FM Print in Essex, part of the Elle Media Group, has installed the Compose BigIceBox (BIB) job positioning software to help streamline its greeting cards print production.

Kevin Caughtry, sales manager of Compose System, said, ‘FM Print is a very busy outfit, it produces over 20 million cards a year. During the peak season they normally have to work flat-out to meet the production deadlines, this is where our BIB application with its unique automatic intelligent layouts and ganging features can deliver significant time saving and costs benefit to our customers.’

Compose BigIceBox system accepts greeting card designs in PDF format in any card sizes and automatically gangs them onto a press sheet of specified sizes, on the fly. It takes into account the job’s delivery time, paper type, paper weight and run length, etc.

BIB will optimise the ganging layout based on specific processing or finishing parameters such as foiling, cuts, folding, embossing, or special colours. The layout and each processing layer can be previewed, the cards can also be manually moved, rotated, swapped or replaced. The final result is an optimally ganged-up layout with trim marks, plate marks and press control strip as required.

The PDF file can then be processed through a workflow or be sent directly to a digital press or CTP system.

The BIB system is fully integrated with FM Print’s Tungsten MIS system, so that throughout the production, from job submission to despatch, all information can be passed between the two systems. ‘Our development team has worked closely with FM Print’s MIS system developer, 2b-or-not of Cambridge, to provide a closely integrated customer solution,’ said Mr Caughtry.

FM Print’s production director Chris Hilleard said: ‘We have been able to see time and costs saving from day one of using the BIB system, but now following the integration with our MIS system we are seeing even more benefits; the system is saving us hours of production time not only with the greeting cards production but also on our other types of work. We have looked at other systems available in the market but liked the consultative and flexible approach that Compose System offers. We are extremely pleased with the results.’

Contact: www.compose.co.uk