The Cambridge-based company said the product would benefit users of digital devices with speeds of 50-60ppm as well as  small-format offset presses. It will ship to Global Graphics’ OEM partners over the next few months. Some are expected to incorporate the server with products at Drupa 2008.

XPS is a graphics architecture developed by Microsoft or Windows Vista. Global Graphics has been working with the format since 2003 after Microsoft selected the company to provide “consulting and proof of concept” development services on the XPS.

It means that the RIP provides faster processing speeds as there is no conversion to an intermediary
format. Multi-threaded rendering helps to remove RIP bottlenecks.

Global Graphics chief technology officer Martin Bailey said: “Some of our OEMs have been moving to XPS and others have been thinking about how they want to use it. But this is revolutionary stuff. At the moment, we expect it to go into small print shops, but there is potential to go into other spaces.”

The Harlequin+ Server RIP also includes improvements for variable-data handling.

The process is speeded up because backgrounds can be rendered once. At present, RIPs render every page of background on a docu­ment, as well as the personalised text.

Paul Collins, Global Graphics product manager for RIP technologies, added: “Everyone in the print industry needs to think about the impact XPS may have on their business.”

• Global Graphics scooped a PIA/GATF Intertech Tech­nology award at last week’s Graph Expo show in Chicago, for its font emulation in Harlequin RIP.