Preps 6 Beta

[Joe]

I'm home today so no screenshots. I am probably missing a lot with it's abilities, but so far I don't see the advantages for our workflow. May be needing more education (where's that pic of brains being blown out?)

Our instructor this week said the Preps team told him they didn't believe any extra training should be necessary for Preps 6. :shocked: WTF??? It's a completely different application!

[tapdn]

WTF indeed!
I am supposedly the Preps go to guy at work and I set up our procedures, templates, marks and custom config files after two and a half days I wasn't able to flow a simple 32 page web job and, yes I read the help files. It IS an entirely different application! Come on Preps guys- get real.

[Joe]

I do see how the enhancements will help if you are a Prinergy user. A lot of it is just for becoming more integrated with Prinergy. If you are not a Prinergy user then I don't see it being all that great over 5.3.3. Also, from what I could gather at Kodak this will not be a free upgrade. The beta uses your 5.3.3 license but if I understand correctly the final will cost $$$.

[tapdn]

Not a Prinergy user- not a Preps 6 user.  :tongue:

[frailer]

Getting sick of the Software Upgrade Samba.   :angry:  Just about to put it to the powers-that-be how we have to "process" CS4, and some CS3 files to either go through, or at least go through accurately, our CPSI RIP. The time/effort involved yada yada. I can see their eyes glazing over already.  This is a crap climate to be asking for $$ for this stuff.

Am intrigued by you guys' reaction to the different interface. I won't be in a position to download or try for some weeks, if at all. Yep, a few screenshots when back at work...would be great.   :cheesy:

[tapdn]

Couple of quick screen shots Frailer...
Think I may be getting it sorted a bit niii
Too small to see  :undecided:
I'll email 'em.

[Farabomb]

I've only used Preps through out my sentence in prepress and am pretty used to it. I downloaded the beta and installed, ran it, got scared and haven't opened it since. No new training needed? 

[frailer]

       If fit's scaring the pants off you guys, it must resemble Dynastrip!       :laugh:

[Joe]

As I said earlier, you can use your existing templates but as far as I know there is not a template editor in 6. Basically you tell it how many pages, sheet size, plate size, and pick a folding pattern from the list. The names of the folding patterns mean nothing to me (maybe they have pictures in the manuals) and there is not near enough to cover all the freaking ways our 5 web presses can deliver. First we do double size plates with double cutoffs, 1/3, 2/3, 1/2, 3/4 webs along with stuff like double parallel and all kinds of zany shit. At first glance I see no way in hell they have enough folding patterns for our presses. I guess as long as you keep Preps 5 around you can still make templates and use them but I think Kodak is going to have to offer a hell of a deal to existing users to get them to upgrade (Like FREE).

The part that reminds of Dynastrip is where you drag and drop the sheet onto the plate, then define the distance from the edge etc...after that I don't think it's all that similiar.

[frailer]

The part that reminds of Dynastrip is where you drag and drop the sheet onto the plate, then define the distance from the edge etc...after that I don't think it's all that similiar.

...        ...for you.    :laugh:

[edita]

As I said earlier, you can use your existing templates but as far as I know there is not a template editor in 6. Basically you tell it how many pages, sheet size, plate size, and pick a folding pattern from the list. The names of the folding patterns mean nothing to me (maybe they have pictures in the manuals) and there is not near enough to cover all the freaking ways our 5 web presses can deliver. First we do double size plates with double cutoffs, 1/3, 2/3, 1/2, 3/4 webs along with stuff like double parallel and all kinds of zany shit. At first glance I see no way in hell they have enough folding patterns for our presses. I guess as long as you keep Preps 5 around you can still make templates and use them but I think Kodak is going to have to offer a hell of a deal to existing users to get them to upgrade (Like FREE).

The part that reminds of Dynastrip is where you drag and drop the sheet onto the plate, then define the distance from the edge etc...after that I don't think it's all that similiar.

You can still create templates in preps 6. Just make a new imposition the same way you do in 5.3.3 CTRL+M to create it the way you want to, And then save it as a template under the File menu. The neat thing is that you can use preps 6 the way you use preps 5.3.3 or you can use it like Prinect Signa station using folds.
The problem though for me is that Preps 6 don't work with Heidelberg's Prinect Cockpit. Get an error when cockpit tries to replace the marks. I can however go around that if I turn off the marks replacement in the workflow of prinect cockpit. The problem then is that I don't get any marks at all on the plate

If anyone uses preps and Heidelberg Prinect Cockpit and have gotten Preps 6 to work with it, please mail or reply to me..

//Anders

[Joe]

As I said earlier, you can use your existing templates but as far as I know there is not a template editor in 6. Basically you tell it how many pages, sheet size, plate size, and pick a folding pattern from the list. The names of the folding patterns mean nothing to me (maybe they have pictures in the manuals) and there is not near enough to cover all the freaking ways our 5 web presses can deliver. First we do double size plates with double cutoffs, 1/3, 2/3, 1/2, 3/4 webs along with stuff like double parallel and all kinds of zany shit. At first glance I see no way in hell they have enough folding patterns for our presses. I guess as long as you keep Preps 5 around you can still make templates and use them but I think Kodak is going to have to offer a hell of a deal to existing users to get them to upgrade (Like FREE).

The part that reminds of Dynastrip is where you drag and drop the sheet onto the plate, then define the distance from the edge etc...after that I don't think it's all that similiar.

You can still create templates in preps 6. Just make a new imposition the same way you do in 5.3.3 CTRL+M to create it the way you want to, And then save it as a template under the File menu. The neat thing is that you can use preps 6 the way you use preps 5.3.3 or you can use it like Prinect Signa station using folds.
The problem though for me is that Preps 6 don't work with Heidelberg's Prinect Cockpit. Get an error when cockpit tries to replace the marks. I can however go around that if I turn off the marks replacement in the workflow of prinect cockpit. The problem then is that I don't get any marks at all on the plate

If anyone uses preps and Heidelberg Prinect Cockpit and have gotten Preps 6 to work with it, please mail or reply to me..

//Anders

Thanks for that bit of info about the templates. And welcome to the forums.

[tapdn]

sigh....
seems I've got my work cut out for me sorting through Preps 6. Thanks for the info edita and welcome!