Workflow
Compose System Unveils New Prepress Workflow and Color Proofing Solutions at Labelexpo 2008
Friday 01. August 2008 - A showcase of latest innovations in stand-alone applications and integrated products for the digital printing, flexographics and packaging market
Compose System, an established developer of pre-press workflow and color proofing solutions, will present at Labelexpo Americas 2008 its latest innovations in prepress and production workflow systems as well as a wide range of new features for narrow web and digital printing applications.
Key product highlights include updated releases of the companys seamless Express FlexoFlow solutions, new features in its high performance Express RIP product range, innovative solutions for its streamlined production workflow systems, as well as new version 2 release for GapFinder, an unique narrow web printing application.
Compose IS Optimizer, a fully integrated ink optimisation workflow module is based on Alwan’s innovative CMYK Optimizer technology. IS Optimizer operates seamlessly within an automated production workflow and optimizes ink consumption and significantly reduces ink wastage, it also guarantees proof to press matching.
New workflow solutions for the Flexographics and Packaging Market
A highlight at drupa will be the new release of FlexoFlow, a simple production workflow system tailored to the needs of the flexographics and packaging market. This workflow solution provides users with a set of ease-to-use production tools; it includes specific flexographics and packaging modules such as the BoxPro, hybrid screening, Star Proof and Plate Controller, it provides great flexibility for users to configure different work paths for different type of jobs.
As a true dot proofing solution, Star Proof – Flexo provides actual-dot proof for the packaging market offering extremely advanced dot loss and dot gain features: the extreme dot loss feature enables accurate reproduction of lost details in the highlight area while the extreme dot gain simulates the high dot gain in flexo-plates.
BoxPro is an easy-to-use box design and labelling application, it comes with a comprehensive set of modules that enable users to merge quickly graphics design with box design layout, users can view the final design and the box fold-up sequence in 3-D simulation using the BoxPro Viewer, an Adobe Illustrator plugin based on the latest OpenGL technology.
GapFinder V2 streamlines existing workflows for the traditional narrow web printing market
GapFinder, now in version 2 release, is a unique and easy-to-use application specifically developed to provide significant production benefits to the traditional narrow web printers, it was previously only available through our exclusive OEM partner.
GapFinder intelligently aligns print jobs against the printing cylinder, it re-arranges job images on the plate so as to optimise and eliminate the press cylinder gaps. The powerful features of GapFinder reduce production errors, lower media wastage and press downtime.
Uniquely GapFinder can split job images over two simultaneous printing press towers using our 2-Plates Lock Up features. GapFinder will find the best point to split a job image using a color schema which will re-combine into the job image perfectly when each color is printed over 2 printing press towers.
GapFinder can add registration marks, scan marks, color matrix marks and plate identification as required. GapFinder enables press operator to check input jobs to make sure they can be printed on selected web presses; sales staff can quickly check that a job can be printed, its costs and the sales quotation can be determined accordingly.
Compose Plate Controller reduces production costs and enhances business profitability
Plate Controller is a plate layout software that automates job placements, as well as step-and-repeat operations for both PDF and 1-bit ripped files.
Version 2 has been updated to support multiple work styles, including sheetwise-turn, sheetwise-tumble, work-and-turn, and work-and-tumble, as well as single-sided printing.
The new release also supports the printing of round and triangular labels, automatic or manual interlocking of step-and-repeat operations, manual or automatic fill modes that fill just a section or the full plate area, double-burn that burns multiple jobs, specified crop and registration marks, as well as color bars for each job, including step-and-repeat jobs.
Composes CIP4 solution enhances press productivity
InkScript Server is a server-based release of the successful CIP4 InkScript product.
Being independent of any prepress workflow front-end, it accepts jobs in raster or in Postscript/PDF files formats. It processes jobs to produce a CIP4 ink key value file for the press ink control unit and works jointly with the IS Connect solution to provide accurate online ink values that match the customers press characteristic.
The press operator can review specific plate data such as the CMYK color value, plate size or texts in fine detail. An accurate job preview can be performed using a calibrated monitor, while the job log or the job duration process can be used for the production management.
Composes RIP family increases performance
Compose will present at Labelexpo the latest Harlequin RIP release, Express RIP V8.0, that offers important new features for print operations of all sizes.
The new Express RIP release increases performance significantly through the use of the latest multithreaded rendering technology, this removes RIP bottlenecks by handling raster data and taking full advantage of the new Duo and Quad core technologies. The new RIP release also features a PDF retained raster that speeds up variable data processing.
New job-based production workflow solutions
Express Manager is a new JDF 1.3-based production workflow that provides a higher level of remote client support and job ticketing features.
It allows multiple operators from remote locations to create and submit job tickets simultaneously, they can track job status as jobs progress through the production process and preview the processed results. Users can view reports as jobs are distilled and pre-flighted, and arrange page sequence by adding blank pages, even when jobs are in multiple files.
“Customers at drupa will be able to discover the many innovative and enhanced products that Compose has lined up for the event,” says Tom Sit, the CEO of Compose System. “drupa 2008 is the perfect venue to meet our customers coming from all over the world and we are looking forward to demonstrating our latest products and their customer benefits.”