Caldera is a French software developer that has carved out a niche in the market for RIPs for wide-format digital printing. Over time, it expanded its offering from a RIP to a workflow, offering colour management and tools for driving cutters as well as printers with its ReproShop, GrandRip+ and SnapRip+ products. Unlike the commercial print market, wide-format has been slow to adopt workflow tools, even though the nature of most of the work - short runs; high substrate and ink costs relative to the total value of the job; and demand for quick turnarounds - suggests the sector would have much to benefit from them. And there's also been a similarly slow uptake of MIS, or as Caldera prefers to call it, "business workflow".
Caldera aims to change that with Flow+, which extends the company's production expertise into the administrative and business processing aspects of business.
"Our clients were looking for a product to better manage their businesses," says Caldera vice president of marketing and communication Sébastien Hannsens. "Most RIP vendors want to develop their workflow tools. Flow+ is unique because it adds business workflow."
Some wide-format printers have opted for a generic enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. A few do have a print MIS, but not one tailored to wide-format digital. Some commentators believe the problem with trying to use a general print MIS for wide-format is that they aren't configured to handle the specifics of the sector. Hannsens says that the majority of firms he's spoken to built something themselves using an off-the-shelf package, such as FileMaker or Microsoft Excel.
Outside influence
"Most of the potential clients for Flow+ have an in-house-developed system," he says. "But if everyone develops their own software, no one benefits from each others' knowledge or requirements. With Flow+, we can add a feature that one or two people have asked for and everyone can benefit."
Another problem that is cited for going the bespoke route is that, with wide-format firms being small - the majority having less than 10 staff - there isn't likely to be the in-house skills to develop and maintain a system based on Excel or Filemaker, if there is, it's an expensive overhead that most cannot afford in the current economic climate.
He explains that the nature of most wide-format work, and the businesses that produce it, are significantly different from sheetfed work, hence the need for a dedicated package such as Flow+.
"In wide format, it's more complicated, it's very short runs but as part of a project," he says. "Flow+ is totally tailored to this sort of business."
Multiple outputs
A project might include the same graphics used for a range of different outputs - a poster, a vehicle wrap, a hoarding and some POS - that are likely to involve multiple sizes and substrates along with a variety of finishing processes.
Flow+ sits on top of Caldera's RIP and workflow products, which Hannsens claims is unique.
"Ours is the only product that is integrated with the RIP," he says. "When you RIP a file, you generate a lot of production information, including the output size, the ink coverage and, therefore, the materials cost. All of that is embedded in the ripped file."
Using the stock control module data from the RIP, it can be established if you have enough of the right stock to produce the job.
At the moment, Flow+ works most effectively with other Caldera products, which somewhat limits its appeal and flexibility. Hannsens adds that customers, who often run a mixture of RIPs for different output devices, have asked to be able to work with other vendors' RIPs, but the integration is limited without rivals publishing an appropriate interface.
This may become an important issue as more and more wide-format printer vendors bundle their own RIPs with the machines. While some firms may chose to opt for a single RIP and workflow platform, and in Caldera's ideal world it would be one of its products, the reality is that many firms will have different RIPs driving a range of printers.
Flow+ is suitable for a range of different sized operations, ranging from small five-people operations up to firms spread across multiple sites that employ hundreds. It also supports the full range of wide-format digital kit, including roll-to-roll, flatbed and hybrid machines running aqueous, solvent and UV inks. It's also suitable for a range of final applications, and Hannsens cites a recent flurry of interest from the fine art and photographic sectors.
"As soon as there are multiple sales people in the business, you really need Flow+," he says. "We provide a tool for owner managers, who may well be doing the majority of sales themselves, so they always have a grip on production and inventory. They also need to know about what margin they are making and to understand their businesses and the workflow."
Multiple modules
The modules are: Job Tracker, which provides an overview of production and is linked to the RIP for job preparation and monitoring; Sales Manager, for managing quotes, invoices, delivery notes, production costs and price lists; Client Service, for organising customer accounts, handling outwork and delivery; Stock Control, to manage supplier and suppliers; Finance Viewer, which provides integration with third-party accounts packages and reporting; and the User Machines module handles the administration of the whole system - both users and machines. There is also a degree of web-to-print functionality included.
"We didn't include accounting because it's so different country by country and also no one asked for it," he says.
One recently added module is Flow+ Mobility, which makes remote access possible. It enables users to check sales, production, finishing, logistics and accounting while out of the office. Initially, it is supported on the Archos internet tablet, a Google Android-powered portable device that can use Wi-Fi and 3G to access the internet. Caldera is also working on an iPhone application.
The package is offered in two versions, Gold and Platinum, which differ in the number of users and machines they support. The €9,000 (£7,810) Gold package supports up to 10 users and five machines and the €18,000 Platinum version supports up to 20 users and 10 machines. Beyond those numbers, if you need additional seats Caldera sells them in bundles of three for €2,000
So far the firm has installed the system at 20 sites in countries such as France, North America, Canada and Germany, although it wasn't able to reveal the details of any UK sites.
Although it claims to be the only truly wide-format specific system, there are other products out there that address the market, such as UK firm TimeHarvest's DigiQuote, which was developed for all kinds of digital printing, with half the installations at wide-format sites. And despite some commentators' misgivings, mainstream MIS vendors are also taking an increased interest in the wide-format market.
With Flow+ then, Caldera has developed an interesting take on wide-format business workflow, which if you don't have a system already, or if you can see cracks developing in what you currently use, is worth a look. It may be the case that Caldera's approach of building an MIS up from the RIP works for your business.
SPECIFICATIONS
Description
MIS dedicated to the wide-format digital market
Modules Job Tracker; Sales Manager; Client Service; Stock Control, Finance Viewer; and User Machines
Platform Browser-based
Business model Owned
Price Gold €9,000, Platinum €18,000
Contact
Caldera +33 388 210 000 www.caldera.eu; www.flowplus.net
THE ALTERNATIVES
EFI Pace
Pace is the latest MIS in the EFI stable, with a browser-based configuration and the flexibility to support multiple print processes. A natural move by EFI, which sells the Vutek and Rastek lines of wide-format digital printers, was to tailor its MIS products for the sectors that other divisions of the firm sell into, hence a wide-format flavour being available for Pace.
Platform Browser-based
Business model Owned
Price £12,000
Contact EFI +31 20 658 8000 www.efi.com
Optimus 2020
Well-established MIS provider Optimus has got an eye on the wide-format market with Optimus 2020, and will be exhibiting at forthcoming shows including Fespa 2010 in Munich. The modular system includes a choice of different estimating/pricing modules and focuses on dashboard/business intelligence tools to help managers keep on top of their KPIs.
Platform Linux, Windows, Solaris
Business model Owned
Price from £5,000
Contact Optimus 2020 01483 740233 www.optimus2020.com
TimeHarvest DigiQuote
Aimed at digital printers regardless of the format of their kit DigiQuote is run by firms ranging from "Fred in a shed" through to high volume digital DM firms, with half of the installations being at wide-format firms. Like Flow+ it works on a project basis, within which can be lots of different elements.
Platform Mac, PC
Business model Owned or hosted
Price £2,995 (software) £145/month (as a service)
Contact TimeHarvest 01865-989111 www.timeharvest.com
