Chicago, Illinois – LithoTechnics Inc., developer of Metrix, the intelligent, automated job planning and imposition system, announced today that Metrix Server, another technological breakthrough from LithoTechnics, will be featured at the LithoTechnics booth at Print09, #7134 in the North Hall.

Metrix Server, in conjunction with Metrix, enables "black box" automation of planning, imposition, and finishing machine setup. How? Each time Metrix generates a new layout, it can be saved by the operator as a "Standard" layout. Metrix automatically notes all the associated conditions – the press, binding machine, job type and trim size, etc., and then can automatically apply these Standards each time similar job specifications and conditions are encountered. These user-defined, best practice Standards are leveraged by Metrix Server to perform the job planning and imposition automatically – without any human involvement at all. At the same time, JDF or CIP3 data can be sent off to perform the automatic setup of enabled finishing equipment.

Rohan Holt, President of LithoTechnics, noted, "For printing companies that produce a lot of repetitive work, Metrix Server could mean tremendous savings, since this standard work can be planned and imposed without the need for any operator intervention at all. The MIS simply sends the job data to Metrix Server and it does the rest." Holt's view of the importance of Metrix Server was put this way: "This technology will completely reshape the production planning department of the 21st century printing company and bring the possibility of 'lights out' production automation one step closer."

The Metrix family includes Metrix Commercial, Metrix Max, Metrix X-8 and Metrix X-80, targeted at different segments of the commercial print market. The product line also includes Metrix Server, which fully automates planning, imposition, and finishing machine setup without any human intervention. All products are available on Mac OS X and Windows, and all plan and impose flat, folded, and bound work. Select Metrix editions can import JDF and export imposed PDF, and various forms of JDF for prepress and finishing. The Metrix family is available in English, German, Spanish, French, and Simplified Chinese.