!0 ~ ); ~ f7
`
`EYBOLD
`
`Jt._eport on Publishing Systems
`
`Volume 26, Number 20
`ISSN: 0736-7260
`July2l, 1997
`
`0
`
`•
`o.
`
`45 Xeikon signs PrimeSource.
`PrimeSourcc, one ofd1e nation's
`largest graphic arts dealers, has been
`rapped ro target commercial plint(cid:173)
`crs. Adding d1is to Xerox, IBM and
`Agfu sales efforts, Xeikon should
`soon discover whether the market is
`truly ready for digital presses.
`46 IP to sellAnitec, HorseU. Inter(cid:173)
`national Paper will sell $1 billion in
`nonstrategic assets, including its
`imaging businesses. No word yet on
`rumored buyers Kodak and Konica.
`46 Analysis of Apple's dilemma.
`Pete Dyson provides insight into the
`dcpanurc of Amelio and I Iancock
`:tnd Jobs' expanded role.
`47 Newspapers come back to life.
`Judging from the activity at Nexpo,
`d1e newspaper community has put
`the lmemcr on hold and is im esting
`in new equipment and systems(cid:173)
`p:trtJy over fears of year 2000
`troubles.
`
`48 Creo releases financlals. In
`response to rumors prompted by
`the Heidelberg deal, privately held
`Creo has rclc.:ased financi:tl infOrma(cid:173)
`tion. ln addition, Heidelberg USA
`,viJJ sell the rest of the Creo line.
`48 Scitc.x to help build graphics network
`49 NPES offers workflow market study
`50 Guide ro Publishing Sysrc.ms debuts
`
`2 Comments from our readCJ:s
`2 Installations: Krause, Mediasystemcn
`50 People: Scitcx, Kodak, Gerber, Grit~
`Pol:troid, Interleaf, CAP, Howtck,
`Konica, Fun1reTcnsc
`51 Briefly: Grif, Konrron, Tech Serv(cid:173)
`ices, Heidelberg, Agfu., Linotype(cid:173)
`Hell, Artifex, Pira, T /R, Fujifilm,
`PMA, ALAP, Sci rex
`52 Financial news: Dainippon Screen,
`lnterlcaf, Artwork Systems, Adobe,
`T /R Systems, Augment
`
`www.seyboldreport.com
`
`Imprinta '97, Part II
`Digital Presses, Scanners &
`ltnagesetters Vie with CTP
`
`THERE WAS a lot more at 1m prima than the Gil' and dry film reponed in our l:.tSt issue.
`Digital presses, imagcscners and color proofers also showed advances at rhc exhibi(cid:173)
`tion. New digital presses fi·om Xcikon, Indigo and Nipson were fean1red. The show
`also had an incredible assortment of variable-data printing systems, with new high-end
`entries from Barco, Indigo and Scitex and low-end producrs from Atlas and Visutech .
`The highlight for color proofing systems was advances in l:lalftonc proofcrs that usc
`the acmal processes that image the printing plates.
`[n spite of the focus on Gil' and digital presses, film imageseners remained \'i(cid:173)
`brant, 'vitl1 tltrec vendors introducing 40,000+ q>m spinners for internal-drum ma(cid:173)
`chines and capstan machines achieving higher-quality results. Meanwhile, digital
`processes have made it imperati\'e to bring aU output processes into a single main
`workflow and to strt"3.1lllim: tl1e eftort, where several vendors are malting progress.
`On the input side, drum scanners and high-end ceo devices are figl1ting for mar(cid:173)
`ket share. Five new ceo devices were announced either at Tmprinta or immediately
`prior. Highlights included dot-for-dot scanning, ~scanning and vertical drum scan
`ning. Two new high-end digital cameras also made their debut at tl1e show.
`Nex1: issue we'll conclude our lmpri.nta coverage witl1 large-fonnat devices, com(cid:173)
`position, color managcmt.:nt tools, newspaper sysrems :tnd communication.
`
`Special thanks to three of our new European correspondents who contributed to this
`1ssue: Kurt Wolf, Menno MooiJ and laurel Brunner.
`
`Digital presses
`3 DuPont
`3 Fuji film
`Canon
`lmation
`Indigo
`4
`5 Ko,hk
`Nipson
`l,olnroid
`6
`Occ
`Scitc.(
`6 Prcsstck
`7 Scitcx
`Sofhn
`7 TO)'O lnk
`T/RSystcnu.
`7 Silver Reed
`Xcikon
`9 Gravure
`Vn ri trbll! dtrtn
`9 MDC
`Agf.l
`10 Ohio Electronic
`Atla.~ Software
`10 RIP&Jwoddlow
`B:m:o Grophia
`II Adobe
`Indigo
`11 Asm
`Scitex
`12 AJI
`IUM
`13 Barco Graphics
`Visutcch
`&ita on-pros imngi119 I 4 Best
`15 Dul'om
`Color proo&.ng
`15 BCR.M
`Crco
`
`24 Xitron
`15 &cher·Gr.1d
`15 FFEI
`25 Scanners
`26 Agfu
`15 Gerber
`26 Danagrnf
`16 Grnphic.~ lntgr.
`16 Harlequin
`26 Epson
`Z7 Eurocorc
`15 Heidelberg
`27 FPEI
`16
`ICG
`27 Heidelberg
`17 Krause
`17 Liischcr
`28 Howtc:k
`28
`18 Mono type
`ICG
`28 Oprronia
`18 Polaroid
`28 Purup-Eskofot
`18 Polychrome
`19 Pre Press Solution~ 28 PVD
`20
`30 Scm View
`l'urup· ~kofot
`20 Sc3ngrnphic
`32 Scitcx
`22 Scan View
`33
`l."ccs:t
`22 Scitcx
`34 Digit41 cnmerns
`22 St:mtc:ch
`34 Dicomed
`23 Ultrc
`35 Lcic:a
`23 Unibrnin
`35 San View
`
`35
`36
`39
`39
`39
`40
`40
`41
`41
`41
`42
`42
`42
`42
`43
`43
`44
`44
`44
`44
`
`© 199- b)· ."><:rbolrf l'ubluntinm, PO &x (H-i, .ll.:din, 1'11 Jt;()(tJ, plmn.· (b/015o.'i-2·1h'll.
`Re-production ill wiJolr or 111 pnrt wuiJour wrin(IJ prrmmum u pn,IJibitrd.
`
`

`

`Volume 26, Number 20
`
`The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
`
`RIPs, Imagesetters and Workflow
`
`IN SPITE OF THE focus on computer-to-plate imaging and the ad(cid:173)
`vent of real capabilities in variable-data printing on digital presses,
`the bellwether of the imaging market- the film imagesetter-
`re(cid:173)
`mains a source of vibrant activity. We noted a few developments in
`this field, most of which arc continuations of earlier trends.
`
`Faster spinners for drums. Where it once had been thought
`that 30,000 rpm was about as fust as a motor could spin as it
`d eflected a laser beam along an in1aging path, three vendors intro(cid:173)
`duced imagescttcrs in the 40,000-rpm range, as shown in this chart.
`
`Supplier and model
`
`New Generation of High-Speed, Internal-Drum Imagers
`Spin motor
`Speed in
`Maximum
`Price not
`speed, rpm
`sq."/min.
`image area
`incl. RIP
`(1,270 dpi)
`886
`982
`968
`
`h)'!t>""'~"' on peoe.s 3 a •: conleins Germ en leXL
`Nil send In missing peges 7 a e by t~m«ro~ eontect SeN!:$
`If noti'lg ha3 errl\ed a112.
`
`Job ticket. Agfa's Apogee system supports job tickets such as this one,
`displayed at Imprinta. It uses seven tabs across the top to divide the job
`information into topics-<:ustomer information, pages, imposition, trap(cid:173)
`ping, RIP, etc. Note the large amount of space at the bottom for adding
`comments. Job tickets arc part of Adobe's specification for PostScript 3.
`
`Meanwhile, Purup-Eskofot has entered the capstan market wid1
`a product that could have a significant impact. The Marvel is the
`narrowest of the new capstan machines at 12.2", but it also is d1e
`lowest in price-and the pticc differential is far from small At a
`'
`'
`'
`price of $20 ,000, including a 5D Jaws RIP, it offers modern tech-
`no logy at an affordable ptice.
`
`Dry film. As noted in o ur last issue, dry film appears ready for a real
`test. I t has advanced well beyond d1c technology stage to be hown
`in real products. ("We could ship this machine to a customer," one
`of d1c companies told us, refening to the machine demonstrated in
`d1c bood1.) Dry film was demo nstrated in too many places to cow1t,
`involving Imation, Scitcx, ECRM, U lu-e, Screen, Konica, Kodak,
`Heidclberg-Li.notype-HcU, Polaro id , Gerber and Creo, wid1 high -
`resolution film, and Agfu with a lower-resolutio n versio n ai med more
`at newspaper applications. (For fitll details, see ou.t· last issue.)
`
`RIPs feature workflow. In the fi·ont-end portion of dlis mar-
`kct, workflow continues to grow in impo rtance as the world be-
`
`19
`
`Agfa Avantra 25XT
`Purup Eskofot Maestro/NP
`Scan View DotMate 7500Pius
`
`45,000
`48,000
`42,000
`
`17.7"x25" $74,500
`16"x26"
`$77,600
`24"x29.5" $107,000
`
`Higher quality for capstan machines. While the drum ma(cid:173)
`chines arc going fuster, in the capstan field, the two largest suppli(cid:173)
`ers to the OEM market-ECRM and U ltrc-introduccd new
`machines that focus more on quality and versatility than on speed:
`• ECfu\11 unveiled its Mako Line, whose maximum speed of 21"
`per minute (at 1,000 dpi ) is nothing to wtitc ho me about, but
`whose resolutio n of 3,556 and its usc of a vatiable spot arc ctiti(cid:173)
`cal charactctistics fo r quality work.
`• U ltrc's new 5400 comes in a single, 96-pica model, also with
`enhanced quality and with a nice film-loading feature for user
`convenience. It speed is about the sam e as that of the top-of(cid:173)
`the-Line Mako unit.
`Both ECRM and U ltrc have given tlcxibilit:y to their products
`by enabling the same machine to support bo d1 wet and dry film.
`
`Capstan lmagesetters: Some of the Options
`Maximum Speed in "/min.
`Price incl. RIP
`@ 1,000 dpi
`width
`12.2"
`21 "
`14"
`10.5"
`14"
`21 "
`8. 7" (1 ,200 dpi)
`1 2.2"
`14"
`10.4"
`16"
`25.4"
`12"
`20.8"
`12"
`10.4"
`14"
`1 5" (1 ,200 dpi)
`24"
`13.3"
`47.2"
`13.3"
`
`Purup·Eskofot Marvel
`ECRM Mako 3600
`ECRM Mako 3650
`ECRM VR30
`ECRM VR36
`Ultre 5400
`Ultre 3000
`Ultre 72E
`Agfa AccuSet 1 000
`PrePress Panther
`Pre Press Pa ntherPro
`
`$20,000
`$32,000
`$38,500
`$21,500
`$29,500
`$38,000
`$28,800
`$22,000
`$39,600
`$25,000
`$34,995
`
`

`

`July 21, 1997
`
`The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
`
`Taipan preview. The preview of a file on the Taipan R.IP can show mul(cid:173)
`tiple pages of a job at the same time or multiple views of the same page
`in different sizes and resolutions. A file can be previewed by color or as
`a composite, and the view can be enlarged to show halftone dots.
`
`comes increasingly digital. It has become imperative that all phases
`of the output process be brought .into one main workflow, includ(cid:173)
`ing the basic ftmctions of imposition, trapping, proofing and correc(cid:173)
`tion cycles. One of the issues here is whether PDF is an appropriate
`format for the entire process. While support is growing for PDF in
`this role-a PDF workflow was a key element in Agfa's booth-it
`is agreed that better tools are needed for working with PDF files.
`In conjunction wid1 incorporating all ftmctions within the
`workflow, efforts are being made to streamline the process. A
`good example is to enable jobs to be RJJ>'ed only once and out(cid:173)
`put as rnany times as are necessary on a variety of devices-proof
`printers, film and plate imagers, etc. One of the keys to this de(cid:173)
`velopment is the ability to downsample and descreen files for use
`at different resolutions for proofing. (Proofing is covered later.)
`Related to the workflow issue is the development of data trans(cid:173)
`mission facilities to support remote printing.
`
`Harlequin-Adobe battle waning? Don't look now, but there
`may be a ttuce in the offing in the hist01ic battle between Adobe
`and Harlequin over RIP loyalties. It appears that offering customers
`a choice of a Harlequin or an Adobe RIP is becoming the norm for
`imagesetter suppliers. The latest to do so include Fuji, Escher-Grad
`andAutologic Information International. Not yet in the fold is Agfu.
`
`Adobe focuses on PostScript 3 partners
`
`There was no further news about PostScript 3 since its formal
`introduction at the Seybold show in New York. That is, there was
`no announcement of public availability of the specification, although
`Agfa announced the release of its Taipan AX PostScript 3 Ril'. That
`and other products are covered under their respective companies.
`It was interesting to note around the show floor how many
`RIP suppliers are advertising their ability to handle PDF files.
`
`Agfa debuts Apogee and fast Avantra
`
`Agfu had a big booth-so big that it was coded by color to help
`visitors find the areas for specific applications: commercial printing
`(CTP, proofing and PDF workflows), newspapers (crP), flexo and
`packaging, desktop (including fonts), digital imaging (including
`color management), design (layout and digital photography) and
`services. We covered Cfp products in our last issue, including d1e
`new Galileo platesetter for commercial markets and the Po lads 100
`for newspaper production.
`Elsewhere iJ1 the booth, the newest items were a Publishing
`Production System called Apogee, which Agfa is developing around
`the PDF file format; the high-speed Avantt·a 25XT internal-drum
`in1agesetter aimed at the newspaper market; a new thrust il1 ink-jet
`printing, built arow1d the Atlas drum-technology recorder and new
`imaging media; tl1e T8000 high-resolution CCD scanner; and a
`dry-film imager developed cooperatively \vith Oyo Instnunents,
`which was covered in our last issue. Those items will be covered in
`their respective sections of tlus re\~ew.
`
`20
`
`Agfa also reported tl1at its Graphic Systems Business Group,
`which generates almost half of tl1e revenues of the Agfu-Gevaert
`Group, showed a 4.4% increase in mrnover in its first four months
`this year. For 1996, d1e increase was 33%, but the increase resulted
`prin1arily from the acquisition of the Hoechst plate business.
`
`Apogee. Agfu formally unveiled an early '~ew of how its fumre
`workflow wiU look. The view is based on the PDF file format and
`the Apogee Publisl1ing Production System. Apogee includes tl1ree
`main software modules for controllli1g workflow: the Pilot Pro(cid:173)
`duction Manager for mruugi.ng the early stages of the production
`process; a PDF-compatible RIP for mru1aging the functions that
`happen \vithin tl1e RIP; and the PrintDrive Output Manager for
`controllli1g the output process.
`Agfa is basing its workflow strategy on PDF for several reasons,
`including its compacmess, its object orientation, its device ru1d page
`independence, its support for job tickets, its editability, its produc(cid:173)
`tion dependability and predictability, and its applicability to serve
`as a digital master for producing documents for multiple media.
`
`Job-ticket approach. The focus of tl1e demonstration was on
`the job ticket, which provides a tab-style user interface to lead the
`operator through tl1e various steps of me workflow (see illustration).
`The job ticket, which includes seven tabs, starts witl1 informa(cid:173)
`tion about tl1e customer, where Agfa provides a large area for typ(cid:173)
`ing in conm1ents. Anotl1er tab hru1dles tl1e contents of a publication,
`where documents or pages can be dragged from one area on the
`screen to anotl1er to build a document.
`Otl1er tabs set up imposition, trapping (see below), !UP tearu1·es
`(screening, resolution, color management, etc.), previewing (where
`the dot strucmre can be demonstrated by zooming the view) and
`system backup. To demonstrate in1position, Agfu 6sed a version of
`tl1e ScenicSoft Preps progran1 within the PDF workflow. Agfu also
`uses IPT technology for its PDF-OPI function.
`
`'.Irapping. Trapping .is set up and controlled through a two-level
`user inter£1ce: one for general-purpose and one for advanced use.
`The u-apping softwru·e, based on technology Adobe obtained when
`
`

`

`Volume 26, Number 20
`
`The Seybold Report on Publishing Systems
`
`'The fast get faster. Agfa has again increased the speed of irs Avantra
`25. This time the new model is called the Avantra 25XT. From the ourside,
`it looks the same as other Avantra 25 machin es, but inside it has some
`key features aimed at newspaper markers, including more and lower
`resolutions and additional flexibility in irs head and tail punching capa(cid:173)
`bilities.
`
`it acquired Trap Wise, provides global and zonal parameters. Glo(cid:173)
`bal parameters support independent values for the standard and
`black widths used to trap. The operator can override the global
`values. To change them, the operator accesses the PDF editor.
`
`Editing. Agfa demonstrated Enfocus's PitS top as one of the first
`products enabling editing of PDF files, although in its current guise
`you wouldn't want to do more than tL1inlinal editing with it. For
`example, in editing text, if text is added to a line to cause it to
`extend beyond its original margin, no automatic adjustment is
`possible. The user has to insert returns manually to break the line
`at the appropriate location. This is certainly better than not being
`able to edit at all, but for extensive editing, it will pay to go back
`to the main application. Similarly, v.rith early versions of PitStop
`(and other such products), there are database issues that haven't
`been addressed. Any changes made to tl1e text on a PDF page are
`not reflected back in tl1e database. As PDF evolves into a standard
`file format for sophisticated workfiows-which appears likely-we
`expect to see significant in1provements in editing capabilities.
`
`Apogee PrintDrive. An1ong the features of tl1e PrintDrive out(cid:173)
`put manager are the ability to store rasterized files on disk in com(cid:173)
`pressed form for reuse later; automatic purging of stored files at
`user-specified time intervals; automatic queuing, which allows files
`to be rastetized al1ead of time and output later based on a time
`schedule or according to media type or width; the ability to take
`data fi·om multiple RIPs, including any Level 2 or 3 Agfa RIP pro(cid:173)
`duced in the last five years; and support for HP D esignJet printers
`for proofing. When high-resolution files are output on a 300- or
`600-dpi HP printer, tl1ey are descreened and subsampled to tl1e
`DesignJet's resolution, rather d1ru1 being rasterized again at tl1e
`printer's resolution, which saves time.
`
`PDF, PostScript 3 and Alpha: the lllP fron t. Agfa is n<ms(cid:173)
`forming its RIP line as it places greater emphasis on PDF and
`PostScript 3. The products in tl1e revised f:'Uni.ly will appear at dif(cid:173)
`ferent intervals as developments proceed. All are based on Adobe
`interpreter software and all have been developed in conjunction
`v.ritl1 Adobe.
`• The Apogee PDP RJ.P will serve as a system RJ P in PDF workfiows.
`It rastetizes PDF as well as PostScript 3 and Level 2 files. Besides
`performing RIP functions in a PDF workflow, it supports the fimc(cid:173)
`ti.onality of traditional RIPS- screen preview, remote client inter(cid:173)
`faces, buffering, etc. It runs o n a DEC Alpha under NT.
`• There are two Taipan RIPS running under NT and serving as
`stand-alone RIPs. Botl1 support d1e same basic functionality, but
`there are some key differences. The high-end one, called the
`Taipan AX, v.ril.l be available from the outset only as a PostScript
`3 RIP ru1d will be available only btmd.led v.ritl1 a 500-MHz DEC
`Alpha platform, running under NT. (Agfu claimed that the Taipru1
`AX was the first PostScript 3 RIP to be released to tl1e market.
`Initial shipments were scheduled to take place in 30-45 days.)
`• The otl1er Taipan RIP is the current version of tl1e original one,
`now called Taipan 2.0, which also runs w1der 1'-'T, but it runs on
`a Pentiun1 Pro platform and is available eitl1er bundled v.rith hru·d-
`
`ware or as sofi:wru·e only. Taipru12.0 is a Level2 RIP, but it should
`support PostScript 3 this full, Agfu says.
`The newest features for these RIPs include remote access to
`d1e RIP from Macs or PCS, enabling remote users to monitor RIP
`activity regarding job status and imagesetter settings, as wel.l as to
`preview jobs using tl1e new preview function. Also new is a Raster
`Data Buffer, which saves jobs in raster format on tl1e RIP's disk ru1d
`separates the RIP process from the imaging process, enabling a job
`to be rastetized in advru1Ce ru1d output to filri1 or plate later.
`Agfa hasn't abandoned d1e Macintosh, which has been its best(cid:173)
`selling RIP platform in recent years. It will be updated to PostScript 3.
`
`Avantra 25XT. Already fast, the Avantra 25 internal-drum
`imagesetter now nms faster thru1 ever witl1 a 45,000-rpm spinner
`motor. As noted in the inu·oduction to dl.is section, the Avantra
`25A'T, as tl1e taster model is called, is one of three new imagesetters
`•vitl1 motors tl1at spill taster than 40,000 rpm.
`Agfa has done more tl1ru1 merely make a taster in1ager. It has
`tailored tl1e macl1ine to the newspaper market, where speed is criti(cid:173)
`cal ru1d where Agfa's chief film-imaging device, d1e AccuSer, isn't
`as £1st as many competirors.
`With this in mind, Agfa is offering a lower resolution to
`maximize speed. New is 900 dpi, in addition to 1,270 and 2 ,540
`dpi, which are ru11ong the most commonly used resolutions ill
`newspaper work, ald1ough they ru·en't offered by Agfa's standard
`imagers. T he 25XT also supports 1 ,200, 1 ,270, 1,800 and 2,400,
`but not 3,600, which is offered by tl1e Avanua 25S for commercial
`cusromers. Agfa says d1e 25XT will produce more than 60 full-size
`flats per hour. To keep up vvid1 tl1e fast imaging, the maclune in(cid:173)
`cludes two supply cassettes. Also new is more flexible pw1ehing,
`key for newspaper work. It offers customizable head and tail punches.
`
`Wider A~Set. Witl1out having to come up with a new ma(cid:173)
`chllle, Agfa has ''ridened its capstrul-tec.llllOlogy AccuSer in1agesetter
`"vidth to reach a new market: 14.5" format for B3-size jobs. The
`original model, whic.l1 continues in tl1e product line, images sligbdy
`less tl1ru1 14". Two models support the new -..vi.dth: the AccuSer
`Plus 1000W (original speed) and the 1500W (high-speed).
`
`21
`
`