ROCHESTER, N.Y. - August 17 - Reproflex 3, the award-winning reprographics for flexo printing specialist located near Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK, is upgrading its PRINERGY POWERPACK PDF workflow for packaging from Kodak, and looking forward to increased control, integration and automation. Established in 1996, Reproflex 3 is a privately owned business specializing in flexo reprographics for carton printers, wide web flexo and labels. Many of its customers print packaging for supermarkets, international companies and well-known household brands. The new PRINERGY POWERPACK 3 workflow management software joins an existing KODAK large format 3043 inkjet printer, a THERMOFLEX platesetter and KODAK fourth-generation imagesetting film, which the company has used since its start-up. Andy Hewitson, joint Managing Director at Reproflex3, explains the benefits he is anticipating following the installation this summer. "Version 3 of PRINERGY POWERPACK workflow management software has some major automation improvements and new production tools, which will help us to streamline production cycles and speed-up turnaround times, as well as enable us to reduce errors and improve quality," Hewitson said. "By uploading a new job, customers will start a string of automated procedures that will take the job all the way through to imaging. Streamlining can even start in advance of this with customers using the PDF pre-flight tool to check if their PDF is production-ready before they send it to us. This catches any errors very early on in the production cycle saving time later on. PDF Compare and Merge is another great innovation. Imagine a job has been done and six months later we get a request to re-run the same job but with a change to the price flash--and that is the only change. PRINERGY POWERPACK 3 workflow management software will compare the original and new PDF, recognize that there is only the one change and merge the job so all the original data is secure. This avoids so many potential errors and saves a great deal of time which would have been a cost onto the customer," Hewitson continued. Already installed at Reproflex3 is the new version of the award-winning HYPERFLEX flexographic screening solution. "We've been using this for awhile and it's working very well. The smaller minimum dot it allows us to place means we get increased quality and sharper print in the highlights," Hewitson said. New features of PRINERGY POWERPACK 3 workflow management software include: - Enhanced User Interface features optimized screen layouts, drag and drop, and contextual menus for easy-to-learn, efficient operation. - Rules-based Automation allows users to create sets of rules that PRINERGY POWERPACK workflow management software will automatically execute, such as: make a proof anytime a one-up file is approved, or archive the job to tape after the last plate is made. Rules are created using a simple icon-based user interface that is powerful and extremely easy to use. Automation saves packaging printers and converters cost, reduces errors and improves turnaround time. - PDF Compare and PDF Merge reduce the time and cost associated with managing correction cycles in a packaging workflow. PDF Compare and PDF Merge are new ADOBE ACROBAT plug-ins for the PRINERGY POWERPACK workflow management system. These tools allow prepress operators to compare two files, extract all of the production work that was done on the original production file (traps, screening assignment, overprint settings, etc.) and merge all of these elements into the revised production file. This ensures that both design and production master files are always up to date, which saves time in prepress and reduces costly errors on press. - PDF pre-flight allows operators to customize preflight criteria or use predefined profiles to check and correct input files automatically. - Advanced HYPERFLEX flexographic screening solution extends the imaging potential of flexographic plates by enabling smaller dots to be formed and held on the plate throughout the print process. This new version of the flexographic screening solution can be applied to normal AM screening in addition to MAXTONE hybrid screening.