New Products

Jan 1, 2004 12:00 PM, AP staff

Online prepress training

StaffingTools.com's Prepress Training Solution offers 38 online courses, automatically personalized and continually modified based on user progress. For $300, students have 365-day, 24-hour access to StaffingTools' growing prepress and graphics library.

First, students take a pre-test with multiple-choice and practical questions that require them to perform actual job tasks in the simulated application. Next, based on test results, the Learning Management System (LMS) creates a custom curriculum. Finally, students take a post-test. Those who improve 70 percent from pre- to post-test receive a certificate of completion. Those who don't can re-train and re-test. LMS allows managers to ensure that employees complete courses on time, and with acceptable test scores.

Automated ink-dispensing system

Flint Ink's Optimiser ink-dispensing system electronically monitors ink levels in the fountain, automatically replenishing the supply directly to low spots in the duct. The system reportedly results in less than two percent residual waste at the end of a print cycle, and reduces overall ink waste by 80 percent to 90 percent. The Optimiser dispenser can be used with either 5-lb. canisters or 55-gallon drums.

Wide-format solvent inkjet printer

MacDermid ColorSpan's DisplayMaker 72s wide-format solvent inkjet printer uses 16 600-dpi printheads and ColorSpan's SolaChrome-HR solvent pigmented inks to print on paper, vinyl, canvas and more. The Micro-Quad piezo-electric printheads are configured as four interlaced heads using 384 jets per color to produce 30-picoliter droplets. The printer incorporates Color-Span's Automation Eye technology, whose high-resolution imaging sensor, colorimetric photodiode and software automate setup and calibration. The DisplayMaker 72s offers three different modes: high quality, which prints at 100 sq. ft. per hour; production quality, at 200 sq. ft. per hour; and billboard quality, at 400 sq. ft. per hour.

Print output management

StreamServe has launched its Business Communication Platform (BCP) for high-volume print providers. The software enables corporations and print production to exchange documents. It can be used for print or electronic formats and delivery channels. BCP enables users to receive notifications about the status of print jobs so that they can address problems during the printing process. It also lets users verify that a document has completed processing and provides reassurance that critical business documents are being handled properly.

Updated personalization software

Datalogics announces the 1.5 release of its DL Formatter for desktop and Web personalized document creation. New with this release is the support of Adobe InDesign as an initial layout definition tool. Static elements (including bleeds, color and paragraph styles, and background elements) in the InDesign document are exported to Adobe Acrobat where layout of variable elements is completed.

The latest version of DL Formatter drives the Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 and 9150 digital presses at rated speeds. Owners of printers supporting the Xerox VIPP driver can also take advantage of the VIPP output capabilities. DL Formatter also supports RIPs manufactured by HP Indigo, Creo, EFI, NexPress, Xeikon and Xerox.

Redesigned feeder and delivery on sheetfed press

Heidelberg will unveil its Speedmaster SM201 and CD102 at Drupa 2004. The Preset Plus feeder has been redesigned for both models. A new Preset Plus delivery is available for the CD 102, along with a new coating system that allows the last printing unit of the press to be converted for working with dispersion coatings.

The Preset Plus feeder uses a central suction tape without guide rollers, which reportedly results in shorter makeready times and stabilizes the feed process. The sheet-alignment system features an automatic sheet-arrival control system, 65 percent sheet slowdown and a pneumatic pull lay, even at top speed with excellent feed registration. Air and format settings on the feeder are automatically set using the preset function.

The sheet travel, sheet drying and sheet deposition systems on the new Preset Plus delivery have been redesigned. Sheet travel is performed using gripper bars and a Venturi guide plate. The delivery air system and new sheet joggers align the edges of the pile. All air and format settings are performed automatically via the present function on the CP2000 control panel.

Variable document software

GMC Software Technology's PrintNet T Triple Suite document-composition and production software now includes a version control system (VCS). The VCS maintains records of document revisions and updates. PrintNet T Triple Suite provides tools for layout creation, structured variable and fixed-data processing, and high-speed printing of personalized, data-driven applications. When a file is added to VCS, it is backed up in a database and made available to other authorized users. Every time the file is subsequently saved, it's logged in automatically as a new version, making it easy to go back to prior saves.

On-demand inkjet printing system

Domino recently held an open house at its Gurnee, IL, facility to launch “Domino — on-Demand,” a 1,200-fpm variable-data inkjet printing system that can run single or multiple colors. Options for the drop-on-demand printer include three ink choices: solvent-based, Pantone-matched or UV. Printheads are 4 inches wide and can be mounted vertically or horizontally. Jobs can be prepared prior to reaching postpress — a prepress operator can design, layout and proof jobs. Its modular design and IP interconnectivity enable users to combine up to 16 printheads on a single line. Four printheads can be controlled from each cabinet, and up to four cabinets networked together.

“The interest and feedback that we have received has been extremely encouraging,” says David Ellen, director of commercial printing division, Domino Printing Sciences. “As its name suggests, the printer is based on drop-on-demand technology and offers a complete variable-data printing solution comprising estimating, prepress, proofing and printing modules. The system requires minimal training, is simple to use and offers good print quality, including corporate/spot and Pantone colors.”

Although the company serves larger printers such as Quad/Graphics (Sussex, WI), which now has 80 Domino BitJet 212 inkjet printers installed, executives at the open house stressed the company's support for midsize and smaller printers as well. The new on-demand system won't be restricted to the end of a bindery line. Domino expects it to be used on narrow-web presses for direct mail and other applications, such as personalized magazine subscription renewal campaigns.

Domino's inkjet and laser marking systems are used for finishing, mailing, plastic cards, tickets, tags and labels, direct marketing, and for managing lottery and promotional games. See domino-printing.com for more information.

Quieter, automated tabletop folding

The DF-920 sound-reduced automatic tabletop folder from Duplo features six pre-programmed folds in addition to numerous custom folds. Sound absorbers within the machine reduce noise during folding and when fold stoppers are moving.

The DF-920 folds up to 280 sheets per minute, for various paper sizes, weights and stocks, and automatically recognizes letter, legal, ledger, ½-letter and ½-legal paper sizes. A batch-mode option allows the operator to input the exact number of sheets to be folded in each batch, and a jam-clearance function allows folding stoppers to move back into position while the folding rollers and stacker belts continue to move, releasing jammed paper.

Reader's Notebook: Acrobat 6 review

In the November 5 edition of our “InRegister” e-newsletter, we offered a free copy of Acrobat 6.0 in exchange for a review. George Denzinger, art/tech director at Spectrum Graphics (Grand Rapids, MI), was the lucky winner. Following are his thoughts on Adobe's latest update.

The upgrade from Acrobat 5 Professional to Acrobat 6 Professional is probably one of the most worthy upgrades I've seen in a while. There are quite a few enhancements throughout the program, but I was most interested in the built-in PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3 capabilities, as we are asked to provide files in these formats on occasion. (Our internal workflow doesn't require it, but we appreciate files built to these standards.) Also, as more workflows move toward PDF, we will all need to become familiar with these standards.

PDF/X capabilities

Out of the box, Acrobat Distiller really screams on my Power Mac G4 Dual 1.25. There are options to distill directly to PDF/X-1a and X-3, plus the regular options of Standard (Screen), Print and Press. There are also High Quality and Smallest File Size options. I only tried out the Smallest File Size setting but wasn't too impressed: The size of the files I received was not much smaller than the Standard PDF's. Most of the files we deal with are graphics-intensive, however — maybe the compression routines don't work well on them.

In Acrobat 6 Professional, you can preflight and even change the “X” version of the PDF file you're inspecting. I found this very appealing, in case you needed to repurpose PDF files for a client, for example.

I was able to open and change the “X” specifications of a PDF file built with the Quark Xpress 6 (Global Graphics' Jaws-based PDF) distiller. After changing it to a PDF/X-1a, the preflight of the job looked okay. The actual PDF file itself had a black box around the interior of the page, so there may be a conflict in PDF specifications of some kind.

Features for quality control

When you run the preflight function, there is also an inspection palette that allows you to see just about every individual characteristic of the file. Editing of color models is limited, but this is still a huge improvement over earlier versions of the software and instantly makes some older plug-ins obsolete.

Another handy feature is the Overprint Preview and the Separation Preview, which you can use as a final quality-control check before sending a file to the workflow or to a client. For example, if you have a CMYK+spot file, you will be able to see all of the inks individually. You can turn off individual separations, or turn on combinations, much like in Photoshop.

Editing tools: not too different

In terms of editing, not much has changed since V5, but V5 had already given us a lot of tools. You can edit objects and type somewhat, and for most “office” users, this would probably be sufficient. For a prepress or printing company, it would make more sense to use a third-party plug-in for more in-depth editing.

For use in proofing, there are annotations that one can add to the PDF file itself, but I was not able to fully test these capabilities. We do use PDF for some proofing, but like many other printers our size, we prefer to have hard copy for go-to-press approval.

Overall, I certainly would recommend this update, if asked. Acrobat 6 retains all the usefulness of V5, while adding a lot of great graphics capabilities. Although you would need a third-party editor for heavy-duty editing, for an occasional graphics user or someone who's trying to comply with the demands of the changing advertising specifications, this is a great upgrade.
— George Denzinger

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Communications management software

DOC1 Series 5 is being introduced by Group 1 Software. The integrated system manages documents from data acquisition and content creation through multichannel delivery and Web-based customer interfaces. DOC1 Series 5 is a series of modules that can be used individually or as part of a complete customer-communications-management solution. The Series 5 work center centralizes all user administration, data and design editors, as well as environment and production job setup. A QuarkXTension enables users to personalize Quark-created documents within the DOC1 design environment.

Nonbake thermal digital printing plate

Kodak Polychrome Graphics' Sword Excel thermal printing plate doesn't require pre- or postbaking. The negative-working Excel can be used for runs of up to 500,000 impressions; resolution is reportedly one percent to 99 percent at 200 lpi, making it compatible with 20- and 10-micron stochastic screening.

High-speed, wax-free inks

Hostmann-Steinberg has introduced Rapida Optima QK 1765 high-speed, wax-free inks for sheetfed production. The inks, which can be used for a variety of paper stocks and press conditions, boast varnish components that reportedly allow quick-setting to a hard, scuff- and mark-resistant film surface. The QK 1765 inks are said to require less spray powders, and reduce blocking and offsetting. When thoroughly dry, the inks reportedly do not smear when subjected to the heat of laser printers; products using the ink can be UV-coated or laminated as well.

Rapida Optima inks can reportedly stay open on a press for extended periods of time, and open in the can for up to three days.

Secure file-sharing over e-mail

Tokens software, developed by Creo, is said to enable the secure exchange of files through e-mail. The workflow application allows users to create an alias — called a token — that can be sent via e-mail or instant message. While the token itself is only a few kilobytes in size, it can store files of many MBs. The recipient simply opens the token to retrieve the files.

The Creo Token Creator and Tokens Server are currently on sale. The Token Redeemer, for recipients, is free of charge. A free trial version is available for download at creo.com/tokens.

New printer configuration for continuous-feed, two-sided printing

Xerox is offering a new configuration to handle two-sided printing in high-volume applications. The system uses three Xerox DocuPrint 425 continuous-feed production printers running in parallel — two for two-sided printing, while a third provides one-sided printing and backup. After rethreading the paper, the system reportedly can be reconfigured in less than 20 minutes, from a touchscreen GUI. The DocuPrint 425 prints 195 fpm at 600 dpi.

Bright white paper

The Super Nova line of envelopes, stationery and business cards from Envelopes & More reportedly is the brightest paper stock in the independent document industry. Made from the pulp of Eucalyptus trees, this paper has a brightness score of 96, and is said to make a dramatic comparison to other white wove and fine papers.

Monochrome printing

Scitex Digital Printing introduces the VersaMark JetBlack Printing System, targeted at high-volume transactional and direct-mail markets. The system is available in two configurations. The SE has a single print module capable of two-up simplex or one-up duplex printing. The DE has dual print modules for two-up duplex printing. The systems have a base running speed of 350 fpm, which delivers up to 1,527 ipm. In addition, it will be upgradeable to 500 fpm, which delivers up to 2,180 ipm.

Cutsheet printers

IBM has introduced the Infoprint 2090 ES and 2105 ES. These cutsheet printers operate at speeds up to 90 and 105 ppm, at 1200 x 1200-dpi resolution. Both units can use the same controller and offer copying/scanning capabilities. The units feature IPDS, a printer-device datastream that controls printer function and enables two-way communication between the printer and the printer driver. Operators and administrators can view printer-resident Web pages through a browser using the printer IP address. Users can use Web-pull printing or direct printing to submit print jobs.

Violet platesetters

The PlateDriver HS by Esko-Graphics is a high-speed, 40-mW platesetter that images both violet polymer and silver plates. The PlateDriver 4HS can expose up to 46 four-up plates per hour, while the PlateDriver 8HS exposes up to 42 eight-up plates per hour, both at 1200 dpi.

Reader's Notebook: “The Moving Appeal”

In the Aug. 27 issue of our “In Register” e-newsletter, we offered a free copy of “The Moving Appeal” in exchange for a book review. Karl Miller of Wichita, KS, was our winner. Here's his write-up.

What did Americans do for news before the Internet, TV and radio? In the 1800s they got it from the only source of mass communication, newspapers. “The Moving Appeal,” by B. G. Ellis, is the story of the Memphis Daily Appeal from its start through the turbulent Civil War years.

Referred to as “the damned Rebel rag” by Yankee officers for its confederate content, the newspaper closely followed the fortunes of the Army of Tennessee. The Appeal was highly read in the union soldier camps because it covered the most current news of home and the war.

The Appeal was produced on the best printing press of the times, a steam-powered Hoe. The press was dismantled and moved to a new town four times in order to keep it out of the hands of the Northern army. Paper, ink and press parts, all hard to get during war years, had to be moved as well. The printers had their own type font dies; as the type wore out from thousands of impressions, they would recast new ones. During its many moves, the daily paper rented press time to keep a regular print schedule.

Owner and editor John McClanahan was very particular about the paper's look. Physically, it was one of the largest sold on the street. The banner and headlines were easily recognizable from a distance, and its visibility helped boost sales. Being a former operator, typography and sentence structure were paramount to McClanahan. He meticulously wrote and rewrote his articles, making sure no words had to be hyphenated.

This book covers civil-war happenings, editorial philosophies and stories about the newspaper's contributors. McClana-han had an agenda and was not embarrassed about pushing what he perceived to be the best interests of the Confederacy in his paper. Yet the editor seemed to be quite fair in his reporting and carried some of the timeliest news from the front. Articles were regularly “pirated” from the newspaper by other papers and ended up being reprinted around the U.S. and Europe.

The Appeal lives on with today's Memphis daily paper, the Commercial Appeal. Civil war re-enactors still distribute replicas of the old Memphis Daily Appeal.

“The Moving Appeal” weighs in at 3 lbs. and 677 pages. History nuts will probably enjoy rounding out their civil war and printing education with this tome, but casual readers might fall asleep.
— Karl Miller

Upgraded server for file transfers

Group Logic announced the beta release of an enhanced version of its Mac OS X Native MassTransit Enterprise Server. The Macintosh OS X capabilities reportedly increase performance, stability, reliability and security for file-transfer workflows.

Tabletop perfect binder

Coverbind introduces the 101 Document Finishing System (DFS), a thermal-binding system designed for digital printing. Up to 120 sheets of paper can be bound at a reported 900 documents per hour. Documents are placed in Coverbind DFS covers and dropped into the input tray. The 101 automatically jogs and binds the papers and delivers perfectbound documents to the output tray.

Upgraded color printer

Océ has added enhancements to its CPS700 color production system. Three replacement toners (magenta, yellow and red) are available to expand the printer's color gamut. The second enhancement adds the ability to run stocks up to 140-lb. index, broadening the extensive media handling and improving reliability on heavy stocks. The printer has seven direct-imaging units and can be clustered to support higher volumes.

Variable-data software

Exstream Software is offering V4.0 of its Dialogue personalization software. Dialogue now offers four new modules, including a Quark plug-in that allows users to easily import Quark designs into Dialogue and make them variable. ODBC Access is available for directly retrieving data and updating any ODBC data source. The software also offers a VIPP output driver for Xerox high-speed variable-data color printers and an IJPDS output driver for duplex, black-and-white and color printing on Scitex Digital inkjet printers. Dialogue V4.0 also allows PDF files to be dynamically included in output at run time. Color formulas and Pantone templates are provided for reuse across applications.