vjoon unveils K4 version 6.1 in Vienna
When vjoon unveiled the new version 6.1 of its K4 Crossmedia Publishing Platform for the international publishing community at IFRA Expo in Vienna, the K4 Web Portal was the highlight of the company's showcase. This Web client makes it much easier for users to work online within the system, and, with available plug-ins, lets them work in print and online documents without having to convert formats. vjoon K4 6.1 also comes with several handy features that help users get their daily publishing chores done much faster, with a set of intuitive K4 Admin tools, helpful wizards, and a new K4 Overview part of the package.

Attendees flocked to vjoon's booth to experience the K4 Web Portal. "Many publishers attending the IFRA Expo sought solutions that use clever, innovative concepts to converge their print and online offerings," notes Andreas Schrader, CEO of vjoon GmbH. "The consensus was that everyone wants to make the most of both channels' possibilities, but handle all the content in just one system. K4, the key tool in the production process, gets the job done. With the K4 Web Portal, we now offer a platform that makes it even easier to prepare content for both channels via Web."

Extended online access via the K4 Web Portal
Already for K4 6.1's immediate predecessor vjoon had created a workflow engine which uses parallel tasks, dependencies, and rewinds to control the workflow across all output channels. This lets users manage their content for other channels, including the Web, at any time. Now, with the K4 Web Portal in K4 6.1, vjoon has made another big stride towards the Web. A browser affords the user access to pending tasks. Supplementary plug-ins such as the Web CMS Editor and File Manager extend this new tool's capabilities.

The brand-new Web CMS Editor lets users create, revise, and otherwise edit texts right in their browsers. Able to replace a conventional Web CMS text editor, this plug-in can even incorporate HTML objects in a K4 workflow, including rights management, task assignments and all the other benefits K4 offers. In other words, online editors can now use K4 to coordinate content with their staff without having to work in Adobe InCopy.

K4 6.1 workflows also accommodate formats beyond HTML. All the user has to do is log into the K4 Web Portal via browser, go to the K4 File Manager, and load images, videos, spreadsheets, and files in any other format to K4.


Further highlights in K4 6.1
Version K4 6.1 also features a wholly revamped K4 Overview. Enhanced with clearer visuals and higher performance, vjoon's user-friendly production-monitoring tool is now even more convenient. The K4 Admin is a particularly valuable asset, providing many wizards and a graphic workflow editor to guide administrators through the management of a publication. Custom Terminology, vjoon's latest feature, caters to enterprise customers. It lets users adapt publishing terms (publication, section, issue , etc.) to suit standard business vocabulary (customer, account, budget, project, and so forth). vjoon has also improved metadata management in K4 6.1; now, K4 objects are color-coded to mark deadlines, serving as vivid reminders that catch the user's eye.

Featured technologies
K4 6.1 is built on modern multi-tier architecture that supports various databases, such as MySQL, Oracle, and MS SQL. A Hamburg-based software vendor that has been in business for just under 20 years, vjoon understands the importance of connecting third-party systems quickly, and provides a Web Services API (application programming interface) to this end. With extensive Java and AJAX capabilities, vjoon K4 is ready for the future.

Booth partners
A contingent of companies with expertise in all fields of publishing technology gathered at vjoon's IFRA Expo booth. Attendees had the opportunity to get to know these development partners' solutions in translation management (Andrä AG), PDF automation (axaio), Web CMS and social software (CoreMedia), online soft-proofing (Dalim), and image databases (programmfabrik). vjoon integration partners SNAP Innovation, AD HOC Graphic, be-go.at, and Topix AG were on hand to showcase their impressive services and reference projects in crossmedia installations.