Enfocus and Esko will be demonstrating software with the ISO/DIS 19593-1 processing steps draft international standard to enhance the packaging preflight process.
According to the two companies this standard results in improved efficiency, increased quality and reduced costs for the packaging production supply chain. At drupa, attendees can see demonstrations of solutions that utilise this new standard, including Esko ArtPro+ 16, the Esko Automation Engine 16 workflow system and Enfocus PitStop 13 update 2, which will be released on the 30 of May.
The PDF files used in this process are built on different layers (optional content groups), according to the PDF specifications. Those layers include all the things that precede the actual printing, such as production instructions, proofing for validation, die lines, ink specifications, embossing and braille.
As a result, PDF files used for packaging production typically include a lot of structural and finishing information. These multiple layers can pose several issues when trying to preflight packaging PDF files, resulting in delays and increased mistakes in packaging production.
To solve the challenges that come with these complex PDF files, the packaging subcommittee of the Ghent Workgroup released a specification on storing non-printing contour data in a PDF. The goal of this specification was intended to bring conformity to how the layers and objects of a PDF should be managed or constructed.
This specification has rapidly moved to ISO, and is in the Draft International Standard (DIS) stage, where it is now called the ISO/DIS 19593-1 processing steps draft international standard. The specification is moving through the ISO process, with the goal of becoming an official international standard in the near future.
Both Esko and Enfocus believe that the ISO/DIS 19593-1 processing steps draft international standard will greatly enhance the packaging production process and have incorporated it into the latest releases of their technology.
Lieven Plettinck, director of Software Development at Esko, said, ‘By standardising the way the non-printing, digital data included in a PDF is communicated through the entire packaging pre-production workflow, this new specification will take away the need for manual intervention and dramatically reduce human errors. This standard represents a major step forward in increasing the productivity throughout the packaging supply chain, which is why we have chosen to include it in our solutions.’
Both Esko and Enfocus have collaborated to implement this standard into their products. Esko customers can now perform packaging-specific preflight checks on the PDF files created with Esko applications using this standard. Enfocus PitStop can preflight any PDF against this new ISO 19593-1 processing steps standard and can also perform new packaging preflight checks on PDF files created by Esko applications.
