APPE 3 features a number of enhancements over earlier incarnations, most notably a new RIP architecture, Mercury, which was developed specifically to drive high-speed digital presses.

Mercury features a scalable, parallel-processing framework, which the company said boosted "RIP horsepower and dynamically balances processing loads across available devices".

It can also support continuously streamed PDF and PDF/VT in high-speed environments such as transpromo and high-volume transactional print. According to Adobe, it also renders content in a way to match Reader and Acrobat XI that "ensures predictability and eliminates unwelcome surprises".

Fujifilm has become the first vendor to utilise Mercury architecture, with the launch of v5.5 of its XMF workflow. However, Adobe said that Canon, EFI, Kodak, Screen and Xeikon would also be launching Mercury-powered systems in the coming months.

"With PDF Print Engine 3, Adobe continues to demonstrate our leadership in print – 30 years after launching PostScript and igniting the Desktop Publishing revolution. Faster processing and greater predictability translate directly into higher profits for our partners’ customers: the printers of the world," said Naresh Gupta, senior vice-president of Adobe’s Print and Publishing Business Unit.