RIP Respite
The latest versions of PostScript and more standard file formats have eased the crises, but most pre-press managers still have some scary stories of raster-image processors choking on deadline. Fortunately, remedies like faster processors, smarter management software and file-repair products are on the way.
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Show-goers get an up-close look at the NewsDesk II editorial and pagination system from Advanced Technical Solutions Inc. |
Autologic Information International Inc. President Dennis Doolittle says that the Thousand Oaks, Calif., company's Output Manager NT software and server manage image files from a variety of sources, such as the newsroom and pre-press. The system distributes them to appropriate RIPs using queue-based scheduling that intelligently balances availability, priority and deadlines. Once RIPed, the files pass through an APS 32 Port Imager Hub that "knows" which jobs should be sent to which imagesetters.
Scitex America Corp. of Bedford, Mass., addresses work flow through its Brisque digital front end, a complete pre-press center containing job-processing and management tools. While capable of managing job queues, it can also override preset queues at crunch time. Brisque4, the just-released beta version, accepts many standard file formats and produces flat files that can be sent to a variety of RIPs in a predictable manner.
RipExpress from Monotype Systems Inc. of Rolling Meadows, Ill., fully implements Adobe PostScript 3 to process complex graphics up to six times faster than previous versions. With software from OneVision Inc. in Sewickley, Pa., Monotype users can clean, edit and repair image files, and correct many problems, eliminating those anxious moments when a file has crashed and the original designer and application package are not available.
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Color Solutions showed Colorblind software. |