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Cross-media platform to provide prepress production flexibility and productivity

Stand 1608, PrintEx 07, Sydney, Australia. (24^th May, 2007) – Fujifilm announces the Australian commercial launch of Fujifilm Workflow XMF at the PrintEx 07 Print and Design Show, a unique premedia workflow solution for commercial printers. Developed with a native JDF architecture and incorporating Adobe's PDF Print Engine, XMF ensures optimum compatibility and communication with all print production devices. This automates and streamlines time-consuming tasks, delivering significant savings in job production times and resources.

Peter Carrigan, General Manager of Graphic Systems Div, Fujifilm Australia, comments: "With increasing pressure on margins, the continuing trend towards shorter print runs and the impact of skills shortages in some areas, print service providers look towards technology to improve their overall productivity and competitiveness."

"As Fujifilm XMF is the first commercially available product to integrate the next generation Adobe PDF Print Engine, users are not only ensured of increased workflow speed and flexibility but also of a future-proofed modular technology that can grow with their business."

Intelligent automation

At the heart of the XMF infrastructure is a JDF database that coordinates and manages jobs throughout the entire workflow. Designed to be compatible with the most commonly used file formats and to communicate with the widest range of production processes, XMF provides a full JDF-based imposition server with built-in intelligence that enables jobs to be automatically redirected from one output device to another with ease.

XMF's ability to automatically re-impose jobs regardless of output device or type of press is much more than just a rearrangement of the pages. Taking into account the 'fingerprint' of the target device, including colour management and printing characteristics, it automatically re-plans each signature, adding gutters, trim marks and colour bars in relation to the new format. In this way, a job destined for an 8-up press can be reconfigured as a double-run on a 4-up press in minutes, with the signatures sent directly to a platesetter. Alternatively, for a rapid short-run reprint the job can be delivered as a colour correct PDF file for output on a digital press.

Behind the drag-and-drop interface of XMF, which enhances functionality and allows simple operation, artificial intelligence also provides the power to make fast job changes and calculate their impact throughout the workflow, making adjustments according to preset rules or operator instructions.

3D proofing

To enable easy viewing of the final job, XMF has a 3D viewing facility for soft proofs. This provides a virtual version of the printed product in which the pages can be turned in the same way as a book or magazine. This feature, which is in addition to a comprehensive range of colour proofing features, improves communication with the final production team and minimizes pagination errors. 3D proofing also aids the approval process, allowing print buyers without traditional print knowledge or technical expertise to easily and accurately assess colour, content and finishing of a job before it is printed.

Peter Carrigan concludes: "XMF will help printers to improve productivity and provide new services to their customers. Many companies are changing their business model from being simply a printer to becoming added-value suppliers that deliver a wide range of printed products and services. The trend for the future will be towards flexible production capabilities and cross-platform workflows, delivering, for example, POS, posters and brochures with the same quality and consistent colour management. XMF supports this transition using the very latest JDF and PDF technologies, enhanced by Fujifilm's industry knowledge and comprehensive support network."

Fujifilm Australia Pty Ltd

Graphic Systems Division
114 Old Pittwater Road
Brookvale NSW 2100, Australia
http://www.Fujifilm.com.au/
Contact: Terry Crawford
Ph: +61 (0) 2 9466 2600
Terry.Crawford@Fujifilm.com.au