Australian MIS provider printIQ has partnered with global provider of PDF preflight and automation solutions Enfocus to fill what they say is a critical gap in the automation between artwork submission, pre press and print production.
Describing it as ‘lights out workflow and automation to the press’ printIQ director Mick Rowan says until now ‘it has really only been a pipedream as the technology really was not up to it.’
“By taking what we have achieved with printIQ and combining it with the Enfocus toolkit, we have not only found the holy grail, we are able to package it up and offer it out of the box,” he says.
The new development has printIQ connecting with Enfocus Switch to automate repetitive tasks and reduce the number of touchpoints, while using PitStop Server to automatically verify PDF files and correct them when needed.
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Preflight reports are generated and available within printIQ to inform staff about any issues which impact the quality of the printed result. IQconnect also automates the delivery of proofs, can automatically impose the job, and sends the job off to the print queues.
“A gap has always existed in the market between the traditional MIS and the prepress workflow,” Rowan says.
“Our aim was to combine our own product with the best preflight and workflow automation tools on the market, to realise the key quest to automate to the press and provide a lights-out workflow.
“Partnering with Enfocus offers printIQ customers a radical change in workflow. One size certainly does not fit all, as the market is dynamic and changes continuously, demanding more flexibility and innovation.
“With Enfocus Switch automation and PitStop Server PDF preflight integration, we have been able to extend our capabilities even further to a solution that can quickly and easily adapt to these changes.”
“Cutting to the chase, automation in print is all about simplifying the rules and implementing process discipline.
“Automation is code for getting your customers and business systems to do the work for you and allowing technology, your silent business partner, to make you money every step of the way.
“In some cases, print only makes up 30 per cent of the sale. So it is critical that the MIS of the future be able to extend beyond the current capabilities.
“Our goal has been to address all of the weak points of the traditional print business in order to transition it into an efficient operation that can not only survive in today’s market but flourish as well.”
printIQ chief executive Anthony Lew says: “Money really does talk so our approach has been to remove the capex barrier by offering our products on a monthly subscription."
“In finalising the deal with Enfocus, it was essential that we continued that approach. We are therefore delighted to be able to offer the Enfocus suite on both a standard licence and a subscription basis.
“Judging by the emails and phone calls we have had, it looks to be hitting the mark.”
Lew says printIQ has taken the market by surprise in the last two years with a modern take on traditional print management, through an innovative approach and dedicated support for digital, signage and wide format that has seen it now boast many of the ProPrint Power 50 amongst its ranks of customers.
According to Lew, this focus on innovation has seen printIQ move outside the traditional square of where a print MIS would normally venture.
He says by extending into the areas of website ordering, artwork submission and proofing, the ring-fence is down and the playing field looks different.
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