Gent, Belgium – Enfocus, the leader in PDF quality control, advanced PDF editing and workflow automation for the graphic arts industry announces the release of PitStop Pro 2019, PitStop Server 2019 and PitStop Library SDK, the latest versions of their award-winning PDF Preflight, Editing and Correction software. Enfocus PitStop Pro is an interactive PDF quality control and editing tool. PitStop Pro provides a feature rich solution with out-of-the-box usability that boosts prepress productivity immediately.

PitStop 2019 contains new and improved functionality that has been developed as a result of extensive ongoing customer feedback. Over 200 companies worldwide beta-tested the new PitStop 2019 products and provided Enfocus with valuable, actionable feedback. As a whole, the beta testers were excited about the new features which they could see as powerful additions to PitStop. The new features reduce production bottlenecks and increase prepress efficiency. This is what our beta-testers are saying:

“All of the new functions in Pitstop like object browser and the new rasterize selection in PitStop 2019 are fantastic. It will save me a lot of time and in the long run, a lot of money. PitStop 2019, can’t wait!” - Garry van den Berg, de Bondt grafimedia communicatie, Barendrecht, The Netherlands

“Changes to the Make Barcode Action made it possible for me to satisfy customers’ needs for the generation of GS1 Datamatrix barcodes. The Object Browser makes it easy to find the object you need to manipulate in a complex PDF file.” - Med venlig hilsen, Jimmy Hartington, IT-ansvarlig / Grafiker

“Rasterize Selection is so easy to use. It’s a flexible and powerful feature. Combined with Object Browser, this is making prepress life way more productive and saves time that was previously wasted on the preparation of complex jobs.” - Sergejs Biž?ns, Head of Prepress Department, Livonia Print

"Our customers are happy with this feature-rich release. The large format printers were specially awaiting the new slanted corner option. This will save them finishing time on every job they print!” - Menno Mooy, ISI Publishing Innovators

"We are really looking forward to PitStop 2019 and the new features that have been added. By improving page edit ability and implementing split actions we will be able to achieve much more complex actions. The object browser for me is the highlight of this update. It improves edibility of the PDF while allowing us to clearly see how the PDF is layered up." - Lee Hollen, Bluetree Group, Rotherham England

This release provides new tools to reduce workflow bottlenecks by simplifying complex files. It also provides a brand-new way of manually selecting objects for editing that will greatly increase the efficiency of prepress operators while also giving them unique information about the structure of the PDF.

Preflight for digital printers
A specific preflight profile for digital printers has been included that optimizes and reports the amount of ‘clicks’ each page will generate. This profile, which has been on beta test for around six months, automatically handles objects that ‘look’ black and ensures they only create one ‘click’. Customers testing the profile reported to have saved time in prepress while reducing the cost of digital printing.

New feature highlights:
Rasterize Selection – PitStop Pro 2019 offers prepress operators the ability to select specific elements within a PDF page, such as very complex vector art, and rasterize only that selection. This allows users to simplify complex pages whilst maintaining the highest quality. Previously the only way to handle such pages was to use the archaic technique of converting the whole page to an image within an application such as Adobe Photoshop. This technique introduces issues when working with small fine typefaces, outlined text and delicate graphics. The new approach means that only the problem element needs to be rasterized while the remaining content is untouched.

When rasterizing multiple objects, the new function uses advanced logic to ensure that the visual appearance of the result is always maintained. This helps to ensure optimum quality while reducing the complexity of the document and the time it takes a RIP to process a file. The Rasterize Selection feature has been very well received by our beta testers. It stands out as one of the most valuable new features for reducing production bottlenecks.

Object Browser – An improvement that our customers have requested for many years. A PDF file is made up of many stacked objects that interact through methods like overprint, masking, clipping and transparency blending. This list of objects is called the Object Stack. An object must be selected before editing in PitStop Pro. Very often, making this selection is difficult because the needed object is obscured. Making the selection could also be difficult because it may consist of several objects in different places. The new Object Browser removes all that complexity and makes object selection easy. The Object Browser displays the PDF Object Stack in a list tree view and enables the operator to simply click on the required element, which then selects that object in the PDF. Editing is then performed using all the usual PitStop functions.

This new version contains many other new features and improvements and provides official support for new operating systems and the latest Acrobat versions. See the full list of “What’s new in PitStop 2019” here: What's New in PitStop 2019.

Licensing
PitStop Pro 2019 and PitStop Server 2019 are chargeable upgrades to PitStop Pro and PitStop Server 2018. Customers on subscription or with an active maintenance contract for PitStop will be able to upgrade to the new version without additional charge. Customers who upgrade to PitStop Pro 2018 from version 2017 or version 13 without a maintenance contract will not be eligible for a courtesy upgrade to the 2019 version. We now offer the opportunity to trade in existing license keys for a subscription at a savings of up to 50% off of the first year. For details on upgrades from previous versions, check the pricing on the Enfocus website.