A good workflow software can help print businesses to increase productivity and reduce downtime
A helping hand
Automation ensures print-service-providers (PSPs) are able to continue to run smoothly without downtime. As print runs become smaller and the volume of jobs to process increase, it is more important than ever to invest in a system that can help your business to keep running at the highest level of efficiency.
To be able to be automated, you will need a good workflow software as your right-hand man. We hear from some of the PSPs in the industry about the software options available to businesses and how these can help to boost workflow and reduce headaches.
Service Offset Supplies (SOS) has been supplying printroom products for over 40 years and its portfolio now includes digital supplies and traditional litho plates, inks, and other consumables. The company is also a supplier of capital equipment from Epson, Roland, Konica Minolta and Cron CTP.
In addition to this, SOS also offers total calibration services which includes colour consistency and software and workflow knowledge.
Omran Anwar, principal colour specialist at SOS, explains: “Based on the latest Adobe PDF Print Engine 4 technology, RealPro Planner is a pure PDF workflow which always preserves the original PDF content. Its host of features include pre-flighting, automated imposition, archiving, ICC (integration competency center) -based colour management, 3D proofing and much more.”
According to Anwar, full JDF, XML compliance ensures seamless connectivity with MIS Web2Print and RIPs (raster
image processors) for all types of output devices.
“There is a version of RealPro which has specifically been developed for digital press users – RealPro Digital,” Anwar says, adding: “RealPro Digital is a powerful ‘print ready’ PDF and template imposition solution with ICC colour management for the leading digital presses.”
On what factors have influenced the development of software such as this, Anwar says: “The industry’s drive for greater efficiency is a key factor in the development of RealPro. RealPro meets this need by automating processes such as trapping, imposition, plate output, output to digital presses and CIP3/4 file creation – removing the need for manual processes and operator intervention.
“For a while now it’s been clear that print runs have become smaller whilst the volume of jobs to process has increased, and this has driven a need for automation. RealPro can run as a complete “lights out” solution with automatic job submission, preflight and colour correction and finally plate/digital press output – with no operator involvement.”
For a while now it’s been clear that print runs have become smaller whilst the volume of jobs to process has increased, and this has driven a need for automation”
One company that has benefitted from adding RealPro Workflow to its operations is Flexpress. Jack Wenlock, pre-press specialist at the company explains that many of its jobs require bespoke template creation and RealPro has enabled it to do this quickly and efficiently.
He says: “Not only does it allow us to create templates on the fly for ‘one-time use’ purposes, templates can be saved in seconds and re-used in just a few clicks of the mouse, whether that’s for plating purposes or a digital job.
“The ability to add sluglines, printer’s marks, or custom marks to your imposed sheet, and position them exactly where is required gives us complete flexibility.”
Wenlock praises the user interface of RealPro and says it is extremely user-friendly. This is due to common print terminology used throughout which he says makes the process feel very familiar. “Editing templates or creating new templates is an absolute breeze” he says, adding: “Additionally, RealPro can be used via automation which has been pivotal to making our process as quick as possible.
“Any templates can be saved as hotfolders, making the imposition process yet even more efficient, and plates can be sent to the platesetter immediately after the job is ripped, or imposed PDFs can be sent straight to your digital RIP [raster image processer] – or both with one template.”
Quick and efficient
One online web-to-print solution is print equipment manufacturer, Konica Minolta’s Flex 4. The newly launched product is an online web-to-print solution specifically aimed at smaller production print businesses. The idea is to provide these businesses with the benefits of Cloud and integration with their production workflows.
Phillip John, product marketing manager at Konica Minolta Business Solutions, says: “From a production print workflow solutions point of view, on a strategic level Konica Minolta’s approach is all about helping our customers to get print jobs into the print room or to a print-service-provider quickly and efficiently.
“This enables businesses to create and bill for these jobs easily and more effectively. These solutions also assist our customers with building their online presence, promoting themselves as well as streamlining their internal processes, to provide a true end-to-end service.”
According to John, the sector as a whole is looking to utilise Cloud-based services due to the benefits in flexibility, cost, and automation. He says: “Cloud ensures end-users have a streamlined way of ordering and buying the services and products they need online, with the whole process being automated for the print provider too.”
As well as helping printers achieve a smooth production process, workflow software can also be used to add value to other aspects of business such as marketing, customer service, and more recently working from home.
Konica Minolta has noticed the latter being more prominent in the use of workflow software. John explains: “Many print businesses have found that at least some of their staff could easily work from home on a regular basis, so making information available remotely is perfect for facilitating this flexibility.
“Workflow solutions provide the vital infrastructure around this, enabling teams (and the business as a whole) to be more agile and able to deal with the unexpected, just as well as more predictable ongoing business requirements.”
He adds: “Solutions such as Hybrid Mail are enabling remote workers to still have access to their company’s mail room and post facilities. For the print-service-provider other cloud-based offerings help create new services and revenue streams such as our GenARate Augmented Reality (AR) solution, which adds greater value to the printed piece and enables brands to break through the digital noise and reach the consumer in new, interactive and exciting ways.”
A complete system
The concept of offering a complete automated system is something that is also at the forefront of Xerox’s offerings. According to Kevin O’Donnell, head of marketing for graphic communications and production systems at the company, automation is one of the top three key platforms of Xerox’s Value Proposition alongside going beyond CMYK and investing in confidence.
He says: “To be a successful business in today’s print market, the ability to run a highly connected, integrated and efficient production environment is an imperative, in fact this should be given as much if not more emphasis placed on it as the press itself. The most profitable printers tend also to be the most automated.”
To be a successful business in today’s print market, the ability to run a highly connected, integrated and efficient production environment is an imperative”
To help printers achieve this, Xerox has a range of automated workflows on offer such as Xerox FreeFlow Core for pre-press which enables users to streamline processes and identify and correct errors.
Going beyond the production process and Xerox also offers a portfolio of solutions for additional business needs under the XMPie side of the business. These include XMPie StoreFlow which is an e-commerce platform; XMPie Variable Data Solutions which features integrated and connected services to drive customer loyalty and raise revenue.
Xerox Digital Publisher allows print businesses to automatically publish online for web, mobile or tablet. Finally, Xerox DocuShare is a content management system (CMS) which uses open standards and allows for managing content, integrating it with other business systems and developing customised and packaging software application.
For O’Donnell, some of the key factors that drive the development of new software solutions such as these is narrowed down into seven key points. These include keeping cost down, delivering consistent quality, quicker turnaround times, smaller run lengths, more small jobs, multiple systems, and operator skillset.
He says: “As volume profiles adjust and the complexity of content increases, the agility, efficiency, productivity and cost benefits delivered will become the new competitive advantage. We are also turning our attention to our own back office so watch out for new approaches to service support using AI (artificial intelligence) and AR via our CareAR business.”
A rise in demand
Esko produces integrated solutions for packaging, printing, and finishing. The company has noticed a rise in demand for consistency and efficiency in prepress and on the shopfloor. According to Jan De Roeck, director of industry relations and strategic marketing at the company, many businesses in the sector are struggling to recruit and retain skilled operators. He says that making apps and devices more intuitive to use has helped to overcome this.
Describing standardisation as the “necessary foundation of any successful automation”, De Roeck says: “Nowadays, influenced by evolving consumer trends and brand and retailing competitive intensity, the number of product variations required has expanded significantly escalating print production complexity and reducing run lengths.
Esko says the growth in product variations required has significantly escalated print production complexity
“Digital printing has developed to support this trend, enabling the production of short-run unique SKUs (stock keeping units), and when coupled with a ‘just in time’ manufacturing mentality, the scope of the challenge becomes clear.”
De Roeck says that the challenge is for printers to come up with the most efficient way to reproduce many designs, in low quantities whilst maintaining overall efficiency. “This is actually a paradigm shift if you consider that for many decades, the print industry focused on efficient reproduction of a single design in large volumes. Today it’s all about many unique designs in very low volumes,” he explains.
Despite many businesses grinding to a halt during the last 18 months, Esko has continued to develop its technology. According to the company’s research, it’s at the very start of a project, during the job onboarding process, when most time and energy is wasted.
Last year, Esko launched its Digital Maturity Model (DMM) for packaging suppliers in a bid to explain how digital transformation can lead to long term business performance. The programme comes in the form of a strategic model including a whitepaper and online assessment tool which businesses can use as a guide to address key factors such as leadership values and environmental sustainability challenges.
Last year, Esko launched its Digital Maturity Model (DMM) for packaging suppliers
For issues such as bottlenecks and delays in securing approval, Esko offers its WebCenter packaging management solution. This software standardises order and job handling and streamlines approval communication. Esko’s Automation Engine was last updated this year and features a cloud-based deployment option and an intuitive new web-based user experience.
Essential to print businesses
Enfocus has been providing software for print-service-providers since 1993. Headquartered in Belgium, the company is a global provider of PDF validation and process automation software such as PitStop, Switch, BoardingPass and Connect. Enfocus also partners with software OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), vendors and integrators to connect disparate systems in prepress, press and finishing as well as manage quality.
O Factoid: Enfocus has been providing software for print-service-providers since 1993 O
“Workflow software is essential to print businesses”, Piet De Pauw, head of marketing, says, adding: “In the state of the market, manual work, paper job tickets, and hand-keyed data won’t keep up with customer demands.
Workflow software can benefit all parts of a print business including marketing and customer service
“Expectations of quick turnarounds and an evolving customer centric business model must be adopted. The only way to accomplish these changes is to rely on automation and implement an encompassing
workflow.”
According to De Pauw, web-to-print is a trend that was rapidly growing before the pandemic and has now leaped to the forefront. He says: “Printers who are not selling online are in trouble. Without intelligent software that can capture orders with job files and automatically add them to an MIS (management information system), then further process them without human intervention, businesses will struggle to provide the service that print customers are learning to expect.”
Print runs are getting smaller and job volumes are increasing as is the need for a good workflow software
Enfocus BoardingPass is a tool for customer service representatives to quickly check PDF files for showstopping printability errors. PitStop Pro is described by De Pauw as the printing industry standard for PDF preflight and editing.
PitStop Server automates PDF workflows, and Switch is a workflow development platform for printers. All of Enfocus’ products are designed to help printers improve their overall workflow.
There is a whole hoard of options available to print-service-providers looking to smooth out production and improve efficiency – now more important than ever as business speeds back up and orders increase. The only thing left to do is find the right solution.
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