Software

 

On November 15, 2009, ColorGATE Digital Output Solutions GmbH will unveil the completely overhauled Productionserver Version 6.

"Digital large-format printing or screen printing, outdoor production or interior design, pre-printing or fine-art reproduction—regardless of the main production focus, Version 6 offers all printing service providers future-proof solutions for greater productivity, optimum color competence and increased added value," said Thomas Kirschner, managing director, ColorGATE.

Productionserver, the universal production RIP that is already available in the Select, Pro and Ultimate editions, has been upgraded with the addition of the UXT Premium version.

Intelligent resource management provides for a significant increase in productivity. "Production downtime is reduced to an absolute minimum," said Kirschner. "With Productionserver 6, it is possible to process the same volume of work in just one quarter of the time."

An equally important technical innovation in Version 6 is the Ink Saver option. Algorithms for the calculation of the color separation guarantee a substantial reduction in the amount of ink used, particularly for vividly colored production processes. CCM, the Cost Calculation Module, which is already available for Version 5 and later, makes it possible to determine how high the savings will be before you print—right down to the last picoliter.

"Extensive practical testing has confirmed that Ink Saver is able to reduce ink consumption by an average of 15 percent," said Kirschner.

With Version 6, ColorGATE has also expanded its portfolio of stand-alone software packages. As an addition to Proofgate 6, Photogate 6 and Filmgate 6, Plategate 6, available in two versions, covers the inkjet CtP segment, which continues to experience notable growth.

"This is our way of saying thank you to our customers, many of whom have been loyal to us for many years. We want to make a migration to Version 6 as easy as possible to give them the opportunity of working simply more productively with ColorGATE in the future as well," said Kirschner.

 

SA International (SAi) has announced the launch of the online version of Sign Tracker at SGIA 2009 in New Orleans, LA.

During SGIA, SAi and Sign Tracker will team up at booth 1258 to kick off the official launch of Sign Tracker on SIGN.com. Booth visitors can participate in live demos, ask questions, and offer feedback about the recent release of Sign Tracker online.

Created specifically with sign shops in mind, Sign Tracker is a comprehensive online management system that helps shop owners keep track of their day-to-day business operations. Managing customers, creating estimates, tracking inventory, managing projects, and generating sales reports are just a few of the tools that will help make any sign company more efficient and profitable.

Sign Tracker maintains a pay-as-you-go, no commitment pricing structure that is scaled to fit the budget for even the smallest shop. Most importantly, all customers will have a fully-functional package.

"SAi is excited to announce Sign Tracker, a wonderful new online program hosted through SIGN.com,” said Don Feagan, president and COO, SAi. "Sign shops will now have the industry's best online management software right at their fingertips."

"Our goal for Sign Tracker is to provide the most effective and easy to use software, resources and technology in our industry. We will strive to give our best so that our sign shop customers can build strong sign businesses that positively impact their communities," said Joe Arenella, Sign Tracker developer.

SGIA 2009 will be held at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA from October 7 - 9, 2009. SAi will be exhibiting at booth 1258 and featuring Flexi, EnRoute and Sign Tracker.

 

ONYX Graphics, Inc. has announced it has achieved HP Certification of ONYX RIP software to drive the new HP Designjet L25500 printer.

Customers can take advantage of the versatility of the HP Designjet L25500 printer to attain high-quality results with a variety of applications. ONYX RIP software includes profiles for HP's media including recyclable HP Heavy Textile Banner, HP HDPE Reinforced Banner, HP Light Textile Display Banner, HP Photo-Realistic Poster Paper and HP White Satin Poster Paper.

ONYX ProductionHouseTM V7.3.2 software enables automatic, low maintenance printing with proactive alerts and a simple, at-a-glance view of printer status, job status and job accounting data. ONYX ProductionHouse software also offers accessibility to the embedded web server through the user interface.

ONYX ProductionHouse software has achieved HP Professional PANTONE Emulation (HP PPE) certification for the HP Designjet L25500 printer, ensuring customers can realise the printer's impressive media versatility and print quality. HP Professional PANTONE Emulation technology automates the process of colour matching HP printers to various media combinations.

Through the HP RIP Certification Program, HP Designjet L25500 printer owners can be confident that ONYX Graphics—as a Platinum HP Partner—is helping them maximize their investments. HP confirms which RIPs reach a superior level of integration, compatibility and performance with a particular HP printer. The overall level of integration and performance is reflected in the ‘star rating' awarded.

HP Certification of ONYX RIP software on the HP Designjet L25500 printer includes an exhaustive set of tests defined by HP: printing performance, HP Professional PANTONE Emulation, printer calibration using on-board device, HP media support and quality, media flexibility, printer status reporting and job management.

The HP Designjet L25500 printer driver and media profiles are compatible with the following ONYX RIP V7.3.2 software packages: ONYX ProductionHouse, ONYX PosterShop and ONYX GamaPrint Pro. All are available now.

ONYX Graphics Inc. has announced ONYX Imagez software, a basic, affordable RIP package designed for large-format aqueous and entry-level solvent inkjet printers. It is ideally suited to single-person and in-house users that want professional print results while maintaining complete control over print operations.

"Aqueous inkjet printers are often found in corporations, law firms, universities and hospitals, which use them to create signage, posters and presentations," said Dean Derhak, director of product management, ONYX. "These groups have brought their printing in-house to save money on outside services. However, they have found that standard operating system printer drivers are lacking in vital features. ONYX Imagez software is an economical RIP that gives in-house users the tools they need to reduce media usage and produce great color."

ONYX Imagez software will also appeal to freelance designers, photo enthusiasts and anyone desiring professional print results from their large-format (24 to 44 inches wide) aqueous inkjet or entry-level solvent printer.

ONYX Imagez software gives users the same ONYX color engine as ONYX production RIP solutions, but with a simple workflow for non-production applications. It delivers great color output and offers media-saving nesting tools. ONYX Imagez software supports aqueous inkjet printers from Canon, Epson and HP as well as entry-level solvent printers from HP, Mimaki, Mutoh and Roland through an easy-to-use interface. It can produce an on-screen proof of actual print color, eliminating the need for—and the media and ink costs of—a test print. Further media savings can be realized using the automated or manual print nesting feature. ONYX Imagez software includes Pantone spot color matching so brand managers can be assured of color fidelity every time.

Additional features include support for media recalibration, a job queue list, auto-centering either horizontally or vertically, easy color correction, proof text watermarking and tiling. It supports Postscript, PDF, JPEG and TIFF file formats. Photo package templates are also included for users to quickly and easily produce multiple copies of photos in select standard sizes.

ONYX Imagez software will be available in two versions: ONYX Imagez, the basic package, and ONYX Imagez Pro, which includes an Eye-One densitometer for media calibration. The packages will be available for purchase as software downloads from the ONYX Imagez website in November 2009. Customers interested in ONYX Imagez software can sign up for a free, full-featured downloadable 30-day trial.

As stated in our previous News from the HP Stand editorial, at time of launch there will be no 'PostScript onboard' version of the new HP Designjet L25500 latex printers, but HP have been working closely with all of the major RIP manufacturers, and have announced that drivers will be available at end-user launch-time from eight of the leading suppliers, specifically these are:

    * Onyx - PosterShop
    * Caldera - VisualRIP
    * Colorgate - Production Server
    * Wasatch - SoftRIP
    * SAi - FlexiSign and PhotoPrint
    * CADlink - Signlab and Digital Factory
    * AIT - Shiraz
    * ErgoSoft - PosterPrint

HP Designjet L25500 demo units are expected to start shipping to their international distributors and resellers over the coming months, with end-user installations expected to begin in earnest from January 2010 - all of the above named RIP manufacturers will have drivers ready for their software, with additional software vendors no doubt following suit in due course.

 

The convenience of automating the scheduling and collation of versioned jobs is now seamless on Inca Digital wide format printers with the launch of the Inca Print Run Controller (PRC) software module.  With high speed printing rates making digital production more versatile and profitable, PRC allows users to schedule the print order and produce print jobs quickly and simply to prevent RIP and workflow bottle-necks, streamline production, reduce operator error, reduce post-print collation requirements and enhance customer service.

Inca has developed PRC to assist in the production of an individual order incorporating different elements or images, sizes or languages. It is also applicable when a large number of images need to be output in varying quantities with variable elements to a large number of recipients.  PRC's ability to streamline the overall production process allows digital output on medium - longer run lengths to compete with screen printing and offset litho technologies.

"The introduction of PRC is another change in the capabilities of wide-format digital print by shortening turn around times and reducing the margin for error", says Linda Bell, Inca CEO.  "The software module is ideal for users of Inca Onset, S20 and Spyder machines where speed no longer has to be sacrificed when variable images and versioning are incorporated into a print run."

PRC's ability to RIP once/output once or RIP once/output many, depending on run lengths, cuts job changeover times considerably.  Users now have the opportunity, for example, to pre-define print jobs by geographical location and delivery priority.  This has the potential to significantly reduce shipping and collation costs, whilst at the same time maximizing the time customers have to produce the job.

Another benefit is that PRC allows job scheduling to be managed in the studio before it enters the pressurized environment of the shop floor.  Printer operators can focus on the task of printing to improve efficiency and productivity still further.

PRC is fully compliant with PPML 2.10 (Personalised Print Markup Language) and works with a user's RIP to transform image files into a format which can be output as normal.  The ability to work with industry-standard PDFs and conform to preflight parameters also ensures that colour integrity and other workflow criteria are maintained throughout.

There are versions for a range of Inca machines and the software is available from Q4 2009 from Inca Digital or its exclusive distributor Fujifilm Sericol.