Publication System's Upgrade Simplifies Production

Edited by the Printingtalk editorial team Apr 15, 2005

EFI is now despatching an upgraded version of its Prograph publication planning software.

EFI is now despatching an upgraded version of its Prograph publication planning software.

Prograph is claimed to offer comprehensive planning capabilities, including versioning, imposition and distribution tools that allow printers to make more informed business decisions, simplify production and increase profits said EFI.

The enhancements in Version 6 were made to streamline the software for users whilst still enabling them to compare manufacturing processes to available equipment and resources, giving them the ability to prepare for discrepancies or contingencies long before they occur, added the company.

Prograph now has a simplified architecture that makes installations and upgrades easier and faster and a more intuitive user interface with a new Press Optimiser feature that provides computer-aided press planning.

Version 6 of Prograph also enables integration with Hagen 8.5, which is scheduled to be available in the second quarter of this year.

"The integration between the two systems is unprecedented and really breaks new ground for our Hagen customers.

Prograph acts as a production planning module for the Hagen user who needs some additional horsepower for planning books, catalogues, magazines and directories," said Jeff Palser, EFI's Prograph product manager.

The new features join Prograph's drag-and-drop function, which means users can create and update complex product specifications for jobs such as multi-version magazines and catalogues, retail inserts and books.

Enhanced tools are also available for planning the multifaceted shipping and distribution needs of finished products, added EFI.

Perry Judd's, in Waterloo, Wisconsin (USA), has been a Prograph user since 1996.

Judd's manufacturing project manager Dave Schonhoff, commented: "The new interface is a welcome change to an already great application.

The user intuitively knows how to get around the new application.

One excellent new feature is the ability to drag files, such as e-mail messages, e-faxes and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and attach them to a job in the system.

That is extremely helpful when more than one person is working on a project." Prograph 6 is available as a stand-alone application, with integration to EFI's Hagen due in the second quarter of the year.