With the Preproofer 945, Rheintaler Druckerei und Verlag AG is saving money, materials and time. The system produces more than twelve 16-page DIN A4 double-sided imposed proofs per hour - in a single pass, with an excellent register and exceptional print quality.

Even though workflow systems are aimed at combining process steps into a fully automated production flow, this chain is often broken when it comes to hand assembly of imposed proofs. The gains made in productivity up to that point are then abruptly lost, and the sizeable investments made in a capital-intensive, digital workflow can be called into question. That's why, back in 2005, the Rheintaler Druckerei und Verlag AG closed this final gap in the workflow with an investment in the Preproofer 960, the state-of-the-art solution available at that time. Now, just three short years later, the company has upgraded to the latest 945 model, and has seen productivity double compared to the previous system.

According to Prepress Manager Urs Staudacher, "the Preproofer 945 is the definition of efficiency and quality. We have invested once again in a solution from Digital Information because we can count on the efficiency and reliability of their products. And thanks to the Epson inkjet technology, we achieve a level of productivity that no other double-sided proof system is able to deliver."

Staudacher recognizes DI-Plot as a crucial element in the overall system. This software nucleus of the Digital Information solution repurposes bitmap files generated in the RIP imaging device in order to create fully-imposed proofs. As a result, Urs Staudacher can rest assured that the proof and the printing plates contain identical content and positioning. In addition, DI-Plot is used for data management and Preproofer control tasks, making both daily operation and occasional maintenance much simpler.

For Urs Staudacher, the Preproofer 945 is the premier imposed-proofing solution. He says "Our past experience convinced us of the product's simplicity, elegance and efficiency. Thanks to the staggered arrangement of the printers one above the other, double-sided proofs are generated in no time".

The Preproofer 945 operates from roll to sheet, with the front printed from the paper roll, and the back imaged onto the previously printed and cut sheet. Because the second printer is fed by gravity and optically checked to ensure exact register, the solution is incredibly reliable and accurate. "The system is perfect. There is no need to turn the paper, so no mechanical devices are required whatsoever. This dependability means less maintenance and far fewer spare parts", says Urs Staudacher.

With Digital Information's Preproofer 740, double-sided formproof production at Koprint AG is efficient and economical. The output process is controlled by the DI-Plot software package. Linked with InkZone Perfect, DI-Plot also delivers JDF files for presetting ink-zones automatically on two printing machines of different manufacture.

Koprint AG has been working with DI-Plot from Zurich-based software developer Digital Information Ltd. since 1998. Located in Alpnach Dorf, the family-owned company is one of the early users of this versatile proof software, which can be integrated into any prepress environment. The company continues to work with a delta workflow, with DI-Plot sampling the ripped bitmaps down to the required resolution to produce a formproof that is absolutely accurate as far as layout and content are concerned.

After nearly ten years and with more than 2000 licences granted worldwide, DI-Plot is still holding its own as a future-proofed solution that can keep pace with the latest developments in the different prepress workflow solutions. Which is why Koprint has recently gone over to double-sided proof outputting with a Preproofer 740 from Digital Information. In a further efficiency measure with InkZone Perfect, the company has now made the connection for presetting the ink zones on two offset machines from Komori (52 x 72 cm) and Ryobi (52 x 36 cm), each equipped with five printing units. DI-Plot is used as the data source and control platform for proof outputting on Preproofer 740, and also for InkZone Perfect. For Managing Director Jochen Konrath, who is in charge of operations, the value of the proof software is confirmed over the long term because it can continue in use with Koprint's upcoming investment in a new workflow system.

In Alpnach Dorf, the annual consumption of print plates is around 13,200. Then there are 6,500 plates for Gersag Druck AG in Emmenbrücke, which was acquired by Koprint AG in 1989. At Gersag Druck, production runs on a convertible Speedmaster 74 with five printing units.

With the installation of the Preproofer 740 four-page system, Jochen Konrath can confirm that expenditure on proof production is down by almost a half: "Thanks to Digital Information and Preproofer, we achieve clear savings from several points of view. Compared to earlier methods where we could only output single-sided proofs, we now use both sides of the sheet and consume correspondingly less paper. Also, by dispensing with gluing, we are much faster and more accurate. We gain time, make considerable savings in the cost of materials, and attain a very appealing proof quality that comes close to the actual printing result." And that's not all. With the CMS capability of DI-Plot, when it delivers the formproof Koprint is at the same time giving customers an "OK-to-Print" that goes a long way to resembling the final print result from the colour point of view, as well.

Preproofer 740 is based on two Epson Stylus Pro 7400 printers - currently the fastest inkjet system on the market. Depending on the chosen resolution, speeds reach up to 16 double-sided proofs per hour, while a new screening method allows excellent reproduction quality down to even the finest details and with low resolutions, too. Micro Piezo technology functions on the drop-on-demand principle and enables precision control of the ink droplets as far as size, shape and positioning on the substrate is concerned. In addition to brilliant printing results, the outputting process can be accelerated while saving on ink consumption by varying the droplet size according to the subject.

Double-sided formproofs can be produced in one pass without turning the paper thanks to the offset configuration of the vertically displaced printers. Preproofer works on the roll-sheet print principle where output of the front is off the roll and output of the back is on the cut sheet. For outputting the back, the sheet is moved by gravity alone and scanned for precision register printing by the system before DI-Plot releases the data. With no mechanism required for turning the sheet, the result is reduced maintenance and fewer spare parts.

Print shop production at Koprint is in a heterogeneous environment. A five-colour from Komori in 52 x 72 cm format, a five-colour from Ryobi in 36 x 52 cm format, plus two A3 Ryobi models, each equipped with two units, add up to a total of 14 printing units.

The installation of InkZone Perfect for online ink-zone presetting on the five-colour machines makes for an economical solution with a high streamlining effect. With InkZone Perfect, both systems can be supplied with presetting data, thus avoiding the need for relatively expensive proprietary CIP3/4 connections for printing machines from two different manufacturers. DI-Plot calculates the JDF files with the zone values from the bitmap data delivered by the imager RIP and then transfers them to InkZone Perfect. The software is not dependent on the type of printing machine and offers functions like linearization to individual printing conditions, the display of ink-zone values, visualisation of the printing job with the separate imposed composite forms, and ductor control. Thanks to a simple drag-and-drop function, the press-man can allocate the individual separations with the preset values for CMYK and special colours to the printing units.

"One thing is clear: the preset solution from Digital Information makes things much simpler and speeds up the process", says Jochen Konrath. "Previously, we needed between 30 and 45 minutes per printing job for setting the ink zones manually. Thanks to InZone Perfect, we are ready for the production run after fifteen minutes. Also, the software allows us to adapt the calculated preset data to the effective ink-zone values and thus further optimise set-up times. A further productivity bonus comes from the option to save job data for repeat jobs."

Koprint AG was founded in 1984 when Austrian Werner Konrath acquired former book printers Ehrli Druck AG in Sarnen. Eleven years later came the move into modern premises in Alpnach Dorf, the present-day location, and the change of name to Koprint AG. Since 1989, Emmenbrücke-based Gersag Druck AG, a company that is well established in the region, has also been owned by Koprint AG. Recently, Kneuss Print AG of Lenzburg was taken over by the service provider, which has now grown to employ more than 40 staff. The customer base is mainly manufacturing companies, banks, insurance organisations and firms in the IT sector. Because Koprint remains largely independent from agencies, the services are not restricted to tasks relating to printwork production but range from the development of graphic design concepts through artwork production and printing to the finished product.

Fotorotar AG located in Egg, Switzerland is one of four printing houses in Switzerland certified to produce securities and share certificates. The company also produces periodicals, business reports and books (published in-house) on 27 printing units, of which 18 are in 8-up format, mostly in two-shift operations. The requirement for formproofs is correspondingly high. Until now, single-sided sheets have been mounted manually with waxed glue, and then cut and folded into four-page signatures. Not counting the time taken and the high consumption of materials, there was always a risk of faulty paste-up, particularly in the case of small-format finished products. Since Fotorotar was so open to the idea of printing double-sided proofs in a single pass, the purchase of the Preproofer 960 was a quick decision. The sheets are imposed on three Signa stations, processed on a Heidelberg Metadimension workflow, and then transferred online to DI-Plot for output on the Preproofer 960.

As a partner, Digital Information was not unknown to Fotorotar AG: this media service provider in the Zürcher Oberland is one of the first to use Remote Publisher, another tool from the Zurich-based software creator. Based on PDF technology, Remote Publisher allows customers of the printing house to edit predefined templates for business stationery themselves, and then release the jobs for printing over the Internet.

In the year 2000, Ropress in Altstetten, Switzerland became the first printing house in the world to be awarded the FSC certificate. The FSC label is presented by the Forest Stewart Councilship to companies that contribute to ecological and socially responsible forest management. Primarily, the company produces in four-page format and uses KIM PDF as the output workflow for the imposition of finished PDF pages with subsequent 1-bit TIFF file from a Harlequin RIP. The identical data is used for output on the Preproofer 760 and for plate imaging. The Preproofer 760 brings Ropress considerable savings not only in relation to efficient formproof printing: since work began here using the new DI-Plot controlled proof output device, the formproof has at the same time become a contract proof. This is submitted to the customer as an Contract proof. Since the spring of 2004, ISO 12647-2 compliant ICC profiles are stored in DI-Plot. Ropress also uses DI-Plot for calculating ink zone setting values: so-called InkZone files are transferred via Ethernet to the InkZone-Box, converted into the format specific to the printing machine (Heidelberg), and written to the JobCard. The data is input into the CPC system from the printer for automatic ink fountain presetting.