"We wanted to provide a platform that could educate printers about digital signage within their own facilities and get the tools in their hands so that they can figure it out," said Caldera vice president of marketing Sebastien Hanssens. "We see it as a great tool."

The software interacts with Caldera’s RIP to disaplay data including daily square metres produced, productivity of each printer and the job queue. The display can be fed to up to five screens, including a mix of large flat panel displays and tablets, such as the iPad. Those screens can be positioned anywhere within the printer’s factory or viewed remotely.

"Our customers told us that they wanted a more visible monitoring solution that would enable them to be more proactive in driving efficiency," said Caldera chief executive Joseph Mergui.

A PrintBoard package including software and hardware costs €995 and requires version 9.10 RIP software.

Printers wanting to add digital signage to their range of services can pay an additional €495 to upgrade the system to Caldera’s Variable Display media player. Variable Display supports unlimited content feeds, playlists, content management and RSS feeds, to enable a basic digital signage solution.

"Variable Display is very easy for the printer to use," said Hanssens. "Digital signage is not the enemy for print, as many printers believe, it can be a friend. We believe there are great opportunities for combining print with digital signage, such as putting printed graphics around monitors – a TV screen on its own is boring."