Hi Guys,

Thanks for responding. I get my share of oddball files from Open Source programs, and I understand what a PITA it is to make those files work.

Another poster on another board that I belong to put this all in perspective for me, and that I basically shouldn't shackle my replacement to a set of softwares/hardwares that I like in the misguided effort to make things easier.

I may work with it just to learn how to do things, but I may not recommend it for the organizations...

Hello everyone,

I thought I would get people's opinions on an idea I'm working on.

I do pro-bono work for several non-profit organizations in my area, and I'm able to utilize my work computer for these jobs. However, my time in one or two of these organizations is  term limited, and I will have to pass the responsibilities on to another person who may or may not have the same level of access to resources as I do here.

With that in mind, I was trying to develop a list of software that is cross-platform and open source, so we're not dealing with expired licenses and the fact that each person who comes into this position may have entirely different hardware than I do.

This is what I'm considering:
Scribus for page layout
GIMP for photo editing
Inkscape for vector editing

All of these are free or open source software and are all cross platform.

While I have yet to try these softwares, they would seem to satisfy my (empirical) needs. I know that commercial software was developed to satisfy commercial needs, but in the past I have downloaded free- or share- wares and gotten very good service from them. Although they were usually along the lines of DA's and single purpose software, like a photoshop filter, they got the job done and didn't nick my bottom line.

What do you think?

Does anyone have any better ideas?

Besides, this beats the same old Quark vs. InDesign posts I see everywhere else... :wink:

I have never had a problem with any PDF file from Quark 7 in our platemaker's (read Xitron Xenith) workflow. The Xerox/Fiery RIP is another issue. I have not had some of the issues that folks complain about, but I think the problems that crop up are due to old/incompatible RIP's many times. Hence, my earlier reference to the Fiery...

That being said, Indy does a better job of producing a PDF file that is 99.99% capable. I would only rate Quark/JAWS PDF's at 98%. There are some PDF files that I send to the Xerox from Quark that will not RIP properly, no matter what I do. Rebuild the same job in Indy, goes right through. But this is a pretty rare circumstance. Both programs put out solid PDF's.

The one thing that I DID like in Q6.5 vs Q7.x, is you could embed the entire font. That was handy occasionally when you had a less-than reliable font and/or RIP. I see that capability has been removed since version 7.0. Bummer.

Quote from: LRob on November 15, 2007, 07:56:51 PMGZ keep in mind that the CIP3/4 file will get the press close sometimes real close, but it will not make it exact. The pressman will still have to adjust the color.The setting we use is the setting that is preset

Ya, I follow what you're saying.

But I know ownership thinks this will make running the 5 color like running a toaster... Just pop the information in and... Presto!

A million dollar press that works as easy as a Xerox...

<rant>And if it doesn't work like that, then I get beat about the head and shoulders because I couldn't make it happen. Of course, every prepress person knows everything about any computer, software, printing press, cutter, folder, telecommunications satellite ever built, right? </rant>

I guess this reply should have gone in a different category, huh?

Quote from: born2print on November 15, 2007, 10:51:05 AMSorry GZ, I'm not sure, but I think they used the generated settings right from the box, or a predetermined adjustment that they already had from other installs at similar facilities. I don't think we "tweaked" the key settings beyond that. Take this w/ a grain of salt because we were pretty hands-off while the Heidi and Komori techs got it going.

Side note: We just installed a new cutter and it's the first piece of finishing equipment we'll have w/ CIP4 capability, stay tuned(?)

OK no problem there. I will be interested to see how the CIP3/4 stuff works on the cutter, tho...

Quote from: Joe on November 14, 2007, 04:58:40 PMA friend of mine when I was a teenager used to drive one:



Oops...sorry. Wrong Javelin.

Sweet! I'll take two!

Born and LRob-
It sounds like you have working CIP3/4 systems. It also sounds like the keys and sweeps are being set on your machines. What I'm trying to get to is the fastest/best way to get a set up for our console to work with the information I'm generating from the RIP.

Is there a target that you guys used and then fed information back into the CIP3/4 software, for better or more accurate ink key settings? Or did you use the hit and miss system that the Komori tech guy advised me to use? That is, use the generic settings that come with the software, print a few jobs and make adjustments as you go?

TIA

My boss has decided that CIP4 profiles for setting density and ink keys is the way for us to get more productivity out of our presses. To that end, he purchased a Komori PCC II Bladesetter for our Komori 528 Lithrone press. The press is a 1995 model, too old to have a networkable console. The Bladesetter is a device that writes ink key information to a magnetic-strip card that is inserted into the console of the 528. Since I'm just a prepress manager, I have no experience running a printing press of that size and style. I feel I'm somewhat handicapped in understanding how the press actually produces work. I have been fortunate to have good pressmen both on night and day shift who are willing to work with me, so that part has been overcome to a degree.

The operation of the Bladesetter and software is pretty basic, we generate a CIP4 .PPF file from our Xitron Xenith Extreme workflow, and the Bladesetter creates ink key and density settings from a software program. However, since our machine does not have a networkable console, Komori doesn't appear to have any real game plan to get us working comfortably with the CIP4 information. If we had a KHS (Komori H-something System) equipped press, they (apparently) would go on site and get the CIP4 info and the press and console to all work together. Since our press is so old, and we are using a 'universal' type of RIP and prepress workflow, we're (IMO) creating our own set of procedures to make the CIP4 info work with our press. The Komori tech guy has advised us to use actual jobs as a method to find our way. But this method seems hit-or-miss and not very repeatable. My boss wants us to print  a GATF target and use that as a standard to print to. I think that's too restrictive.

My main question to other people who have gone down this path, what resources have you tapped in able to speed up the process? Is there a website somewhere that deals with this kind of thing? I have searched on the web and mostly found manufacturer's sales info on CIP4 implementation, but not a whole lot about the nuts and bolts of it all.

Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Quote from: Joe on October 08, 2007, 11:14:57 AMThe question was for both of you.

I'd check your settings for your network card and turn off the auto-speed detection and change it to whatever speed you need to be using, ie...100 mb, 1000 mb, etc. See if that solves the problem.

Next thing I'd check is if your PC's are network and assigned IP's via DHCP make sure there isn't more than one DHCP server on your network. Your router and your server could both be trying to act as the DHCP server. Make sure there is only one DHCP server active on your network.

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your suggestions... I remember someone telling me about turning off the auto-detection on the NIC's, I will have to check that. As for the DHCP question, all of my machines whether PC or Mac are static IP addys. I guess that's what is bugging me about this issue, I was hoping that static addresses would keep me from having these kinds of issues.

Anyway, I will start with the NIC's and then try something else. Thanks again!

Quote from: Joe on October 04, 2007, 08:53:16 AMWhat OS?

Joe, were you questioning me?

If so, we have all XP with Mac OSX 10.3.9 and 10.4.10

Just a few years ago, after we had gone through the transition from Violet to Thermal plates, we settled on the Kodak Sword Excels. And now that we have a couple years' worth of experience with them, they're running well.

However, ownership wants to go totally chemistry-free. We had been in discussions with our equipment rep concerning the Kodak Thermal Direct, when my production manager (who had been a pressman) brought up some very good points concerning some shortcomings the Thermal Direct plates have on a typical printing operation. In fact, they may be enough to knock the TD's out of the running.

The next week, our equipment rep came back a week later with the district sales manager for Presstek. He was pitching the Presstek Aurora plates (to run on our Screen platesetter), but I have no knowledge of them. I haven't researched anything from Presstek since we ruled them out after our Violet platesetter experience.

I haven't heard much about the Fuji chem-free and everybody by now knows about Azura, which would probably be my choice to replace the Swords if we went chem-free, based on what I've read on message boards like these. (not to mention Steve...)

Any opinions or users of the Presstek Aurora plates out there? Anyone using them with Screen platesetters?

TIA

This same thing has been happening to me too, lately. I have several servers for different functions and they keep dropping off of the network with no apparent reason. The only things I can imagine is the Windows update is possibly changing network properties or the constant McAfee updates are @#$@#$! with my machines...

I'm highly frustrated with this, as rebooting these computers puts one heck of a kink in our workflow...

First post in a new forum!

A forum for the seven of us who use Xenith!

Like the subject says, what's the good, bad and ugly of the update?

We charge by the square foot for our Epson and large format proofs.

The laser proofs are on a sliding scale, but as an example, an 8.5x11 is $4.00 for one.

The PDF proofs are free...

Wow, I have experienced just about all of the same things people have posted here.

With the exception of marrying one of them...

I've been very lucky in most of the places I've worked, I've had a direct say in whether a person got hired or not. I've been able to pick pretty good ones so far...

Let's see if my record holds.

We just hired a young person out of art school here a couple of weeks ago. The only complaint I have is that she's not used to our pace of work, which is generally frenetic. But, I think she will catch on to that too.

We had a person here several years ago who was a friend of one of my co-workers, (this was before they let me screen prospects), and we found out the hard way that she was a non-stop talker. Yak, yak, yak. While her mouth ran, her hands stopped. We hired her on to handle our overflow, and she made it worse! Finally, after a year, they let her go. I can't say I was too disappointed.