Printing: powered by software

Océ presents workflow solutions for Graphic Arts industry at drupa 2008

Düsseldorf, Germany, May 31 — Printing would be inconceivable without software. Even in offset, the entire production is reliant on functioning IT workflows. The more offset and digital printing converge in commercial print operations, the more important it becomes for print management software to support both printing methods. At drupa 2008 Océ is presenting its latest PRISMA software suite, an architected family of workflow solutions that deliver everything that Graphic Arts professionals need, including solutions for hybrid workflows.

With around 30 years’ experience and close on 4,000 installed systems, Océ is one of the top three global providers of software solutions for efficient, fully automated workflows. In the high volume transaction market, Océ is the indisputable market leader for output management systems. “Of course, these years of expertise also work to the benefit of our Graphic Arts customers who are building a digital print operation to complement their classic offset business and wish to deploy the two printing techniques to maximum efficiency,” says Peter Wolff, Vice President Graphic Arts at Océ.

Hybrid workflow with Océ PRISMA

The personalized communication trend is gathering pace, and run lengths of books and booklets are continuing to shrink – driving up the proportion of overall print volumes which are printed digitally. However, running a traditional offset-print operation concurrently with digital print infrastructure is inefficient and expensive for customers if the two printing processes each have to be controlled by separate workflows. Rerouting isolated print jobs from one platform to the other is immensely time-consuming –
and immensely prone to errors.

This is where the hybrid workflow comes in: a workflow that drives the different printing methods via a common platform and process chain. The choice of which printing method to use does not have to be made until the end of the process chain, rather than at the very beginning. A workflow like this delivers a range of benefits to print service providers: systems are operated via a unified graphical user interface (GUI), from a single point of control. Operators do not have to switch constantly between different paradigms and working methods, and remain completely flexible in terms of how jobs are processed. “It takes considerable expertise and skill to build a workflow like this and adapt it to the print provider’s individual processes,” says Peter Wolff. “Océ has years of experience in analyzing business processes and implementing custom-designed process chains. We are delighted to put this expertise at the service of commercial printers who are poised to begin deploying offset and digital printing flexibly as equal and complementing tools.”

The Océ PRISMA software suite is the enabler for configuring hybrid workflows. The various software modules in the suite can be integrated with minimal extra effort into existing workflows, regardless of whether the user works in a Xerox or IBM environment, or operates an offset workflow. Users at all times retain total control over their fully automated workflows – from easy creation of variable documents to distribution of jobs between printing systems right through to digital archiving. “We partner with numerous software manufacturers, meaning we can more or less dock into existing systems,” says Peter Wolff. “Customers gain all the benefits of a hybrid workflow without having to make any fundamental changes.”

Modular, flexible, user-friendly

The Océ PRISMA software suite is modular and can be extended step by step. Featuring the ability to integrate into existing workflows and also control other makes of printing system, the Océ PRISMA software suite can be engineered as the vital heartbeat of the print center, even controlling operations across multiple sites for added flexibility and performance. The entire workflow can be directed from a single workstation via an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) – which means a flatter learning curve and substantially less training.

Among the key partners of the Océ software portfolio are Adobe for advanced RIP technology, Creo for digital front end systems in the Graphic Arts market, Pantone Color Systems for high quality color printing, GMC for flexible, comprehensive document creation, and Press-Sense as a leader in e-business solutions (InfoTrends Study “E-Enablement – The Future of Graphic Communications”).
“We join our own expertise with the standards of other leading manufacturers,” explains Peter Wolff. “Our cooperation with Pantone Color Systems, for instance, is specially significant to our customers in the Graphic Arts industry, because this is a market where color accuracy plays a key role.”

Océ software island at drupa 2008

 The software island will be in a central position at the Océ drupa stand (Hall 6, Stand A44). At a total of 12 workstations, Océ is demonstrating every process step in modern print production workflows: document creation, scan and make-ready using Océ Document Designer and Océ DocSetter, and web-to-print and soft-proofing solutions with Océ PRISMAweb and Océ TrueProof. We are also showcasing central output management solutions which can be customized to fit the challenges of any environment – for midsize printshops powered by Océ PRISMAaccess / PRISMAprepare and for medium and high volume production printing with Océ PRISMAspool and Océ PRISMAproduction. With all the workstations being networked, visitors can check out the entire workflow from the point the order is submitted through to production.

The keynote international tradeshow of the print and media industry takes place from 29 May to 11 June in Düsseldorf. For more information about Océ at drupa 2008, please visit www.drupa.oce.com.

About Océ

Océ is one of the world’s leading providers of document management and printing for professionals. The broad Océ offering includes office printing and copying systems, high speed digital production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and color display graphics. Océ is also a foremost supplier of document management outsourcing. Many of the Fortune Global 500 companies and leading commercial printers are Océ customers. The company was founded in 1877. With headquarters in Venlo, The Netherlands, Océ is active in over 90 countries and employs some 24,000 people worldwide. Total revenues in 2007 amounted to € 3.1 billion. Océ is listed on Euronext in Amsterdam. For more information on Océ, visit www.oce.com.  
 
For further information, please contact:

Océ Printing Systems GmbH
Press and Public Relations
Ralf Kastner
Tel. +49 81 21 – 72 37 79
Fax +49 81 21 – 72 33 99
ralf.kastner@oce.com