Düsseldorf, Germany; May 7, 2004 -- Global Graphics, a subsidiary of Global Graphics SA, today announces Cortex, a new industry-standard platform for building digital workflows which marks a major evolution in the company’s family of core technologies. Global Graphics is internationally renowned as the developer of the high-performance Harlequin and Jaws RIPs, workflow, screening and color management tools, and a range of PDF SDKs. This technology lies at the heart of many of the world’s industry-leading digital pre-press systems, proofers, large format color printers, digital presses, multi-function copiers, printers and software applications. As the print industry accelerates its adoption of digital workflow solutions customized to specific business and market segment requirements, Global Graphics has developed Cortex to enable OEMs or System Integrators to develop digital workflows or enhance their existing solutions. Its introduction underscores Global Graphics’ continued commitment to providing technology to the print industry that allows OEMs and System Integrators to develop unique solutions to differentiate their product offerings. Cortex provides a flexible framework into which high-performance components from Global Graphics and other leading technology suppliers can be incorporated. It takes care of the standard tasks such as: format conversion, pre-flight, imposition, color management, trapping, interpretation, screening, rendering, file management, message logging, distributed operations, job ticketing and process management; that form a common base in all print workflows. By building on this robust core technology, OEMs, systems integrators, and software vendors can easily integrate ‘best of breed’ technology which reduces their engineering efforts considerably and frees them up to focus on adding value in order to deliver powerful and differentiated workflow solutions geared to a variety of specific markets quickly and efficiently. At the heart of Cortex is the next generation of Global Graphics’ SOAR SDK, the established Harlequin RIP architecture already familiar to many OEMs. Within Cortex, SOAR v 4.0 has been expanded, incorporating many common workflow functions and providing a solid foundation, scalable from a simple single server workflow to sophisticated, multi-server distributed RIPs. Building on SOAR, Cortex provides a number of additional components that perform workflow processing steps. These include: • Harlequin RIP: leading PostScript language level 3 compatible and native PDF RIP with complete support for in-rip trapping, color management, imposition, and screening, plus native support for PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3 and high performance rendering. • Harlequin FlatOut: raster output of Harlequin PageBuffers and post-RIP imposition capabilities • PDF Conversion Server: converts PostScript and EPS to PDF and vice versa • PDF Preflight Server: provides complete pre-flight and correction capability • JDF Server: provides Global Graphics’ recently announced JDF technology to workflow developers These complementary modules make it easier than ever before for developers to implement, customize and deliver a variety of workflows, from a simple PostScript to PDF conversion product to a complete workflow with multiple RIPs distributed over multiple servers. An open system with easily accessible APIs and a comprehensive SDK, Cortex is the only development platform today that gives companies the freedom to easily integrate third-party applications to enhance the base technology layer. Global Graphics is committed to supporting open standards and Cortex embraces this philosophy. SOAR is based on CORBA – the standard for open, vendor independent, interoperability between objects over networks – and allows Cortex-based solutions to be developed in a variety of programming languages and development environments and deployed on different platforms (including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux). Consequently solutions built on Cortex can integrate with other systems and do not lock future developments into a single vendor. In addition to supporting open standards such as PDF/X and ICC, Cortex supports JDF. Its JDF Enabler component not only supports submission of JDF files direct to the Harlequin RIP but also provides a complete API that allows developers to access and control the processing of JDF within the system. The JDF-enabled Harlequin RIP, announced at drupa today, is based on Cortex and gives OEMs the ability to integrate Harlequin RIP technologies into their JDF-enabled workflows with ease. “We are the only company to give developers such a high level of accessibility to our core technologies; and the flexibility to tailor and customize solutions to suit their specific needs,” says Adrian Ford, Chief Technology Officer at Global Graphics. “Cortex releases our partners from the considerable effort required to develop core production workflow functions, and allows them to focus on adding their value and delivering powerful and flexible solutions to market quickly.”