Artwork Systems

There's some new tools for connectivity and commerce in the world of computer-aided design and manufacturing for packaging. "WHAT'S NEW IN CAD/CAM?" I recently asked this question to Don Skenderian, the man in charge of the most widely used packaging CAD program in the universe. Expecting a more technically oriented, CAD-specific response, I was surprised to get an answer right out of our telecommuted, Internet-age lexicon. He said: "Connectivity." Skenderian—and every other product development director I interviewed for this article—believes that the most important work going on in computer-assisted design and diemaking is collecting, collating, and communicating CAD data to other processes in

As interest in computer-to-sleeve technology expands, manufacturers are preparing to meet the impending demand. Despite availability for a number of years, computer-to-sleeve imaging has yet to become the established force in the industry that many predicted. packagePRINTING sought out industry insider Ian Hole, business development manager for Esko-Graphics, to provide some insight and answers as to the present status of CTS and when it can be expected to "take off." According to Hole, CTS technology is already poised on the runway and simply waiting for clearance, to bring package printing to new heights. pP: We are just starting to see some movement in the

Though available for years, options are just now being used to improve prepress workflow. Like most businesses in the current economy, convertors are constantly looking to increase their cost-effectiveness through new technology. One often-overlooked stage that printers have begun to explore in an effort to improve workflow, and therefore costs, is the prepress facet of the industry. Improvements in prepress workflow and/or data transmission have been available for quite a while now, but converters have been slow to take advantage of these opportunities. "The tools for improvement are there," says David Zwang, IPA operational TEAM consultant leader and founder of Zwang & Company,

At prepress trade shop Southern Graphic Systems, "to measure is to know." by Terri McConnell, Prepress Editor Last December, I was tickled to see Denny McGee—a man named one of the 1990s' "ten most influential people in the packaging industry"—address a room full of his peers with a giant piece of cheese on his head. McGee, hosting the Educator Seminar Series, was playfully hammering home the point that someone has been messing around with the printing food chain. Markets are moving, demands are changing, and we can't expect to find our profits in the same place we found them yesterday. No single group of

Packaging's path to PDF has most commonly involved software add-ons. Will new all-in-one workflows change that? by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor THOUGH COMMERCIAL printers have jumped wholeheartedly on the PDF bandwagon, their packaging brethren have been less enthusiastic. Concerns regarding PDF's suitability for packaging prepress have thus far encouraged hopefuls to add on PDF elements, rather than invest in "one-stop shopping" products. Packaging-specific capabilities bundled within new all-in-one systems, however, should enlist a legion of PDF converts. "When it comes to software solutions, the packaging market has been the orphan of the printing industry," laments Bert van Hoof, VP/engineering, ScenicSoft. Unfortunately, the

Understanding digital workflow concepts, power and capabilities is essential for success for progressive package printers. By Marie Ranoia Alonso Digital prepress environments are fast moving into the realm of the package printer. This is not news. What is news is the robust capabilities of the growing field of digital workflow enablers, the emergence of PDF and PostScript 3 and their impact on the way digitally savvy package printers do business—not to mention the digital workflow power, now more than ever before, of packaging's front end. So much technology, in so little time. Or is it? For several years, packaging's graphically complex and deadline

Learning about prepress hardware and software with respect to your package printing operation is essential to a smooth workflow process down the road. By Molly Joss Properly designed and implemented, front-end prepress hardware and software form the backbone of the time and money savings inherent in digital workflows. It also allows package printers to gain better control over job preparation and scheduling. There are several approaches to creating a front-end system from scratch: do everything yourself; work with a value-added reseller or consulting company; or, work with a company that sells a complete line of solutions. No matter what route you take, it's essential

Functional specialties can help tailor prepress software to flexo, offset and other package printing processes. By Susan Friedman With commercial offset prepress needs nearly down pat, software suppliers' focus on package printing continues to intensify, with heavy emphasis on flexographic particularities. "Because flexography and offset represent the biggest installed base of printing presses, they are the biggest arenas for more specialized prepress software," comments Alex Hamilton of Computers & Communications Consulting. Ray Fennelly, applications manager at Contex, links flexo software growth to the process' steady transition from art to science. Package printers seeking process-specific software won't always find "Just For Flexo" stamped on the