Sydney, Australia, September 17, 2004 - LithoTechnics Pty Limited (www.lithotechnics.com) is demonstrating the first upgrade of their latest product - Metrix. Metrix is the first truly automatic layout calculator designed specifically for estimators, customer service representatives, production planners, and prepress operators. According to Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology School of Print Media, "Metrix works like magic. It optimizes press sheet layouts for ganging multiple products, eliminates the complexities of gang printing and minimizes stock waste, placing as much product on a press sheet as possible, while considering printer/press capabilities and product specs such as grain direction." Metrix employs a print industry specific, patent pending algorithm, and provides commercial printers amazing bottom-line savings by facilitating commonly known, but under-utilized cost saving strategies such as gang printing. "Gang printing is a real opportunity for commercial printers to increase profits," says Rohan Holt, LithoTechnics founder, "because every ganged job saves one or more press makereadies, as well as plates. Until now many companies have passed up this opportunity, because the layouts for such work are so complex." Metrix eliminates these complexities, enabling even the least skilled planner to confidently create instant layouts. The new 1.5 version can plan up to one hundred products, different sizes and quantities, mixtures of flat and folded work, each with different bleeds and grain direction requirements - Metrix calculates the layout at the click of a button. Metrix integrates with MIS systems by importing JDF (Job Definition Format) product intent data. The Metrix Production Edition exports Preps templates to streamline prepress production. In addition, Metrix exports JDF and CIP3 data to cutters and folding machines in the finishing department.