Intelligent Production Planning in UpFront 4.0

Capture decades of planning experience to help make you a better planner. UpFront 4.0, released February 7th, introduces yet more intelligence into the production planning tool from Kodak. Existing users will notice the improved ease of use with a redesigned interface and single click access to critical information.

UpFront (formerly Creo Synapse UpFront) is available in the UK from Positive Focus, who already have installations of earlier versions running at sites across the country with consistent savings in time and materials, regardless of company turnover, adding a percentage point to the bottom line. UpFront allows experienced production planners to embed technical details of their layouts, including press and bindery preferences, in a database that can be accessed by relatively unspecialised operators, so that new jobs entering the factory can quickly and safely be progressed into production, with UpFront creating a suitable imposition. UpFront imports job intent from popular MIS applications, further automating the process in a JDF workflow. UpFront checks the input against the database to ensure the result can be printed and finished on the available equipment. As a result, a recent ROI study showed the following savings. • 25% reduction in planning labour costs • 10% reduction in prepress labour costs • 4% reduction in prepress non-chargeable material waste • 33% reduction in spoiled plates • 5% reduction in press materials make-ready waste Which would you prefer – this from UpFront 4 …or the old hand drawn version? New to version 4 is the ability to attach Preps software signatures to UpFront press layouts. UpFront has always integrated closely with Preps, exporting templates and jobs to prepress, and one frequently requested feature has been the ability to re-use good, existing templates rather than proliferate new ones. Marks can now be pre-defined and arranged in groups that are relative to sheets, pages and gutters, to save time-consuming manual calculations. Marks can be verified and it warns when a mark overlaps a page area. UpFront 4.0 also supports the smart collation mark in Preps. UpFront 4.0 will be demonstrated at IPEX on Stand 20-D45 in Hall 20 by Positive Focus, and will also feature on the Kodak booth in the JDF Pavilion. In advance of IPEX, users intending to upgrade, or anyone wishing to see the software in action, may contact Positive Focus (www.positivefocus.co.uk) on 08456 120 246, for more details.

PDF version : Word Version Press Contacts: Ivor Dixon Positive Focus 12c Shepperton Business Park Govett Avenue Shepperton Middlesex TW17 8BA Tel +44 (0) 8456 120 246 Fax +44 (0) 8456 120 248 Distributors and integrators of workflow solutions for graphics, print and communication. Imposition Tools : JDF Integration : Proofing : PDF : Personalisation PUBLISHED 04-02-06