Equios vs Trueflow 7

[kantblue]

Hi guys,

Anyone out there using the Equios client in a production environment?

We have been looking at it and it does have some interesting new facilities, but we are not too sure about the imposition part of the software which does away with Flatworker completely.

We have an extensive library of Flatworker impositions which we just pick and choose from, but Equios seems to be pushing us down another route. There does seem to be a library facility but it looks a bit limited in terms of grouping, eg its just a flat list.

At the moment we have flatworker files stored under Machine/Paper size/Document size and this works well for us. We just pick and choose the impositions as we know they are correct for margins etc.

It looks to us (and we could be wrong) as if in Equios you are meant to impose each job on an indvidual, almost ad hoc basis which to us looks more error prone.

Any advice would be appreciated, we are happy with Trueflow 7, but want to have a proper look at Equios.

kantblue

[ansoft]

We have the same problem with using Equios. Actually we have TF7 and Equios and use only TF7. Equios has some strange Japanese logic, that I do not like.

[Sean Dawson]

Hello Ansoft,

Im not sure what version you are using but there have been quite a few updates to EQUIOS and more on the way to address concerns such as yours. We are currently on TrueflowSE Ver. 7.2 in the U.S.

In order to ensure you are on the latest patches, talk to your local Screen Office.

Best Regards,
Sean

[ansoft]

Dear Sean,
I use the latest patches -TF220 I think. I don't know why Screen stopped to develop Equios as a standalone product. I have some experience in the workflows and for me TF is one of the most clear and user friendly workflows.

[kantblue]

Hi all.

I agree with ansoft, I'm not at all sure why they made such a radical change. I suspect some of this is something to do with Screen and Flatworker. I'm not sure but isn't Flatworker supplied by another company?

TF5 to 7 has a nice logical interface and the ability to store pre-configured flatworker files in folders is a HUGE plus for us, we have well over a thousand stored imposition grids. I would hate to scroll though a list that long

The ability to change one spot to another or to a cmyk channel also seems a step backwards in this version as you have to manually enter the new colour name, in TF7 you could just select re-input and change it there.

Still looking into it, but some of the logic seems really strange to us?

Then again it wouldn't be the first time Screen have completely changed the user interface, anyone remember TF2 - we purchased it specifically because it was web-based and then Screen went and changed it to a software client !

Kantblue

[twitch5253]

Good thing we got Equios for free, 'cause I never caught on to it. The terminology is strange, and you'd think some one could come up with a translation/ glossary for what they mean to us American printers. I also was concerned about the variations you could throw into the workflow.

[kantblue]

I sometimes wonder why new versions of software are so radically different, its as if the manufacturers feel obliged to make changes for no apparent reason. Then again I think if they came out with new versions that looked the same people might complain about that too !

Sean - you mentioned updates and patches, any idea what the current version of Equios is?

Not only did the Equios interface seem almost deliberately baffling, but I agree with you, twitch5253, that the possibility for variations when processing jobs, though very flexible could cause problems.

kantblue

[Prepguy]

We also have not used the Equios client when we updated to 7.20. Rebuilding our Flatworker templates to a job per job basis and having many people with different level of imposition skills would be problematic for us. The set up of the library was not well thought out.

Dropping Preps back in 2007 for Flatworker was hard enough lols.

[kaiserwilhelm]

Version 7 (X) for the past six months. Have not cracked Equios open since the demo.
I am not sure that it will help me at all.
What concerns me is that I am now stuck at 7. I have to plan my platesetter for end of life in 2-3 years due to TF being EOL to me (as they move to Equios).

[Johu]

Eq is new and most of all it is different when it comes to imposition. But if you start using it I'm pretty sure that you will find it more user friendly. I do agree that the imposition library in Eq is not as good as Flatworker/TF but on the other hand you don't need so many different imposition forms as you used to since changing the size of the page/sheet/plate is so much more easy that there is no need for all the folds you used to have.
Also I could almost guarantee that once you get the hang of it, you can do a whole imposition from scratch faster than you can put page numbers in place in Flatworker. You just need to give it a chance. There is no need to fully go to Equios at once as they both work at the same time and you can even see jobs submitted from TF in Eq client and vice versa abd even edit them in some extent.
Also several things that you were not able to do in Flatworker can now be done in Eq Client. Remember that everything is in the client, no need to log in with remote desktop to your TF server or step away from your workstation to go to the server in order to create a new imposition with Flatworker.