Canon is launching PRISMAprepare 6.2, the latest version of its all-in-one, fully integrated document preparation software to streamlines the make-ready process from composition to production.
The company hopes the software will help both in-house and commercial printing professionals by shortening production turnaround times, expanding capabilities, boosting productivity and reducing operational costs.
PRISMAprepare now optimises the productivity capabilities of the high-end Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE devices, the full ranges of Canon varioPrint and Canon imagePRESS and the Océ VarioPrint line-up. It also supports a variety of other colour and black and white production cut-sheet printers.
ErnstJan de Bruin, European & UK product business developer (PRISMA Solutions), said, ‘PRISMAprepare already has a sound reputation in the larger CRD market as a powerful, yet easy-to-use, document make-ready solution. With the new version of the software, we’re introducing features and licensing to address issues faced by graphic arts customers, as well as by smaller CRDs, which enable them to improve turnaround time and production flexibility, while maximising productivity and output quality. The inclusion of the Soft Proof feature alone also makes the software excellent value for money as it gives a level of functionality only otherwise seen in significantly more expensive software packages.’
A new feature of the software is Content Editing, which allows a print service provider (PSP) to easily make last-minute changes to the contents of a document, avoiding the need to send the document back to the customer for re-submission and improving turnaround time.
Using the Content Editing function, the user can make minor changes and corrections to the text, such as amending typographical errors, copy and move graphical PDF (Portable Document Format) objects inside the document and select a bitmap area of a scanned image and copy and move it inside the document. Addressing an issue more specific to the graphic arts market, the function also allows colour adjustment to be applied simultaneously to multiple images, even if on different pages.
The Soft Proof feature, built for saving time, reducing errors and enhancing customer satisfaction, allows users to provide the print buyer with an exact digital preview of the physical document to be printed. A document is prepared for production, media are assigned, page programming is applied and finishing is selected. A PDF file of the prepared document is then generated and sent to the print buyer, who is easily able to check that every detail of the document meets their expectations. If any errors in the prepared document are identified, the buyer can annotate the file and send it back to the PSP for correction. This process provides the print buyer with a much quicker and more convenient method of validating the prepared document pre-production and also reduces paper waste.
Providing improved support for PDF bleed, trim and crop boxes for advanced graphic arts applications, the PDF Boxes feature allows the PSP to preview and create or modify the size and position of the PDF boxes from the PRISMAprepare interface. The system also makes it possible to fill the bleed area with one colour selected from the system colour palette or from the document using the colour picker.
