Colorado In-plant Appraises New Solimar Workflow Management Software
Mike Lincoln
When San Diego-based Solimar Systems released its Print Director Enterprise (SPDE) version 8.3 earlier this month, Mike Lincoln took notice. As Colorado State Printer, his Integrated Document Solutions (IDS) operation relies on Solimar’s Automated Document Factory (ADF) workflow software in its transactional printing environment. The software reengineers documents by merging data, combining multiple print streams and adding Intelligent Mail Barcodes, while dynamically tracking jobs and generating reports.
Solimar's new SPDE v. 8.3 print transform and workflow management product boasts new operator efficiency features and production control enhancements, so of course Lincoln took notice.
"I'm all about driving increased efficiencies," he told IPG. "I'm anxious to see what this will do."
According to Solimar, SPDE 8.3 contains several user enhancements to organize and manage configurations and to customize operator interfaces. A new job activity view provides a simplified display of the status of processing and completed jobs for administrators and operators. These enhancements enable users to more effectively manage their print data workflows and configurations.
Most interesting to Lincoln were the additional control options in SPDE 8.3 for specifying page range reprints for various print data formats. The new page range options will reportedly provide users with additional flexibility for managing and executing precise reprint operations to reduce paper waste.
IDS is very close to becoming a "touch and toss" environment in which damaged mail pieces are discarded and automatically sent for reprinting. Barcodes on the errant pieces let the ADF track their progress, and when the ADF sees they're missing, it sends them again. The enhancements SPDE 8.3 promises to this process are of great interest to Lincoln, as he strives to improve the efficiency of the state's printing, and save money for Colorado taxpayers.
SPDE 8.3 also touts a new IPDS::IPDS module to let users selectively route a spooled IPDS print job to available cut-sheet devices with the transform automatically changing the tray selection commands to match the configuration of the printer. Though IDS is a PDF environment, Lincoln acknowledges that the IPDS print language allows for faster job spooling, so this new feature will be a boon for IPDS users.
Earlier this month, IDS installed a new Ricoh Pro C7100 for exactly the reason Solimar cited in its press release: so spoiled jobs can be rerouted from a continuous-feed device to a cut-sheet printer. The Ricoh Pro C7100 will be incorporated into IDS's transactional printing operation so that spoilage from batches being printed on its Ricoh InfoPrint 5000 MP inkjet press will be rerouted to the C7100 for reprinting.
Read about the in-plant's new Kodak NexPress SX3300 digital color press in the February issue of IPG.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
