One exciting development to emerge from this year’s IPEX exposition at Birmingham NEC last month was the release of a new version of Canon’s production workflow software and web-to-print and production solution, Helix PW v2.0
Online PR News – 06-June-2010 – One exciting development to emerge from this year’s IPEX exposition at Birmingham NEC last month was the release of a new version of Canon’s production workflow software and web-to-print and production solution, Helix PW v2.0, which will be available later in the year exclusively from Canon and authorised Canon Business Solutions Partners. This latest workflow software provides Central Reprographics Departments (CRD’s) and print-for-pay businesses with an even more powerful package, delivering superior performance and higher potential revenues.
Helix WF v2.0 offers users significant improvements in the job submission, workflow management and large format printing. Designed for use with Canon’s most advanced copiers and office devices, Helix v.2.0 can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of whatever the print environment – being both scalable and modular, Helix WF 2.0 provides users the flexibility of purchasing only those options they really need.
And Canon’s done all it can to streamline the on-demand production printing process, personalising shorter-run printing, seamlessly integrating the print ordering and production processes, for better, more effective management in busy print rooms.
Some of the most significant improvements offered with version 2 of Helix workflow software, we list here:
A Better Job Submission Process
The production process now features workflow authorisation, which prevents individual operators from exceeding your agreed company budgets and volume limits or purchasing options that may not actually be required. The appearance of the new user submission screen provides greater flexibility and more sophisticated pre-flighting, to quickly identify and resolve possible quality issues at an early stage.
Variable Data Printing (VDP) document design (including PPML support) and page previews are now more intuitive, providing quicker, easier and more accurate soft proofing.
Enhanced Workflow Management Options
Enhanced Workflow Management provides support for multi-tiered cost centres, so that companies can achieve more precise budgetary control – an essential requirement for CRDs in vertical markets, such as company legal departments. Greater print queue automation facilitates the automatic transfer of print jobs from the network to the print room, optimising potential print volumes and reducing the risk of errors and lost print jobs, as a result of manual operator intervention.
Improved Document Make-Ready Capabilities
Helix WF v.2.0 includes improved support for scanning with image manipulation and editing to enable hard-copy content to be converted into high-quality digital format which can be easily combined with existing digital content.
Advanced imposition templates with Helix v.2.0 support a much broader range of document types and the expanded off-line finishing options and improved tab handling ability enables more complex jobs to be compiled quickly, formatted and then sent to print.
Enhanced Support for Large Format Printing
With automatic price calculation and accounting, customers are offered the ability to further leverage and manage their investment with Canon. Additional support for native documents and custom media sizes is also provided with Helix WF v.2.0.
Mark Lawn, European Marketing Manager for Canon Professional Print Solutions;
‘Reiterating our commitment to the professional print market Canon has therefore developed version 2 of Helix Production Workflow to help CRDs to better satisfy their customers’ requirements and to further support organisations in increasing the business performance of their CRDs, while also increasing support for growth applications, such as web-to-print and VDP. Combining job submission, make ready and device management in one package for complete web-to-print and workflow management, Helix Production Workflow simplifies administration and operation by increasing automation and provides the ideal solution for in-house print management across both office and CRD environments.’
Falcon Document Management, as a leading Canon Solutions Partner, is delighted to see Canon’s ongoing commitment to the highest standards when it comes to workflow software solutions. Helix WF v.2.0 will undoubtedly make the recently released imageRUNNER Advance 8000 series even more attractive to Central Reprographics Departments (CRDs), print-for-pay businesses and other Canon Office Solutions customers.
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