Product category:
Printing Pre-Press Systems and Materials (Repro, Platemakers, CTP, Workflow, Document Management, Design Software, etc.)
News Release from: Gradual Software | Subject: Switch family of products
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 February 2006
New Software Automates Workflow
Individually
Gradual Software will present an all-new product line at Ipex 2006 (April 4-11) in hall 7 on stand B50.
Gradual Software will present an all-new product line at Ipex 2006 (April 4-11) in hall 7 on stand B50 The company is launching a new family of software products under the brand name Switch, which is claimed will enable users to implement workflow automation tailored to meet the production needs of individual work
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 28 Oct 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Switch family of products was developed based on market feedback and research that explored the ways in which publishing operations worked.
The goal was to develop products that would deliver immediate cost savings and efficiencies by quickly and easily standardising various functional processes, said Gradual Software.
The Switch software, which automates the everyday tasks of multiple participants in multiple organisations - even those who use a variety of systems and tools, claimed the company.
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Gradual Software is planning to ship PowerSWITCH, the third member of the SWITCH workflow automation family, early in September.
For ease of implementation, automation can be introduced gradually as needed, through a user-friendly interface.
A user's return on investment is accelerated as more processes are automated, added Gradual.
According to Peter Camps, Gradual Software's chairman and chief executive officer, the new Switch product family is closely aligned to market needs.
He commented: "Today's pre-press and publishing environments are more complex than ever.
Despite the use of sophisticated workflow systems, many simple everyday tasks are being overlooked.
Further, the complexity, cost of entry and implementation time for these systems is often too great for many users." Camps added: "The new Switch family of workflow automation tools was developed based on extensive feedback from Caslonflow users.
They offer a simple but powerful multi-platform alternative that can be individually tailored, yet are still affordable, easy to implement, and integrate well with existing applications." From the initial release, all members of the Switch family will be cross-platform, running under Mac OS X 10.4 and higher (both Power PC and new Intel-based Macs), in addition to Windows 2000/XP Professional and higher.
That capability enables all-Mac operations to benefit from tailored workflow automation, whilst delivering the same advantages to mixed-platform workplaces, it is claimed.
The Switch software family has been designed to provide important stand-alone functions within each product, as well as an upgrade path between the various tools - both those available at Ipex and to be introduced later.
Each product provides specific key benefits at different price points believes Gradual Software.
Additional details concerning the available options and upgrade procedures will be announced by the company soon.
During Ipex 2006, Gradual will showcase the first two products in the Switch family.
Lightswitch automates one of the most common everyday tasks anyone in professional publishing faces - the receiving and sorting of files from clients and partners.
Built-in tools automatically check what is said to be an unlimited number of FTP and email servers.
Files are downloaded as they arrive and are sorted according to file type and naming naming conventions, for instance.
Lightswitch can also respond to incoming files by sending notification emails that acknowledge receipt or report problems.
It then forwards files, as instructed, to the next party.
Lightswitch is said to provide savings through automation of file reception and trafficking, whilst reducing repetitive tasks and freeing staff for more creative work.
At the same time, Gradual Software said the software improves client communication through automated receipts and error alerts.
The software is claimed to have a user-friendly set-up with the option to customise as needed and that it supports email-based file submission.
Fullswitch is designed for users who want the next level of functionality, as it provides several additional built-in tools.
For ease of implementation, it lets users visually design workflow automation processes with a user-friendly drag-and-drop process, said Gradual Software.
Incoming files are automatically received and sorted and the application allows integration with a number of key third-party applications, including popular products from Adobe, Apago, Callas and Enfocus, for example.
Fullswitch is said to allow implementation of automation at the pace of the organisation, whilst standardising processes and reducing human errors and preserving flexibility and freedom to choose best-of-breed technology.
It also allows the management of the overall flow of files within an organisation and to and from customers, whilst monitoring workflows for problems and maintaining statistics.
At Ipex, the company will also preview Powerswitch, which is claimed to bring automation features and workgroup support to users.
Powerswitch has built-in scripting support to enable automation of a wider range of third-party applications, as well as integration with databases, digital-asset management systems and management information systems (MIS) networks, said Gradual Software.
The software is claimed to also add support for incoming metadata (such as JDF and XMP) which metadata can then be used to route files through a flow or set processing parameters for files in a more versatile way.
Powerswitch can be accessed from users' workstations via a workgroup client, which allows members of a workgroup to submit files, make routing decisions and follow-up on the status of their files.
Powerswitch is expected to be commercially available this summer.
Gradual Software is best known for its Caslonflow workflow automation software, which is now evolving to the next-generation, cross-platform, Switch family of products.
Caslonflow users will be able to upgrade to the appropriate Switch products as they are introduced at Ipex 2006 and thereafter.
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