ABCs of Workow

A GUIDE TO STREAMLINED PRODUCTION

ABCs of Workflow

A Guide to Streamlined Production

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Contents

Introduction

Introduction Enabling Factors Workflow: What It Isand What It Is Not Its More Than a Box Its a Toolbox Receiving and Preparing Files Composition Artwork, Images and Fonts Preflighting PDF or PostScript?

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What is Workflow

Its All About the Customer Processing Jobs

Proofing Remote Proofing Soft Proofing Color Management Trapping Imposition and Preparing for Print RIP Output Management Variable Data Printing Archiving Post-Press Focus on Finishing First Estimating Quoting Planning Scheduling Getting Paid Supply Chain Management The Role of JDF and CIM

The Business of Workflow

The Role of JDF and CIM

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Making the Right Choices

What About Existing Equipment and Software? Build or Buy? The Hidden Costs of Workflow Staff Training Customer Education Infrastructure Investments Planning a Smooth Implementation Selling and Marketing Your New Capabilities Interoperabilitya Critical Consideration EFI PrinterSite, EFI PrinterSite Exchange, EFI PrintSmith Site EFI Digital StoreFront Third Party Web, Prepress and VDP Applications EFI Print MIS Solutions: Hagen, Logic, PSI and PrintSmith EFI JDF Connector EFI OneFlow EFI ColorProof with Best Technology EFI PrintFlow and AutoCount EFI Balance and EFI MicroPress EFI Fiery EFI Fiery Graphic Arts Package

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Introduction

EFI Workflow Solutions

Introduction
Shorter runs. Reduced turnaround times. Increased pricing pressure. Viable alternatives to print. These are just a few of the trends that are affecting the printing industry. And none of them are going away anytime soon. While suppliers to the industry are continuing to deliver more hardware features and functionality at a better price performance as technology continues to evolve, suppliers and service providers alike have come to the conclusion that better, faster, cheaper hardware, while important, is not the ultimate solution to addressing the impact of these trends. Instead, increased focus is being placed on improving the flow of work through the printing operation, from the initial customer inquiry through shipping of final product. Producing more work with the same resourcesthat is, improv- That is what workflow is all ing efficiency throughout the entire aboutautomating and integrating operationis the key to running a more profitable operation. And a the process of manufacturing guaranteed method for achieving that printed products to ensure a result is the deployment of a rational, logical path for work coming into the rational, logical flow of work from operation, using as much integration customer engagement through and automation as possible. Of course, manufacturing a printed product has not historically lent itself to deploying process automation in the same way that manufacturers of appliances, apparel and automobiles have been doing for years. But the good news for the graphic arts industry is that process automation is finally feasible, despite the fact that we are still essentially in the business of manufacturing custom products.

Glossary

delivery of the printed piece.

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Introduction

And that is what workflow is all aboutautomating and integrating the process of manufacturing printed products to ensure a rational, logical flow of work from customer engagement through delivery of the printed piece. Its about doing more with less and delivering more customer value. Its about differentiating yourself in a marketplace where high quality and competitive price levels are a given. Its about relieving your staff of the burden of performing non-productive repetitive tasks and unleashing their creativity to develop value-added services that will generate new revenue streams. Its about better positioning yourself for continued growth in the future regardless of the accelerating changes that are coming your way in an industry that is more dynamic than ever before.

Enabling Factors
What are the major developments that have made possible a more streamlined print manufacturing process in an industry where it sometimes feels as though nothing has changed since Johannes Gutenberg invented movable typeor at least since offset printing began to gain ground in the early part of the last century? There are two critical enablers that have contributed to the accelerated pace of change and brought more efficient manufacturing processes within our reach: A print production process that is increasingly driven by digitalthe submission of digital files, digital proofing, digital print devices, the flow of information to computer systems that manage both production and the back office; and The development ofand compliance witha robust set of industry standards that ensures that the disparate parts of the production and management process can communicate amongst themselves in a meaningful way. Suppliers to the graphic arts industry have This is a powerful conembraced the work of CIP4 (The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes fluence of factors that in Prepress, Press and Postpress, an industry has changed the printing standards body founded in 1995 as a joint initiative of vendors for the graphic arts industry). industry forever. And you can barely open a trade publication or read a press release without reading about JDF (Job Definition Format) whose most prominent features, according to CIP4, are its ability to carry a print job from genesis through completion, its ability to bridge the communication gap between production and Management Information Services, and its ability to do so under nearly any precondition. This is a powerful confluence of factors that has changed the printing industry forever. It is enabling us to deploy more flexible manufacturing configurations and to gain more control over the production process in a constantly changing environment. And workflow is at the heart of it.

The good news for the graphic arts industry is that process automation is finally feasible,

Introduction

Introduction

What is Workflow

Workflow: What It Isand What It Is Not

Workow is not a brand or a boxed solution although a number of suppliers do offer workflow product suites with excellent functionality and productivity. While one of these workflow suites might very well meet all your needs, it is important to understand how they stack up relative to flexibility, scalability and compliance with standards so that you can ensure that workflow solutions you invest in today will meet your needs tomorrow as well. An effective workflow will comprehend all aspects of production and business management, incorporating as much automation as possible across products and solutions from multiple vendors. Above all, an effective workflow will eliminate unnecessary rekeyingor better yet, the need for any keying at all, reducing errors and speeding the job through the production process.

Workflow is
The execution of and the interaction between Receiving and preparing files Proofing Imposition and Preparing for Print RIP and Print Post-Press (Finishing) Archiving The Business of Print Supply Chain Management

The key is not to key! Capture data at the source, or only key in once

Introduction

What is Workflow

Its More Than a Box Its a Toolbox

Whether you buy a pre-packaged workflow or build your own, there is obviously more to implementation than cracking the shrink wrap on a box and running Set-Up from a CD. Workflow lies at the heart of your businessit is, in fact, your business. And changing the way your company manufactures print will affect every corner of your organizationpeople, processes, and technology. This is not a trivial task and should not be taken lightly. And regardless of the approach you choose, you will find a need to customize the workflow to the needs of your particular business and your customers. The important thing is to establish a standardized workflow with operating procedures that can be applied no matter what type of job you receive.
EFIs OneFlow provides the operator with a graphical interface that unifies all the tools you need for Digital and Analog prepress work into one easyto-use control center.

Receiving and Preparing Files

The majority of work today is being receivedor could be receivedin electronic form. Files can be delivered on electronic media, uploaded to an FTP site, attached to an e-mail or provided via a Web job submission tool. Receiving files electronically versus in hardcopy or film format eliminates stepsand timefrom the production process, for both you and the customer. Even if customers are starting with paper documents, it can often be easier for them to scan their files and transmit them electronically than to deliver hardcopy originals. Scanners are inexpensive, and accessible in most offices. And most networked copier/printers these days have a scan-to-file feature that makes conversion of paper to digital easy. Many scanning solutions, whether using a standalone scanner or a networked copier/printer, have the ability to produce PDF filesa de facto file transmission standard that can be viewed on almost any computing platform and edited with readily available software. Developed by Adobe but placed in the public domain to encourage third party development, PDF delivers smaller file sizes than native scan formats because it has file compression built in to it.

Lets take a look at the individual process steps and the implications of automating workflow. You are no doubt already performing all of these activities; the goal of implementing an integrated, automated workflow is to allow you to perform them betterfaster and with less human intervention and opportunity for error, ultimately saving you time and money, positioning you to provide exceptional customer service. Lets face it, one of the most significant differentiators for any business in any industry is customer service. If you dont provide an exceptional customer experience (and the bar is being raised every day), your customers will seek other alternatives. Dont lose sight of the customer as you reinvent your production workflow.

What is Workflow

What is Workflow

Composition
Print shops have varying levels of involvement in document composition. Some shops simply receive print ready files or camera ready paper-based materials, faithfully reproducing them according to customer direction. Others may offer graphic design or other types of creative services. Besides Adobe Acrobat to handle PDF files, there are a few other nativeor document creationapplications that are commonly used to create files for print. These include: Adobe InDesign. Relatively new to the market but experiencing a high rate of adoption, this desktop publishing package integrates with other popular Adobe products, including Acrobat (which generates PDF), Illustrator and PhotoShop, which are staples in the graphic arts industry. Adobe products all utilize a similar user interface, including menus, keystrokes and tools, making it easy for users familiar with one package to quickly learn another. InDesign also supports publishing to other media than print, including Web, e-books and more.

Microsoft Publisher. This is a Windows-only application (does not operate on the Apple Macintosh) and is commonly bundled with PCs. It is a low-end document layout application that is not known for its print friendliness, but like Office, is in increasingly common use in the corporate and home markets, and thus processes for handling Publisher files should be in place. QuarkXPress. QuarkXPress has long been the leading electronic publishing software, although Adobe InDesign has been gaining in popularity. Quark has encouraged the third-party development community to develop what the company calls XTensions, software plug-ins that can add increased functionality to the base product. With QuarkXPress and a set of XTensions, the graphic arts service provider has the tools required to create, design and deliver high-quality documents for both print and electronic media. It is important for the graphic arts service provider to have these applications as well as any other applications common to the service providers customer baseon hand in order to deal with not only last minute changes to native files in lieu of sending them back to the originator, but also to properly process the files for printing. For example, a customer might want to produce a catalog in Macromedia Freehand. While this could be the printers worst nightmare, it is even more of a nightmare if the printer does not have access to Macromedia Freehand! Thus, these applications become a key element of the workflow toolbox. One potential way to avoid the necessity of maintaining copies of a large number of document creation packages is to advocate that your customers submit their jobs in PDF format. For those that are willing to do so, you may need to help them do this, either through training or provision of toolsan investment that will be well worth your time. As a further note, along with Web submission of print projects comes an opportunity to add more services, including the establishment of a Web document repository to make it easier for customers to manage their files and to submit work for reprinting. The graphic arts service provider who has this capability may also wish to offer customers the ability to work with a database of pre-designed templates that protect their brand integrity but allow dealers, franchisees, agents and sales staff to localize brochures within a defined set of guidelines. This can significant increase the volume of work the print service provider receives, as well as deliver market differentiation. Templates can be created using the native application packages we have discussed here.

Page layout applications like Adobes InDesign have long been a staple for professional users creating documents for print production. Your workflow environment must be flexible enough to work with your customers input files no matter what application they use to create them.

Microsoft Office. Consisting of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Microsoft Office is the most widely used application suite in the corporate world. As powerful and convenient as these applications are for the office user, they are not designed to create complex, high-production-value documents for commercial printing. Nonetheless, printers have little choice but to accept files generated by Microsoft Office applications and to learn how to process them efficiently.

What is Workflow

What is Workflow

Its All About the Customer

Artwork, Images and Fonts
Managing images and fonts is critical to a smooth production process. Missing images or fonts can cause a job to print or image incorrectly, or even cause the printing or imaging process to fail, resulting in delays and added costs. Tools such as Extensis Suitcase and Font Reserve, both popular font managers, allow the management of fonts in both Windows and Macintosh environments, are used in most prepress environments and are widely used by designers as well. These products make it easy to manage, organize, preview and work with fonts. These tools are especially important when using Mac OS X. For the print service provider who accepts print-ready PDF files, it is important to ensure that the PDF is created with fonts embedded in order to guarantee accurate printing. Artwork and images are primarily provided in digital format in todays world. These could be digital photos or other imagery in raster or bitmap format, or illustrations (drawings) created in applications such as Adobe Illustrator, in vector format. Vector files tend to be much smaller in size than bitmap or raster images. Bitmap images can be stored in either CMYK or RGB format. Historically, images were primarily delivered in CMYK format, but with the increased prevalence of digital cameras, which produce images in RGB format, RGB workflows are an increasing requirement for management and processing of images. Materials provided on hardcopy or film can be scanned to a bitmap format. Leaving RGB images in RGB format offers the most workflow flexibility. Images can be fine-tuned in RGB, and then converted to CMYK at the last minute for printing (if conversion is necessary at allif your intended output device is a digital printer, you might be able to skip this step entirely). As the number of images, artwork files and even fonts that the graphic arts service provider must manage continues to grow exponentially, simply storing

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What is Workflow

It's All About the Customer

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these files within a hierarchical (or folder) file structure rapidly becomes inadequate. To overcome this inefficiency, many graphic arts service providers have implemented some type of content management database solution. Full details about content management are beyond the scope of this booklet, but a simple Internet search will generate significant information on the subject.

Preflighting
It is no surprise that graphic arts service providers commonly receive problem filesfiles that are missing images, artwork or fonts or have other errors that affect their ability to print correctly. Processes should be in place to address the most common file errors, and in promising delivery dates, extra time should be allowed where possible to deal with unexpected file There are a number of tools available problems. There are a numto automatically process incoming files, ber of tools available to automatically process incoming identifying errorsand often fixes for files, identifying errorsand those errors as well. often fixes for those errors as well. This process is called preflighting. Some preflighting software even has self healing properties that can automatically fix problems during preflight. Common preflight applications include Enfocus PitStop (a PDF preflight tool), Extensis Preflight Pro and Markzware FlightCheck.

Before PDF workflow, jobs would be sent to a proprietary workflow system as PostScript and converted to an internal format. An example of such a legacy proprietary format would be the CT/LW format employed by Creos Brisque workflow. Workflow processes would then be applied and problems fixed within the proprietary format. Once the file was converted to the internal format, job files were no longer susceptible to the problems associated with the native applications that created them. However, because the format that these workflow systems employ is proprietary, only the tools within the workflow system can be used to perform operations on the jobi.e., preflighting, trapping, imposition, etc., all needed to be performed using proprietary technology. PDF workflow, on the other hand, offers all of the advantages of working with the job in one convenient format, but adds the benefit of the ability to use a large variety of tools from multiple vendors because the PDF format has become an industry standard. There are a wide variety of PDF tools and plugins readily available in the market that can meet just about every need.

Internet

Laser

Plotter RIP File Server

Imagesetter

PDF or PostScript?
PDF has become an industry standard in corporate environments for document distribution and now for pre-production workflow applications. Regardless of whether customers are supplying PDF files as input to the print production process, PDF can be employed as a labor- and time-saving tool in the workflow. And there are many advantages that can be gained by converting files to PDF as they enter the production workflow. Whereas a PostScript workflow makes you reprocess the entire file (or job) to fix something on a page, with a PDF workflow you can select, view, and modify a particular page or the entire job. The ability to process jobs in this way has been important in high end production workflow for some time, and now it is just as important for smaller shops that also need the ability to work on jobs in the most efficient manner possible.
Workstation

Workstation Workflow Server Workstation

RIP

Modern PDF workflows provide numerous advantages over legacy Postscript RIP workflows. Jobs enter the workflow either as PDF , or from a variety of native filescustomers dont have to supply PDF files, but they can. Other advantages include the ability to work on customer jobs using your choice of off-the-shelf tools, and the ability to change pages for revisions and corrections at any point before output.

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It's All About the Customer

It's All About the Customer

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Processing Jobs

Proofing
The importance of proofing in the print production cycle cannot be underestimated. Basically, with a proof you are presenting the customer with a prototype of the final product you are going to manufacture. And the customer will expect the final product to look like the proof in one way or another. Proofing is how you communicate what you are going to produce and set customer expectations. Most graphic arts workflows encompass three different types of proofing processes: Content, or Preliminary Position, or Page Imposition Contractthe final proof against which the job is produced
A Summary of proofing technologies and their appropriateness for customer applications. Proof Type Content Position Contract Color Laser X X X B&W Laser X X Inkjet X X X X Halftone PDF X X Monitor X X

Depending upon the complexity of the job and the individual customer requirements, some or all of these proofing stages may need to be included. Your workflow system needs to provide the ability to generate any and all of the different types of proofs your customer relationships will require. It should also be noted that as color calibration tools continue to improve, you can expect to see a migration to PDF or monitor proofs for certain types of contract proofs, particularly in short-run, quick-turn applications where moving hardcopy proofs around adversely affects an already tight cycle time.

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It's All About the Customer

Processing Jobs

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Remote Proofing
With the proliferation of high-quality, relatively inexpensive inkjet proofing devices, much of the proofing that was historically done at the print production plant can now by done at the customer site. This is called remote proofing and it requires careful color management on the part of the printer and the customer to ensure color integrity between the two sites.
Inkjet Proofer Corporate Customer New York

print devices and presses. Color management profiles, sometimes called lookup tables or LUTs, are digital representations of each devices ability to process the color information it receives from other devices in the workflow. Color values are mapped from one device to another to maintain color integrity from input to output. While color management still requires a fair amount of expertise to ensure the best color integrity throughout the entire process, color management solutions are becoming smarter and more capable and can even allow customer involvement in color-managed operations. Nonetheless, it is important to ensure that you have a solid process in places to deliver color quality, consistency and repeatability. Standards play a role in color management as well, with the International Color Consortium (ICC) playing a leading role. The ICC has established standards for creating ICC profiles, which are digital files with embedded information that adjusts or corrects color and grayscale information based on the characteristics or deficiencies of a device in a digital workflow, such as a scanner, digital camera, monitor, digital printer, or printing press. ICC profiles can be interpreted by any operating system or application that is compliant with the specification and can also be embedded in images and documents to facilitate the movement of color information among devices and networks.

Internet Proofing Server

Corporate Customer San Francisco

Inkjet/Laser

Inkjet/Laser

Prepress Workstation

Prepress Workstation

Remote and Soft proofing can help save time and money by significantly reducing the time between proofs and approvals, and by reducing courier charges.

Trapping
One final and important step in preparing a file for print is trappingthe process of controlling how two colors that meet in a printed piece will interact with one another. Trapping prevents inappropriate overlapping of colors, as well as white spaces appearing between adjacent color elements. In a digital workflow, trapping is an automated part of the process, although some manual inspection may still be required.

Soft Proofing
Soft proofing, or proofing on a computer screen, is gaining in popularity and there are a number of products available that make it easy to incorporate soft proofing into the production workflow. By its very nature, soft proofing is less expensive and time consuming than other proofing methods. Soft proofing can easily be used for the content and position steps of the process, and with appropriate color calibration of computer monitors, may also be acceptable for contract proofing as well.

Color Management
A brief word about the complex topic of color management, an essential element of digital workflow, is appropriate here. The purpose of color management is to ensure that color values remain the same throughout the entire process, including scanners, monitors, proofing devices, plate setters, digital
Without Trap With Overprint With .5 point trap (magnified)

Trapping determines how two colors interact when they meet on the page. Trapping software built into a workflow system can automatically set the parameters of traps where the colors meet.

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Processing Jobs

Processing Jobs

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Imposition and Preparing for Print

Now that you have an error-free color-managed file in hand, the next step is to actually produce the output, either by generating plates for an offset press or preparing the file for printing on a digital output device, or in the case of a hybrid workflow, quite possibly to both. Flexibility in this stage of the production process is critical. With the reduced cycle times inherent in a fast-paced environment, it is increasingly common for a buyer to request a shorter (digital) run of, for example, a brochure required for a trade show with a tight turnaround time,
Imposition is the process of arranging a document or jobs pages for the particular configuration of a press, so they can be finished without requiring much manual intervention. Imposition software is necessary to take advantage of output devices that print more than a single page on a sheet, and can automate the sheet layout and/or let the operator manually control how the document is imaged.

RIP
The final phase prior to actually producing images on plates or digital presses is the RIPor Raster Image Processor. This step transforms the preflighted, trapped, imposed, and color managed file into a format that is understandable by the output device, whether it is a plate maker or digital press. Most RIPs are PostScript based and either license technology from Adobe or utilize clone software developed based on published Adobe PostScript standards. Many RIPs support distributed processing for workload balancing and improved productivity. Some vendors have created software that separates the RIP , screening and output device-driver processes so that screening the file and driving the output device dont cause a bottleneck in a particular server. The RIPping process is generally output-device specific, which could result in the file being RIPped twice in some workflows. However, post-RIPped files can be stored for later reprinting by most print servers.

Output Management
Once the file is RIPped, it is important to have maximum control over how it is output, regardless of whether it is being output to a digital print engine, CTP device, proofing device or a monitor for soft proofing. Some output management solutions are capable of separating color from black & white pages to ensure utilization of the most cost effective printing technology on a page-by-page basis, including insertion of appropriate commands to ensure proper reassembly of the job later in the workflow.

while at the same a longer production run (offset) is produced for later distribution. Or in the case of a variable data project, static data may be printed using offset (often termed offset shells) with variable data overprinted on a black & white or color digital output device. An effective digital workflow must be structured to accommodate this increasingly common hybrid approach. Depending upon the job content, finishing requirements and target output device, an imposition step will most likely be required. Imposition is the arrangement of pages on a press sheet so that they will be in correct order after the printed sheets are gathered, cut and bound. Imposition is also used to make the most effective use of a press sheet; for example, an A4 two-sided brochure may be printed twoup (two images on a sheet), four-up (four images on a sheet), or even eight-up (eight images on a sheet) depending upon the size of sheet the digital or offset press can accommodate and the unit count being produced.

Variable Data Printing

As customer databases and the price/performance of color digital print engines improve, one-to-one communications using variable data printing is gaining ground. Please refer to EFIs ABCs of VDP: A Variable Data Printing Basics Guide, for more information on this topic.

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Processing Jobs

Processing Jobs

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Archiving
Once the job is complete, the chances are that you may either produce the same job again or the customer may ask you to deliver digital media containing the job as it was printed. Your workflow must include an easy way to save a job and put it on the shelf for later use. In the old days, Your workflow must include an printers stored film on a shelf, and when a job reprint was required, the film was used easy way to save a job and put it to create new plates. Todays equivalent of on the shelf for later use. film is a print-ready document stored on digital media, either a CD, DVD or tape, or within the context of a content management (CM) or hierarchical storage management (HSM) solution. The latter twoCM and HSMare database solutions that enable more effective tracking, storage and retrieval of digital files, or digital assets, than simply storing CDs, DVDs or tapes on a shelf.

The Business of Workflow

In a perfect world, a print job arrives at the shop and is put through its paces with no delays, delivered to the customer on timeor even earlyand customer payment is received promptly. We dont, of course, live in a perfect world, and workloads experience peaks and valleys. Management of the business aspects of printingestimating, quoting, planning, scheduling, invoicing, and management of the supply chain, including inventory management and material purchasingare critical elements that must be taken into consideration when implementing an end-to-end digital workflow.

Post-Press
Printers like to say that a job is not finished until it A job is not finished is finished. Finishing includes cutting, collating, folding, stapling or stitching, and binding in a variety of until it is finished. ways: saddle stitched booklets, perfect bound books, wire or plastic comb binding, even tape binding. Finishing can be either in-line (connected directly to the print output device or press); near-line (with finishing completed at or near the location of printing) or off-line, meaning that binding or finishing is completed as a separate process, usually in a different location within the printing operationor even as an outsourced activity.

Estimating
Estimating plays several roles in the print pro- A balance must duction operation. First and foremost, estimating be struck between determines how much a particular job will cost to produce, and what the optimum customer price for when the customer the job will be. During the course of developing needs the product an estimate, all of the components of the job are identified, and a determination must be made as to and the availability of whether all components are available in inventory production resources or some elements might need to be orderedand what those order lead times are. The estimator in order to establish a must also determine whether certain operations feasible delivery date. need to be outsourced, and what prices and lead times are for those operations. And a balance must be struck between when the customer needs the product and the availability of production resources in order to establish a feasible delivery date. There are a wide range of estimating tools and procedures in place in the graphic arts industry; not all of them are automated or efficient! In many shops, the estimator relies on his or her knowledge and expertise more than system capabilities, and may use anything from a pencil and calculator to a spreadsheet to a formal estimating package, with the corresponding levels of accuracy, productivity and process cost inherent in each.

Focus on Finishing First

While a job is not finished until it is finished, an effective workflow must focus on finishing first. What are the requirements for the job? How does that affect the page imposition? What sheet size(s) lend themselves to the most effective processing of the job in the bindery? What bindery equipment is located onsite versus work that must be outsourced? What is the bindery workload; will a bottleneck in that department cause the job to be late? What makes most sense for an individual job, in-line or off-line? These are just a few of the aspects of finishing an automated digital workflow must take into consideration early in the workflow process.

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Processing Jobs

The Business of Workflow

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Quoting
Once the estimate has been completed, a formal quote can be prepared for the customer. A quote might be generated real time during the course of a Web inquiry; it might be formally typed based on work the estimator has done; or it could be generated automatically by the estimating system and presented for review, modification and approval by an operations manager, sales representative, customer service representative or other key staff member. Timely and accurate generation of a quote could make the difference between securing a job, or not; and it could make the difference between a profitable, or not-so-profitable, job.
An estimating system can help you return quotes to customers more quickly. Just as important, it will help to ensure that quotes accurately reflect your real costs-- resulting in improved profitability on each job.

Scheduling
A scheduler will then examine the overall shop load, the due dates of the various jobs in the queue and strike a scheduling balance that hopefully has everything in the shop going out the door on time. Schedulers commonly use a white board, post-it notes, constant monitoring of the shop floor and other ad hoc procedures to keep things moving smoothly. Individual scheduling elements for a job may change multiple times during the process as various priorities are balanced. In an increasingly complex and fast-paced world, these ad hoc scheduling methods can cause significant workflow inefficiencies. As a result, many shops are moving to more automated procedures utilizing dynamic scheduling software. Such automation can enable the consolidation of the planning and scheduling steps.

Getting Paid
Finally, generating an accurate and timely invoice, either for delivery with the job, for inclusion on account-based billing or for separate delivery by mail or other means, is critical in an environment where margins may be literally paper-thin and cash flows uneven. An inaccurate invoice can cause significant delays in getting paid, eat up margins on what might have ordinarily been a profitable job, and even result in a frustrated customer.

Planning
Once the customer gives the go-ahead, the planning function must determine the most effective way to produce the job. Sometimes the production methodologies will align perfectly with the way the job is estimated; often they do not, based on actual workload and production capacity available at the time. Planners will also often be responsible for creating imposition schema, ordering materials not available in inventory and scheduling outsourced tasks.

An inaccurate invoice can cause significant delays in getting paid, eat up margins on what might have ordinarily been a profitable job, and even result in a frustrated customer.

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The Business of Workflow

The Business of Workflow

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Supply Chain Management

In addition to managing interactions with customers and the progress of a job through production, workflow solutions also play a role in the management of the rest of the supply chain.This includes careful management of inventory and of the data that flows back and forth between your operation and that of your suppliers. For example, effective management of your paper supply can result in significant cost savings. Paper is the most expensive single component of a print job and it costs money to have excess paper in storage. Effective supply chain management will ensure that the appropriate paper is available when a job is scheduled to be produced without requiring an excessive paper inventory.

The Role of JDF and CIM

The Role of JDF and CIM
The key to managing the business of print effectively is the same as the key to managing production workflows efficientlyand that is, dont key at all. Or certainly, absolutely minimize the amount of rekeying of data required throughout the process. The good news for the graphic arts service provider is that thisfor both production and business managementis getting easier every day. Thanks to the efforts of CIP4 and its members, huge strides have been made toward the finalization of the Job Definition Format (JDF) standard which is the cornerstone of the ability to implement computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) in the printing industry. The printing industry has been slow to adopt computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) techniques which have been in use in the manufacturing industry at large for quite some time. Because we are a custom manufacturing industry, automation can be somewhat problematic as compared to manufacturing of such items as food products, apparel and automobiles. A further complication has been the lack of consistent communication standards in a multivendor environment that would allow disparate systems to easily talk with each other as a job is being processed. Thats where JDF comes in.

It is important to understand all costs throughout the entire production process, whether the costs are incurred internally or via an outside supplier.
Another aspect of supply chain management is managing outsourced service providers such as bindery trade shops. It is important to understand all costs throughout the entire production process, whether the costs are incurred internally or via an outside supplier. Waiting for suppliers to invoice you before you, in turn, can invoice your customer can have a significant, negative impact on cash flow. Supply chain management also encompasses managing downstream suppliers such as mailing services and shippers. Timely exchange of information is critical to ensuring customer satisfactionif the job gets delivered a week late or if the mailing doesnt drop on time, it doesnt matter how beautiful the printed piece is; the customer will be unhappy and may choose to eliminate your firm from his or her supplier base. Customers are part of the supply chain, too. An effective workflow solution will help you in managing the process of change orders and authorized alterations (AAs) from customers. When a customer sends you a change, that change needs to be noted and tracked so you can charge for it as appropriate. In implementing a workflow solution, be sure to think through the entire process, from start to finish, involved in producing a customer job, leveraging automation and integration to cut timeand costout of the process, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of data and materials throughout the entire supply chain.

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The Business of Workflow

The Role of JDF and CIM

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JDF (Job Description Format) is a comprehensive XML-based file format and emerging industry standard for end-to-end job ticket specifications, combined with a message description standard and message interchange protocolcalled JMF or Job Messaging Format. JDF is designed to streamline information exchange between different applications and systems. JDF is intended to enable the entire industry, including media, design, graphic arts, on demand and e-commerce companies, to implement and work with individual workflow solutions. JDF will allow integration of heterogeneous products from diverse vendors to seamless workflow solutions. And JDF , through its Job Messaging Format (JMF) component, offers the ability for two-way communication between business and production systems.

Increasing profits is not always about cutting costs. Most printers would agree that if they could increase the amount of business flowing into the firm, driving up revenues while utilizing the same fixed cost base, the result will be an increase in profits. If they could increase business volume, they could make up costs. With its full implementation, JDF can help increase customer satisfaction and increase business volume. The automation offered by JDFenabled products presents the print service provider JDF can help increase with a better view, for example, of when a job will customer satisfaction be completed, improving the ability to comply with promised due dates. Thus, it is important to think and increase about JDF not only in terms of automation or cutting business volume. costs, but also in terms of its ability to drive increased customer satisfaction. With JDF , graphic arts service providers are able to extend an automated communications capability to the customer, increasing the ability to implement a self-service model. While human interaction and relationships will always be important in a service business such as ours, customers are increasingly desirous of taking advantage of the Internet at a time and from a location that is most convenient for them. This includes such capabilities as viewing online proofs, checking job status, entering orders, uploading files and accessing activity reports. With a fully implemented cross-vendor JDF-enabled workflow, customers can even assess the viability of a job prior to submitting itwill the design result in the job being too expensive, too time-consuming? These are the types of things that often inform the buying decisions for a savvy buyer. To the extent an effective self-service model is utilized, productivity is enhanced for both the customer and the service provider. The end result is improved cash flow and job throughput for the service provider, and improved customer conveniencecontributing to higher retention ratesfor the customer. Of course, the service provider can still choose to filter information as appropriate. But the traditional separation between customer interfaces and the production operation begins to erode, making the entire process much more customer-oriented, and much more convenient for all parties to use. In a nutshell, JDF , and its JMF component, bring the notion of computer-based integration and automation to the printing industry, reducing bottlenecks and improving overall business practices. It also comprehends the need to produce

Business Systems Management Systems Creation Pre-Press Press Post Press & Delivery

CIP3

JDF is emerging as the most important technology for interoperability between equipment and software in the print manufacturing environment. It creates a link between business systems, prepress workflow systems and production equipment, from digital output devices to presses to finishing equipment.

But as depicted above, JDF doesnt stand alone; it is part of a suite of things that make CIM possible in printing. JDF is a technology that is enabling us to automate workflows and it is an enabler for CIM. One often overlooked benefit of JDF is its ability to drive increased customer satisfaction for the print service provider.

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The Role of JDF and CIM

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business communications in media other than print, helping customers make appropriate choices about what isand what is notprinted, and placing the service provider in the position of managing an entire range of multimedia communications on behalf of the customer. In a time when the printing industry is experiencing negligible growth and stiff competition from outside the industry, this functionality offers a logical way for graphic arts service providers to diversify their portfolio of services, experiencing growth in spite of the pressures on print.

Making the Right Choices

What About Existing Equipment and Software?
As you look toward incorporating JDF-enabled solutions into your workflow, you should be looking for solutions that will take into account your existing operation, helping you incorporate your existing equipment into a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment. In other words, a JDF-enabled workflow should work with your existing equipment and make it better in some way. Solutions that include dynamic scheduling and direct machine interfaces can enhance data collec- JDF compliance will tion and improve your overall production process. become an accepted Keep in mind that with effective workflow, the key is not to key. With direct machine interfaces, sen- and mandatory sors, attached to presses and finishing equipment, element of all graphic enable a flow of real-time information about the job being produced to management and workflow solu- arts solutions: tions. Prepress operators should be able to record work they have done on a particular job right from their Mac without logging it on paper and have that information roll right to the business systems. Over time, JDF compliance will become an accepted and mandatory element of all graphic arts solutions; but as that transition takes place, and as you are implementing your own workflow solutions, look for opportunities to begin taking advantage of the power of JDF with each new component you acquire.

Build or Buy?
There are several major vendors who offer pre-packaged or modular workflow solutions, from EFIs Balance, Fiery, MicroPress and OneFlow workflow solutions to Creos Prinergy or Brisque, to Agfas Apogee, to Heidelbergs Prinect. While these solutions will offer answers to some of the knottiest problems faced when transitioning a production operation to a digital workflow, the likelihood is high that they will not provide all the answers. Thus, while pre-packaged solutions may form the basic scaffolding for a customized, end-

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Making the Right Choices

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to-end digital workflow, they must also be able to be used in conjunction with elements from other vendors that will fill out the functionality a shop ultimately needs to put in place. So first and foremost, solutions should be assessed in terms of their compliance with standards and the ease with which foreign elements can be integrated. At the same time, manufacturers of these solutions should be assessed The initial cash relative to their overall support of standards, the outlay in a workflow likelihood that they will continue to be heavily involved in the development and implementation investment isnt the of emerging standards, and, of course, their finanonly consideration cial viabilitywill they be around to support their products in the future. when calculating a And keep in mind that the initial cash outlay in a return on investment workflow investment isnt the only consideration (ROI). when calculating a return on investment (ROI). The solution must improve production and business efficiencies and enable you to accomplish things you could not do before faster and more cost effectively. In addition to implementing a digital workflow off of a pre-packaged base, the graphic arts service provider has the option to approach workflow from a doit-yourself perspective. Here again, vendors supplying individual components must have a heritage of support for standards and a demonstrated ability to work well in multivendor environments. And in either scenario, make sure the vendor or vendors you select can provide the appropriate level of support for your applications, whether by telephone or on-site visits, through thorough training and allowing you to act as your own parts depot, or any other combination of reliable support metrics that you believe will be required to meet your needs.

The Hidden Costs of Workflow

No discussion of workflow is complete without an examination of what could be categorized as the hidden costs. Acquisition of the hardware and software components is a clear hard dollar cost, but there are other elements you should keep in mind as you build an investment strategy and consider your true return on investment. Here are a few questions you can ask yourselfand your vendorsrelative to hidden costs.

Staff Training
How easy are the new solutions going to be for your staff to use? Are they complex and difficult to learn or do they build on a base of knowledge your staff already has? Who supplies the training, and are there fees associated with those training services? When a trained employee leaves, how difficult will it be to train a replacement, and what will be the impact on organizational efficiency?

Customer Education
What impact will new operating processes have on customers? One of the goals of implementing a digital workflow is to make it easier for customers to interact with you; make sure you are achieving that goal. What level of training will customers require and how will that training be deployed? How will you recover costs incurred in customer training activities?

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Infrastructure Investments
Do you have adequate networking capability in place to handle the increased traffic a digital workflow will entail? How about storage? More digital information means more requirement for storage, whether online, nearline or offline. Do you have the right skills in your employee base? Will you need to add or eliminate positions?

EFI Workflow Solutions

EFIs solutions help its customers deliver better quality printed products, streamline their operations, reduce costs, reduce turnaround times, and capture business and production information to help drive continuous operational improvement. And they are designed to work in multi-vendor environments, taking advantage of existing hardware and software and making them better. As a software company, EFI is entirely focused on selling software solutions based on their own merits, with no hardware agenda. EFI has partnerships and alliances with all of the key industry players and is committed, in conjunction with its partners, to bringing to market solutions based on open architectures and compliant with industry standards. EFIs Connected Workflow Strategy touches virtually every step of the print production value chain. Lets walk through it:

Planning a Smooth Implementation

As you transition to a new workflow, how will you stage deployment of new processes, procedures and equipment without impacting your ability to meet customer commitments? How will you ensure minimum waste during the testing and transition process? Rework is expensive and customers have little tolerance for delays.

Selling and Marketing Your New Capabilities

What marketing materials should you have to help communicate your new capabilities to existing and prospective customers? What resources are available to help you develop these materials? How will you educate your sales force relative to new processes, products and capabilities? Will a new workflow entail a change in sales compensation plans? These are a few of the questions you should be considering as you plan your new digital workflow. The answers to these questions will help you more effectively shape your acquisition strategy.

CTP Inkjet

Hagen Logic PSI PrintSmith

Digital Color / Black & White

Fiery Color / B&W Server

Integrated Scale

Press Finishing

PrintFlow Scheduling

Auto-Count

Web Press

Internet Tools

JDF Connector

The answers to these questions will help you more effectively shape your acquisition strategy.

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EFI Workflow Solutions

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Interoperabilitya Critical Consideration

Throughout its entire portfolio of offerings, EFI has incorporated compliance with the latest industry standards in order to ensure the highest level of interoperability possible. While a graphic arts service provider can build an end-to-end workflow based solely on products and solutions from EFI and its partners, EFI recognizes that the reality of todays world is the need to interoperate in a multivendor environment. Thus, EFI has structured its offerings to be able to fit into almost any environment, enabling the graphic arts service provider to optimize existing investments and to select best-of-breed components based on the needs of the individual shop.

EFIs PDF generating drivers, included standard with Digital StoreFront, simplify job submission and can be installed on unlimited corporate desktop workstations to drive traffic to corporate print centers. PDF delivery streamlines workflow in the print center by delivering settings-correct files that require virtually no operator intervention. The system is fully localized and available today in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. An entry-level version, called DSF Express, includes Job Submission and Job Ticketing without e-commerce or add-on modules.

Third Party Web, Prepress and VDP Applications

EFI has a long track record of providing open solutions that enable customers to configure customized solutions that best suit their individual needs using components from a wide range of vendors, equipment and software based on technical merit. Because EFI is a leader in the development and implementation of industry standards, including extensive involvement in the important industry standards bodies, EFIs entire product portfolio is designed to interoperate with offerings from other companies who also embrace open standards, including PDF , JDF and PPML.

EFI PrinterSite, EFI PrinterSite Exchange, EFI PrintSmith Site

Production workflow starts with the customer. Thats why EFI has an Internet solution that brings every shape and size of customer closer to the print supplier by providing an integrated workflow right from concept to production. The EFI PrinterSite suite of Internet applications provides sales force automation and Internet-based fulfillment applications for commercial printers. EFI PrinterSite Exchange provides Intranet and Internet job submission with integrated job tickets and workflow automation for the commercial print environment. EFI PrintSmith Site provides an integrated Web storefront for users of the popular PrintSmith print management system.

EFI Print MIS Solutions: Hagen, Logic, PSI and PrintSmith

The print production environment is more demanding than ever before. The ability for a printing enterprise to stay competitive is dependent on how effectively it can manage the information inside the plant. Printers need powerful software applications to help them connect all of the pieces of the printing process to gain efficiencies and better manage their businesses. No matter what kind of printing operationfrom digital to sheetfed to webEFI has a business and production management solution that will streamline operations, provide better visibility into costs and finances and increase No matter what kind of printing profitability. The industrys best solutionsEFI Hagen, EFI Logic, EFI PSI operation, EFI has a business and and EFI PrintSmithmake it easy for production management solution printers to automate and integrate everything from estimating and cost- that will streamline operations ing to accounting, production man- and increase profitability. agement and more.

EFI Digital StoreFront

EFI Digital StoreFront provides job submission, job ticketing and job status tracking, along with full-featured e-commerce capabilities. The system creates an end-to-end content and commerce workflow from the desktop of the corporate user, directly to EFI Fiery, Balance and Micropress.

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EFI JDF Connector

EFIs JDF Connector provides JDF connectivity between EFI products and those from third-party vendors, including Internet, prepress workflow and output solutions. EFI is committed to bringing the benefits of open standards and Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) to its customers by providing JDF-enabled solutions that conform to the latest published CIP4 standards. EFI is committed to preserving the openness and integrity of its JDF-enabled solutions and has integrated and tested EFIs JDF-enabled products with JDF enabled products from a number of suppliers. Additionally, EFI is working closely with CIP4 in the development and implementation of a set of Interoperability Conformance Standards (ICS) that will make it easy for buyers to verify that a product complies with the latest JDF specifications. The EFI JDF Connector supports the published ICS for both prepress and press. A great example of a JDF Connector application in use today is the two-way communication between EFI print management systems and third-party commercial printing press systems to share job data such as press and makeready times as well as good/bad counts. JDF Connector links directly to press consoles, including K-Station from Komori and MAN Rolands PECOM, and to onboard production management systems to provide a two-way flow of information with little or no operator intervention. The goal is to allow printers to more accurately configure the press and reduce waste. EFIs JDF Connector will also interoperate with Heidelberg presses.

EFI ColorProof with Best Technology

EFI ColorProof is the leading contone proofing solution for production environments. EFI ColorProof operates in the Windows environment and offers all network users up to 15 input channels that can be individually configured for quality, color simulation and output media. Files can be printed directly on virtual PostScript printers or placed into hot folders. Everything else is automatic. EFI ColorProof supports a wide range of printers from A3+ up to 62-inch large-format production devices. ColorProof is a key element in EFIs portfolio of proofing and color management technologies for commercial print.

EFI PrintFlow and AutoCount

EFI Auto-Count allows existing (or legacy) equipment to become part of a printing plants CIM infrastructure. By adding Auto-Counts patented DMI (Direct Machine Interface) sensorsalong with data collection hardware and softwarestaff and operations managers can monitor speeds and feeds, and track waste data from web and sheetfed presses as well as bindery and finishing equipment. This data can then be used to tailor job costing and estimates for future jobs, as well as to analyze the profitability of jobs that have already been produced. EFI PrintFlow is a unique tool that provides the ultimate visibility into plant operations. PrintFlow Dynamic Scheduling optimizes decision making about which devices to use for which jobs, as well as the order and sequence in which to run those jobs. It helps managers decide how to staff, and whether the plant should take on additional workand at what price points for maximum profitability. With PrintFlow, every cost center in the plant becomes part of the CIM equation, even equipment that doesnt have computerized interfaces.

EFI OneFlow
EFIs OneFlow introduces advanced digital prepress capabilities in an easy-touse, cost-effective software solution for any computer-to-plate, computer-tofilm, direct imaging, or digital printing environment, and OneFlow is also ideally suited for hybrid environments using two or more With one intuitive of these output methodologies. With one intuitive interface, users can click and drag prepress funcinterface, users can tions to design a customized workflow. EFI OneFlow click and drag integrates powerful tools to convert files to PDF , preflight, trap, impose, and screen, and offers a true prepress functions to RIP Once Output Many (ROOM) architecture. This design a customized next-generation, all new workflow system provides a workflow. true workflow for hybrid shops, supporting both digital and offset workflows within the same system.

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EFI Workflow Solutions

EFI Workflow Solutions

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EFI Balance and EFI MicroPress

EFIs Balance and MicroPress workflow software leverage the combined power of multiple output devices to effectively handle the most demanding jobs across multiple printers regardless of brand. With EFI Balance and EFI MicroPress, handling complex jobs has never been easier, with in-line automation for reduced manual collation, decreased inventory with on-demand tab printing, and load balancing to deliver increased throughput and split hybrid color and black & white jobs.

Glossary

EFI Fiery
Over 10 years ago, EFI made history when it introduced the worlds first print controller. This groundbreaking product, branded Fiery, changed the way people print. Suddenly, ordinary, standalone printers and copiers were transformed into networked printing devices that could be shared across workgroups. Advertising agencies, graphic designers, copy shops and other businesses could easily and economically print documents in brilliant color or black & white. Today, with over 1.2 million EFI print controllers installed worldwide, EFI continues its tradition of innovation and excellence. EFIs EDOX, DocStream, Fiery and Splash print controllers provide solutions for every segment of the digital printing marketfrom entry-level desktop printers to production-level digital devices that can output up to 2000 pages per minute. EFI partners with all of the worlds leading printer/copier manufacturers, ensuring that EFI is likely have a print controller solution to meet the needs of any printing operation.

Bitmap Graphic A format for describing graphics that uses a collection of tiny dots, called pixels, that together form a pattern. Raster graphics is another name for bitmap graphics. CIP4 The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress, an industry standards body founded in 1995 as a joint initiative of vendors for the graphic arts industry. CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black; subtractive primaries of the color space for conventional printing. Content Management (CM) Electronic database management of images, text, audio and video used in the production of printed or electronic materials by combining rules, process and/or workflows to create, edit, manage, store, retrieve and publish content. DVD DVD initially stood for Digital Video Disc, but has since been redefined as Digital Versatile Disc, a high capacity multimedia data storage medium that can accommodate a complete movie on a single disc, content rich multimedia or very high quality multi-channel audio. DVDs are available in read-only and various writeable and rewritable formats. For more information on DVDs, visit www.dvdforum.org. FTP File Transfer Protocol, a widely accepted protocol, or standard, for transferring files via the Internet. Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) A data storage system that automatically moves data between high-cost and low-cost storage. ICC International Color Consortium, a standards body creating ICC profiles, digital files with embedded information that adjusts or corrects color and grayscale information based on the characteristics or deficiencies of a device in a digital workflow. Imposition Grouping and arranging pages for efficient printing on larger sheets of paper, taking into account the need to cut and bind the pages after printing.

EFI Fiery Graphic Arts Package

EFI has also extended the scope of its Fiery family of products with an optional package designed to meet the specific needs of the high-end prepress and production markets. This includes capabilities such as auto trapping, hot folder workflow, postflighting (a diagnostic tool designed to troubleshoot files at the printing stage) and more effective handling of spot colors. With the optional Graphic Arts Package, EFIs Fiery provides an advanced feature set which will ensure its seamless integration into even the most demanding environment.

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Glossary

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JDF Job Definition Format, an XML-based industry standard designed to simplify information exchange among different graphic arts applications and systems, including Web-based systems. To that end JDF builds on and extends beyond preexisting partial solutions such as CIP3s Print Production Format (PPF) and Adobe Systems Incorporateds Portable Job Ticket Format (PJTF)). It also enables integration of commercial and planning applications into the technical workflow. JMF Job Messaging Format, the messaging component of JDF Native application A software application used to create documents or files. This is contrasted with standard file formats such as PDF . Adobe InDesign is an example of a native application. PDF Portable Doucment Format, a file format invented by Adobe Systems to describe text and graphics in documents. PDL Page Description Language, a computer language that describes a page for printing. Printers and RIPs understand page description languages. Examples include AFP (invented by IBM), PCL (invented by Hewlett Packard), PDF and PostScript (both invented by Adobe Systems). Plug-In A software module that plugs in to an application and adds features to the application. PODi The Digital Printing Iniative, PODi, which was formerly known as the Print On Demand Initiative, is a not-for-profit multi-vendor initiative working to develop the market for digital printing. PostScript A page description language invented by Adobe Systems that is used for describing the text and graphics in documents. PPML Personalized Print Markup Language, an XML-based language for variable data printing. Developed by PODi, PPML makes variable data jobs print faster by allowing a printer to store text elements and graphic elements and reuse them as needed. PPML is a non-vendor-specific language and is therefore considered to be an open industry standard. Preflighting Checking the integrity of a file prior to imaging to uncover and correct errors, including missing elements, incompatible file formats, etc. Rasterization The process of converting code that describes text and graphics into the format that is understood by a printers print engine to print them on a page.

RGB Red, Green, Blue; additive primaries, primarily used in displaying images RIP Raster Image Processor, a device or software program that converts page description language code to a format understood by the print engine so it can print pages. ROOM RIP Once Output Many Trapping Controlling the way in which two colors meet in a color printed piece to eliminate muddy tones caused by too much overlap or white areas caused by too little overlap Vector graphic A format for describing graphics through instructions for drawing the graphic by designating coordinates and drawing lines or geometric shapes in relation to the coordinates. Vector graphics can be scaledthat is, enlarged or shrunkbecause the instructions for drawing them remain the same. Workflow the execution of and the interaction between the various steps of the production process within a graphic arts production environment XML Extensible Markup Language, a simple, very flexible text format derived from SGML (ISO 8879). Originally designed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing, XML is also playing an increasingly important role in the exchange of a wide variety of data on the Web and elsewhere.

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Glossary

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303 Velocity Way Foster City CA 94404 (650) 357-3500 www.efi.com

Auto-Count, ColorCal, ColorWise, Command WorkStation, DocBuilder Pro, EDOX, EFI, Fiery, the Fiery logo, Fiery Driven, the Fiery Driven logo, Fiery Spark, MicroPress, OneFlow, Printcafe, PrinterSite, PrintMe, Prograph, Proteus, RIP-While-Print, Splash, and Spot-On are registered trademarks of Electronics for Imaging, Inc. in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and/or certain other foreign jurisdictions. Bestcolor is a registered trademark of Best GmbH in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. ADS, AutoCal, Balance, Build, Digital StoreFront, DocStream, Estimate, Fiery Link, Fiery Prints, FreeForm, Hagen, Intelligent Device Management, Logic, PrintFlow, PrintSmith, PrintSmith Site, PSI, PSI Flexo, RIPChips, Scan, SendMe, VisualCal, WebvTools, the EFI logo, the Fiery Prints logo, and Essential to Print are trademarks of Electronics for Imaging, Inc. Best, the Best logo, Colorproof, PhotoXposure, Remoteproof, and Screenproof are trademarks of Best GmbH. All other terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners, and are hereby acknowledged. 2004 Electronics for Imaging