During EskoWorld 2019, which took place in Nashville, TN, USA, Esko provided a host of industry updates to the packaging print community. The event featured new updates to Automation Engine, ArtiosCAD, Cape Pack, WebCenter and more during the three-day event. With record-breaking attendance, visitors had the chance to meet with Esko experts and receive hands-on training with the newest software and hardware.

According to Esko’s Danielle Sauve, the company’s software is utilized by nearly 680,000 packaging professionals.

As the packaging print industry increasingly embraces PDF, Esko is supporting prepress professionals in the transition phase with its latest ArtPro+ software release.

ArtPro+ opens any classic ArtPro file or normalized PDF file and turns it into native PDF. Compared with other solutions on the market today, crucial production metadata, such as bar code properties, screening or ink information, are now not only maintained but translated into the latest PDF ISO specifications, and both the graphical content and packaging relevant metadata are migrated.

Frank Woltering, product manager, Graphical Editing, at Esko says, “PDF editing is a critical stage in the prepress process, known for introducing errors that create waste downstream. Our latest version of ArtPro+ is specifically designed to boost operator accuracy and efficiency by creating a highly productive user experience. For example, it ensures a full clear view of the document at all times without toolbars clogging the screen. For those new to the software, this means very little training is required to perform even complex tasks.”

Esko has also extended its Kongsberg digital cutting table range with the new Kongsberg C Edge; a completely upgradable table design that avoids costly reinvestment for customers as business grows.

The development in the Kongsberg C multifunction, digital finishing series is designed specifically for signage and corrugated packaging converters.

Russell Weller, Esko Product Manager, states, “The new C Edge is designed to grow with our customers. Invest now and you invest for the future. Unlike other tables on the market, the C Edge is completely upgradable avoiding the impact of having to reinvest when a business expands. The C Edge evolves with a business to unlock production flexibility and profitability, and delivers exceptional cutting quality and milling accuracy at a remarkably cost-effective price.”

In addition, Esko announced the launch of a Motorized Roll Feeder for its Kongsberg C64 digital cutting table, developed to deliver accurate and efficient cutting of soft signage materials.

Eliminating inaccurate cuts on soft signage jobs due to wrinkles, stretch distortion or imperfectly rewound rolls, the new Motorized Roll Feeder incorporates an active material feed. It avoids stretch by actively feeding the material to the cutting table, rather than pulling it. A dancer bar provides the correct tension with adjustable weights and an active edge correction allows for a steady straight feed, even if the roll is imperfectly rewound after printing. A spreader roll is also incorporated as a final checkpoint to smooth out any remaining wrinkles for precise finishing of soft signage jobs.

Award season
During the event, Esko announced that it won the Technical Innovation award at the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) 2019 Awards for its Print Control Wizard software.

Developed by Esko in response to a call from the flexographic printing industry to simplify the implementation of screens and dot gain curves in the reprographics process, Print Control Wizard has a positive impact on a range of reprographics processes outputting a new screening algorithm to address a range of potential print issues.

Robert Bruce, Esko product manager, says, “We are delighted to be recognized by the FTA for our Print Control Wizard software development. We worked extensively with a number of customers, including Sebastion Longo, president of Fotograbados Longo, who joined us on the evening, to ensure the new technology meets the needs of prepress professionals around the world.”

Plus, Coveris announced that it notched an award with Esko’s help. Coveris won a Gold Award at the European Flexographic Industry Association (EFIA) 2019 awards for a narrow web label printed using Esko Print Control Wizard software.

Andy Wilson, group color director at Coveris, noted, “At the outset we recognized the ease of dovetailing Print Control Wizard into our workflow, compared with other screening solutions on the market. The technology has definitely helped remove the ‘black art’ element of curve making. It’s incredibly accurate and simple, so that anyone in our team can create a plate curve with minimal training. Now, once a job is complete, the curve family is also available for us in the workflow ticket and the accuracy of the results each time are amazing. It’s not just the curve created, but the recommendations for the best size of highlight dots and screens that really make a difference.

“As a business, we go to great lengths to reduce the variability in our processes and we know that standardization is vital for print consistency and repeatability,” he adds.