Getting a PDF right first time is a notoriously tricky issue for the creative sector. Invariably, files that are sent to the printer fail pre-flighting scrutiny thanks to any one of a number of problems: low-resolution images, fonts not embedded, an RGB image, difficulties with spot colours - the list is virtually endless. Thankfully, Belgium pre-media specialist Enfocus, a division of EskoArtwork, believes it has a product that can minimise these headaches.
PitStop Connect was unveiled at the start of March and Enfocus says it will be one of the company's big attractions at Ipex. Development of the software comes off the back of Enfocus' own research, according to marketing manager Sukerti Van Schoorisse.
"We were looking to see where the gaps were in our PitStop products and carried out surveys with our customers," she says. "We found that printers were still having problems with PDF files and difficulties with images and fonts."
Enfocus director for product management Elli Cloots adds: "There are a number of tools available to help creative professionals create perfect PDFs. But they are often too expensive, too complex or too technical."
Time savings
PDF errors mean printers are often forced to spend a large amount of time correcting a file's settings and educating someone who probably only supplies PDFs a couple of times a year and so doesn't always understand the problems posed by a PDF that isn't supplied correctly. PitStop Connect steps into the breach to aid the process. Its drag-and-drop-based technology is designed to make life easier for creatives.
"It saves time and improves communication," says Van Schoorisse. "It's an easy to understand product and is the bridge between the printer and the creatives."
Typically, a printer would install PitStop Connect and define what needs to go into a particular PDF. According to Enfocus product manager Kristof Kemseke, this can change depending on the customer. It could define what size an image is or the trim size of a document. From there, a "connector", or desktop utility, is created.
"This is an application that the designer can just bolt onto your desktop," says Kemseke. "The PDF is dragged and dropped onto the connector, pre-flighted and delivered to the printer. It ensures that everything on that file is ok."
Predefined actions
When PDF files are dropped onto the connector, the file is processed using the Enfocus pre-flight engine with a pre-flight profile. This includes an ‘action list' defined by the printer or publisher, detailing areas such as the correct size of images or the right fonts. It enables the designer to make changes to the file in case of errors.
The connector also includes delivery settings and sends a pre-flighted PDF file through FTP or directly through Enfocus' Switch product to the printer or publisher. The connector can also enable the user to add metadata.
"Once received, files can be quickly and easily sorted, managed and processed with Switch at a level of automation, that has been difficult to achieve in the past," says Cloots.
A printer can create as many connectors as they want, but for the application to be at its most effective, the creative needs to be able to know any potential problems with the PDF.
"The PDF file is very much a tool for the creative and with this product they can get a little report to tell them what might be wrong with the file," explains Van Schoorisse. "They can then make the changes themselves."
What is also highly attractive to the creative is that they aren't charged for installing a connector: that's what Enfocus believes is a key difference between PitStop Connect and other products on the market.
"We wanted to create a product that, for the printer, had a one-off fee," adds Van Schoorisse. "Other products involve a click-fee or a charge for uploading online. It's complicated and, we believe, isn't attractive for printers."
There don't appear to be any other products that go head-to-head with PitStop Connect in the market. Some alternatives involve a print company attempting to do their own PDF pre-flight system, but Van Schoorisse argues that this is likely to be an expensive project. PitStop Connect can be branded for an individual print company and files can be encrypted for security reasons.
It's worth noting that, while PitStop Connect can be given an individual look, it is an off-the-shelf product. Priced at €3,999 (£3,497), Enfocus believes that this one-off cost will save time and money in the long term. The added benefit is that it's a multi-platform product and creatives
that download a connector don't need to install any additional software.
"This is important for creatives - they don't want to worry about technical considerations," adds Van Shoorisse.
Multiple markets
The target market for PitStop Connect is commercial print, although Van Shoorisse adds that it can be adapted for packaging markets too. The product will be commercially available for Ipex and will feature alongside Enfocus' other range of products, notably the latest version of Switch. New configurators for Switch include Microsoft Word, media asset management tool Elvis from Dutchsoftware.com and Remote Director from remote proofing firm ICS.
By adding PitStop Connect to its range of products, Enfocus believes it has plugged a gap in the pre-flighting market.
Taking the pain out of shipping across PDFs is the aim of Enfocus PitStop Connect and, so far, Van Shoorisse says that there has been plenty of interest in the market.
She hopes that the momentum will continue into next month's Ipex.
SPECIFICATIONS
Platforms
Mac and PC
Description
Pre-flight tool for standardising PDFs through the supply chain
Additional products
Enfocus Switch,
Enfocus Pitstop Server
Price
€3,999 (£3,497)
Contact
Enfocus +32 (0)9 216 9211 www.enfocus.com
THE ALTERNATIVES
Read4Print
Ricoh will demonstrate this pre-flighting tool at Ipex. The product is designed for the "novice digital colour user", according to Gareth Parker, production print solutions marketing manager at Ricoh UK. That said, he stresses that the product doesn't exclude offset operators. Read4Print is an out-of-the-box product with a pre-configured server. "When it comes to standardisation, we have designed a product that is easy to install, easy to use and based at a novice colour level," claims Parker.
Platforms Mac and PC
Price £7,299
Contact Ricoh 020 8261 4000 www.ricoh.co.uk
Markzware Flightcheck Professional
Flightcheck Professional is a pre-flight tool for the likes of Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress. This product has the ability to export simple pre-flight settings, or ground controls, to customers in the supply chain. David Dilling, managing director at Markzware, says that this is a good option for smaller print shops. Marzware did sell a more direct competitor to PitStop Connector, Flightcheck Online. However, this product was discontinued two years ago. "We stopped this because the market is far from standardised," says Dilling. "So far, PDF has not quite lived up to its promise and the reality is that whenever a file is sent to a printer, they will have to deal with any changes. You really need to pre-flight files throughout the workflow."
Platforms Mac
Price €399 (£279)
Contact Markzware +31 (0) 15 369 9404 www.markzware.com
