Automated Prepress Workflow Increases Efficiency

The amount of packaging prepress work has certainly increased in the past few decades, particularly as the flexo print process has become much more sophisticated. There are obviously many reasons, although powerful influencers are the high-quality flexo plates, presses with much greater control, and more demands from brand owners who are competing much more intensely for attention on the shelves.

Fortunately, prepress workflow technology has kept up with all of these demands. Many of the tasks that would have taken hours and hours of manual time are now managed by automated prepress systems in a matter of minutes—or even seconds. And, they have also offered new functionality, considered unimaginable 5-10 years ago, which make the prepress process even more efficient.

There are many examples, but here are a few that have really made the prepress department's job more efficient.

Preflighting: Assuring files are clean

A very common component of workflow automation is preflighting. It assures that a customer has prepared the graphics file correctly, in terms of verification of file make-up. This could include image file formats, image resolutions, missing fonts, and much more. It could also assure that a printer's own rules have been adhered to. What could this mean? Issues such as minimum dot breaks, improper line widths, and incorrect color spaces can be avoided in proofing or on the press.

Preflighting software comes in many forms: stand-alone software, Web-based software, plug-ins to popular software packages, 'software-as-a-service' models, and others. Some are resident at the printer's or converter's facility. Others are given to customers to check files before they are delivered. But, they all do the same thing. The automation prevents a prepress department from wasting valuable time checking a number of file components manually rather than focusing on value-add services. Or, more importantly, they prevent the cost of a plate problem or on-press errors that could have been caught much earlier.

Avoiding a bad trap

Trapping compensates for misregistration between printing units on a multicolor press, which can cause gaps or white spaces on the final printed packaging. It involves creating overlaps (spreads) or underlaps (chokes) of objects during prepress to counter misregistration.

Many printers and converters historically have been uncomfortable allowing automatic, rules-based trapping. However, many automated trapping systems have become pretty sophisticated and all-encompassing, with predefined presets of rules and exceptions to trap the file that cover just about any kind of situation. These systems can trap files in a matter of seconds.

The specialized trapping systems are compliant with packaging needs, and know how to handle transparencies, blend modes, special color combinations, opaque inks, varnishes, white plates, rich black trapping, and others. All calculated trap objects end up in a new separate layer combined with the ability to edit and modify the trap objects with a dedicated trap tool, in some systems.

Repeating a good design

An automated step-and-repeat system will save both plate material and substrate by laying out artwork as tight as possible. It is possible to set different rules to determine how to achieve the best layout. It suggests the best masking, which the user can always fine-tune. Once a decision is made, it is applied to all similar mask occurrences over the entire plate.

Of course, once the step and repeat is developed, the output from a system is a PDF or Postscript file that is delivered to the output device. Step-and-repeat systems can automatically include any required print production controls, such as color bars, sheet corner marks, and trim marks.

Even creating a varnish blanket separation becomes a highly automated task, with no need to tediously redraw the varnish areas on the plate.

Maintaining consistent color

It would take a few articles to delve into the process of creating accurate, consistent color. And, we all know that many software companies have spent a lot of development time working on algorithms to make sure that colors are accurate, particularly if they are moved from spot colors to CMYK or expanded color ink sets.

However, automation takes another step in assuring results match the expectations of everyone in the supply chain. With the use of a central color library with a color engine, everyone can work with the same color information throughout the chain and all applications. So, whether a designer is working in Adobe Illustrator, a color management system, or an output engine sending PDF files to a RIP, the same color information is shared. This was unheard of just a few years ago, without the raw computing power and communications systems we all now have in place.

3D design

One facet of automation that has taken extreme strides in the past three or four years is 3D design. With computing power, sophisticated software, and the ability to coordinate structural packaging and CAD product designs with graphic software, there is now an extraordinary means to assure packaging is created correctly. With 2D flats, for example, it was always a challenge to assure that copy would be viewed right side up, or that glue flaps would not be varnished. Now, these software packages can take a packaging structure, allow a designer to work on a 3D view, add graphics, and allow the application to automatically create the 2D flat for plating and/or print. The software can also automatically create 3D models for agencies and brand owners to review in advance of—or replacing—hard copies.

A striking example of what can be done with 3D design is shrink wrapping. Many prepress departments know of the burdensome chore of taking a package design and creating the distortions to assure that graphics appear correct when a label is shrunk around an odd-sized package. It typically involves shrinking a graphed plastic around the package, running it through the heat tunnel, and measuring the distortions. Then, the prepress department manually distorts the artwork to those measurements and tests the results by shrinking the design around a package, again… and usually again and again. Automated software can take a CAD design of a package, wrap around the label, automatically determine the shrinking factors, and apply them to the artwork to compensate for the shrinkage. The result is quicker time to market and a less expensive design and production process.

Smart connections

The final step is tying this into a cohesive communications network, with reviews and approvals, checks and balances. This starts with order entry, and ends when the job is ready to go on the press.

Web-to-print, ERP, and production systems are now being tied together. The immediate benefit is that order information can be automatically delivered to production, MIS, and ERP systems. Order information is accurate; and, job status can be delivered back to reporting and ERP systems. Customers can receive immediate access to job information, and business systems are more responsive.

One of the biggest fears of a prepress department is the process of entering correct data to packaging. This is particularly vital with pharmaceuticals and food products that have dosage and ingredient copy that meets federal requirements. Incorrect copy will surely result in re-dos. Certain workflow systems can pull copy directly from client databases. The benefit is evident. Copy does not have to be retyped into a design, and the prepress department is assured that copy is the responsibility of the brand owner. These systems can also be dynamic. If copy is changed there is no worry, because the system accesses the copy every time it outputs a new file.

Collaboration systems can also automatically notify all supply chain partners for reviews and approvals. The next prepress task is not undertaken until everyone has approved the design. Thus, everyone is assured that they will have a chance to check a design prior to production.

Allocating manual work

Our experience with companies that adopt automated prepress production systems is that labor is not lost, but rather allocated to different departments, or more value-add tasks. Labor becomes more valuable and billable, while rote tasks are relegated to the production systems. The result is a more valuable use of labor, more efficient and time-saving production systems, more prepress capacity, and greater cost savings. It's an investment that almost automatically pays off. pP