file prep automation

[lfelton]

For our own use, we've developed an application for automatic file preparation and I wondered whether you think that anyone else would be interested if we offered it as (for instance) a pay-per-use service?

We currently have it processing a reasonably high volume of (live) customer PDFs completely automatically. Delivering soft proofs and reports to the customers and press ready files to production.

At this point, I'm just trying to figure out in my own mind whether this is an idea worth investigating further, or if there's no real market for it.

Your advice is appreciated!

 

[M. R. Horton]

Could you please describe what you mean by "file preparation" and "processing...(live) customer PDFs completely automatically"?

 

[CHM]

Could you please describe what you mean by "file preparation" and "processing...(live) customer PDFs completely automatically"?

Yes I have about the same questions.
Because if i get this right you are describing a wf that a lot of developers already have on the market, but maybe what you do is something els.

 

[lfelton]

Hi - thanks for your replies & sorry not to respond sooner.

Well I'm sure that there are a few companies doing/developing the same kind of thing, but as far as I am aware none of them are offering it on a pay per use basis. Basically, we take the engine from an excellent preflight & correction server and our software drives it based on the job data with zero pre-press operator involvement. So, a little snippet of the things that we do is check that the supplied artwork is the right size, has the right number of pages, the colour specification of each page matches the job, detect whether the job needs bleeds and has them, or needs bleeds and doesn't have them, or needs bleeds and bleeds have been made by oversizing the page (and automatically fix all of the page boxes in that case), etc. etc. etc. Nothing that a skilled pre-press operator can't do using Callas or Enfocus products and semi automate using workflows, just COMPLETELY lights out, i.e. no human intervention, right through to automatic press ready imposition (except for ganged work currently).

Anyway, I rapidly went off the idea of offering this as a pay-per-use service, it just seemed like a good idea at the time!