The most significant element added to the system within the new Version 1.60 of the software is the introduction of the Metadata tool. The Metadata tool enables the late addition of information to a job without having to re-RIP it.
There are often difficulties associated with modifying the content of a document that is already prepared, RIPped and ready-to-print, says Véronique Mathias, chief marketing officer for Punch Graphix.
“Even for a minor modification, for example adding some comment on the bottom of a page or putting a ’watermark’ over the content of the page, the operator needs to put the job through the complete workflow cycle all over again.
“This typically means that the original document needs to be opened in the application where it was created, and a new output generated. The job then needs to be sent back to the digital front-end where it will be re-RIPped and imposed, and the operator will be hoping that all original elements like fonts and images are still available.
“This procedure now belongs in the past for Xeikon users with the arrival of the new X-800 front-end software version 1.60. It incorporates many new functions that help customers to automate and streamline their workflow, including the very powerful Metadata utility.”
With the Metadata tool, users are able to apply last minute modifications without having to RIP the job again. From within the front-end comments or images can be added, and the result will appear immediately on the output.
Besides the capability to add production information to the job prior to printing, there is almost no limit on the type of content for the added object.
“The introduction of the Metadata capability is a major step to fulfilling the requirements of industrial markets, such as packaging and labels, where Xeikon is experiencing considerable growth,” says Mathias.
The Metadata tool can be used to solve simple personalisation issues, like adding a variable number, or adding variable names and addresses to a document. This relies on the possibility to drive the content via a database. Without the new utility, an operator would have had to create a layout in an authoring tool, export the resulting job from within this program, and then RIP the complete job. With the new X-800 the data will be added to the job without going through the complete pre-press department.
The front-end is also capable of generating barcodes, which can be either fixed or variable via a database. One of the first sites where Xeikon installed the software makes use of these front-end generated barcodes to automatically drive the in-line finishing equipment.
The booklet-maker reads the barcode on every sheet and, according to the content of this code, the device knows exactly how many sheets have to be combined to create the booklet. Others might use the barcode for final control of the output to make sure that every printed sheet also left the factory. Since X-800 can generate a unique code on every sheet, it’s easy to read this code as the very last production step and make sure that every single sheet will go to the right destination.
