Automating Printed Packaging Repro Workflow

Stockport (UK) trade repro house Contact Originators has been able to automate a significant level of its pre-press workflow following the installation of Artwork Systems' Nexus NeXML software.

Stockport (UK) trade repro house Contact Originators has been able to automate a significant level of its pre-press workflow following the installation of Artwork Systems' Nexus NeXML software.

NeXML is the Nexus XML gateway that allows automation and workflow control from management information systems (MIS) or other database systems through XML job tickets.

Contact Originators' technical director, Kieran Hartley, said: "We've been a customer of Artwork Systems for many years, and its Artpro and Nexus systems are key to our business.

We were the first UK site for Nexus and have continued to push the boundaries of flexo printing with the implementation of Artwork Systems' Flexocal and Platecell Patterning technologies." He added: "Throughout all these installations we have worked closely with Artwork Systems' UK headquarters in Redditch, as well their colleagues in Belgium, France and the USA.

He explained: "Artpro and Nexus gave us a high level of automation in the pre-press department but what we wanted to do was increase this even further in order to improve efficiency throughout the pre-press workflow, whilst reducing re-keying of work and potential errors.

The answer came in the form of Caboodle, our asset management system, and Artwork Systems NeXML." Hartley explained that NeXML means that what his company is able to achieve is only limited by their imagination and how much time it could dedicate to implementing the system.

And he said: "However, I would estimate that each of our operators already saves one full day every month just from the improved levels of automation we have achieved so far." Artwork Systems NeXML is an add-on to its Nexus workflow.

The NeXML job tickets created are generic XML files, which include the tags that NeXML prescribes, whilst the NeXML software can produce sample tags for all the activities and parameters that can be automated.

"In basic terms the information for a job, held in our asset management system as an electronic job ticket, is used to drive the Nexus workflow for that particular work," said Kieran Hartley.

He continued: "So all parameters for areas such as trapping, step and repeat, print cards, PDFs and specific output parameters are controlled by the job ticket.

Eventually, we will reduce the number of workflows on the Nexus system but make each one quite complex in terms of modules or gateway links.

Automating so many different steps will result in a significant increase in efficiency." NeXML tickets can be hotfolder based, in which case multiple hotfolders can be set up in front of one NeXML workflow (each hotfolder including its own XML jobticket to control the workflow settings).

This method is often used when multiple users want to personalise settings of a workflow - for example, one workflow with a number of hotfolders defining the email addresses of the operators using it.

Alternatively, NeXML tickets can be job-based, in which case workflows are set up to receive different XML jobtickets for each job that passes said Artwork Systems.

Artwork Systems said it is continually pushing forward with automation within the pre-press environment and NeXML is a good example.

If a customer integrated NeXML with Webway they would be able to automate contact with customers across a range of activities.

For instance, the creation of templates and spreadsheets would enable the generation of multiple artworks in moments, whilst proofs could be sent automatically and alterations received in a fraction of the time previously required.

NeXML could also be linked to Artwork Systems' asset management system, Mnemo.

Contact Originators, part of the multi-national Contact Group of companies employing 200 people worldwide, is one of the UK's largest providers of repro for the corrugated packaging market and handles flexo and litho origination.

In addition to its repro services the Stockport-based company offers design and print management facilities.

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