Best Solution for building Automation

[longlimb]

This is probably going to be very subjective but do you all have a favorite workflow solution? I recently started at a new shop and they are using Esko AE to build workflows and use Webcenter for proofing and job tracking... although a lot of the connections between the MIS and Esko are broken.

I came from a Kodak shop, used Prinergy with Insite and RBA to create workflows. But my old shop really didn't have a lot of online traffic so jobs came into prepress via Insite from clients.

New job has hundreds of portals and need to automate from e-commerce sites, to job creation software, then to webcenter and out to the devices.

So far it seems Esko AE is way overboard for our shop. We don't do packaging (digital, offset and WF). Building the workflows appears very similar to Prinergy RBA. But the way Insite and Prinergy work together and use RBA seems smoother to me than Esko AE and Webcenter.

Anyone else feel this way? Or do you prefer using Esko if you have it? Thoughts?

 

[Puch]

Please try to elaborate more about the possible scenarios, then we can come up with some suggestions. Eg.:

Service selected on a Web portal --> Files submitted into a Cart --> Files+Metadata sent to backoffice --> Preflight needed --> Revision handling --> Imposition --> Printing --> Parcel Service ordered via API --> Billing

 

[longlimb]

Please try to elaborate more about the possible scenarios, then we can come up with some suggestions. Eg.:

Service selected on a Web portal --> Files submitted into a Cart --> Files+Metadata sent to backoffice --> Preflight needed --> Revision handling --> Imposition --> Printing --> Parcel Service ordered via API --> Billing

Well, yes to your description Puch

web portal to MIS to some kind of automation engine to prefight through to device then once job shipped triggered for billing.

 

[Puch]

The question is what level of automation you need, and what experience you have wiring things together.

Most of the task mentioned can be implemented by a talented web programmer. The crucial part is the preflight, which can be done with your existing CTP RIP, but getting the result out of it (in a human-readable, usable form) might be a challenge. On the other hand, there is Callas pdfToolbox Server, which is a heavyweight swiss army knife, at a reasonable price. It can do a lot for you, but again: there is a steep learning curve to make it really useful.

If you don't want (or can't) do it the hard way, the 'medium' option is to use Enfocus Switch with Pitstop Server. This has a nice GUI, you can literally wire things together and it just works. There are a ton of software which work together with Switch, and there is the Enfocus Appstore, where you can buy/lease little software gems to expand the functionality of a basic system. But beware: to exploit the full potential of such a system, you still have to learn a bit of coding, mostly Javascript.

If you need a totally 'no-code' solution, quickly, then I would suggest something from Aleyant, eg. tFLOW. This is a complex system (with Callas pdfToolbox working in the background) which can perform most of the things you mentioned. There are many other such systems out there which I don't know, so choosing the right one can be a project itself.

 

[longlimb]

The question is what level of automation you need, and what experience you have wiring things together.

Most of the task mentioned can be implemented by a talented web programmer. The crucial part is the preflight, which can be done with your existing CTP RIP, but getting the result out of it (in a human-readable, usable form) might be a challenge. On the other hand, there is Callas pdfToolbox Server, which is a heavyweight swiss army knife, at a reasonable price. It can do a lot for you, but again: there is a steep learning curve to make it really useful.

If you don't want (or can't) do it the hard way, the 'medium' option is to use Enfocus Switch with Pitstop Server. This has a nice GUI, you can literally wire things together and it just works. There are a ton of software which work together with Switch, and there is the Enfocus Appstore, where you can buy/lease little software gems to expand the functionality of a basic system. But beware: to exploit the full potential of such a system, you still have to learn a bit of coding, mostly Javascript.

If you need a totally 'no-code' solution, quickly, then I would suggest something from Aleyant, eg. tFLOW. This is a complex system (with Callas pdfToolbox working in the background) which can perform most of the things you mentioned. There are many other such systems out there which I don't know, so choosing the right one can be a project itself.

Thank you for your input Puch. A programmer would be ideal. I hope I can build the majority of the workflows that utilize prepress but the tie-in to the MIS is why I fear I need someone with script experience.

 

[WiseGuy]

You may want to check out our solution too... Good2Go (Good2GoSoftware.com) has a REST API with cloud services for PDF Preflight, Job submission, File uploading, Revision uploading, Review and Approval, notifications and more.... Paired with an MIS or a solution like Switch, it can give you the best of both worlds — cloud based solutions to collaborating with clients easily, and behind the scenes workflow for print job quoting, management and production. Good2Go gives you all this starting at $50 per-month.

 

[helloWorld]

For imposition —> check out Tilia Labs product, tilia Phoenix. Lights-out automation for dynamic ganging and imposition. www.tilialabs.com

 

[brushyourideas]

If you are talking about print Automation, Then you must be read this article: Benefits of Print Automation

 

[bquarks]

This is probably going to be very subjective but do you all have a favorite workflow solution? I recently started at a new shop and they are using Esko AE to build workflows and use Webcenter for proofing and job tracking... although a lot of the connections between the MIS and Esko are broken.

I came from a Kodak shop, used Prinergy with Insite and RBA to create workflows. But my old shop really didn't have a lot of online traffic so jobs came into prepress via Insite from clients.

New job has hundreds of portals and need to automate from e-commerce sites, to job creation software, then to webcenter and out to the devices.

So far it seems Esko AE is way overboard for our shop. We don't do packaging (digital, offset and WF). Building the workflows appears very similar to Prinergy RBA. But the way Insite and Prinergy work together and use RBA seems smoother to me than Esko AE and Webcenter.

Anyone else feel this way? Or do you prefer using Esko if you have it? Thoughts?

any progress?

 

[Stanislav Rakov]

This is probably going to be very subjective but do you all have a favorite workflow solution? I recently started at a new shop and they are using Esko AE to build workflows and use Webcenter for proofing and job tracking... although a lot of the connections between the MIS and Esko are broken.

I came from a Kodak shop, used Prinergy with Insite and RBA to create workflows. But my old shop really didn't have a lot of online traffic so jobs came into prepress via Insite from clients.

New job has hundreds of portals and need to automate from e-commerce sites, to job creation software, then to webcenter and out to the devices.

So far it seems Esko AE is way overboard for our shop. We don't do packaging (digital, offset and WF). Building the workflows appears very similar to Prinergy RBA. But the way Insite and Prinergy work together and use RBA seems smoother to me than Esko AE and Webcenter.

Anyone else feel this way? Or do you prefer using Esko if you have it? Thoughts?

Esko is very flexible, I use it for large format printing. Of course it doesn't have competent offset unlinking, but as I see in the latest versions they offer to link in Tilla Phoenix.
What I like about Esko Automation Engine is that it has a lot of features for processing XML, CSV, JSON, DB. Built-in JS, Velocity help solve a lot of jobs on communication between prepress and MIS.

 

[2ndShiftProblemSolver]

Esko's solution is typically more flexible. Prinergy was written by engineers for engineers. It works, but it has more limitations than Automation Engine and WebCenter.

 

[Tom Peire]

Just as the other members that are on the vendor side, I had a tendency of answering these kind of questions, with a (combination of) product. Over the years we have been indoctrinated with the idea that “your workflow” is the piece of software that sits in drives your production. Consequently when the process is not running smoothly, it must be the software. It really is not (just) about the product. Starting with want to achieve before looking at any product that you may or may not already have woud be a first good step. Most of the “workflows” we talk about are good at feeding output devices, but may not be as easy to make connections to all the external systems you mention. And then people will say, oh, but we got an API for that. That is just a door that still need to go in the house. So how the products and technology that you have or consider buying is going to be implemented is of crucial importance and too often overlooked.