Layout Calculator Software For Ganged Projects

Lithotechnics has made available version 2.0 of its Metrix automated layout calculator, which is claimed to handle up to 160 individual jobs imposed within a composite or ganged layout project.

Lithotechnics has made available version 2.0 of its Metrix automated layout calculator, which is claimed to handle up to 160 individual jobs imposed within a composite or ganged layout project.

In addition it is also claimed to cater for conventional bound work.

According to Lithotechnics' Metrix UK distributor, Positive Focus, sheet fed printers now have a single product that will meet the needs of production planners, CSRs, pre-press and bindery managers, producing time savings in a job getting on-press.

The company claimed that the new product will also provide a rapid return on investment by saving paper, plate and make-ready costs when ganging together multiple jobs.

Metrix was designed, from its introduction two years ago, to be totally JDF compatible.

Version 2 introduces an additional data format, MXML, which builds on the JDF capability, describing a Metrix project, in addition to single jobs.

That opens up the possibility of greater automation, allowing 'component' modules to be created, saved and selected to build a project in a few seconds, added Positive Focus.

With the MXML facility in place, job content, as PDF, can then be imported and the MXML job adapts to the size of the bounding box of the incoming file.

Metrix has no hard and fast layouts or templates, its optimisation engine calculates one or more layouts that the operator can choose, taking in to account the number of items required and the document size, as well as physical features like paper grain and number of bleed edges.

Ivor Dixon, managing director of Positive Focus, which distributes Metrix in the UK and Ireland, pointed out that ganging jobs together can make significant contributions to profitability.

He said: "We lost a lot of the incentive to gang jobs when we moved to CTP, it just became too difficult.

Now Metrix brings an easy and highly efficient way to do this and, with savings of around 20 per cent - 25 per cent being common, most cost-conscious commercial printers should be looking at this option.

With the dynamic layout calculation in Metrix you can easily try different scenarios, by changing paper size, moving to another press, adding or removing jobs within the project and in seconds have an alternative layout with all the production details properly documented." Dixon continued: "You know exactly the number of sheets you have to print, the paper coverage and so on.

You can even preferentially group items together to cater for specific finishing or ink colours.

With JDF the figures can go right back in to the management information system and be reflected in an estimate.

It is then just a few more clicks to get a complete job ready for platemaking, either as imposed PDF, or as a JDF file with or without the page content included.

We can even produce the data to drive cutters and folders downstream of the print process." He added that Metrix is a system for a time consuming operation like working out the best way to run several jobs together and its simplicity has been carried through in to its handling of bound jobs.

And he explained: "With a few clicks to establish the structure of the publication in the wizard interface but we think the majority of users will prefer to move to an MXML workflow because of the potential for producing a result even more quickly.

Metrix will qualify an incoming PDF file on the basis of number of pages and size, so handling content alongside layout becomes a very simple, integrated process.

Imposition has changed dramatically from today." Metrix 2.0 is a family of products geared to specific needs of different sectors of the printing industry beleives Positive Focus.

Minimetrix, for the smaller press shop, comes in B3 and B2 versions with imposed PDF output.

Metrix Commercial, in Positive Focus's opinion, will probably be the most popular version, handling formats up to 3.6m in the longest dimension, with up to 16 jobs in a project and output to PDF, JDF or Preps templates of independent pages, with CIP3 and JDF cutting and folding data.

Metrix Ganging is the updated equivalent of the previous Metrix product, for flat and folded work only but with up to 160 jobs per project.

Metrix Max has the same capability with the inclusion of bound work on multiple signatures, added Positive Focus.

Metrix Commercial, Ganging and Max are also available as multiple concurrent user site licenses.

Metrix runs on Windows and Citrix platforms.

There are penalty-free upgrades from one family member to another.

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