Vancouver, BC, Canada (May 16, 2005) – Creo Inc. is now shipping the most significant upgrade ever for Prinergy, the innovative and flexible prepress workflow management solution that leverages the power of PDF and JDF (Job Definition Format). Version 3.0 features major developments in automation that bring great value to commercial printers. The Prinergy 3.0 workflow management system also features a faster, more flexible digital print integration that allows the same print job to be produced by either or both offset or digital printing. An intuitive new user interface enhances ease-of-use and integrates automatic imposition with Preps software. Many other features contribute to the unparalleled output quality and process control of this powerful release. New! Rules-Based Automation The Prinergy 3.0 workflow management system introduces the concept of ‘intelligent automation’, allowing printers to extend the scope and power of process automation within their workflow by applying advanced logic to automate tasks based on predefined workflow conditions. With new Prinergy Rules-Based Automation, printers can link tasks together that match their workflow to their business rules and best practices. They can systematically eliminate manual steps in the print process, such as archiving and output processing, to eliminate waste, and reduce costs associated with downtime and manual errors. It also improves print predictability and communication in prepress. Rules are created using a simple icon-based user interface. Mercury Print Productions of Rochester, NY used Rules-Based Automation to automate archiving. “The rule we created checks to see if a job has been archived; if so, it purges the job folder from the server,” said Joan Taylor, prepress manager at Mercury Print Productions. “We’ve also set up a rule that triggers based on timeline. If a job has been on the server for a certain number of days, it’s automatically archived and then purged. It has let us reassign the person who used to fulfill that function manually.” Automation reduces errors, improves turnaround time, and saves customers money. The Rules-Based Automation workflow will allow Mercury Print Productions to minimize how often they touch customers’ job files, from the beginning of the prepress workflow right through to platemaking. When a customer submits a print-ready PDF job file through the Synapse InSite Internet portal, Rules-Based Automation triggers the processing of the file into prepress. When the files are approved by the customer, a combination of Rules-Based Automation and APA are used to assign pages into impositions, based on a library of master templates. “This empowers the customer to not only be a part of the process, but to realize the advantage of the Creo automation to control the turnaround time of their job and thus reduce their costs,” said Ms. Taylor. “This allows Mercury Print Productions to pass the value back to the customer.” “Prinergy workflow users can now customize their workflow management system with automation that matches the way they work,” said Larry McIntyre, product manager, Creo. “No one else offers this kind of power and flexibility.” With Rules-Based Automation, customers have open access to workflow objects, actions, and events, giving them unprecedented control and allowing them to write incredibly powerful automation processes. Rules-Based Automation provides more automation capabilities than those found in any other workflow. New! Enhanced GUI The Prinergy 3.0 workflow features an enhanced user interface with optimized screen layouts, drag and drop, and contextual menus. The new UI requires no retraining and quickly improves operator efficiency, freeing time for higher-value tasks. “It’s like a comfortable car,” explained Ms. Taylor. “It’s very user-friendly, the interface is seamless, and the tools are intuitive and familiar.” New! Integrated, Automated Preps Imposition The Prinergy 3.0 workflow features a new level of integration with Preps, the industry’s leading imposition application, providing users with new options for greater automation and flexibility in how they implement and interact with Preps. Users can now fully automate the imposition process, eliminating manual intervention. It allows automated job and imposition creation in Prinergy, initiated from Management Information Systems (MIS) and JDF-compatible planning systems via JDF, or from Synapse UpFront via .job files. New Integrated Preps Imposition allows Prinergy workflow users with Preps 5.1 to launch the application from within Prinergy Workshop. It also features two new cost-effective Preps licensing options that streamline imposition. The new Workshop Client Site License provides a site-wide, lightweight version of Preps to all operators. The new Preps 5.1 Floating License Edition allows multiple users to share access to fully-featured copies of Preps across the workflow. Both are managed by the Prinergy server, eliminating the need for dongles. New! Enhanced Unified Workflow The Digital Print Interface of the Prinergy 3.0 workflow features enhanced integration for digital printing. Prinergy 3.0 users can define and send parameters for digital print settings using JDF to automate job submission for digital print-production. Any JDF-capable digital front end (DFE) for a digital press, for example Creo Spire, can thus receive and automatically print a Prinergy file according to predefined digital print output specifications — even if it was prepared for offset printing. For DFEs and/or digital presses that are not JDF-enabled, or to extend control over document output parameters, the Prinergy workflow can also automate processing by sending the data through Xerox FreeFlow Print Manager—without pausing to launch the application—to further streamline production on Xerox digital presses. New! Powerful Tools Extend Quality and Process Control New Prinergy 3.0 advances in automation are complemented by powerful quality and process control tools including: PDF Compare and PDF Merge – Adobe Acrobat plug-ins that allow prepress operators to compare two files, extract all of the production work done on the original production file (traps, screening assignment, overprint settings, etc.), and merge all of these elements into the revised production file. They provide an automated, reliable and cost-effective way to manage correction cycles in a prepress workflow. Approval-based Processing Control eliminates errors, for example, by ensuring pages aren’t inadvertently changed once they have been approved. Platemaking can be disabled until all pages are approved. The new Signature Booklet proofing option allows printers to produce a 1-up or 2-up booklet mock-up to check imposition and run-list details. Based on state-of-the-art technologies and open industry-standards like PDF and JDF, Prinergy is the market-leading end-to-end PDF workflow solution for a fully integrated print production workflow. It delivers an elegant and complete workflow management system that organizes page processing, proofing, computer-to-film and computer-to-plate devices, and provides the infrastructure for delivering photographic-quality printing with Staccato screening and Spotless printing options. Prinergy version 3.0 is a free upgrade for Prinergy users with full Creo support contracts. Prinergy 3.0 will be demonstrated at the Creo Users Association (CUA) Annual Conference this week in Hollywood, FL and at the AIIM On Demand Conference and Exposition, booth # 1832, in Philadelphia PA. For a live demonstration at AIIM On Demand, register in advance at www.creo.com/ondemand.