UV Unlimited allows you to print directly onto the UV transfer media and place a dishwasher-safe image to virtually any surface including glass, metal cups, rubber, wood, containers, plastics, sporting goods, industrial equipment, and more.

Xante Corporation is proud to introduce “UV Unlimited” the latest breakthrough in new UV print technology. UV Unlimited allows you to print directly onto the UV transfer media and place a dishwasher-safe image to virtually any surface including glass, metal cups, rubber, wood, containers, plastics, sporting goods, industrial equipment, and more.

Xante’s X-Series UV Inkjet Flatbed printers apply ink to a layer of clear glue transfer media. A second adhesive layer is then laminated to the printed sheet. Once the two sheets have bonded, the ink can then adhere to most any surface. It is the perfect solution. It is truly is UV unlimited.

 Robert C. Ross, CEO and President of Xante, stated “UV Unlimited is clearly a breakthrough technology, vastly expanding the capabilities of UV printing. Paired with any of our X-series UV printers, UV Unlimited can create new, high-margin applications for our customers.”

 The UV Unlimited Transfer System is now available for purchase and delivery. The system comes complete with everything needed to produce images that can be placed on nearly any surface. It includes a laminator that has been specifically calibrated to produce perfect transfer images, a starter pack of twenty A3 transfer media sheets, and one transfer media laminate roll. Additional transfer sheets and laminate rolls can be purchased as needed.

As packaging companies around the world recognise the need to innovate to survive and thrive, Esko is launching its latest software release that empowers businesses to improve ways of working, eradicate waste and optimise operational processes. 

“Innovation and change are inherent in any packaging business but driving and implementing that innovation is a challenge that can sometimes be difficult to achieve,” said Jan De Roeck, Esko Director of Marketing, Industry Relations and Strategy. “Many businesses, in the face of challenging market conditions, insecurity, and volatility, freeze investments in response. However, the opposite reaction is more appropriate. Investing in accelerating digital transformation maintains competitive advantage and efficiently deals with profitability pressures. We also know it is equally important that these innovations are integrated quickly and smoothly to ensure businesses achieve demonstrable improvements and a speedy return on investment.

“That’s why, as a reliable business partner, Esko is releasing its software version 22.07 bringing to market new technology developments that will advance the industry, whilst also equipping customers with the toolkit they need to realise the true potential of our technology.”

Esko Release 22.07 includes a host of new features, including:

• Inspection for digitally printed labels - a new complete print inspection solution for digitally printed labels 

• AVT AutoSet for packaging – first of its kind automated print inspection settings for maximum efficiency and productivity 

• Solvent Saver in Flexo Engine – delivers a solvent reduction of up to 20% in flexo production 

• Cape Pack – the first solution to offer customers a cloud-based workflow for palletisation and logistics optimisation 

• Automated Packshots – creates hyper-realistic packaging images that are perfectly rendered for your clients’ use with easy-to-use design and 3D tools 

• ArtPro+ – upgrades include printing unit support and seamless repeat layout creation, as well as folding carton improvements and a new usage dashboard 

• WebCenter – enhanced usability features to improve ease of use and maximise productivity and efficiency 

• ArtiosCAD – new FEFCO parametric standards added to the library 

“At Esko, our close relationship with customers and partners enables us to quickly respond to specific market trends. “With this latest software release we address today’s market needs and ensure our innovations significantly improve customer outcomes,” said Jan. “We are focused on helping businesses not only successfully adopt new technology, but also to make best use of it to deliver immediate results and meet the challenges they face today and tomorrow.”

Jan said the new Esko Release 22.07 will be launched at a live webinar event on Tuesday, 12th July. “We will demonstrate how Esko hardware and software solutions enable businesses, both large and small, to improve ways of working, identify and eradicate waste, and optimise processes with these latest innovations,” he said. “Crucially, we’ll also bring into focus the investments and tools we have developed to help customers make the best use of our technology and achieve long-lasting change.”

For more information about the new features in Esko Release 22.07 and the full range of Esko software solutions, visit the Esko Innovation Hub here.

Onyx Graphics announced the global availability of ONYX 22, the company’s newest software version release of industry leading wide-format RIP and print workflow software that was showcased at FESPA Global in Berlin, Germany. ONYX 22 introduces a new drag-and-drop user experience for file management and Quick Set automation, smart job submission from design to print, artwork placement controls for flatbed and DTG printing, and easy-to-use tools for everyday automation.

“Software has to be fast, reliable, and easy-to-use in today’s printing environment,” said Matt Crawford, Director of Product Marketing at Onyx Graphics. “The tools, technology, and controls for everyday automation in ONYX 22 are designed for the modern user, and continue our vision in providing superior software solutions to print businesses across the globe.”

ONYX 22 also introduces color tools for increased color output accuracy and an all-new ONYX Color Reference Library to easily match color for any printer. This dynamic reference library highlights in-and-out of gamut colors and can be printed or used in ONYX software to know what colors are possible on each device and media combination.

Highlights of ONYX 22 include:

• Drag-and-drop user experience for file handling

• Drag-and-drop Quick Set automation

• Smart job submission from design to print automation

• Job placement tools for enhanced nesting

• Auto-trim for flatbed and DTG printing

• Automated image cropping using Quick Sets

• Printer versioning and auto-backup

• D65 10-degree observer ICC profile build options for textile printing

• Snapshot color calibration for contone printers

• The latest Adobe PDF Print Engine APPE 5.7 for fine line rendering Onyx Graphics announces global availability of ONYX 22

Availability

ONYX 22, covering the entire product portfolio of ONYX solutions including ONYX Thrive print workflow software, all ONYX RIP products, and ONYX Go subscription RIP products, is globally available. It is automatically provided to ONYX Go subscribers through a soft download product update, available to all ONYX Advantage customers by requesting a key update, and to all other customers through a license purchase. Onyx Graphics is providing a special promotion to upgrade. Customers are encouraged to visit www.onyxgfx.com for more information.

Starting from June 15, 2022, users will be able to update their RIP to access a range of new features designed to increase performance, output quality, and productivity.

French software creator Caldera has announced the release of the latest update of its award-winning RIP program, CalderaRIP Version 15.1. Starting from June 15, 2022, users will be able to update their RIP to access a range of new features designed to increase performance, output quality, and productivity.

Highlights of this new update include an improved nesting algorithm, CalderaJobs’ compatibility with Windows, and four exclusive features for CalderaCare subscribers. In addition, this update supports the cutters of French manufacturer VERSO, and more than 42 new Print & Cut drivers have been added to the V15.1 ISO.

Along with Version 15.1, the company is also releasing version 1.14 of CalderaDock, the toolbox to manage the license and installation of all Caldera solutions. With this new version, users can login to their WorkSpace account directly from CalderaDock to access their information. Production administrators will also appreciate the increased flexibility, security, and control during the installation process.

According to Arnaud Fabre, Head of Product at Caldera, “Giving our customers the tools to optimize their production costs and grow their printshop remains one of our top priorities.”

The new features and improvements included in Version 15.1 contribute to making it the most comprehensive, flexible, and powerful RIP solution on the market. CalderaJobs has been improved, making it the perfect tool for print operators whose role is to send ripped jobs to the printers, and for production managers who need to balance the workload or check the connectivity and statuses of the fleet. Users can drive and manage their fleet of printers from any of their workstations, including those running on Windows devices. For more flexibility, they can filter their RIP stations to focus on a subpart of the fleet. The nesting algorithm in Compose and Nest-O-Matik modules has also been improved to help operators reduce media waste.

Along with these enhancements to the RIP software, Version 15.1 comes with new exclusive features for CalderaCare subscribers, including the possibility to submit multi-page PDF files with different cut contours directly to CalderaRIP. Reducing the number of files to handle guarantees a more efficient workflow, with valuable time-savings and fewer manual errors. To speed up textile printing operations, the new "Use Printer S&R” option makes the ripping process faster when producing repeated patterns.

CalderaCare subscribers also benefit from two additional features to streamline their cutting operations. With Image Step&Repeat in VisualCut, CalderaRIP groups the shapes by images and builds optimized rows to streamline the cutting head path— which increases cutting speed and accuracy. In addition, both VisualCut & GrandCut come with a new option to streamline two-steps workflow such as sublimation and lamination requiring rolling and unrolling. In just one click, users can rotate jobs by 180° to save time and have their jobs ready for cutting right after printing, without additional manipulation.

Sébastien Hanssens, VP Marketing & Operations says, “Version 15.1 continues our 30-year long tradition of putting our customer’s needs at the heart of our innovations. Each new update aims to push their business forward and help them face the new challenges of the digital printing industry.”

Solimar Systems, Inc., provider of leading workflow software solutions for print production and digital communications, has unveiled the latest version of its award-winning Rubika® document re-engineering solution. Rubika 4.4 introduces an enhanced user experience and more workflow efficiencies at its core, enabling customers to streamline implementations and achieve significant savings within their businesses.

Rubika is renowned for adding value to existing documents with a modular suite of post-composition document re-engineering capabilities that maximize postal discounts, add barcodes for insertion control, modify finishing, automate device load balancing, and enable white paper workflows. Rubika is part of Solimar’s Chemistry™ platform, integrated with other workflow and data optimizing, document enhancing and job tracking solutions.

Among the many benefits of Rubika 4.4 is an enhanced graphical user interface (GUI) to boost the ease of commonly used tasks with fewer clicks, while hiding more advanced options until needed. These updates increase user productivity, reduce training times, and improve overall customer satisfaction.

"Rubika's popularity is largely driven by the substantial revenue opportunities and operational cost savings it enables. Our client testimonials speak to the value of its capabilities. The features in version 4.4 demonstrate our commitment to expanding the ways that Rubika underpins the successes of our clients." states Mary Ann Rowan, Chief Experience Officer.

Some of the new Rubika features include:

• Scale and Shift Module – New features in the module enable users that require different sizes for media, and defined printable area, the ability to leverage cropping while scaling or repositioning content.
• Enhanced QR Code Error Correction Level – This new feature sets the redundancy level for a QR code to allow the barcode to be partially damaged without loss of data.
• Enhanced Security with PDF Encryption Step – Rubika now supports 256-bit encryption when setting the User Password Encryption Level for added security.

Rowan concludes, “Solimar Systems strives to solve difficult problems for our customers by delivering powerful, economical, and configurable off-the-shelf software. We are very proud that Rubika has transformed the way that highly variable and personalized communications are produced. We encourage Rubika users to take advantage of the many benefits of version 4.4.”

Quickly learn about these advancements in Rubika 4.4 by watching our on-demand new release video: 

ASLAN, developer and manufacturer of self-adhesive films, is expanding its portfolio of digital printing media with another specialty film: MonsterTack ASLAN DFP 05 is a white, glossy self-adhesive film that sticks securely even to the most difficult surfaces and under the toughest conditions.

Difficult substrates

The core element of MonsterTack ASLAN DFP 05 is the solvent gas and lubricating oil resistant adhesive formula. It is this that makes the film adhere to surfaces which would usually be so problematic. Examples of this are applications on plywood panels of box trailers, often equipped with a dirt-repellent surface, construction, agricultural and industrial machines subject to extreme dirt and mechanical stress, petrol pumps, powder-coated surfaces and low-energy substrates, ABS plastics, Moto-Cross vehicles and caravans/campers.

The characteristic

MonsterTack ASLAN DFP 05 perfectly supplements the UltraTack films DFP 06, 07 and 08, which are already established on the market. It is also suitable for bonding on rough surfaces inside and outside. Special benefits of note: It can be attached to flat or slightly curved surfaces from temperatures as low as -10° C – and it lasts up to 7 years outdoors. The polymer film can be printed with solvent, eco-solvent, latex and UV curable inks, as well as screen printing inks. Despite its extremely strong permanent adhesive, it can be removed from low-energy substrates and steel without leaving any residue. Additionally, the self-adhesive film is classified to salt spray test ISO 9227:2017.

Establishment in the market

Anja Falkenberg, marketing and sales director at ASLAN, is confident that the new digital printing film will quickly establish itself in the market: “We at ASLAN have been able to prove, time and again in the past, that we are able to meet, understand and solve the challenges in sign making and digital printing. We are proud that the MonsterTack ASLAN DFP 05 fills a gap in the world of self-adhesive films. This requires know-how and a lot of development work and it is what ASLAN has stood for more than 70 years. The result is a film that is extremely easy to process despite the high demands.”

aslanvinyls.com

PacPrint, running from 28^th June to 1^st July at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, will see an important new release from Colour Graphic Services, David Crowther’s specialist colour quality certification, training and technology supply company.

With the increasing demand for extended gamut colour reproduction across all disciplines – offset, digital, flexo, gravure and photography – the need for precise control of seven and eight colour ink sets becomes paramount. This is particularly true for labels and packaging, where colours such as orange, green and violet are added to the standard CMYK process colour combination. This is commonly referred to as ‘CMYK+X, or ‘extended gamut print.’

As a result, Colour Graphic Services announces that it is now a local Australia-New Zealand dealer for CGS-ORIS.Established in 1985, CGS-ORIS (also known as CGS Publishing Technologies), is a global leader in colour management and was instrumental in enabling the change from expensive analogue-chemical proofing to low-cost digital using Epson wide format printers, which Crowther was also involved with in the early 2000s.

X GAMUT is a fully automated colour management software for extended gamut colour printing on digital and conventional presses. Spot and special colours can be accurately reproduced by using a standard fixed 7 or 8 colour ink set (CMYK+X). Often, orange, green, and violet are added to CMYK but other, such as Screen’s vibrant blue for its label presses, are possible.

One big advantage of CMYK+X one-pass printing is that there is no need for special colour ink mixes. This streamlines the production process considerably, since no press wash-up, changeover times or off-press mixing is necessary. This reduces ink inventory and waste from seldom-used tins of specially mixed inks. The nett result is that X Gamut helps to reduce costs for printers and clients alike – with clients able to claim greater environmental credentials and accurate, consistent special colours.

David Crowther comments: “At PacPrint and after, we will be focusing on Oris X Gamut, which brings numerous benefits to commercial, packaging and labels printers. With Oris X Gamut, spot/special colours can be accurately reproduced by using a standard colour ink set (CMYK+X), in seven or eight channels. The results are spectacular and we will be demonstrating this on our PacPrint stand F44 and welcome both digital and conventional printers to see and try for themselves.”

Why X Gamut?

Special colours are especially eye-catching and differentiate consumer appeal from plainer colours. However, until now, working with them requires effort and expense because of extra inventory, higher prices, frequent colour changes and subsequent wash-up and press downtime. 

Oris X Gamut is not only ideally suited to reproduce spot and brand colours precisely, but also presents a perfect match of software features and intelligent workflow tools, enabling printers to leverage the full gamut of the press and ink set, so that images are printed brilliantly in all detail – without the need for special inks. This has also made X Gamut an important tool in the photographic/art printing industry where wide format printers always have extra colours to manage and workflows tend to be RGB.

Oris X Gamut’s key benefits are:

• Accurate spot colour reproduction with an extended standard ink set (CMYK+X)
• Photo printing with vivid, highly saturated colours
• Separation of PDF files & RGB data with special colours into multi-channel data
• Generation of multi-channel profiles and custom test charts
• Interface to standard spot colour libraries (e.g. Pantone)
• Create and edit custom colour libraries
• Fast & easy creation, processing and exchange of CxF or spectral measurement data
• Simple handling and perfect results thanks to wizard-based user interface
• Fully automated processes thanks to intelligent workflow tools
• Immediate process and quality control with Certified Intelligent automation

“We welcome all visitors to our small but powerful stand F44 at PacPrint,” says Crowther, “where we will also be showing colour measurement instruments from Techkon, Myiro and X-Rite, viewing booths from Just Normlicht, calibratable monitors from Eizo and demonstrating how Printflow CIP3 closed-loop colour and G7 & Mellow Colour ISO certification can ensure the right colours, first and every time.”

www.colourgraphicservices.com

Meteor Inkjet Ltd, leading supplier of electronics, software, tools and services for industrial inkjet, together with Dyndrite, providers of the core accelerated computation engine used to create next-generation digital manufacturing hardware and software, expand their collaboration with the announcement of Meteoryte, a 3D software tool that simplifies the development and adoption of inkjet technology for additive manufacturing applications.

Industrial inkjet 3D system developers, particularly those just getting started, face hardware, software and materials challenges.   In some cases, the software challenges can be resolved by adopting off-the-shelf, open-source tools, but when these tools lack sufficient features or can’t offer the required production-ready performance, Meteoryte presents an ideal solution.  Built with the Dyndrite Application Developer Kit, Meteoryte offers additive manufacturing system builders a foundational set of tools for the initial stages of machine development.  With an easy-to-use 3D geometry manipulation interface, Meteoryte features include:

• Ability to import 3D meshes and geometry
• Easy geometry manipulation (move, rotate and scale)
• A 3D viewport for build area visualisation
• Slicing at up to 1200 dots per inch (dpi)
• Production of monochrome images for machine input

“Additive manufacturing machines that require jetting print heads are becoming increasingly popular. Through software, our goal is to empower machine builders and improve their success rate, while reducing their time to market,” said Harshil Goel, CEO, Dyndrite Corporation. “Our mission is to provide tools that create new tools. Meteoryte powered by Dyndrite is a perfect example of a tool that helps downstream customers with an accelerated path to success.”

Clive Ayling, Meteor’s managing director, comments, “Developing and implementing an industrial inkjet system can be challenging, and new 3D applications and companies are emerging all the time.  Meteor’s scalable datapath solutions for all major printheads, coupled with Meteoryte, will allow our OEM customers to harness the power of inkjet for 3D and additive manufacturing applications by significantly reducing development cost, time and risk.”

SA International (SAi), the leading provider of software solutions for the signmaking, digital printing, textile and CNC machining industries, has announced the launch of Flexi 22, a fully-updated and more powerful version of its highly-successful industry-acclaimed signmaking software. The new solution, the only all-in-one design, print and cut software for sign and print providers, is engineered to further increase productivity and workflow efficiencies for users and will be demonstrated live for the first time at FESPA Global Print Expo (Berlin, Germany, May 31^st – June 3^rd).

Building on the success of SAi’s flagship Flexi package, Flexi 22 meets the exacting production needs of sign and display users by incorporating proven sign-specific design tools, RIP software and print-and-cut software for direct vinyl cutting.

New and unique features

Additionally, the latest version of Flexi has been engineered to provide improved connectivity for users through the SAi Connect dashboard, a feature unique to the new software. Via one central interface, this allows users to easily manage their software licenses or subscriptions, download new versions or updates, as well as monitor and review production data reports. SAi Connect also resides in the user’s toolbar, enabling instant accessibility without taking up valuable real estate in the screen workspace. 

Flexi 22 also streamlines the production workflow and delivers greater efficiency benefits by allowing more job modifications to be applied directly within Flexi Production Manager, thereby eliminating the need to back-track or redo. This includes the ability to create contour lines or develop and store orders with the original job files and settings, making reprint orders faster, easier and more profitable. In addition, Flexi 22 offers the capability to add jobs to nested groups, without the need to first ‘un-nest’ other jobs. Users simply add the new job to the queue, then drag and drop to the nested group.

Simplified design and production of DTF and DTG applications

Users of the new Flexi 22 also benefit from the capability to leverage profitable new application opportunities more easily. For example, Flexi 22’s Direct-to-Film and Direct-to-Garment features simplify the design and production process to provide an easier path for those seeking to add tee shirt and other textile printing applications to their service offering.

“Flexi 22 represents the most powerful version to date and comes fully loaded with specific productivity- and efficiency-enhancing tools that have been integrated following research into the additional tools needed by customers to address their precise needs,” explains Annette Plummer, VP Marketing, SAi.

“Unlike some software options on the market that comprise only the RIP, SAi Flexi combines an easy-to-use design interface with a powerful RIP to give users a complete, seamless package,” she adds. “With Flexi 22, we are confident that our sign and display customers will find everything they are looking for from a signmaking software.”

Available for purchase from June 22^nd.

thinksai.com

Leading manufacturer, NUtec Digital Ink offers a unique proprietary bulk ink system engineered to ensure a continuous supply of ink to the Epson® DX4, DX5, DX6 and DX7 print heads used in wide-format digital inkjet presses.

 

NUbis is a bulk ink system from NUtec Digital Ink which enables more efficient printing with uninterrupted refilling, giving the functionality of a cartridge with the advantages of a bulk system. The system holds either 1000ml or 2000ml degassed pouches, which are easy to replace when empty, even during printing without disrupting the print session.

 

Replacing pouches can be done quickly and cleanly as the custom-designed needle connecter attaches easily to the nozzle of the pouch for a rapid, spill-free refilling process which reduces ink wastage. Empty pouches can be folded and disposed of in accordance with regional waste disposal measures, while the outer box is 100% recyclable.

 

“Installation of our NUbis bulk ink system is simplified with the supporting tools we provide including our Quick Install guide, detailed components list and step by step installation video available on our YouTube channel, “ says Darren Claassens, Head of Sales and Marketing at NUtec Digital Ink. “Additionally, our network of distributors and dealers are fully trained on the system and are able to assist with installation and technical support.”

 www.nutecdigital.com

Agfa has announced the release of SolidTune, a breakthrough prepress software solution for offset packaging printing that excels by reducing ink consumption and allowing faster turnaround time for greater production efficiency, improved image quality.

SolidTune has been developed with the specific challenges of packaging production in mind, building on the success of the crucial elements of InkTune and PressTune, which are part of the highly regarded Agfa ECO3 program for sustainable innovation. The new technique applies a unique algorithm to the solids and text, after screening prior plate imaging. This process reduces the amount of ink needed for printing by an average of 3%.

SolidTune is available on license in Apogee and Amfortis prepress workflows and can be used with any screening technology, including Agfa SPIR@L.

New technology innovation for packaging
As the last stage of the rendering process, SolidTune applies a unique ink saving algorithm to the solid 1-bit pixels, before final output. Unlike other solutions, the software has been devised with unique edge protection, meaning the algorithm ensures the edges of the solids are preserved to keep the print clean and crisp. This helps to create a better printable 1-bit file for offset packaging printing, where spot colors are often printed as solids.

“The packaging market is growing, and the opportunity is growing for converters, meaning they are constantly searching for new technologies that can help them deliver even better print quality with strong colours, but at cost-efficient levels,” says Andy Grant, Agfa’s Global Head of Software.

“We are now ramping up our unique offering for the demanding packaging market by leveraging our deep expertise in offset printing to introduce innovative solutions, such as SolidTune, that will have a considerable impact on the bottom line for the converter and the long-term sustainability of the process.”

SolidTune: less ink, faster production
Delivering exceptional ink-saving benefits, this new approach naturally shortens the overall production times, as the thinner solid ink film enabled by SolidTune takes less time and energy to dry. And with faster drying, downstream processes such as finishing and die-cutting can take place sooner, allowing converters to respond to demands from brand owners for faster delivery and also to save on warehouse costs.

Furthermore, the implementation of SolidTune into the workflow improves ink distribution and reduces problems with ink offsetting from one impression to the next. There will also be less force on the substrate from the ink system, which prevents plucking (or picking) of fibers from the top paper layer; a problem that is known to cause reduced image quality and potential rejection of jobs.

“This clever tool, which is very user-friendly and simple to impose during the rendering process, provides quite significant improvements in print quality,” states Grant.

SolidTune can be combined with any screening but works optimally in combination with SPIR@L – Agfa’s revolutionary patented screening technology which was extended from commercial into packaging printing in 2021 – to achieve even bigger ink savings.

SolidTune & SPIR@L screening enlargement
Grant concludes, “SolidTune is another innovation that Agfa added to its ECO³ program to maximise ink reduction and value whilst still delivering the highest quality possible and putting converters at the leading edge of innovation.”

This milestone highlights Durst Group's transformation from a press manufacturer to a solutions provider (“Pixel to Output”) in the digital printing industry.

Durst Group, manufacturer of advanced digital printing and production technologies, announces the 500th customer installation of Durst Workflow Software. This milestone highlights Durst Group's transformation from a press manufacturer to a solutions provider (“Pixel to Output”) in the digital printing industry. Founded in 2019, the Durst Software & Solutions Division now has more than 60 employees and has developed Durst Workflow, the most comprehensive software solution in the market that is also open to third-party providers, and successfully integrated it into its customers' production.

Michael Deflorian, Business Unit Manager, Durst Software & Solutions, explains: “We are proud that more than 500 customers from different sectors rely on our workflow solution. With the help of their feedback, we try to improve our products every day to offer the best software ecosystem for the digital printing industry."

Durst Workflow is the high-end solution for fully automated management of prepress and production tasks. Originally developed to provide the highest print quality for Durst printing systems, it is now also available for third-party printing systems. The complete browser-based solution has a user-friendly interface that allows the entire PDF workflow to be fully automated. Durst Workflow integrates seamlessly with the customer's existing software environment, enabling a higher level of automation than comparable stand-alone products. Thanks to preconfigured corrections, data preparation is faster and more efficient, and the integrated, powerful color engine guarantees exact color accuracy right from the start. With Durst Workflow, it is possible to print more while using less ink, thanks to predefined color saving profiles that can be applied with just one click.

Serge Clauss, Product Manager, Durst Software & Solutions, explains: "We develop software solutions that help our customers make their prepress and production processes more predictable and productive. Reaching 500 users with our Durst Workflow solution is a clear statement that we are meeting our customers' expectations."

General Formulations, a leading manufacturer of Pressure Sensitive Films, announced today the launch of GF 765 Rainbow Holographic Film. GF 765 adds a whole new dimension of colour to graphics. It is 6-mil thick, for easy handling, and the permanent adhesive makes it great for decals, retail displays, packaging, or whatever you can dream up! It is compatible with solvent, latex, and UV curable inks.

“We are extremely excited about the launch of GF 765 Rainbow Holographic Film,” states Matt Edwards, Digital Print Media Product Manager, General Formulations. “GF 765 is a fantastic product for our visual market. We can’t wait to see how it is creatively used in different applications and graphics.”

generalformulations.com

Onyx Graphics, Inc., today announced a new annual prepaid option for ONYX Go, the company’s subscription RIP software. In addition to the no-contract monthly subscription, these one-, three-, and five-year prepaid options are available exclusively through Authorized ONYX Resellers. ONYX Go prepaid is available for both ONYX Go Lite and ONYX Go Plus product tiers. 

“Offering print shops prepaid options was an easy decision for us,” said Matt Crawford, Director of Product Marketing at Onyx Graphics, Inc. “This is especially true when a new printer is leased instead of purchased. By enabling our channel to provide one-, three-, and five-year subscription options, ONYX resellers can tailor a complete package to suit each user’s specific needs.”

ONYX Go prepaid also includes the same no-cost software support and free product upgrades as featured in monthly subscriptions to ensure the same premium user experience. Support teams are located across North America, Europe, and Asia with dedicated call centers for expert product help. Users can also access on-demand video libraries, how-to-guides, white-papers, and product manuals from the company’s website.

onyxgfx.com

Esko continues to simplify and optimise production with emphasis on colour consistency, data processing and powerful insights 

As the packaging industry continues to grow and adapt to the very real threats of today, supply chain volatility, labor shortages and rising consumable and energy costs all underline that converters need to accelerate their search for increased efficiencies throughout the workflow. That’s why Esko has today (28 March) launched a series of innovations to help businesses accelerate their digital transformation and unlock considerable productivity gains. 

Esko Release 22.03 includes a host of new features, such as: 

• New - Next generation Colour Preflight with Automation Engine and ArtPro+ 

• New - Assembly instructions with ArtiosCAD, reducing assembly time by up to 20% 

• New - Native Apple Silicon support for ArtPro+, DeskPack and Studio 

• New - ArtPro+ Digital Edition for digital print workflows 

• New - Improved WebCenter user experience and reporting 

“This latest software release sees a number of breakthroughs in innovation that will streamline complex workflows,” said Jan De Roeck, Esko Director of Marketing, Industry Relations and Strategy. “We are simplifying processes from structural design through to reporting analytics, ensuring process control, and advanced colour software to deliver guaranteed quality and output to levels that were previously unattainable. 

“Our continued software innovations respond to the market need for more effective processes that connect workflows between presses, departments, and even between remote facilities,” said Jan. “Many companies are now digitising many of their processes, tasks and workflows. We continue to support that ongoing digitisation by making our solutions even more powerful, robust, yet simple to engage and user-friendly. 

“Addressing a growing need for actionable insights, this release also includes new features to enable businesses to make optimal use of data,” said Jan. “For those organisations who are already advanced with their digital transformation, collecting more data than ever before, we are empowering them to make more with what they have.” 

New reporting tools in Automation Engine and business analytics in WebCenter help to turn that data into useful business insights that can help shape a business by identifying and untapping new efficiencies and eradicating further waste. “New additions to WebCenter, our packaging management solution, remove barriers and improve the user experience by increasing ease of use, while advanced reporting features and dynamic 3D viewing serve to better equip teams to meet today’s challenges,” said Jan. 

“Our close relationship with customers and partners informs how we identify and respond to specific market trends,” he added. “With colour accuracy and consistency being key concerns for brands – and therefore to our customers - the ability to deliver accurate colour, regardless of run length or substrate, is of paramount importance to today’s packaging converters. That’s why we have introduced our next generation Colour Preflight in ArtPro+ and Automation Engine. 

“Delivering a true forecast of colour conversion results, and with defined tollgates ensuring colour quality, it not only delivers accuracy on press but simplifies the editing process, simplifying colour matching work and speeding up the entire process,” said Jan. “What’s more, with Esko Release 22.03 we are making some of these innovations more accessible than ever. We want to remove barriers to digital transformation and ensure that everyone is equipped with the data, analytics and production intelligence to meet the challenges they already face today and are prepared for the emerging challenges of tomorrow. 

“That’s why, for example, our new release also features a Digital Edition of ArtPro+. This underlines our commitment to digital print production, enabling digital printers to benefit from our native PDF editing software and take their own steps towards getting more jobs to press through automation. Similarly, this latest release has Native Apple Silicon support for ArtPro+, DeskPack and Studio. 

“Esko Release 22.03 delivers value right across the workflow from ideation to production, be that through protecting the integrity of a design idea from screen to pack or driving efficiencies across the process and reducing the amount of waste generated,” said Jan. “These latest updates are focused on enabling customers to enhance and improve their workflow processes, by leveraging the benefits of the cloud and accessing the latest in automation technology. 

“In the face of the disruptive market trends in the industry, we continue to work closely with our customers, listening and developing innovations that respond to demands and deliver tangible benefits,” said Jan. “This latest software release achieves this goal by enabling packaging converters to enjoy the accelerated business benefits that Esko solutions deliver.” 

The new Esko Release 22.03 will be launched at a live webinar event, on Thursday, 7th April. To register for the free event, just click here. 

For more information about the new features in Esko Release 22.03 and the full range of Esko software solutions, visit the Esko Innovation Hub here.

Display graphics print providers now have a powerful solution for saving media and reducing prep time with newly available EFI™ Fiery® Prep-it™ true-shape nesting and cut-preparation software. The newly available solution from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. connects to any digital front end (DFE) – including full integration with EFI Fiery proServer and Fiery XF DFEs – to increase the profitability of cut jobs printed on wide- to superwide-format inkjet printers.
 
Media and time savings
 
This easy-to-use, powerful offering can reduce the time needed to manually nest jobs by up to 90%. It also reduces nesting time by more than 10% compared with other leading true-shape nesting offerings. Plus, Fiery Prep-it software saves users more than 10% in media usage compared with other, similar products thanks to its highly effective nesting algorithms. Display graphics businesses that currently use rectangular in-RIP nesting will find that Fiery Prep-it software reduces media consumption to a fraction of what they use today.
 
On media savings alone, this affordable, effective software can pay for itself in as little as 2 months.
 
“Efficient, accurate, and fast true-shape nesting for cut jobs such as stickers, road signs, and more, are three critical capabilities for a display graphics workflow product,” said John Henze, vice president of sales and marketing, EFI Fiery. “Fiery Prep-it software excels over other products because it delivers all three at an affordable price, saving our customers hours of prepress time while reducing material usage.”

Automated cut job preparation
 
Fiery Prep-it software can take jobs destined for cutting from different sources and prepare them quickly and correctly for print-then-cut production. This can be done manually or semiautomatically with the use of pre-sets and hot folders. Jobs that arrive to production from prepress workflow, web-to-print, or MIS solutions can take advantage of the capability to apply every available Prep-it cut setting in a full “hands-off” job production mode. Minimal-touch-point production reduces the potential for expensive human error and frees up operators for other important tasks such as graphic design or production planning.
 
Decreasing preparation time, media consumption and touchpoints on cut jobs is the key to making customers’ operations more profitable.
 
Economic advantages for all display graphics businesses

Whether print businesses do their nesting layouts manually in Adobe® Illustrator®, or use an existing nesting solution, switching to Fiery Prep-it software offers compelling productivity gains and media savings. It has some of the best true-shape nesting technology on the market, including its 1° increment rotation capability and accurate double-sided nesting, giving users the ability to reduce media waste and turnaround time even further.
 
On top of its ability to generate at least 10% in media savings, Fiery Prep-it also increases profitability by:
 

• Giving companies the ability to win more tight-deadline business by preparing cut jobs in a fraction of the time required with manual nesting methods;

 

• Reducing errors and expensive rework due to minimal touchpoints in job production with hot folders and automation capabilities;

 

• Removing production bottlenecks with increased utilisation of existing printing and cutting equipment.

 
The software integrates with EFI Fiery proServer and Fiery XF DFE print servers, providing access to an additional 1,300+ cutter and router types on top of built-in Prep-it connectivity options. The software can also connect to any RIP or DFE that accepts PDF files, serving as a central hub for cut job preparation.
 
For more information about EFI solutions for display graphics printing, visit www.efi.com.