Updated Workflow Offers Advanced Pre-Flighting

The Polish-based ACC HSH Group has announced the new version of its flagship product - the Puzzleflow workflow system.

The Polish-based ACC HSH Group has announced the new version of its flagship product - the Puzzleflow workflow system.

Puzzleflow version 3 is said to have new modules and functions, increasing the system's quality, speed and compatibility with third party systems, said ACC HSH.

Puzzleflow was also integrated with ACC HSH Group's PDFtools.

In the middle of December the company unveiled the full version of Puzzleflow version 3, almost entirely based on ACC HSH Group's own systems.

The new version of Puzzleflow is said to provide enhancements in almost all modules and functions of the system.

Andrzej Czyz, chief executive officer of ACC HSH Group, said: "They cover, for example, functions related to advanced job preparation, workflow management and configuration, imposition, automatic job processing, trapping, RIP, proofing and CIP3 compatibility.

Puzzleflow v3 offers a modern and intuitive user interface that makes it very easy to use." He added: "What's also important is that we introduced more language versions of the system.

In the job preparation part, Puzzleflow v3 offers a new version of PDF Pre-flighter - Puzzleflow Express.

It's a very professional tool for DTP and pre-press studios, enabling automation of PDF creation, advanced pre-flighting and digital certification of PDF files." Czyz explained that new functions of Puzzleflow Express include native PostScript normalisation, Acrobat-free PDF printer and certified job submission to the Puzzleflow queue via JMF channel.

The system's Webmanager, the new Puzzleflow management interface, controls every Puzzleflow queue and processed jobs from another machine via an internet browser, it is claimed.

Webmanager functions cover the creation of user accounts with customisable rights and privileges, database support (MySQL, MSSQL and PostgreSQL, amongst others) tracing all the production history, load balancing (optimised network resources management) and easy workflow configuration thanks to hundreds of pre-defined module setups.

PDForganiser, the imposition tool, formerly being a part of PDFtools, was incorporated in to the new version of the Puzzleflow system.

Now it is offered as Puzzleflow Organiser and allows for export of imposition data as JDF/PJTF from the client station to Puzzleflow server, as well as resolving many imposition intents, such as compound signatures, including several templates in one imposition, said ACC HSH.

Puzzleflow Organiser also provides additional types of marks, a more convenient way of marker placement and a new function of page geometry set-up preview, it is claimed.

The program offers imposition-proof production with page geometry marking and matching control with double-sided, semi-transparent preview, automated page geometry adjustment with auto-rotation, bleeds and size set-up for custom production needs, automated cutting markers detection and a real page content bounding box recognition.

It features a professional billboard production system, barcodes generation and document personalisation with the possibility of database connection.

Puzzleflow Organizer was also equipped with a user interface with tabs and tool-panels.

Puzzleflow PlaceIt, an imposition tool for the packaging industry, is a claimed to be a completely new module of Puzzleflow version 3.

It is based on the PDF fPlaceIt tool and supports CAD CF2 format for cutting and creasing of die cutters.

Puzzleflow PlaceIt offers data export to CF2, automatic job placement according to the frame line, automatic job cropping parallel to the frame line, with respect to user-defined bleed and interactive plate preview with single-job geometry control.

Two new modules appeared in the Puzzleflow version 3 automatic job processing area.

Transparency Flattener flattens the transparency and overprint effects to PDF 1.3 format, acceptable for all output devices.

Image Filter applies automated graphic filters to bitmaps, said ACC HSH.

Other job processing functions of Puzzleflow version 3 include support for device-link direct colour transformation profiles and unsharp masking after colour transformations (Colour Manager), better optimisation of fragmented images and smooth shades, as well as PDF correction (Toolbox), automated font-to-curves conversion preserving text searching abilities (Font to Curves), layer handling and multi-lingual support (Layer Manager, Annot Flattener).

It also provides moving spot colour objects to layers (Color Mapper).

Puzzleflow version3 is also claimed to provide a more effective trapping engine, offering transparent object support and the function of applying overprint instead of traps, or simply ignoring relatively small objects.

An optional trapping tool can be built in to Puzzleflow Organiser and Puzzleflow PlaceIt programs.

Puzzleflow version 3 is also said to offer an enhanced rastering engine equipped with job optimisation before the rasterisation process.

It is also claimed to offer a completely new function of wrapping the output data with a JDF runlist, as well as a precise and convenient RIP calibration interface with respect to imagesetter dot-gain, machine deviation and custom standard.

The software is also said by ACC HSH to provide improved soft proofing with runtime colour separation, recombination and transformation according to specified output profile.

The Eagle RIP, created by Founder Electronics and implemented in to Puzzleflow on an OEM agreement basis, enables the generation of a composite preview directly out of the rasterised data, with an optional conversion to RGB.

The system also has an enhanced CIP3 module, enabling integration of pre-press with the printing and post-print processes.

It offers full ink coverage control with percentage surface coverage thresholds, as well as generating ink coverage profiles in CIP3 and DIPS formats, added the company.

Andrzej Czyz commented: "We believe the new version of Puzzleflow ill attract interest from our present and future customers.

The functionality it offers, as well as numerous new functions and modules it brings, makes it a very flexible and universal workflow for different production environments and different applications.

The integration of the Puzzleflow system and PDFTools is an additional facilitation in searching through our product offer." He continued: "The initial response from our distributors is very positive and we are convinced that Puzzleflow v.3 will repeat the success of the previous versions of our flagship product.".

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