Commercially available with immediate effect, the updated programme will be provided automatically to all subscribers running version 5, while new subscribers can sign up for rates starting at around £50 per month for the simplest, single-machine setup at smaller print shops.
On the front-end, PrintFactory Version 6 provides users with a single web-based dashboard interface that allows for control of all aspects in the production process and data-based reporting to identify and rectify inefficiencies in the workflow.
“Customers are getting more print-hungry, so printers need to be able to provide more jobs, which means reducing the setup time,” said PrintFactory chief executive Erik Strik. “Our new suite provides full automation on the desktop and many steps in the process can now be made before it is decided which printer a job will go through.
“I think this is mostly a reaction to the idea of a normalised way of printing becoming more mainstream – printers want consistent output on a job whether it is run today, tomorrow or in half a year and on different presses. The wide-format market used to be satisfied if a job was simply of good quality each time, but now consistency is demanded.
“Our updates will accommodate that consistency every time, everywhere and on every machine. It gives you the tools to make the process even easier.”
PrintFactory Version 6’s dashboard can share quality control reports with print buyers, as well as IDs to trace the real-time status of every job, printer and cutter.
A new resource manager centralises colour profiles on a database to allow easier access and prevent corruption. The software’s Visu MultiColour Engine has been enhanced with a light adjustment tool, cleaner spot functionality and a colour correction plugin to take RGB to multi-channel creation.
Version 6 was tested at two key PrintFactory customers in the UK to make sure it fulfilled the goals its developers had designed it to achieve.
Strik said: “We trialled it with some customers to make sure it could do everything we wanted, and we have been waiting for the right moment to be able to say that. I can now proudly say that people are really enthusiastic about what the new version can do.”
PrintFactory Version 6 also includes a new RIP user interface, the implementation of QR codes to enable end-to-end customer tracking, 64-bit conversion, PSB file format import up to 2GB and support for Mac OS X 10.13.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, PrintFactory’s global reach extends across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Its 30-strong team serves parent company Aurelon and last year turned over around £3m on its own, according to Strik.
