Electronics For Imaging, Inc. has unveiled its newest digital front end (DFE) and workflow solutions for display graphics and industrial printing, EFI Fiery XF/Fiery proServer version 7.3 and EFI Fiery Prep-it workflow software.
Print shops managing numerous wide- and superwide-format inkjet printers and cutters want a single DFE and automated workflow software that can simplify and integrate their operation, reduce operator training, and achieve consistent high-quality colour output. Fiery XF 7.3 with Prep-It addresses these challenges by adding the technology that highly productive organisations need.
Hundreds of new supported printers
Print shops with mixed-manufacturer printers can achieve greater production efficiencies with less operator training by having one RIP technology. Fiery XF 7.3 software and the EFI Fiery proServer digital front end (DFE) now have added support for more than 180 new printer drivers from Agfa, Canon, d.gen, Durst, HP, Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland DG, and Teckwin among others, bringing the total number of Fiery-supported printer models to more than 1,200. Customers can also now request a driver for an additional 400+ printers to complete support for their shop’s installed printer base.
More efficient and flexible ways to print and cut
Customers are no longer tied to one cutting workflow when they own multiple different types of equipment with the new capability to mix and match cutting equipment with print and cut printers. Fiery XF 7.3 increases productivity through QR code support for cutting solutions from Zünd, Esko Kongsberg, iCut, EuroSystems OptiScout v8, and MATIC cutters.
Faster, more-powerful colour management
This release also includes a new printing mode that can reduce the processing time of jobs that include spot colours by up to 50%. Users can choose between presets that select the highest accuracy (e.g., for proofing applications with certain spot colour settings) or highest speed as their priority when processing jobs.
Print businesses with wide-gamut printers can make the most of their printer’s color capability with a new Clean Colors mode that delivers more-intense, vibrant prints. The newly supported PrintWide2020 ICC profile produces greater colour saturation and contrast for higher-impact prints while, at the same time, maintain G7 tonality, a neutral gray balance and realistic skin tones.
Automated cutting workflows and cut path control with Fiery Prep-it
The new EFI Fiery Prep-it software launching in November can dramatically improve cutting preparation and production in wide- and superwide-format printing. Prep-it delivers industry-leading true-shape nesting saving more media versus competitive solutions due to its superior image placement. Automated workflows, double-sided nesting control, sophisticated cut path editing and more significantly accelerate print to cut production. The exclusive Fiery XF integration with Fiery Prep-it to enable the support of more than 1,300 cutters for the Fiery Prep-it and Fiery XF combination.
Offerings tuned to the unique needs of proofing vs production markets
Fiery XF 7.3 now offers two versions that are more specifically tuned to the needs of proofing and production customers. The two different product configurations give customers in each segment exactly what they need, including the Fiery Color Profiler Option, at the right price – with room to grow when their businesses and needs change.
“The advanced, highly automated Fiery XF, proServer and Prep-it solutions we are launching make end-to-end production more efficient and more profitable for customers,” said John Henze, vice president, sales and marketing, EFI Fiery. “These new innovations reflect our ongoing goal to help wide- and superwide-format print customers deliver the very best possible prints as quickly as possible.”
The latest Fiery XF software release is now available for all users with a current EFI Software Maintenance & Support Agreement or an EFI Enhanced Service Program. Users can purchase Fiery Prep-it software from EFI, or from authorised EFI Fiery resellers.