Offering print providers a platform to help achieve automation through process efficiency and optimization of digital print investments, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today introduced a new version of PRISMAproduction; a high-performance workflow and production management platform.
Complementing PRISMAproduction, Canon also launched PRISMAsimulate Ultra enabling digital layout proofing, ink estimation and production simulation features for graphic arts and business communication applications for maximized profitability and minimized waste. (Note: In line with market demands for more automation and against a backdrop of increasing resource costs, PRISMAsimulate Ultra is offered as a subscription-based business model so that no major investment is required for customers upfront.)
PRISMAproduction supports automation and integration of data input and conversation—and pre-press and production management—in a single platform to assist customers in achieving workflow efficiencies across their digital print platforms. Improved pre-press capabilities rank among the numerous enhancements, affording customers flexibility for handling a variety of file types such as PDF, AFP, line data, PCL, Postscript, PPML, LCDS, RDO, and VIPP.
As print jobs continue to become increasingly complex, print file sizes are also growing. The new capabilities of PRISMAproduction include tools to allow better data optimization to run any web-fed and sheetfed inkjet and toner presses at full speed, even for extremely large PDF files such as commercial photo applications. This not only helps maximize the throughput of the workflow and postal optimization, as appropriate, but also helps ensure that even the fastest of printers can achieve the highest level of productivity.
The new version of PRISMAproduction runs on SLES, (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server) addressing high security standards by working to improve separation between the application software and the operating system and enhance user management.
PRISMAsimulate Ultra, a successor to TrueProof, is designed to assist print providers with increased predictability to reduce make-ready times through an on-site application delivering by ink estimation, proofing and workflow simulation.
PRISMAsimulate Ultra offers two independent optional modules when purchased with a PRISMAsimulate Ultra Server:
- The Universal PDF Estimator offers customers detailed ink consumption reports for Canon’s web fed inkjet presses, enabling quick and accurate quotations to be produced for print buyers without having to print the file first, to help save both time and resources. It supports the comparison of pre- and post-calculations against actual ink and media consumption, and the production of valuable management data for further optimization of quotations and ink-related settings. Print operators can also easily create reports with detailed estimates of the ink and media consumption based on engine-specific data. The intuitive reports can be automatically or manually exported as PDF or CSV files to allow further processing in other management applications.
- The Printer Simulation Packages, offered in combination with PRISMAproduction, provides layout proofing and production simulation for web fed inkjet and selected toner presses to help ensure first-time-ready prints by checking the layout, registration and printability of each file before printing. This is useful for print providers when growing their applications portfolio so they can avoid trial and error, which takes up valuable printing time. Alongside seamlessly integrating it into the customer production workflow with PRISMAproduction, it can help customers save resources, cost and waste.
“It is important that print businesses have the ability to respond quickly and efficiently to meet challenges regarding process optimization, shorter run lengths, increasing productivity demands and the shortage of skilled labor,” said Shinichi “Sam” Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager of Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Both PRISMAproduction and PRISMAsimulate Ultra bring key benefits that address these pressures and can result in in elevated efficiencies, optimized business growth potential, and a strategy to maximize digital investments into the future.”
The new generation of PRISMAproduction is expected to be available to customers in the United States in Q4 2022 while PRISMAsimulate Ultra will be available to ship to customers in the US in Q1 2023.
—Press Release
