While the company has always worked closely with its OEMs, the Partner Network represents the first similar set-up for third-party developers.
“We’ve been working with partners in a very informal way for many years, but we’re now building a framework that enables more detailed conversations,” said Martin Bailey, Global Graphics chief technology officer.
“We started to realise some time ago that there is a big ecosystem out there around the Harlequin RIP, but that we have a very ad hoc, informal approach to working with it. We realised that by working together a little more formally we could help all the vendors that connect to Harlequin to do it more efficiently and therefore help end-users by ensuring that the products work together as effectively as possible.”
As well as being able to display a Harlequin Partner Network logo, as part of their membership partners will also receive the latest version of Harlequin for lab testing, and regular bulletins on upcoming product developments and announcements from other partners in the network. They will also have some access to the Global Graphics support and product management teams.
Bailey added that Global Graphics would also “reach out” to relevant partners when it’s working on Harlequin developments or features that might benefit from their input.
The first companies to sign up to the initiative include Pageflex, Color-Logic, Ultimate TechnoGraphics, Hamillroad Software, Bodoni Systems, Dynagram and Alwan.
Bailey said that theoretically the Network could end up with hundreds of members, due to the number of products that integrate with Harlequin, but that in reality he expected it to be made up of a “few dozen” initially.
Global Graphics already holds meetings for full OEM vendors at major trade shows, and while there are no immediate plans to replicate this for the Partner Network, Bailey said this could be something that evolves over time.
“It’s not something that we’re necessarily planning, but we’ve seen a development of what you might call ‘co-opetition’ where people work together on areas that are beneficial to both parties and compete in other areas and that actually benefits the industry as a whole, so it could be something for the future.”
