Heidelberg ImageSmart Software Marks a New Platform

Employing innovative new software from Heidelberg Digital L.L.C., digital printing environments will have greater document control and expanded functionality.

Heidelberg Digital is showcasing two new ImageSmart software applications designed to significantly enhance the functionality of the Digimaster 9110 Network Imaging System print engine and other high-volume black-and-white printing solutions.

The products are part of the Heidelberg ImageSmart Workflow Suite, an innovative, total workflow solution that, unlike competitive offerings, is based on a scaleable, truly open architecture. It is designed to help printers maximize their internal and external capabilities and provides powerful job submission and document mastering capabilities.

• Heidelberg ImageSmart Document Mastering Software is built on the industry-standard Adobe Acrobat software and employs Portable Document Format (PDF)-based workflow. It offers several advan- tages to pre-flighting for document assembly, viewing, editing and proofing. It can be used in heterogeneous printing environments, printing to OEM products.
• Heidelberg ImageSmart Production Software expands the Digimaster¡¦s functionality to offer full PDF-support, image editing at the scanning workstation and support for 9 x 14 inch paper.

"These innovative software offerings are the first applications employing Heidelberg's revolutionary ImageSmart technology, a new platform for digital, black-and-white printing," said David Hansen, Software Development/ Architecture Manager, Heidelberg Digital. "They mark the beginning of a series of software applications designed to bolster productivity, from pre-flight to the finished piece."

Software for Smart Solutions
Heidelberg Digital developed ImageSmart Document Mastering Software to give digital printers the ability to control quality and enhance workflow, in an easy-to-use application. It offers several features and benefits to give users complete control over their documents:

• Icon-based operation. Easy to learn and operate, the software allows users to choose functions and tools using intuitive icons and "point-and-click" and "drag-and-drop" features.
• Accepts a broad range of input sources. Documents can be input from a variety of sources, including hard-copy originals; native application formats, such as Microsoft Office and QuarkXPress; along with TIFF and Postscript Level 3 files.
• Easy job assembly. Users can take advantage of a streamlined job assembly by working with multiple file formats; cutting, copying and pasting pages between documents; and rearranging and imposing easily.
• Page-level image editing. Unwanted information and stray page marks from scanned documents, such as staple marks and three-hole-punch dots, can be easily removed. Editing features - from object-area editing, to erasing inside or outside scanned-page areas, to cutting, moving and pasting - can be done with the click of a mouse and can be seen on-screen before printing.
• Annotations. Operators have the ability to annotate pages on any part of the page. Options include adding new page numbers, headers and footers or removing old ones, date stamping, and placing images - such as watermarks - behind or over page data. Annotations can be performed on a single page or on multiple pages.
• Scanning versatility. The software supports the new Heidelberg Imagedirect 665 Production Scanner and the Xerox DocuImage 620S Scanner. It uses standard TWAIN and ISIS interfaces.

Seamless hardware integration
The new ImageSmart Document Mastering software is designed to work seamlessly with the Digimaster 9110 print engine and the ImageSmart Document Mastering Workstation to deliver maximum speed and efficiency.

The high-performance workstation, enabled by the software, offers a solution for assembling multiple pages and preparing a truly print-ready document.

The workstation operates on a Windows NT 4.0 platform and features a 733/133 MHz Pentium processor; 256 MB SDRAM; 9.1 GB, 10K RPM wide ultra 160 SCSI hard drive; 21-inch monitor and a 48x ATAPI CD-ROM drive. The workstation and software are available now for a manufacturer¡¦s suggested retail price of 20,000 US-Dollar.

For further information:
Heidelberg Digital L.L.C.
Doug Sprei
Tel.: +1 (0)716 512 8054
E-mail: doug.sprei@heidelberg.com

For further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Thomas Fichtl
Tel. +49 (0)6221 92 47 47
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 69
E-mail: thomas.fichtl@heidelberg.com