PitStop 2019 introduces new tools and techniques to solve real world customer problems.

Gent, Belgium – Enfocus, the leader in PDF quality control, advanced PDF editing and workflow automation for the graphic arts industry announces the upcoming April 2019 release of PitStop Pro 2019, PitStop Server 2019 and PitStop Library SDK 2019, the latest versions of their award-winning PDF Preflight, Editing and Correction applications.

This upcoming release contains new and improved functionality that has been developed as a result of extensive ongoing customer feedback. In particular, this release provides new tools to handle complex files that can cause bottlenecks in a workflow. It also provides a brand-new way of manually selecting objects for editing that will greatly increase the efficiency of prepress operators while also giving them unique information about the structure of the PDF.

A specific preflight profile for digital printers has been included that optimizes and reports the amount of ‘clicks’ each page will generate. This profile, which has been on beta test for around six months, automatically handles objects that ‘look’ black and ensures they only create one ‘click’. Customers testing the profile reported to have saved time in prepress while reducing the cost of digital printing.

Some more details about the features:
Selective Rasterization – PitStop Pro 2019 offers prepress operators the ability to select specific elements within a PDF page, such as very complex vector art, and rasterize only that selection. This allows users to simplify complex pages whilst maintaining the highest quality. Previously the only way to handle such pages was to use the archaic technique of converting the whole page to an image within an application such as Adobe Photoshop. This technique introduces issues when working with small fine typefaces, outlined text and delicate graphics. The new approach means that only the problem element needs to be rasterized while the remaining content is untouched.

When rasterizing multiple objects, the new function uses advanced logic to ensure that the visual appearance of the result is maintained at all times. This helps to ensure optimum quality while reducing the complexity of the document and the time it takes a RIP to process.

Object Browser – An improvement that our customers have requested for many years. A PDF file is made up of many stacked objects that interact through methods like overprint, masking, clipping and transparency blending. This list of objects is called the Object Stack.

When editing an object(s) in PitStop Pro the object first has to be selected. Very often, making this selection is difficult because the needed object is obscured by those in other layers in the PDF. The selection may also be difficult as the required selection may consist of several objects in different places that make selecting them even more complicated. The new Object Browser removes all that complexity and makes object selection easy. The Object Browser displays the PDF Object Stack in a list tree view and enables the operator to simply select the required element in the Object Browser, which then selects the corresponding object in the PDF. The object can then be edited using all the usual PitStop tools. The Object Browser also supports control keys such as ‘shift’ to enable multiple objects to be selected.

This new version contains many other new features and improvements, and also provides official support for new operating systems and the latest Acrobat versions.

To find out more about the new features, sign up now for a series of pre-release webinars during March and April given by Andrew Bailes-Collins the Senior Product Manager at Enfocus responsible for the PitStop product family.

• April 9, 11 am (CET, Brussels) and 11 am (EST, New York) – Rasterize Selection
• April 16, 11 am (CET, Brussels) and 11 am (EST, New York) – Object Browser
• April 23, 11 am (CET, Brussels) and 11 am (EST, New York) – All new features presented

Andrew said, “This new release contains some great new functionality that we have been working towards over the last few years. It’s great to finally be able to release it to customers so they can benefit from it. Initial feedback from customers that have tested the new version has been tremendous and we’ve been able to refine some of the features with their real-world feedback. I can’t wait for the webinars to demonstrate the new version to a wider audience.”

Licensing
Beginning on 11th March 2019, customers who purchase a new license of PitStop Pro or PitStop Server will receive a license key for PitStop 2019, which means they can install and use PitStop 2018, and after the release of PitStop 2019, install and use it without the need for a new license.

PitStop Pro 2019 and PitStop Server 2019 are chargeable upgrades to PitStop Pro and PitStop Server 2018. Customers with a subscription or an active maintenance contract for PitStop will be able to upgrade to the new version without additional charge. Customers who upgrade to PitStop Pro 2018 from version 2017 or version 13 without a maintenance contract will not be eligible for a courtesy upgrade to the 2019 version at release. We now offer the opportunity to trade in existing license keys for a subscription at a savings of up to 50% off of the first year. For details on upgrades from previous versions, check the pricing on the Enfocus website.

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