Independent speed tests carried out by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on the latest release of the latest generation Harlequin RIP from Global Graphics, indicate that it delivers pages far in excess of the rated speeds of the industry’s highest performing digital presses.
The results, published at drupa in a new White Paper authored by InfoTrends, show that the Harlequin Host Renderer 3 has so much processing speed that it not only reduces the risk of poorly constructed jobs slowing down production but exceeds industry requirements in keeping presses running at full speed, according to Global Graphics.
This amount of power has benefits for press manufacturers in potentially reducing their bill of materials for the digital front ends driving presses, it said. It benefits print shops by providing a faster return on press investment and future-proofing their operation against the accelerating trend towards personalisation of data.
The tests were conducted by RIT’s School of Media, under the auspices of administrative chair and Gannett Distinguished Professor, Chris Bondy. The test file suite, developed by RIT, comprised files created using Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, XMPie and GMC, selected to provide a good representation of the standard production tools used to create static and variable data pages for six sample categories – label printing, direct mail, transactional printing, commercial printing, publications and photo books.
‘The global digitisation of all content is driving the use of more imagery and personalized content in all printed material,’ says Chris Bondy. ‘Print service providers world-wide are interested to see how enhancements in software architecture, coupled with the latest computing systems, can efficiently and accurately deliver pages to a digital press. That’s why Global Graphics asked us to develop an independent test suite and conduct a RIP processing test that represents the range of printing markets served by digital print.’
‘The high-speed inkjet printing market is expected to grow phenomenally in terms of speed, width and productivity which will put tremendous requirements on the RIP,’ said Kaspar Roos, associate director, InfoTrends. ‘Global Graphics has highly efficient, scalable and robust technology to play in this market. OEMs developing high-speed, high-volume printing equipment should consider adding Global Graphics to their evaluation list when sourcing RIP technology.’
The Harlequin Host Renderer provides high performance components with which to build Digital Front Ends for digital production presses.
Manufacturers at drupa which use Harlequin to drive their digital presses include HP Indigo, and HP inkjet web division ( Hall 4/D60), Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho ( Hall 15/B55) and Miyakoshi Printing Machinery (Hall 9/A04).
Contact: www.globalgraphics.com
