cushing, agreed that printIQ was the right solution for optimising production and project fulfilment for their business.
He said, “printIQ offers robust tools that streamline the complexities and variables of customer work orders,
from proofing and written installation details to third party purchase orders. The platform includes functionality our production team is familiar with, and printIQ has an outstanding track record for API’s and technology.
“As our system requirements continue to evolve, we are excited to partner with their project management team.”
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