AgfaHall 8a, Stand B64

The newest version of Agfa Graphics’ workflow management suite, Apogee 8, will be demonstrated. Agfa says Apogee 8 features greater connectivity and drives an ever-growing range of digital presses, supporting 64-bit systems and offering optimized imposition for large-volume web printing systems. It will be driving systems live at the show. Agfa will also showcase Arkitex Eversify. This SAAS solution offers newspapers an easy way to convert their print content for mobile digital publishing, "without increasing production costs and still providing a rich reading experience". Using HTML5 for the reproduction of images, audio, video animation and other content, Agfa says Arkitex Eversify enables publishers to deliver newspapers to a variety of tablet and smart mobile devices easily and with minimal investment.

Arden Software Hall 8b, Stand C15

Arden Software will be showcasing the next generation of its product lifecycle and workflow tool WEBcnx, along with its Impact CAD/CAM application and Impact Enterprise solution, which provides centralised support for multiple Impact databases across multiple locations and enables structural designers to share drawings across an organisation, regardless of location. Visitors to the Arden Software stand will be able to preview a number of new WEBcnx developments, including the addition of a supply chain management module, which enables packaging companies to introduce supply chain planning and execution capabilities across its business through the use of advanced barcode technology; and a planning and scheduling module, which allows the allocation and monitoring of design tasks to prevent project conflicts, under-utilisation and bottlenecks. A new version of the Impact structural design, product development, virtual 3D sampling and die-making application Impact will also be previewed. Impact 2013, due for release later this year, includes many new feature enhancements, including improved graphics handling and a completely new dynamic stripping tool.

Atlantic Zeiser Hall 11, Stand C56

Atlantic Zeiser will highlight its in-house software solution, which encapsulates colour management on press controls and PDF handling. Marketing manager Marcus Geigle says that the software, including the BLS solution for on-press controls, is a comprehensive solution for Atlantic Zeiser users and that its full capability will be demonstrated at Drupa.

Caldera Hall 4, Stand A14

Caldera will show various new products at Drupa, including version 9 of its RIP software for wide-format print, featuring the new version of Adobe APPE 2.5 and its ink saving option Inperformer. Also on show will be the Flow+ business workflow solution and the company’s new W2P offering.

Canon/Océ Hall 8a, Stand C6

Canon has extended its partnership with photo print software provider Taopix and at Drupa 2012 will be demonstrating how Taopix’s photobook software can be used together with imagePress colour digital production presses to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the growth in the European photobook market. Visitors to the stand will be able to follow the workflow from image capture to output as images are captured on a Canon EOS DSLR camera, transferred to the design area for editing and then output to a Canon imagePress C7010, before being finished using FastBind FotoMount binders. For customers seeking to add value to print by offering cross-media campaigns, the Canon Workflow Program offers a consultative approach utilising DirectSmile software. This will be demonstrated on the Canon stand, where visitors will be able to participate in creating their own personalised cross-media campaign including video, web and print, with the printed elements produced on a Canon imagePress C7010VP. As with cross-media, a number of the customer success stories and innovative examples of applications will show how customers have delivered transactional and personalised promotional projects using Canon production printers, together with software solutions in the Canon Workflow Program, including PrintShop Mail and PlanetPress Suite. In addition to the latter, other VDP software solutions being showcased on Canon’s stand at drupa include Océ Prismasatellite for ERP and Océ Cosmos.

DirectSmile Hall 7, Stand E11

DirectSmile Cross Media will take centre stage on DirectSmile’s stand in the Drupa Innovation Park, where the company will be trying to demonstrate how this marketing tool enables the quick and easy creation of cost-effective, successful database-driven campaigns. Designed for the production of personalised, automated marketing campaigns across print, online and mobile media, the company says users can easily create personalised print, e-mails and websites (PURLs), and link them together to create one integrated campaign.

 "To meet today’s market challenges, maintain a competitive edge and tap into new, profitable revenue streams, many print service providers are making the transition to become marketing service providers. DirectSmile Cross Media is the ideal solution to facilitate this transition," claims Harry Raaphorst, the new managing director at DirectSmile. "The different applications for campaigns created using DirectSmile Cross Media include direct marketing campaigns for lead generation and customer loyalty, customer surveys, competitions, newsletters, sales-support applications, communication for trade shows and events. As you can see, the list is endless!"

EFI Hall 5, Stand C1

EFI has provided some teaser information about its Drupa launches, which include cloud-based MIS with cloud versions of the Pace and Printsmith systems, as well as an expansion of the Digital Storefront web-to-print product. The Fiery controller also moves into the cloud with the new Fiery Dashboard data analysis tool, and Fiery is being integrated with all EFI MISs, including recently-acquired Prinance. The new Fiery Hyper RIP will be up to 40% faster than previous models, and can process variable data content with transparency at full engine speed.

Enfocus Hall 8b, Stand A23

Enfocus vice president Fabian Prudhomme says that the company’s stand, which it is sharing with parent company Esko, will be themed around the slogan ‘More Power to You’. The latter is designed to celebrate the release of Smart Automation and Smart Preflight solutions, which the company says return more power to the users than "any product in the company’s history". The company says users will benefit from significantly more accurate and flexible PDF preflight and correction when Enfocus releases PitStop Pro 11 and PitStop Server 11 at the show, while it says the automated use of metadata (e.g. JDF and XML) for job processing, via PitStop Server, introduces a new level of automation.

Esko Hall 8b, Stand A23

Esko will launch Suite 12 of its workflow software at Drupa, with the company calling it a "major update" of the solution aimed at packaging, labels, sign and display industries. The software, which features WebCenter 12, Automation Engine 12, Color Engine 12, Studio 12 and the flagship editors ArtiosCAD, PackEdge, ArtPro and DeskPack, now offers enhanced 3D capabilities, more control over each step in the process, and a "major breakthrough" in getting consistent and accurate colour reproduction. "Packaging professionals looking for faster time to market, effective and reliable workflow solutions and guaranteed colour consistency will be impressed by Suite 12. They will see many examples of our commitment to our customers and our dedication to continuous improvement of our solutions," says Bernard Zwaenepoel, senior vice-president of the software business at Esko.

FFEI Hall 5, Stand C18

FFEI will demonstrate its new end-to-end digital labels solution, which includes a Caslon digital inkjet press incorporating a new digital spot-colour unit printing white ink, and FFEI’s latest RealPro Workflow software. The newly enhanced RealPro Workflow System, a fully automated production solution for commercial, digital and label printers, will have additional specialised labelling and packaging features enabling "seamless integration" with the Caslon digital inkjet press, providing users with the ability to centralise control of their files and output them via the most cost-efficient route, whether on a digital or conventional output device, or a third-party system. Visitors will also see live demonstrations of RealVue 3D Packager, a 3D visualisation software solution for fast carton packaging or label prototyping.

FourPees Hall 7a, Stand 13D

FourPees says it will have a selection of new products on show at Drupa, including the official launch of the Atomyx Portal and Atomyx Automation systems. The Atomyx modular workflow solution was the successor to the company’s previous DFlux product and at Drupa the Atomyx Portal will be introduced. The latter is an out-of-the-box job submission and quality control portal solution, based on Callas Software’s PDFToolbox preflight and correction technology. It streamlines file submission, including additional metadata, quality control and verification against product properties setup by the printer or publisher. Atomyx Automation, meanwhile, is a complete production automation solution covering all stages of a workflow, from delivery and quality control and image optimisation to proofing, and production for the print and publishing market. Drupa will also mark the official launch on the FourPees stand by Axaio Software of MadeToTag, an Adobe InDesign plugin for efficient export of InDesign documents to tagged PDF files. It will also show its flagship product, MadeToPrint, a plug-in for Adobe InDesign, Illustrator or InCopy and an XTension for QuarkXPress, that allows manual, one-click, print and export from your design document to one or more output targets. Also on stand will be Twixl Publisher, a publishing solution that takes projects from InDesign to iPad.

Fujifilm Hall 8b, Hall 25-1 & 25-3

Fujifilm will be showing major updates to its entire XMF Workflow and Production Management Suite – the company’s systems for managing print production that address selling, submitting and approving print through to managing the creation of printed products. Version five of Fujifilm’s XMF workflow will be seen for the first time at Drupa, with enhancements that are designed to further improve speed and simplicity of use for the user, while the new XMF Remote V9 has been developed to allow print jobs to be approved via Android-based tablets and mobile phones in addition to Apple devices.

Goss Hall 17, Stands A59 and C59

A Goss Control console will be on show in order to highlight how Omnicon controls and the Goss Web Center workflow system can significantly reduce substrate, labour and time wastage through advanced software that automates the presetting, control, adjustment and monitoring of the press.

Global Graphics Hall 7, Stand A21

Global Graphics will unveil the latest version of its Harlequin "digital" RIP, Harlequin Host Renderer 3 (HHR3), at Drupa. The RIP features a trio of headline enhancements designed to help process the massive amounts of data needed to keep modern digital presses running at their rated speed. These include HP’s Indigo range and T-series high-speed web presses, both of which are powered by Harlequin’s digital RIP technology, as well as presses from SIS and Miyakoshi. Global Graphics chief technology officer Martin Bailey says: "It’s perfect for many print sectors, from variable data labeling to personalised marketing materials, from general commercial print to print on demand, so print shops will benefit from being able to expand into new types of work." The aim of all three enhancements was to allow the RIP to process pages faster, thereby reducing the hardware requirement and number of RIPs required to feed light, medium and high-volume, toner- and inkjet-based digital presses.

Harlequin said it would make more announcements in the run up to Drupa, although it was coy on whether these would include more product or OEM partner news.

GMG Hall 4, Stand B25/Hall 7, Stand B11

The company will showcase the Fespa-launched ProductionSuite, which it claims to be the "most comprehensive production solution on the market" for the sector. The modular system includes SmartProfiler, which can identically align several printers of similar type and enables precision processing of spot colours; RIP, which runs independently from the Editor; and PrintStation, which can combine individual jobs to ensure optimum material use and cutting sequences. All of these elements are fully connected to each other for a seamless automated workflow.