With the Wide Format Automation Suite, the German prepress and workflow software publisher has automated the production process for wide and super-wide format printing. An extensive prepress package and major functions such as nesting, tiling and paneling, together with cut line management, are combined with a flexible workflow management system, enabling wide format printers to achieve substantial time and cost efficiencies in their production process.
Significant efficiency gains in the prepress, with the potential to make substantial cost savings in respect of substrate and ink consumption, combined with improved machine utilization are the major advantages offered by the new Wide Format Automation Suite for wide and super-wide format printers. The reason for this success story: with over 20 years of experience in automating the prepress process for print shops and printing presses, the German software publisher, OneVision Software has developed an Automation Suite that incorporates a flexible workflow management system, a comprehensive prepress package, innovative technologies such as nesting and tiling & paneling, as well as a direct interface between the software and the print press.
Highly flexible workflow management system as the backbone of the production process
Workflows and assembly lines can be created digitally using an easy-to-use drag and drop editor – with changes possible at any time. Now, it’s not just the workflow that runs automatically based on job tickets or metadata; instead, the individual production steps are also automated by introducing major new functionalities to the workflow management system:
Print data optimization for smooth, error-free production
The first stage of the process involves basic optimization and color input calibration. This involves checking the print data quality of the incoming print jobs for possible errors using the ‘Preflight’ module. These errors are subsequently corrected to ensure smooth, error-free printing. Depending on the job type, a variety of complex steps, including the generation of registration marks and barcodes, can also take place at the start of the process. Following data optimization, transparencies are flattened to speed up the print process and avoid color errors. Finally, the normalization module adapts all print data for consistency with the print environment, after which nothing more is required to enable smooth and error-free processing of print PDFs.
Freeform nesting allows nesting across multiple customers
In order to minimize waste and thus to reduce surplus as far as possible, the Nesting Module can intelligently arrange print jobs from multiple customers in different shapes on a single sheet or roll. The combined artworks result in a ganged output that optimizes the use of the substrate, reducing the amount of waste while saving costs and improving the environmental sustainability of the production process.
Cut Line Manager, Tiling & Paneling, Ink Saving and Onyx connection are all integrated into the Suite
The integrated Cut Line Manager accepts all cut line types and names and can automatically correct any damaged or incomplete cut lines. Missing bleed, varnish or white masks can easily be created with a fully automated process. Tiling & Paneling enables oversize formats to be divided into multiple, smaller files for easy printing. Inksave allows you to save costly CMY inks without compromising on quality, while the direct Onyx connection makes optimized print data available to control downstream Onyx-RIPs.
The c Suite allows wide format printers to benefit from a high level of automation while enhancing their productivity and resource efficiency without sacrificing high-quality print output.
