Automatic image enhancement combined with powerful Switch workflows, offers state-of-the-art automation for new and existing users
 
Enfocus, the leading provider of preflight and automation solutions for the printing and publishing industries, announces the addition of Imaging Solutions to its highly successful Enfocus Crossroads initiative, aimed at making process automation simpler for its target industries.
 
Imaging Solutions AG, a medium-sized Swiss company, not only offers special equipment for the production of photo books and print-on-demand products, but also the automated image enhancement product VIESUS. The company has leveraged its roots in the production of high-speed digital printers for silver halide photographic paper into solutions for the rapidly evolving digital photography and print-on-demand businesses.

Angelo Manno, Enfocus Global Account Manager, Crossroads & OEM, says, "Imaging Solutions addresses a high-growth area of the graphic arts and photo-finishing industries, namely digitally produced photo products. The company joins Enfocus Crossroads with an immediately available Enfocus Switch configurator and sample Switch flows, which users can download freely from the Enfocus Crossroads-world web portal, here."

VIESUS includes state-of-the-art image correction steps, including the correction of over- and underexposures, removal of color casts, recovery of details lost in shadows, restoration of contrast, correction of red eyes, reduction of noise and grain, up- and down-sampling and sharpness control. The underlying image analysis algorithms have been specifically designed to robustly work in an automatic, unattended way and safely handle a huge variety and volume of images. While there are default settings that allow users to get started immediately, there are also many sophisticated parameters available that offer substantial flexibility for fine-tuning and for adapting the output to very specific and unique requirements as needed.   
 
Enhanced production efficiency for mutual customers
VIESUS can be integrated into practically any workflow where automated image processing is required. The integration with Switch gives a wider group of users the best of both worlds: Switch users gain immediate access to a reliable and proven automatic image enhancement solution, while VIESUS users gain access to a powerful solution to automatically and intelligently receive, sort and route files to VIESUS. They can further enhance the workflow by integrating and automating other applications.

"By becoming an Enfocus Crossroads member, we combine state-of-the-art automatic image enhancement with powerful Enfocus Switch workflows," said Matthias Wille, Software Development Manager at Imaging Solutions. "This combination is equally attractive to both VIESUS and Switch users; just as VIESUS makes it easy to enhance images automatically, Switch makes it easy to integrate image enhancement into an automated workflow."

"At Enfocus, we understand that the need to enhance production efficiency, maintain quality control and reduce costs is not limited to a particular industry," adds Manno. "There is an ongoing need to tie a variety of vendor solutions into the workflow to accommodate specific production requirements. Imaging Solutions has a proven track record serving the photo finishing industry with automated workflow solutions.

"Enfocus has put its mark on the graphic arts industry with state-of-the-art quality control and Switch automation solutions. With Imaging Solutions joining the Enfocus Crossroads Community, our mutual customers have access to a flexible and cost effective way to improve their production requirements through guaranteed and supported integrations."

Enfocus Crossroads makes automation challenges a thing of the past
Enfocus Crossroads is a community dedicated to Enfocus Switch automation. Comprising Crossroads Application Partners, integration partners and Switch users, the community provides automation best practices to other Switch users and prospects. Crossroads Application Partners have completely integrated their respective applications with Switch, offering a centralized, automated and controlled environment to streamline pre-production through cross-media and print output.

The Enfocus Crossroads web portal (www.crossroads-world.com) provides an extensive source of information about the Crossroads Partners and their integrated solutions. It also offers educational blogs, an interactive user forum and a broad library of Switch flows, which can be downloaded and imported in existing Switch workflows.