Prepress Technology March 2000
Myriad of new products
unveiled at Seybold
By Lisa Larson
Prepress Editor
BOSTON -- Last month's Seybold Boston at the Hynes Convention Center provided the stage for several companies to introduce new products to the newspaper market. A summary of a few of the companies that announced new products, new versions of products and strategic agreements follows.
Baseview Products Inc. demonstrated its new production and editorial plug-ins for InDesign and InCopy at the Adobe Partner Pavilion.
ProductionManagerPro ad-tracking software from Baseview is already utilizing technology from InDesign at The Morning News in Springdale, Ariz.
Canto Software Inc. released the Web Publisher option for its Cumulus digital asset management software, which leverages the new technologies found in Cumulus 5, including voice annotations and customizable fields and views.
The new option allows Cumulus users to make all of their digital assets accessible via the Web and includes new features, such as faster image displays, on-the-fly conversions and easier administration.
Web Publisher uses a Common Gateway Interface to provide real-time access to catalogs, while remaining synchronized with the LAN-based asset management system.
Web Publisher is available on Mac OS and Windows NT platform servers with Mac OS and Windows 95/98/NT clients for $495. (See related stories pg. 34).
Artesia Technologies Inc. announced that its TEAMS enterprise digital asset management solution will offer increased support and interoperability with features from Quark Inc.'s publishing software.
The new extension to TEAMS will allow it to import and assemble XPress components more efficiently, and facilitate XML-enhanced processing and linking capabilities available through the TEAMS digital asset management solution. (See related story pg. 40)
FileOpen Systems Inc. introduced FileOpen WebPublisher, a server-based encryption and authentication system for high-volume distribution of electronic documents.
The product provides publishers with a Web server product that handles the encryption, packaging and delivery of documents to end users.
FileOpen Systems also announced that it renamed its flagship product from FileOpen PDF to FileOpen Publisher.
Harlequin Inc. and Harris Publishing Systems Corp. announced a strategic partnership to jointly develop and distribute digital workflow solutions based on Harris' MaxWorkFlow production management tool and Harlequin's RIP technologies.
Under terms of the agreement, Harlequin will have exclusive distribution rights to its original equipment manufacturer partners worldwide for the jointly developed products, excluding a previous agreement Harris made with ECRM.
MaxWorkFlow is a visual workflow design tool that uses drag-and-drop features to automate the process of proofing or output to film or plate. Integrated with the complete range of Harlequin RIP technologies and options, the combined Harris/Harlequin product has more than 20 modules for proofing, high-resolution outputting, EPS and PDF optimization, down sampling, composite proofing, imposition, trapping and preflighting multiple file formats, as well as an OPI module that is built into the interpreter to provide high speeds.
Development is underway, and Harlequin expects to begin shipping its next-generation RIP technology incorporating MaxWorkFlow to its OEM customers in mid-2000, following its public debut at drupa in May, the companies said.
"Harlequin is the leading developer and distributor of PostScript-compatible interpreters, as well as other products for the printing and publishing industry," said Briggs Kilborne, vice president of marketing and business development for Harris Publishing Systems. "Combining the worldwide reputations, engineering talents and distribution channels of both companies should make this product the worldwide standard for digital workflow."
Dainipon Screen Manufacturing Co. Ltd. showed its new PDF 1.3, PostScript 3-compatible raster image processor, the AD-710NT, at the Adobe partner pavilion.
The RIP offers the ability to control all settings by other host computers connected to the network, parallel processing of jobs and the utilization of a new 12-bit Alphalogic screening technology designed to provide smoother halftones and gradations on the final separations, said Screen.
Other features of the AD-710NT include in-RIP separation, trapping and open prepress interface, as well as TIFF file output and previewing.
Screen USA introduced Trueflow, a Web browser-based PDF workflow solution developed in cooperation with Adobe.
Trueflow's architecture and prepress functions were developed by Screen, and use a PostScript 3 interpreter handling Adobe PDF 1.3, as well as a preflight module.
Other standard features include automatic job processing using a job ticket workflow, direct interpretation and RIPping of PDF 1.3, preflight checking, automatic trapping, and imposition and RIPped PDF files output.
ScenicSoft announced the upcoming release of TrapWise 3.0 and TrapWise Remote 3.0 on both Macintosh and Windows NT platforms. The products feature an Adobe PostScript 3 RIP and support for PDF input and greater control of trapping spot colors through the "treat ink as vector" feature.
Quickcut NA L.L.C. signed an agreement with Vio North America L.L.C. to provide Vio with a complete print advertising delivery system that will allow users to send and receive display advertising electronically.
Vio customers will be able to access a database system developed by Sydney, Australia-based Quickcut that provides advertisers a way to deliver spec-compliant ads to publishers, newspapers and printers.
Dynagram Software Inc. introduced the Macintosh version of its imposition software, DynaStrip, which creates imposition layouts according to scale using a design area that simulates the traditional stripping light table.
DynaStrip 3.0 accepts composite or separated PostScript files from any application or platform, uses drag-and-drop imposition index and document list creation, and offers an intuitive, color-coded interface for page assignment.
Agfa Corp., Creo Products Inc. and eidelberger Druckmaschinen AG announced open system connectivity that will enable the Agfa Apogee and Heidelberg/Creo Prinergy workflow management solutions to support Agfa, Creo and Heidelberg/Creo imaging engines, underscoring the companies' commitment to open, PDF-based digital workflows.
Prinergy currently supports a connection to the Avantra imagesetters, using raster-screened DCS2 files via the Apogee PDF RIP. This new level of connectivity will enable Prinergy to support Agfa proofers, imagesetters and platesetters through an interface with the Apogee PrintDrive module. Similarly, the Agfa Apogee workflow solution will be able to support output to Creo and Heidelberg/Creo imaging devices through the Creo Recorder Interface.
Aurelon USA Inc. won a Seybold Hot Pick award for its DeskCheck RIP, DeskCheck Calibrator and ScreenCheck software based on the start-up company's color engine technology, which controls color values between multiple devices by automatically converting the output to match a desired color target.
The desktop color proofing solutions include interfaces for X-Rite Inc.'s spectrophotometers, including the DTP41.
Monaco Systems Inc. and X-Rite are offering MonacoProof 3.0 color profiling software bundled with X-Rite's Digital Swatchbook repeatable desktop reflective spectrophotometer.
Creo, Heidelberg and Enfocus Software Inc. announced plans to work jointly on developing systems that integrate Enfocus' PDF preflight and editing software with select Creo and Heidelberg/Creo workflow products. Creo and Heidelberg also introduced a new plug-in for Adobe Acrobat Distiller that enhances and streamlines PDF workflow.
A Lowly Apprentice Production Inc. is shipping ImagePort 1.0, new Xtensions software for XPress that allows users to import native files from Adobe PhotoShop into their XPress documents without sacrificing the convenience of PhotoShop layers, channels and paths.
Currently, images must be flattened, or stripped of all layering information before being imported into a QuarkXPress layout. ImagePort eliminates the need to flatten images while retaining full control of layers, channels and paths for manipulation once the image is imported.
Markzware Inc. announced it added preflight support for native CorelDraw within its FlightCheck 3.0 for Windows software, as well as improved handling of Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia FreeHand files.
The software still supports QuarkXPress, PageMaker, PhotoShop, Multi-Ad Creator and PDF files.
The latest version of FlightCheck also features a new user interface and built-in support for automatic job element collection into compressed Zip files.
OneVision Inc. unveiled the latest upgrades for its Solvero and Asura prepress management software systems, which both now support PDF/X-1 and PDF 1.3.
Asura provides automated correction and optimization for PDF, PostScript and EPS files, while Solvero is used to edit PostScript, PDF and EPS files.
The company also introduced the PlugSPOTin plug-in module, which replaces selected colors with defined spot colors from any color space, including CMYK, RGB, Lab or grayscale.