Replaces Kodak Prinergy NewsManager and Esko Odystar
Following an extensive evaluation of prepress workflows the Honolulu Star Advertiser selected Fusion Systems International’s Workflow ESP to replace their Kodak NewsManager Prinergy and Esko Graphics Oyster workflows.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is the modern day culmination of the 128-year-old Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the 154-year-old Honolulu Advertiser. The two Honolulu newspapers merged on June 7 2010 following the purchase of the Honolulu Advertiser from Gannett by Black Press
which owned the Star-Bulletin.
The merger of the two papers included a state-of-the-art 147 000-square-foot print production facility located in Kapolei HI. The Star-Advertiser is managed by Oahu Publications Inc. (OPI) a subsidiary of Black Press.
Today OPI has emerged as Hawaii’s largest print media company.
In 2013 OPI also purchased the Kauai The Garden Island and in 2014 OPI purchased the two Big Island papers The Hilo Tribune and West Hawaii Today. In addition to the 4 daily newspapers in Hawaii OPI now publishes a diverse range of other publications including MidWeek several military papers USA Today various specialty publications luxury and hotel
magazines and more. It also offers advertisers a full suite of custom printing services inserts and direct mail options.
As the breadth of printing services expanded so too did the need for workflow automation. For years prepress automation was achieved using a combination of Esko Odyster and Kodak NewsManager. As on-going support and development for both of those solutions came to an end
the search for a state of the art workflow replacement lead OPI to Fusion Systems’ WorkflowESP.
The new workflow incorporates Enfocus Switch and PitStop Server to automate file retrieval from a wide range of sources such as FTP sites Drop Box YouSendIt accounts among others or Hot Folders and can even extract email attachments. It then automatically preflights and corrects files for common errors. Switch then manages files for color standardization and ink optimization in advance of single page processing and post-RIP automated or interactive page pairing and imposition.
“Fusion’s Workflow ESP prepress suite provides greater automation more functionality control and flexibility ” observes Ron Cantillo Prepress Manager. “The new workflow was easily configured to our specific production needs.”
Production status updates and reporting occur via notifications through the workflow Client or automated emails to internal and outside clients production personnel and management as needed. Likewise a global summary on the progress of each publication can be gained at a
glance using the workflow Client or Browser-based interface..
Additional reporting is provided by the Fusion Publication Proofing System a browser-based post-RIP soft-proofing and production reporting solution. It gives the status of each page including when it was received processed approved or rejected–and by whom—as well as if it
has been moved to imposition or page pairing and output to plating queues.
Because all pages are individually RIPed (separated rasterized and screened) all soft-proofing and imposition is completed post-RIP. The Publication Proofing System automatically organizes proofs by publication name date and section. Proofs can be quickly inspected emailed or output on any printer capable of processing a PDF. As proofing pages are approved the high-resolution production page is forwarded for automatic or interactive imposition.
The workflow provides advanced CIP3 ink key presetting data to the Star Advertiser’s 12-tower MAN Roland Regimen cold-set press to accelerate make-ready time while reducing make-ready waste.
Output of imposition and page-paired separation flats are picked up by Enfocus Switch to automate load-balancing of plating files to the Star-Advertiser’s two CTP platesetters for accelerated plate output sorting and real-time production reporting.
OPI’s satisfaction with the workflow is clear “Our Fusion Systems equipment has far lower maintenance costs than Prinergy and can be maintained and operated exclusively by our Imaging/Platemaking staff of 4 FTE’s. We liked the Fusion technology so much that we decided
to buy a second system for our sister papers on the Big Island both of which are printed in Kona HI” states Marty Black VP Production.
