News
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23/08/10
Star Proof delivers NX appeal.
Print Quest invest in high quality inkjet proofing.
London (England), 23/08/2010 – Established in 1996, Flexo platemakers Print Quest are no strangers to adopting the latest in technological developments. Just over 18 months ago, Print Quest became the first UK company to purchase the Kodak NX platemaking system.
Whilst the investment has resulted in new business and a higher quality plate being supplied to customers, it also meant that the all-important proofing stage was likely to come under scrutiny
“NX technology allows us to use a higher line screen which results in smoother gradations and the ability to hold a 0.4 % dot on the plate. Our previous digital proofing solution had difficulties in replicating this level of quality and it didn’t actually show the dot pattern, so we began investigating the proofing alternatives in the market.” explains David Jarvis, Managing Director at Print Quest.
The search proved to be a relatively short one. Early 2010, whilst attending a demonstration of Star Proof and the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 at the Epson UK Headquarters, Jarvis was so convinced as to the solutions ability to reproduce the color, tone and dot quality required, an order was placed there and then.
“For Flexo, dot proofing is so important” claims Jarvis. “Before committing to plate, the customer needs to see how the tonal effect will be as it has a major impact on the finished product. As a consequence, we needed to improve the quality of our proof offering. Matching color on a proof nowadays should be a given, but we wanted to push the boundaries in terms of quality. With the WT device, we have done that. We can produce proofs on paper, film or metallic substrates and we can print a white ink. With Star Proof, we produce the highest quality dot proof available in the market”.
“We work with a variety of printers who print a wide range of products on a wide range of stocks. “ comments Jarvis. “Star Proof’s Flexo calibration tools have proven to be capable of fingerprinting the proof to the most challenging of press conditions. The effect on our business is significant. As the proof is representative of the press condition, we have reduced rejections, raised our service and gained new customers.”
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07/06/10
DOT & PACK
Packaging Seminar - Valencia, Spain
Graphic Republik will be joining MGV Color for a day of talks, presentations and discussion evolving around the world of packaging. The conference has been arranged to address various issues of interest, with the agenda being set by questions and requests arising from agencies, end-users and professionals from the offset, gravure and flexographic industry.
This seminar/workshop has been designed to accomplish several objectives: to get together to see first-hand, the latest developments in technology around the world of packaging and to discuss how these may affect the relationship betwen customers and suppliers. It will also provide attendees an opportunity to exchange views about the "evolution" of the sector and look for clues to cope with the current market situation.
At the event, Graphic Republik will be demonstrating the MaxPro suite of packaging tools. The Seminar will also be the stage for the worldwide keynote presentation of MaxColor, the latest development in the MaxPro suite. MaxColor allows users to convert CMYK or RGB files to Spot Color, make selective color adjustments, edit tonal curves whilst also providing Color meter and image comparison tools.
We hope to see you there on the 16th June, 2010 at the Hall of School of Engineering Design, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s / n, 46 022 Valencia.
For more information or to register, visit http://www.mgvcolor.com
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06/05/10
Waldo invests in half-tone inkjet proofing with white ink
and Multi-substrate support.
First Star Proof/Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 install for the UK.
London (England), May 2010 – Waldo Ltd, a Flexo tradeshop based in Louth, Lincolnshire has become the first UK company to install the Star Proof and Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 proofing solution. Established in 1984, Waldo’s mission is to become a market leader in the supply of plates to the Flexible and Corrugated markets. They see innovation and investment in new technology as the key to future success in these industries.
Waldos’ team of experienced artworkers and originators are well versed in proofing technology. Having previously supplied Digital Cromalin and more recently Kodak Approval proofs, Waldo were always looking for a proofing system that would offer comparable quality but at a more cost effective price. When news of a new inkjet proofing solution aimed specifically at the Flexible packaging market reached Phil Walmsley, Director at Waldo, he was immediately interested.
“We had been aware of the dot proofing capabilities of Star Proof for some time. With the release of the new Epson device, now capable of printing white ink on clear and metallic substrates, the decision to make the investment was a no brainer!”
In June 2009 Waldo upgraded their digital platemaking system to an Esko 8050 CDI with high resolution Optics and HD screening. Star Proof is able to reproduce the same exceptional dot structure achieved when imaging with HD screening technology.
Comments Walmsley “ If we are producing high quality plates, we need the proof to replicate that same quality, right down to the dot. Star Proof also gives us the ability to match over 95% of the Pantone colour library and if we need to match a specific custom colour, the process is very straightforward – we can even produce a certified report detailing the match we are achieving for each individual spot colour in a job.”
The proofing system was supplied by Pomeroy Pressroom Products and integrated by Graphic Republik technicians, with Steve Donegan, Managing Director confident that this will be the first of many such installations in the UK.
“We knew a few months ago about the strengths of the Star Proof and Epson WT combination from installations we have in mainland Europe. The dot quality is superb, particularly when it comes to producing a proof at screen rulings of 150 LPI and above. The ability to reproduce accurate Spot colours on multiple substrates such as ClearProof media is also a great benefit to all involved in the packaging supply chain, from designers and artworkers through to repro houses and printers”.
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03/02/10
Star Proof V6 and the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900.
First UK demonstration of new Packaging proof
solution at the NEC Birmingham.
Visitors to the Epson stand at PackTech in the NEC Birmingham, 24-25th February 2010 will be able to see the latest advances in Packaging proofing technology. When used in combination, Star Proof V6 and the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 produce the hardest, sharpest dot proofs on a wide range of medias, perfect for Brand owners, Graphic Arts specialists, Prepress companies and Printers.
In addition, Star Proof fully supports the Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 white ink printing mode, giving users the ability to produce samples, prototypes and final proofs which are representative of the actual printed article. To fully compliment Epson ClearProof Film™ and CrystalClear film™, Star Proof gives users full control over white ink density and hue, allowing adjustments to be made simply and quickly. Reverse print and surface print modes are also fully supported.
For brand owners and design houses, Star Proof has an in-built Rip which accepts standard file formats such as PDF or Postscript, whilst for Repro houses and Printing companies, Star Proof accepts Raster data in 1 Bit Tiff or Barco "Len" file formats at resolutions up to 4,000 dpi, screen rulings up to 200 lpi/80 lpcm and support for the latest HD Flexo screening technologies. The resultant data integral proof sets high standards in inkjet proofing with faithful reproduction of dot shape, trapping, pull-backs and overprints.
Star Proof also provides users with a cerifiable Spot colour library allowing brand colours and industry standard colour matching systems such as Pantone™, GOE™ and Opaltone™ to be matched and verified to a low ΔE tolerance.
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19/10/09
MaxPro and Star Proof at ScanPack 2009.
Prepress and proofing solutions
for the Packaging industry.
IPD Software, a well known integrator and supplier of high quality and innovative software solutions for the Scandinavian Packaging Industry will be present at Scandinavia’s largest packaging show Scanpack 2009, which is due to take place in Sweden (Goteborg), October 20 till 23. At Stand No. F00:01, IPD will focus on Packaging Design and Pre Production and will therefore join the special area called "Design 2009" where both designers, converters and suppliers in one place will show new products and design trends.
Visitors wil be able to see the latest in Prepress and Pre-production innovation with MaxPro and MaxStep together with the Packaging proofing solution, Star Proof and the Epson 7900.
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12/10/09
Star Proof and Epson Stylus Pro WT7900
The Dot Proofing solution for Flexo, Gravure, Letterpress and Offset.
Following the introduction of the new Epson Styus Pro WT7900 device at Label Expo in Brussels, Artworkers, Brand owners, Designers and Reprographic departments will soon have the faciity to produce a cost effective proof of the final printed article, on film, paper or metallic substrates.
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29/08/09
MaxPro makes Belgian debut at
Label Expo 2009 - Brussels
Graphic Republik and Flexolaser partner
to showcase the latest in Prepress
production solutions
London (England), August 29th, 2009 - Visitors to Label Expo in Brussels will be able to see the latest in Prepress production technology at the Flexolaser stand, Hall 11, Stand Q95.
Front end file preparation, from colour editing through to high end trapping and final layout step and repeat will be demonstrated using the MaxPro suite of applications whilst a range of Flexolaser digital imagers for both Flexo and Letterpress plate production will be on show.
The MaxPro suite provides an alternative solution for the entire label pre-production process. MaxPro provides editing, colour correction and high-end trapping, which includes transparency trapping tools unavailable in other applications to ensure fast and efficient preparation of label designs. MaxStep, used as an automated CAD-based workflow, a manual layout facility or an auto step & repeat function creates stepped, final plate layouts, quickly and efficiently. Some of the new features within MaxPro to be shown at Label Expo include a contone trapping function, composite/separation postscript export, full ppd functionality, monitor profile and CFF2 CAD file format support.
Flexolaser, a leading innovative manufacturer of laser engraving machines for flexographic photopolymer plates with global expertise, will present their small format laser system - the ‘piccolino’. The ‘piccolino’ is the perfect machine for label printers with in-house plate production whilst for flexo-trade shops, the piccolino can be easily implemented as an additional device. The vacuum drum is designed for plates sizes up to 635 x 500 mm with exposure taking only 12 minutes at a resolution of 2540 dpi.
User-friendly features such as sliders for easy adjustment of vacuum surface and plate clamping systems will also be on show. For digital production of letterpress plates, the piccolino is provided with a magnetic vacuum drum. Well known for always being one step ahead in the market, Flexolaser will reveal a novelty at Brussels: a big sensation coming along in a handy format. Flexolaser’s novelty will convince you not only because of its intuitive handling but also because of its outstanding cost-effectiveness.
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28/07/09
Graphic Republik and norns-digital bring MaxPro
and Star Proof to the DACH regions.
New alliance focuses on packaging prepress and
proofing solutions.
Graphic Republik today announced the introduction of MaxPro and Star Proof into the DACH regions. Norns digital, with over 25 years packaging and prepress experience will deliver sales, training, integration and support to the German, Austrian and Swiss markets. Additionally, emphasis will be placed on providing an extensive range of services to ensure integration of both MaxPro and Star Proof solutions, so meeting customer needs in their specific production environments.
More...
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01/06/09 - Technical article - Prepress techniques - time for change.
(First published in Flexo & Gravure International. 15, (1), 2009).
When the MaxPro Prepress suite was first demonstrated to the public at the Drupa Innovation Parc in 2008, it challenged the status quo, leading one industry expert to describe the solution as “Revolutionary”. In this article, the author discusses the reasoning behind the MaxPro development and the benefits to be gained from working in a Raster Technical environment.
More...
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19/05/09 - Case Study - Adampack
MaxPro brings speed, security and ease of use
to Athens based packaging producer.
London - England, UK – May 19th 2009 – Founded in 1997 by Kostas Adam, the Adam Group has grown into a multi-million Euro business, with over 120 staff and producing packaged goods for clients in over 25 countries, from Russia to Ireland, the Middle East to South Africa.
More...
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11/05/09 - Star Proof brings proofing perfection to Graphica 2009, May 29th - June 1st, Athens, Greece. - Epson and Chroma Solutions to showcase new packaging combination for proofing excellence and accuracy.
London - England, UK – May 11th 2009 – The Epson Stand (Hall 1, Stand 200-201) will be the venue for live demonstrations of innovation in proofing technology, with the latest version of Star Proof driving the Epson Stylus Pro 9900 series of inkjet printers. Utilizing the wider colour gamut offered by a new 11-colour UltraChrome HDR (High Dynamic Range) ink set, Star Proof produces hard, sharp, screened proofs which are perfect for challenging requirements.
More...
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18/03/09 - Eurintrade z.o.o. to showcase MaxPro, the very latest in Prepress Packaging tools at Poligrafia 2009 - Poznan trade show set to be the stage for live demonstrations of the MaxPro suite of Prepress applications.
London - England, UK – March 18th 2009 – Poligrafia 2009 will be the stage for live demonstrations of both MaxPro and the new Star Proof version 6 at the Eurintrade booth. MaxPro provides a suite of prepress tools developed to meet the needs of packaging professionals - Star Proof is industry renowned for producing the hardest, sharpest screened proofs from inkjet printers.
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09/03/09 - Pomeroy sign up to MaxPro, a new suite of Prepress tools for the packaging industry - National Prepress and Print specialist, partner with Graphic Republik to bring MaxPro to the UK market.
London - England, UK – March 9th 2009 – Graphic Republik today announced their partnership with Pomeroy and the introduction of MaxPro to the UK market.
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08/06/08 - Drupa Report Daily - "MaxPro proving popular"
Graphic Republik, the European distributor for Isi Graphic Systems' MaxPro suite of high-end editing software, has been attracting a lot of interest to its dip stand (hall 7.0).
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03/03/08 - Graphic Republik to introduce Max Pro®, a new professional Prepress system at the Drupa Innovation Parc.
Drupa 2008 will see the worldwide debut of Max Pro®, a new suite of software applications dedicated to the Prepress sector of printing industry.
Max Pro® consists of three applications, all developed for the Macintosh operating system:
1) MaxPro RIP® - A bespoke postscript Level 3 Rip with features developed specifically for Max Pro, is capable of processing PDF 1.7, PDF/X-1a:2001, PDF/X-3:2002, PDF/X-3:2003, PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-4p. MaxPro RIP delivers more processing power and more flexibility to Pre Press departments, especially when dealing with transparency and layer effects.
2) Max Pro® - A professional Prepress system which allow users to easily edit files, apply individual zonal traps to both continuous tone (CT) and Linework (LW) elements, apply special effects to process and Spot colours and also create bespoke separations such as varnish plates. Users can also take advantage of powerful masking tools, unavailable in other software applications to efficiently and simply create press ready files.
3) Max Step® - A powerful application enabling the creation of step-and-repeat layouts for a wide variety of printing processes. With Max Step, users have the ability to interactively create bespoke step and repeat layouts, or use pre-defined electronic die cut guides to automatically generate layouts according to the requirements of the printer or converter. Max Step also delivers a full range of numbering, user generated or integral plate furniture options.
Graphic Republik will be demonstrating the MaxPro suite at the Drupa Innovation Parc, Hall 07, Stand 7.0.C.
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