With new or updated workflows being announced at Drupa, Nessan Cleary says it’s time to ask how our overall understanding of digital pre-press is changing.
Workflow has been part of the print lexicon since the mid 1990s when we all realised that only an automated prepress workflow could deliver the efficiencies needed to pay for the then new concept of CTP. Digital printer/press suppliers have got around this issue by including a workflow in a box, usually known as the Digital Front End, often supplied by either EFI or Creo. For the past ten years we’ve been trying to integrate the two workflows together, as well as linking them to Management Information Systems and web to print. It’s an ongoing process and at drupa we’ll see the next iteration.
John Davies, business strategy manager for Fujifilm, says that there’s a slight difference in the way that jobs are constructed for digital, but it’s just a question of using a subset of the workflow’s capabilities. He notes: ‘DFEs have become more capable over time so we do end up with an overlap in capability. So somebody has to make a call as to which one is going to be the dominant one.’
Ideally, this should really be up to an MIS, to balance the load between the different production tools for maximum efficiency. Dave McGuinness, pre-sales consultant for Kodak, argues that an MIS should be seen as being part of the total workflow: ‘Most people get to digital printing for economic reasons because their runs are becoming shorter or because they are offering a web-to-print service and people are uploading their jobs to their website. They need to know what the job costs are so they are using their workflow together with their MIS to measure the efficiencies.’ He adds: ‘The companies that are successful are the ones that have an MIS and know where their costs are.’
Fortunately, another common theme is that JDF, which has been somewhat overlooked in recent years, is widely used to pass information from one part of a workflow to another, albeit that customers aren’t always aware of that, nor do they need to be. Many vendors who developed proprietary connectors are now switching to the XML based JDF, even to integrate different bits of their own kit, because it’s cheaper in the long run.
New announcements
Nowhere is this story of integration more obvious than with Heidelberg, fired up with the fervour of its newfound conversion to digital. Heidelberg has brought the Ricoh production presses that it sells more firmly into its own ecosystem, rebranding them as Linoprint C devices. It has also introduced Digital Print Manager, which is a JDF connector capable of dealing with most digital front ends. For the Ricoh devices Heidelberg has developed what is effectively its own front end, without a RIP, which sits within the Prinect system so that all its tools, such as imposition and colour management can be applied to digital jobs. This can cope with hybrid offset/digital jobs and can hold the digital pages in a queue until an offset shell has been printed if need be. JDF and JMF communication so that information can be fed back from the digital to the MIS. Chris Matthews, Heidelberg’s digital equipment business manager, says: ‘Customers want to be able to drive everything from the workflow platform, because modern printers want to have complete control of the workflow and their costs. And the way to do that is to use the workflow to link to the MIS with live data back from the device itself.’
The Fiery RIP is still used for the Ricoh devices, but this is now just producing the raster file and linking the workflow to the printer. Lance O’Connell, Prinect business manager, says that there’s no point in rewriting the RIP as the Fiery is doing a good job, adding: ‘We wanted to give customers the advantage of the Prinect workflow.’
Not surprisingly, EFI has concentrated its efforts on expanding the workflow features of its Fiery front ends, introducing System 10 last year. This features better colour calibration of jobs based on the associated media profiles and support for PDF/VT for variable data, as well as the ability to edit images in jobs without having to go back to the native file. It also includes WiFi support so that corporate customers can send jobs directly from tablets to a printer.
Terry Garvey, European sales director at EFI, says that the company has done a lot of work with JDF to provide better integration with prepress RIPs such as Prinergy and Apogee. This now includes bi-directional communication so that operators can see from these workflows what media is in the paper tray of the digital press. He says: ‘We can still do the imposition and colour management from within Fiery. You can turn it off if you want, it depends on how people like to work.’
Kodak still owns Creo Print on Demand, which has developed the front end for the NexPress and the Prosper. It also sells OEM versions to other vendors including Xerox, Konica Minolta, Ricoh and Canon – several of these also offer customers an EFI Fiery option. Mr McGuiness says the Creo engine offers a little bit more flexibility in handling variable data, adding: ‘When it works in conjunction with Prinergy it’s got a much more intelligent handshake with the JDF file that’s coming through.’
Fujifilm will be bringing out version 5 of its XMF workflow this summer. This includes a new colour tool, Colour Path, which includes a cloud element. John Davies explains: ‘The cloud-based element allows us to go to a web browser to create profiles and track jobs to see if they are in calibration and to provide any necessary adjustments to compensate for that. But then all the profiles that are imported are done through the workflow.’ There have also been some improvements to the interface.
Kodak will launch its ‘universal workflow’ Prinergy 6 later this year, which will add support for PDF/VT, the variable data version of PDF. Prinergy’s great strength is that it uses rules-based automation to determine where jobs are routed. Those jobs that are destined for digital output go through a less intensive processing as the final RIPing and imposition will happen at the DFE.
Screen will show the latest iteration of its Equios workflow at drupa in May. Initially developed for digital printers, this now supports platesetters, effectively replacing the older Trueflow workflow and providing a single system for all devices.
It now includes Autoflow, which will allow users to define print workflows according to the product type selected. It can be integrated into any web-to-print interface so that web ordering automatically generates a print queue and associated finishing instructions. The company has also signed up a number of third party vendors to integrate other services into this workflow under the umbrella term EquiosNet. This includes everything from complex variable data jobs from GMC through to finishing devices.
So far most digital press workflows are based on underlying RIP/rendering technology from Adobe, whether the old generation CPSI or the current APPE (Adobe PDF Print Engine). Global Graphics, whose Harlequin Rip technology is Adobe’s chief rival in offset pre-press workflows, hasn’t figured much in digital presses so far, with HP being the only major user. it’s aiming to change that with its new Harlequin Host Renderer 3, which is covered in more detail on page 22.
Esko is to launch the next major update to its packaging workflow, Suite 12, which is aimed at packaging, label and signage markets. Esko has rolled its diverse portfolio of design and workflow tools together into a single all-encompassing program, including ArtiosCAD, ArtPro, PackEdge, DeskPack and Studio. As such this also allows for structural design in 3D and realistic graphics editing and visualisation of a package ‘in context’ to speed up the production process.
Suite 12 also includes WebCentre 12 for online collaboration and approval, as well as Color Engine 12, which is linked in with PantoneLive for managing colour across different production processes associated with packaging, signs and labels. Esko has also merged several prepress workflows together to create Automation Engine 12, effectively a highly automated PDF-based workflow capable of driving everything from platesetters to flatbed cutting tables. It’s also produced a sophisticated large format workflow called i-cut Automate, based on its Odystar commercial print workflow (see below).
Rather unusually, the paper company UPM is to launch a new workflow tool at Drupa, called ColorCTRL. It’s a web-based PDF workflow tool based on Dalim’s ES workflow and uses GMG’s ColorServer technology together with optimised UPM paper profiles. It includes preflighting as well as tools for collaborative softproofing and approval. Its main strength is that people at different stages in the workflow can all access the same system, albeit for a license fee.
Dalim itself will show the latest version of its ES online production management at Drupa. This boasts a redesigned user interface that makes it easier to manage projects. It also includes a PDF-enriching option, and an API for easy connectivity with third-party applications.
Enfocus Switch is a customisable system that lets users create their own automated processing sequences, typically as a feeder of fixed customer files to a true pre-press workflow or DFE.
This has been heavily revised in the latest Switch 11, announced in March. The previous three separate editions have been rationalised down to a single modular edition with options that let users implement only what they need. At the heart of this is a new multi-purpose Switch Core Engine that can automate the most common, time-consuming tasks faced daily by all publishing production companies. The eight optional modules deal with prepress, database and connectivity requirements.
Enfocus is also to launch version 11 of its PitStop Pro preflight program and its accompanying Server version, with ‘smart preflight and correction.’ Essentially this means using metadata such as JDF to adapt the profile used to control the preflight process. This can be completely automated for the Server edition. The new version also offers improved text editing and should ship by May.
Head in the cloud
So far workflows have evolved to become bigger, more integrated all-encompassing programs. Clearly this is going to continue as high speed inkjet printers, wide format and even finishing elements are all added into the mix. But workflows will also become smaller as more vendors look to the cloud to offer Software as a Service (SaaS) options. We’re already seeing web to print move this way and MIS is starting to follow. Hiflex (now owned by HP) and Optimus have already announced cloud systems. Screen is previewing a cloud-based variable data setup system at drupa, which will link to an Equios workflow, though delivery won’t be until next year.
Cloud systems should be easier and quicker to deploy, to update and to replace, something to consider with the workflow spreading its tentacles into all aspects of a print business.
Large format workflows
The large format world has also started to embrace the workflow concept. Up to now large format users have mainly relied on standalone RIPs, although there have been several sign design programs that could oversee everything from design to output. But this is set to change, typified by PrintFactory from Four Pees, a complete workflow covering everything from large format design to output.
PrintFactory is based on technology developed by the Dutch company Aurelon, which last year was bought by GMG, which is generally better known for its colour management software.
Simon Landau, technical sales consultant at GMG, says that many customers asked for the same level of colour management across all devices, which GMG initially provided by twinning its ColourServer and SmartProfiler technologies to give colour managed PDFs. But then GMG came across Aurelon and realised it could offer large format customers much greater control over their output.
Earlier this year GMG announced its own large format workflow program, ProductionSuite, which was shown for the first time at Sign & Digital UK in March. It’s a modular system, having an Editor, which can do most tasks including Illustrator-line design tasks, as well as SmartProfiler for creating and editing colour profiles. There’s also a RIP and PrintStation, which supports over 800 output devices. Mr Landau says: ‘It does everything in terms of PDF preflighting, tiling, design, grommet placement and all editing based on a 72 dpi screen preview.’ The instructions are sent via XML and sent to the RIP to be applied when the file is output, which makes for a very fast workflow. He says the main advantage of the system is that the file can just be printed with no need for retouching and proofing to tweak the output, thus saving as much as 30% of the costs of a job. He adds: ‘Clients are becoming more demanding. They want display boards to look the same as everything else they have printed.’
SA International has launched a new wide format workflow, PixelBlaster. This too is based on technology licensed from Aurelon and is very similar to ProductionSuite.
At Sign & Digital UK Esko showed its new i-cut Automate wide format workflow, part of its i-cut Suite, which it says can automate the entire production process from design to print to cut. This is based on Odystar, a PDF workflow originally developed for commercial printers. It’s been adapted for the needs of wide format signage and packaging work, including design tweaking features, preflighting (Esko also owns preflight developer Enfocus), tiling and nesting, and the generation of cutting and creasing structural files for Esko Kongsberg or other digital finishing tables.
Contacts:
Creo: www.creoservers.com
Dalim: www.dalim.com
EFI: www.efi.com
Esko: www.esko.com
Four Pees: www.fourpees.com
Fujifilm: www.fujifilm.co.uk/gs
Global Graphics: www.globalgraphics.com
GMG: www.gmgcolor.com
Heidelberg: www.heidelberg.co.uk
Hiflex: www.hiflex.com
Optimus: www.optimus2020.com
SA International: www.saintl.biz
Screen: www.screeneurope.com
UPM: www.upm.com