“RIP and VDP processing performance has dramatically improved by applying a new RIP engine, applying pre-RIP optimization and using improved server hardware,” she adds.Įsko provides software to serve the entire workflow from content creation to platemaking. Integration of prepress with MIS and eCommerce platforms has made it much faster to ingest orders into production and reduce data entry errors due to re-keying production information.”Īccording to Krasnovsky, whose company works closely with Esko, prepress software has become more robust, more open and more automated. “Modern workflows like CloudFlow provide a ‘management dashboard’ across all production facilities and allow load balancing based on capacity and production needs. “With consolidation in the industry still prevalent, many customers have multiple facilities,” says Rottenborn. Automation of trapping, step and repeat, and auto application of marks and bearer bars makes plate preparation of the job much faster and easier, as well.”Ĭustomers require a smoother process from the initial order intake through to production and delivery. Preflighting is now highly automated, making it fast and accurate. He says, “Preflight functionality is very important for controlling the quality of incoming artwork.
There is no requirement to change the delivery process, or to print and pack items for a specific recipient like many other VDP jobs require.”Īccording to Mike Rottenborn, president and CEO of Hybrid Software, prepress software has made the label printing process much more efficient, as more labels are being ordered through online portals, reducing manual intervention, the time required and the potential for errors. The labels are used in the standard packing and distribution process. The labels are printed on an HP Indigo digital press and a roll of labels, each one unique, is sent to the co-packer. The output of HP SmartStream Mosaic is automatically scrambled to create a random dispersion of designs. “The implementation of Mosaic-designed packages within existing brand supply chains is simple. “The stream of graphics created by Mosaic is used as a part of the package design as a variable data channel in a template – just as if it was variable text, images or bar codes,” explains Krasnovsky. Lior Krasnovsky, Labels and Packaging Workflow product manager, HP, says that HP SmartStream Mosaic’s dynamic variable design software automatically generates a high number of unique graphics for embedding into a variable data job, all from a small number of seed patterns, using pseudo–randomized scaling, transposition and rotation. The goal is to avoid training that lasts six months, with the staff leaving shortly thereafter.
This ties into a market driver that seeks to make prepress easier to use.”Ĭompanies are increasingly investing in automation software or software that will quickly train a company’s current staff. In the same way, many companies have developed interfaces that are easy to learn and use. How many people call Apple for software support? It is so intuitive that it does not require much help. “It is one of the most important requirements of software. “Younger people entering the workflow are familiar with swiping, five-finger movements and other ways of directing software,” explains de Roeck. Jan de Roeck, Esko’s director of Solutions Management, explains that his company’s latest enhancements are meant to keep pace with the technological revolution. Most of the developments in prepress software are intended to simplify the user experience. For example, the integration of a production workflow with MIS enables the automatic creation of bar codes or the selection of inks. The prevalence of automation has eliminated the need to perform repetitive and trivial tasks manually. With an increasing quantity of jobs, there is also a high premium on quality.
With significant software and hardware packaging experience, the company’s offerings allow printers and converters to optimize new workflows with automation and color management.Īccording to Esko, a prepress department today might run 50 jobs per shift, whereas that number could have been six in the past. As companies continue to take on short run work, more jobs will continue to run through the prepress department.Įsko, a global supplier of integrated products and prepress software, designs products for the label and packaging market.
This phase can become so intensive that more time is spent in setup than in the actual printing of labels. Prepress software represents an integral step in label printing.