EFI (Electronics For Imaging) has launched the newest platform for its industry-leading Fiery Digital Front Ends (DFE) for digital printing systems. The latest advancements included in the new EFI Fiery FS200 Pro will be incorporated into several new digital presses from EFI partners starting in Q3, and will feature innovative tools for higher-speed processing and expansion to CMYK+ colours. It will also provide robust capabilities for shop automation and connectivity. As the industry’s only CIP4-certified JDF DFE, the Fiery platform can seamlessly connect with other JDF-based devices. Plus, users can establish fully automated, bi-directional communication and integration with EFI’s MIS/ERP and web-to-print products.
“Fiery is the gold standard for the class of digital front-end technology needed to drive high-end, integrated graphic arts production printing environments,” said Toby Weiss, Senior Vice President and General Manager, EFI Fiery. “We’re excited to take our leading-edge technology to the next level with a platform that addresses users’ critical needs for faster processing, more-efficient printing and expanded colour gamuts. Many of the new capabilities included in this release are unique to Fiery and will deliver a competitive advantage to print businesses looking to fuel their success with the unmatched performance that this DFE platform offers.”
55% faster RIPing
Fiery DFEs are powered by EFI’s proprietary ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) with RIPChip technology that can process print files significantly faster than alternative DFEs. Fiery FS200 Pro expands the performance advantage on high-end servers with EFI’s Fiery HyperRIP. HyperRIP now has a mode optimized for multiple jobs (as well as the previous single-job mode), boosting processing performance up to 55% compared to performance without HyperRIP. Now, the Fiery FS200 Pro platform can RIP up to four jobs simultaneously, giving users the ability to print more jobs in the shortest possible time.
The new Fiery platform also includes a Rush RIP mode that opens up a fifth RIP to process rush jobs when all four main parallel processors are busy. “Rush RIP allows printing operations to accommodate last-minute rush jobs without interrupting the ongoing workflow or cancelling jobs that are already being processed. It also gives users the ability to preview jobs quickly while other jobs are processing, further speeding up the production process and increasing overall throughput,” Weiss added. The new system also adds a CMYK+ feature set for incorporating expanded-gamut, process-colour imaging beyond standard four-colour imaging. CMYK+ opens the door to a range of inkjet press technologies that may be capable of incorporating five, six, or 8-colour process imaging. Print businesses can more precisely match a wider range of brand colours on digital presses offering expanded toner imaging capabilities.
Improved Graphic Arts Pacakge
EFI has also released colour correction and process control improvements to its Fiery Graphic Arts Package, Premium Edition, that include:
- New features in Fiery ImageViewer that offer greater consistency in the colour workflow, with automated colour adjustment between similar jobs using custom colour curves.
- A WYSIWYG interface to edit control bars, offering users more control over placement and content.
