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Archived News 2004
Compose Express WorkFlow pays its way at jones & Palmer

-- Affordable workflow solution increases job throughput by over 25% and reduces plate wastage from 20% to 5% --

Established in 1906, Jones & Palmer is a forward looking commercial printing company based in the Jewellery quarter of Birmingham. With a staff of 39, J&P is focused on providing quality value-added services to their customers including project management, design and typesetting.

J&P has two main areas of business. The first, representing over 50% of total revenue, is the production of annual reports for over 150 UK companies. The second, through J&P's "artichoke" brand, provides design and print services to galleries, artists and members of the art world. J&P is a major sponsor of the London Affordable Art Fair and the London Art Fair.

In 1999 the company made the move to CTP, replacing a Herkules imagesetter with the Creo Scitex Lotem 400VA B2 platesetter which produces all plates for their Akiyama Bestech 28 and the recently acquired KBA Rapida 74.

With the CTP system came a recognition of the increased importance of achieving reliable and efficient job throughput. J&P decided to invest in a workflow system and selected Compose System as their supplier. The first step was with NetFlow which managed printing to multiple output devices from one Express RIP. Then in late 2002 J&P upgraded to a complete workflow system and became a pilot installation for Compose System's new workflow product - Express WorkFlow.

J&P are delighted with the results - job throughput increased by over 25% and plate wastage reduced from 20% to 5%. Mike Hill, IT Manager, summarised the main EWF functions creating these benefits as:

• Composite ROOM proofing with Content Proof ensuring plate and proof match
  
• Job spooling and management
  
• Book making feature which automatically creates booklet format
  proofs of annual reports and other publications
• Automated and optimised job placement on large format proofer with Pack&Print

Express WorkFlow - product summary
(note that not all options are being used by by J&P)

• Robust solution giving small to mid-sized companies significant
  performance and feature benefits with scalability for future growth.
  
• Affordable - installed price from £9000
  
• The intuitive user interface provides accessibility and low
  training and support costs.
  
• Open system architecture which facilitates integration of 3rd
  party applications.
  
• Over 20 modules giving comprehensive functionality for
  integrated PDF and raster workflow.
  
• Browser-based job control for local and remote job submission
  and management.
  
• Compose Express RIP for top performance and flexibility with
  drivers for over 180 different output devices.
  
• Quick and easy system configuration with single click selection
  and connection of modules in workflows.
  
• Integrated ROOM color proofing options guaranteeing data integrity
  with Star Proof for screened contract proofs up to 200lpi and
  Content Proof for fast first proofs.
  
• Remote proofing and printing.
  
• Range of pre- and post-RIP imposition options for maximum flexibility:
  
  • PRI Station for interactive planning of raster files
    
  • AutoPRI for automatic imposition of raster files
    
  • PDFimposition for interactive planning in PDF workflows
    
  • ScenicSoft Preps for pre-RIP imposition
    
• Plate Controller for minimizing plate usage and special
  jobs in CTP workflows

About Compose System

Founded in 1987 by industry veteran Tom Sit, Compose System specializes in the development and marketing of innovative prepress solutions. Compose is one of the most successful value-added resellers of the Harlequin RIP with over 12,000 Express RIP and ColorExpress installations worldwide interfacing to over 180 different output devices including imagesetters, platesetters, colour copiers, digital printers, colour proofers, large-format printers and inkjet printers.

During the last five years Compose has broadened the product range to include solutions for workflow, ROOM proofing, imposition and colour management. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales and support offices in the USA, UK, Korea and China and development teams based in Hong Kong, North America and China. Compose markets and supports its products through a well established worldwide distribution channel of OEMs, VARs and distributors.

Archived News 2005
Archived News 2004
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