Keep it moving
Successful print service providers (PSPs) owe a lot of their fortune to software. While it is true that printing hardware actually produces work, and of course investment in this kit is critical, it is the software that drives this machinery to ensure you are achieving quality output.
Workflow software is an incredibly important part of all modern businesses, not just in the print industry, but also other areas. Quality workflow software helps the user to improve the way they operate and get the most out of the hardware they are running to produce work.
With this in mind, Print Monthly speaks with a number of developers about their latest software options and finds out how these updated solutions can help PSPs to gain an advantage in the busy and competitive modern market.
Flexible and modular
Solimar Systems specialises in software solutions for the print sector. Jamie Walsh, EMEA and APAC sales manager, says workflow software does not need to be custom-built, at least for 90% of the businesses producing print and electronic communications.
“Custom software and even customised software solutions add risk to an organisation. Especially after the workforce challenges seen across the Covid and now post-Covid period,” Walsh says, adding: “The answer to that, we believe, is software available today that has been designed for configuration to support many different environments with proven success stories.
“When a business selects and implements a software platform like Chemistry, it should look for flexible and modular configurations that allow them to answer the current workflow needs, expand to future needs, and take on the unexpected.
“A fully supported and backward-compatible solution that is configured but not custom lowers risk and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It isn’t just the risk of changing technology or security, it limits the risk of people leaving an organisation and leaving those leaders scrambling to replace and retrain talent.”
As to what PSPs should look for in a quality workflow, Walsh simply says: features, security, and performance, adding that these areas of an offering go hand in hand with keeping software up to date.
“The older a solution gets, the more out of step it gets with customer demands,” Walsh says, adding: “Going back to custom/customised versus commercially off-the-shelf software offerings that are configurable and modular, one challenge is upgrading customer solutions due to the testing required prior to going live.
“Just like we upgrade our mobile phones, computers, and vehicles, ensuring your workflow software solutions are on the latest version is crucial for the best experience and capabilities.”
Looking at Solimar’s latest offering, Walsh points to advancements with its Chemistry platform. These include updates to SOLitrack for production environment visibility dashboards, alerts, tracking, reporting, and the ability to track the pieces within a job, called Piece Level Tracking (PLT).
Other releases include features added to the Rubika suite of PDF enhancement and reengineering modules. Solimar also recently released the latest versions of its ReadyPDF PDF optimisation solution, Prepress Server and its print transform and management engine, Solimar Print Director Enterprise (SPDE).
Evolving market
Elsewhere, Onyx Graphics also specialises in software solutions for the print industry, with its latest product coming in the form of Onyx 22. Jonathan Rogers, international marketing manager at Onyx, says to remain competitive in an already competitive market, quality workflow systems and automation help keep production high while reducing the likelihood of manual errors.
Onyx 22 from Onyx Graphics offers a new drag and drop user experience
“Technology is not slowing down and customer expectations are always evolving,” he says, adding: “Combined with new and interesting print applications being afforded to the wide-format print industry, PSPs risk falling behind.”
Technology is not slowing down and customer expectations are always evolving”
Available from ArtSystems, Onyx 22 encapsulates this, with users benefitting from a range of new tools and features, all of which Rogers says have been designed to improve workflow and production for PSPs of all sizes.
New additions include a drag and drop user experience, which Rogers says allows for fast, easy file management with the ability to drop jobs into the Quick Sets tab to apply common job settings.
Tools for everyday automation include smart job submission and enhanced nesting controls to save valuable print production time and reduce media waste. Smart job submission gives users the ability to specify copies, rotation, magnification, order number, and customer data in the file name that is automatically applied to the file in the RIP, reducing manual errors.
In addition, enhanced nesting controls for artwork placement include auto-trim for flatbed and DTG (direct-to-garment) printing, split copies to save on sheet media and auto-job cropping to remove unwanted marks or bleed.
Support the customer
Aside from specialist software providers, a number of major print manufacturers have taken to releasing their own workflow solutions to support customers with their work. One such company is Ricoh, with Stewart Cobby, inkjet sales manager for the manufacturer, saying that PSPs need to update or upgrade their systems regularly to ensure they stay relevant and supported.
Ricoh offers workflow and automation across high volume, industrial, commercial and office print space
“Regular software updates mean that security is kept up to date and they enable the continued support of the latest changes to other suppliers’ software, be it Microsoft, Adobe, or another program,” Cobby explains.
“Regular updates also allow access to the very latest improvements that can help with time savings and ease of use. Upgrades also help re-enforce partnerships as it challenges the status quo.”
As to what PSPs should be looking for when investing in workflow software or upgrading an older system, Cobby says there are certain features and factors to look out for. He says that a quality workflow system should be vendor agnostic (non-proprietary) and provide automation and integration with existing software/enterprise solutions.
“Workflow software should also be scalable and backed up by a sound product roadmap,” Cobby explains, going on to say: “This will lead to ongoing partnerships; as the customer requirements change, the workflow software partner should be able to support and work with their customers to facilitate change.”
Casting an eye over what is available from Ricoh, Cobby says the manufacturer has multiple offerings in this area. Ricoh offers workflow and automation across high volume, industrial, commercial and office print space, and business automation that covers organisations or parts of organisations not affiliated to print. Solutions come in various platform offerings, from on-premise to cloud and fully managed.
“Ricoh solutions, services and offerings are continually evolving to meet our client needs and market demands,” Cobby says, adding: “Workflows are about understanding the processes of the customer. Vendors need to focus on customer requirements and, with expert knowledge, suggest possible future requirements that the customer has not already thought of.
“If we haven’t understood the brief, how do we know we are selling the right solution?”
Don’t stand still
Another leading brand with a foothold in this market is HP, which offers HP PrintOS, a complete workflow solution it says enables PSPs to get the most out of their printing hardware.
HP PrintOS Mobile enables users to remotely monitor printer status and jobs
“The latest functionality in HP PrintOS allows customers to increase their management control, allowing them to better monitor and optimise printing workflows,” says Stuart Thomas, business development manager for signage and décor at HP.
One of the most significant developments with HP PrintOS that has helped HP customers is HP PrintOS Mobile. This enables users to remotely monitor printer status and jobs, meaning they do not have to be based in the office to ensure printers are running at their maximum potential. HP PrintOS Mobile frees up staff to head out of the office and monitor print performance on the go – something that is incredibly useful in the modern, fast-paced market.”
Other key developments with HP PrintOS include PrintBeat, another remote tool that allows users to monitor production and data analytics while on the go. Within PrintBeat, there are two new core applications in the form of HP Live Production and HP Jobs API.
HP Live Production allows users to remotely control printer jobs’ queues. This can be made available to a number of staff to enhance coordination across the business, reduce dependencies on certain team members and also improve accuracy on job queue estimations.
HP Jobs API is a new tool that transfers a printer’s data to your ERP or MIS system, streamlining your production setup. Printer data is transferred automatically and there is no limit on the number of API recalls. HP also supplies detailed documentation and how-to videos with set connector coding to make setup even easier for customers.
In addition, as part of the PrintOS platform, for customers with the HP Plus contracts, HP Learn is a platform offering HP LF customers access to training, webinars and contact with HP experts – all the learning content users need in one place.
O Factoid: According to HP, more than 63,000 users around the world connect to HP PrintOS every day O
“Only by updating your system will you ensure that you are accessing the very latest features,” Thomas says, adding: “If you remain with your existing system and don’t take advantage of upgrades and updates, then you risk missing out on new features or fixes, meaning you won’t be getting the most out of your software or print hardware.
“Upgrading will help you minimise risks across your production setup and also improve service costs, with enhanced troubleshooting advice and better remote diagnostics offering the users all sorts of benefits.
“For example, when your mobile phone offers a software update, you are always going to accept it as it will speed up your phone and allow you to access new features. This is the same for workflow software – and indeed any other type of print software.”
These closing comments offer an apt conclusion to the feature; ignore software updates at your own peril. Ensuring you are running the latest version of a workflow system will mean you have access to all the latest features and tools that could help your business move ahead of the competition.
Your text here...
