Heidelberg Opens Prinect Live
Customers of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) can now find out more about a whole range of topics—including print shop, color and quality management, options for integrated production control, complete production data acquisition, actual costing, and how to integrate print buyers into the print shop workflow—and all of this under practical conditions.

To this end, Heidelberg has set up a fully-equipped print shop as a demo center in the Print Media Center at the company headquarters. The presentations, in the form of live production runs for brochures, are carefully designed to suit the specific issues and needs of interested visitors. The modular Prinect workflow is being used to demonstrate scalable solutions for all sizes of business and highlight the customer benefits in each step of the process. The live demonstrations cover all areas of a print shop—from prepress to press and postpress. Moreover, they also show how digital printing and online print shop customers can be integrated efficiently in one end-to-end workflow. All process steps are fully integrated by Prinect, enabling the workflow to be demonstrated live from the initial job inquiry right through to printing and delivery.

“Heidelberg is the only supplier in the industry today that is able to present its complete workflow in such a way—tailored to meet the needs of its customers and demonstrated under practical conditions. Both existing customers and potential customers can see the benefits of integrated workflow management for themselves under live conditions and are handed a finished brochure at the end of the presentation,” explains Bernhard Schreier, Chief Executive Officer of Heidelberg, summing up the advantages of the new demo center.
Anyone interested in taking part in a demonstration should get in touch with their regional Heidelberg contact partner to arrange an appointment. The auditorium holds up to 50 people.

HP Canada and CONTACT announce winner of the HP Prize for Photography
HP Canada and the CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival are pleased to announce that Eamon MacMahon of Toronto is the winner of the HP Prize for Photography.

MacMahon’s photograph was part of the CONTACT Portfolio Reviews Exhibition at the HP Gallery. The exhibition was a result of the CONTACT Portfolio Reviews where curators, art dealers, directors, publishers and photo editors provided one-on-one critiques for over 120 photographers. The reviewers then selected the strongest 40 images to be part of the Portfolio Reviews Exhibition at the HP Gallery.

Throughout the month of May, the public was welcome to visit the gallery and vote for their favourite image.
At the CONTACT Wrap Party on May 29 held at the Drake Hotel, the HP Prize for Photography was presented to Eamon MacMahon who received the most votes for his image titled “Sandspit”. The prize included an HP Designjet Z3100 professional photo printer and $3,000 for a total prize value of over $10,000.

Inca launches ‘fine quality’ Spyder 320 Q at Fespa 2007
At Fespa 2007, Inca Digital Printers launches the Spyder 320 Q Fine Quality digital UV flatbed printer for high end and closely viewed printing.
The Spyder 320 Q Fine Quality features a new printhead, designed for and unique to Inca, that accurately delivers a fine resolution 10 picolitre drop size at production speeds of up to 37 sqm/hr. The result is a printer that produces fine quality, photorealistic prints at higher speeds.
The Spyder 320 Q Fine Quality is ideal for applications where a crisp image, fine lines and sharp text is critical such as high fashion graphics, gaming machine panels and closely viewed prints.  Reversed out text as small as 4pt has smoother edges producing easier to read prints at all viewing distances.

“This new Spyder machine allows even smaller format size work to be effectively tiled up and with small drops delivering excellent reversed text and quality prints.  We are convinced that this represents a good choice for companies wishing to get very high quality at a sensible production speed as well as being a good complement to our existing range,” says Bill Baxter, MD of Inca Digital.

Flexibility has contributed to the popularity of the Spyder 320 product line. Since May 2004, Inca Digital has successfully introduced a number of Spyder 320 digital flatbed printer models, including the original 4-colour Spyder 320, the low-cost alternative Spyder 320-e, Spyder 320+ white and six colour versions.  The eight colour Spyder 320-8 series was launched at ISA in April earlier this year.

Prinect from Heidelberg Now Available with Adobe PDF Print Engine
Adobe’s new RIP technology rounds off the Prinect PDF workflow and optimizes ripping of transparent objects in PDF documents.
The new Adobe PDF Print Engine is now part of the Prinect workflow management system from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The new rendering technology from Adobe features in Release 6.5 of the Prinect MetaDimension RIP. As a “native PDF renderer” controlled exclusively by JDF/JMF, the Adobe PDF Print Engine fits perfectly into the JDF-controlled Prinect workflow. All Prinect systems with MetaDimension 6.5 will in future include the Adobe PDF Print Engine within their scope of delivery. Heidelberg is also offering upgrades for existing MetaDimension versions.

“As user experience has demonstrated, the Adobe PDF Print Engine is set to develop rapidly into the standard RIP technology for Heidelberg customers. It solves the problems many print service providers have with correctly processing elaborately structured PDF documents. One of the typical challenges so far has been processing transparent effects, for instance, when the PDF conversion turns several layout levels into a single level (flattening) too early in the process. With the Adobe PDF Print Engine, reliable handling of transparent objects and better compatibility with Acrobat screening technology offer major advantages to print service providers,” says Dr. Peter Leu, Head of Product Management for Prinect Preprint at Heidelberg.

The results of the Industry Measure's latest design & production survey are now available
The Industry Measure released the latest results of its twice-yearly survey of the graphic design and production markets, the most recent in a series of surveys that the company has conducted since 1996. The 213-page report contains the results of an extensive mail survey of the creative markets, and features The Industry Measure’s standard “boilerplate” questions about Business Conditions, Business Challenges, Sales Opportunities, and Planned Investments (as well as 12-month Investment Projections of more than 100 equipment, hardware, and software categories, including expected number of units shipped and dollar values). The Summer 2007 survey also asked several specialty questions on such topics as digital print buying (who is buying digital printing, and how much of it are they buying); the extent to which creatives are working on personalized, customized, variable-data, or targeted print projects; trends in the adoption of online proofing; which old and new media channels are becoming more and less important for creatives and their clients; and more.

In addition to the results of the current survey, Design & Production #23 also draws on The Industry Measure’s 13-year database of survey results to put current findings in historical perspective and examine how past and present trends will likely play out in the future. How are media trends affecting these companies? What is the role of print vs. new media in their service offerings? Where do they see their companies going in both the near- and long-term? What hardware, software, and equipment are they buying to meet their expected needs?
Industry Measure reports are available for online purchase at the Industry Measure eStore in PDF format
http://www.theindustrymeasure.com.

Generation Printing Announces New Key Staff Hire
Generation Printing, a leading provider of printing in Western Canada, announced today a new key staff hire as it continues to expand its capabilities to manage virtually any size and type of commercial print job.

Generation Printing’s new Estimator is Samuel Wu who will be responsible for generating all estimate requests and change order costs for the company. Previously, Mr. Wu served as Estimator for Hemlock Printers for 14 years. Between 1982 and 1993, he was Director and owner of Roman Printing in Hong Kong.

“We have been growing our business steadily over the past couple of years and one big reason for our success has been our ability to attract and maintain an outstanding workforce of skilled and dedicated employees. We welcome Sam to our team. With his excellent estimating background, he will play a key role to ensure Generation effectively meets clients’ needs, manages cost and ensures profitability through the job production,” said Rob Kouwenhoven, VP Marketing and Sales, Generation Printing.

Heidelberg School of Graphic Communications Management Limited-Term Faculty Position, Fall 2007
Ryerson University, located in downtown Toronto, is known for innovative programs built on the integration of theoretical and practically oriented learning. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs are distinguished by a professionally focused curriculum and strong emphasis on excellence in teaching, research and creative activities. Ryerson is also a leader in adult learning, with the largest university-based continuing education school in Canada.

The Heidelberg School of Graphic Communications Management is housed in a 30,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art press and prepress facility that was completed in 2003. The School offers the only B.Tech. in Graphic Communications Management in Canada, and has an enrolment of 400 students at the undergraduate level. The reputation of the School ensures 100% internship placement and 100% employment of students upon graduation.

Applications are invited for a limited-term faculty appointment, commencing August 1, 2007, subject to final approval. The appointment is for up to three years. We are looking for candidates with a strong commitment to teaching and curriculum development in all areas. The successful applicant will be expected to teach current topics in prepress, multimedia, printing, or management, and utilize a full range of IT technologies in the classroom. The applicant should be a good communicator, offer a hands-on approach, and may have experience in undergraduate, large-class teaching. An undergraduate degree is required; M.Sc. or PhD is preferred. Relevant work experience within the printing industry is desirable. This opportunity will be of interest to those applicants with a desire to be involved in the education and training of the future managers of Canada’s dynamic graphic communications industry.

Fluorescent Print Possible With Stock Xerox Toners
Cautious merchants know that authentic U.S. currency in denominations larger than $10 contains an embedded strip that glows when they hold it under an ultraviolet light. Bills lacking the thread can be identified—and rejected—as counterfeit money. Now scientists at Xerox Corporation have developed a new technology that makes it easier to add that same level of security to any document from a personal cheque to a birth certificate using the same printers found in most print shops.

The innovative security printing method uses a special combination of toners—the “dry ink” used in xerographic printers—to create the secure imprint. Prints from a four-color printer selectively expose the fluorescent properties found within white paper, making it possible to embed personalized printing, hidden security marks or codes that are only visible when exposed to ultraviolet light.

“What amazes people about the new technology is that we can create fluorescent writing on a digital printer without using fluorescent ink,” said Reiner Eschbach, a research fellow in the Xerox Innovation Group and with principal color scientist, Raja Bala, the co-inventor of the patented process. “That means a four-color digital printer can print everything it normally would, and it can simultaneously individualize a document with a fluorescent identifier.”

KODAK VERSAMARK VX5000e System with Enhanced Resolution
Experience image resolution twice that of previous generations of continuous inkjet printheads with the KODAK VERSAMARK VX5000e Printing System. The high resolution system delivers a valuable combination of high quality full-colour print, high productivity, and an affordable cost per page, while supporting a variety of print formats.

The VERSAMARK VX5000e Printing System builds on the proven VERSAMARK VX5000 Printing System. It adds enhanced resolution of 300 x 1200 dpi for improved color quality, clearer images and text, plus sharper barcodes.

“The VERSAMARK VX5000e System enables customers to print a wide variety of applications on the fastest full color production system with unlimited variable content that makes the output documents a more effective marketing tool,” said Ronen Cohen, Vice President, Inkjet Printing Solutions, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. “The VX5000e is yet another improvement to our successful V-Series product line of printers that are equipped with powerful workflow solutions that enable easy integration to the customer’s environment, whether it’s a commercial or data center printer.”

The VERSAMARK VX5000e System can produce a wide variety of high volume applications, including transactional documents, TransPromo documents, direct mail, books, and a variety of print on demand outputs. With a web speed of 328 feet per minute (100 mpm), the VERSAMARK VX5000e System produces high volume output quickly, accurately and cost effectively. Up to 1432 images per minute for U.S. letter size documents and 1348 A4 images per minute can be produced with a 2 up, duplex configuration. In addition, ink drop size is concentrated on the VERSAMARK VX5000e System, resulting in reduced ink consumption.

The VERSAMARK VX5000e is available with the KODAK VERSAMARK CS600 System Controller. The CS600 Controller incorporates an enhanced EFI® FIERY® Digital Front End, providing workflow for applications using PPML-GA, PDF or POSTSCRIPT. The CS600 is based on the FIERY server’s versatile and scaleable architecture and delivers the highest level of performance for producing the most complex documents, ideal for mission critical, high speed, commercial and transactional document production environments. With EFI Variable Data Printing (VDP), color management technology and performance power, a CS600 driven VX5000e is capable of producing 100 percent variable data in process color at full engine speed.

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