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INKISH TV interview with Jacques Michiels and Julie Watson

08.03.2023

Hunkeler Innovationdays 2023

We talk about Automation and much more and there you have it, the files that are often printed in PDF which can have gigantic sizes. And for that, here at Ultimate TechnoGraphics they have a solution. I speak with Julie Watson.

JM : Hello Julie, how are you today?

JW: I’m doing well.

JM: It’s the last day.

JW: Last day, but we were very busy. It’s really a good event.

JM: Are you happy it’s the last day? Or is it still okay?

JW: Yes, I think my energy level has really gone down.

JM: That’s it, it doesn’t look like it. Tell us a bit, everyone obviously knows Ultimate TechnoGraphics for automation applications to get to the press faster. But as I just said, there are always problems with PDF files, even though for so many years everyone thinks the files are good. What is going on? What have you planned or created to attack this PDF problem? Talk to us.

JW: That’s it, we came up with a solution based on a problem we saw in the market. Because our customers often send us PDF files that passed the preflight, which to the naked eye looked fine, but afterwards when they try to do the imposition or send it to the DFE, clearly they had problems because the process was not completed properly.

JM: Even when the preflight said everything was in order?

JW: Exactly. But some files are too big, 100 thousand pages, 200 thousand pages, 500 thousand pages is too big to get through a typical preflight fix. In addition that it must be automated, fast. So we found a unique way to do it. That means from our Ultimate Impostrip® Scalable imposition software, we can add a module that makes PDFs better.
So, BetterPDF®, as it’s called. This is precisely to fix some of these inherent problems with PDF, which are not visible to the naked eye, but which slow down the production of the print afterwards.

JM: What also interests me, BetterPDF® for print, in percentage, what do you estimate that potential customers can save in time or in file size? Do you have more or less an idea about that? Let’s say it depends on the weight or the pagination of the file of course.

JW: Of course, there are a lot of variables, so the file itself, how the file is built, the machine on which we use our software, etc. etc., but of course we are looking at the entire process. So we look at the time it takes to improve the PDF, impose it and also to equip it for the DFE. We look at the total time and we really see quite large speed improvements. The percentage on that, varies by file of course, but often it is between 30% and 40% faster. This is not necessarily on all the files, we agree. There are files on which the impact is going to be greater because the problems may be more difficult or slow down the machine more. However, most of our customers do not create the file.

JM: Yeah, that’s still the problem now. We always think the PDFs are optimized, but often, as you say, they still receive files with lots of Meta data that they don’t see and instead of spending half an hour on it, they have to wait 4 hours to ‘process’ in fact a file of 500 thousand pages in mailing for example.
Is that why you found this solution?

JW: Exactly. So they receive the files and want to print them. That’s a lot of volume for them to pass through the printer. So it is important to find a solution. In addition to spending several hours in just a few minutes and that really makes a big difference.
The goal is to help our customers produce more volume on their presses as quickly as possible. These customers have SLA’s, delivery contracts. Delivery is getting shorter and shorter, so every minute counts when they receive those files.
Between us there are some files that they can’t even print today. This solution is really crucial for these customers.

JM: We agree, it’s really an asset for Ultimate Impostrip® and Ultimate in general.
Last question. May it be the last day too. The agenda is also freeing up a bit, what are you doing after this fair.

JW: It is sure that I will ski in the Alps a little, to discover.
In Canada we do a lot of skiing, but our mountains are much smaller, so this is going to be my first time to experience the Alps. I’m really looking forward.

JM: Alright. You do well to go and you deserved it, I think. I wish you a good stay.

 

This interview was conducted by Jacques Michiels for INKISH TV

Watch the INKISH TV interview on YouTube

 

 

 

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