August 9, 2001- Lynnwood, Washington - ScenicSoft announces UpFront 1.5, a significant update of its pioneering production planning tool. The new release will ship early in September and will be demonstrated at Print 01. New features include a significantly improved user interface, JDF (Job Definition Format) file import, and the ability to export CIP3 cutting data. Navigation through a typical job-building sequence has been redone to offer much improved user guidance and assistance, enabling users to stay better oriented. "We have focused on improving UpFront’s usability aspects and have analyzed and addressed areas that customers identified as the weakest spots," said Rohan Holt, UpFront product marketing manager. "UpFront offers a very sophisticated set of tools that can be intimidating to new users. We have increased the flexibility of the software and its response to mistakes commonly made by novice users. The resulting productivity gains make the product’s return on investment truly amazing." New built-in intelligence tracks the most commonly selected sections and layouts and establishes defaults that are automatically applied when building new jobs. This function enables shortcuts when building complex jobs and will significantly benefit both novice and experienced users. As a result, UpFront progressively adapts to users’ logic, instead of the other way around. Since its conception, UpFront’s main benefit has been consistent reduction of print manufacturing cycle time. Identification and realization of system integration opportunities therefore remain high on ScenicSoft’s priority list. UpFront 1.5 adds new integration options, on both the input and output sides, that will enable forward-looking organizations to establish new efficiencies and optimizations that were previously deemed impossible. To capture existing job description and customer data, UpFront 1.5 adds the ability to import a JDF file from estimating systems. At the back end, UpFront 1.5 can export CIP3 cutting data for each press sheet in a job. This exciting new feature has been tested with the modular Heidelberg POLAR Compucut software system, which can be installed on existing POLAR cutters and allows automatic configuration of a new cutting program while the previous program is being executed. The resulting smooth and efficient integration between estimating and planning complements UpFront’s existing link to prepress, making UpFront 1.5 the world’s first system for bridging estimating, planning, prepress production, and postpress production. UpFront captures years of planning experience and knowledge and makes this information available to anyone with access to its password-secured database. UpFront produces printed imposition documents as well as Preps template files, creating an error-free digital interface between the job planner and the prepress department or trade prepress supplier. As a customer service representative or production planner enters a job’s details, UpFront automatically searches the resource database and presents all existing production options in order of most frequent use. With UpFront, prepress, the press room, and the bindery can be confident that even less experienced planners can plan the most efficient way to handle a job. UpFront’s imposition documents and integration with Preps improve workflow by eliminating the time required to re-enter layout information in prepress. UpFront’s centralized equipment database ensures that all layouts and exported Preps templates are built to the press and finishing capabilities of the company. All UpFront 1.1 users are eligible for a free update to 1.5 and can download it from the ScenicSoft Web site at http://www.scenicsoft.com. ScenicSoft also offers new users a time-limited evaluation copy of UpFront for $150 USD. This fully functional copy demonstrates how powerful UpFront is in the production environment. Hands-on training courses are also available. For more information, contact ScenicSoft Sales by phone 425-355-6655 or by email at [email protected]