The Belgian developer used the Duomedia pre-Ipex event in Brussels to claim that while PDF had become the industry-standard file type over the past decade, the same problems persisted.

Enfocus said that while the percentage of print files received in PDF format had risen from 21% in 2000 to 89% in 2008, “74% of printers who receive PDFs will have one in four of them fail”.

The developer – a subsidiary of EskoArtwork – has addressed the problem with PitStop Connect, which it said was a low-cost and user-friendly tool.

Elli Cloots (pictured), director of product management, said: “There are a number of tools available to help creative professionals create perfect PDFs.

“But they are often too expensive, too complex or too technical for creative professionals to easily use, especially if they infrequently create PDFs for printing,” she added.

Cloots said that problems often arise because “creatives don’t speak the same language as printers”.

“PitStop Connect is the bridge between the two communities and solves a number of communication problems.”

She added that more issues cropped up because the printers were constantly working with new or one-off customers who don’t understand file-submission processes.

“Enfocus wanted to bring to market a simple tool that streamlines the communication between printers and these infrequent users without any click charges or other hidden costs. PitStop Connect fits that bill perfectly,” said Cloots.

PitStop Connect is fully automated, plugging directly into Enfocus’s Switch and PitStop Server workflow products.

The software will be on show at EskoArtwork’s Ipex booth in hall 12, stand C150. It will be priced at €3,999 or US$4,999 and is expected to be available worldwide.

Steven Kiernan is in Brussels.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter