Proofing Accelerates News International Work

Edited by the Printingtalk editorial team May 31, 2004

The Polestar Group has installed Real Time Proof Express at two of its gravure production sites.

The Polestar Group has installed Real Time Proof Express at two of its gravure production sites.

The on-line proofing system is accelerating colour press approvals on the range of News International titles Polestar manages, including the Saturday and Sunday Times magazines.

The Polestar Group said it is currently considering implementation of Real Time Proof Express at its other plants to ensure the technology is available to its entire customer base.

"We consider the Real Time Proof Express software the best, tried and tested, on-line proofing tool in the marketplace and we are confident we have chosen the most advanced proofing tool available for our customers," remarked John Stevenson, customer care director at Polestar Greaves.

The first beneficiary will be News International, the publisher who prompted Polestar to invest in Real Time Proof in the first place.

"We have a strong partnership with News International and work very much in tandem on new technologies.

They have recently introduced a digital advertising delivery and preflighting system called Quickcut, and want to continue the online approval and colour control process all the way through to the pressroom," continued Stevenson.

The system would remove the need for time-consuming hard copy proofing cycles and will also provide an audit tracker of News International's digital assets he added.

Real Time Proof Express has been installed at Polestar Varnicoat in Worcester and Polestar Greaves in Scarborough in the first phase of implementation, and will be personalised with the Polestar logo.

With a workstation loaded with Real Time Proof Express, fully calibrated with the appropriate profiling and a 23" LCD screen on each of the four gravure presses at each site, Polestar can complete a sign-off and press check in the briefest amount of time it claimed.

"The time we will save will generate significant benefits for everyone - not only our customers, but in pre-press and the press room as well.

To date, we send hard copy Cromalin proofs overnight with a 24-hour turnaround.

Real Time Proof Express will mean a job can be viewed, marked-up and signed off within an hour if necessary," commented Stevenson.

Alex Granat, KPG Real Time Proof regional sales director said: "We are convinced it will deliver Polestar and its customers the best online approval management system to manage their complex and high volume production.".