The growing use of digital files in the prepress area has lead to its use elsewhere in the printing process. Digital Ink Preset System (DIPS) from Printflow represents an extraordinary advancement in an area of great potential savings - press makeready. DIPS provides a convenient means of rapidly setting ink fountains.Acting as a translator between a workstation and the printing machine, DIPS converts pre-press data into the proper digital format, converts them into the ink keys presetting information and passes them to the press remote control. This information enables the precise ink fountain presetting of a press. The result is less waste and a faster makeready.

• the software package supports all common RIP technologies
• generates formproofs (color blueprints) from ripped and separated data
• manufacturer independent workflow
• various press interfaces allow the communication with almost any modern press console
• DIPS is very flexible; it can support several press lines at the same location using multiple press interfaces
• modular approach - an additional press interface can be obtained to support the new press line

• less makeready
• waste saving
• fast return on investment

Printflow Digital Ink Preset System consists of DIPS Converter (prepress file reader) and DIPS Box (press side module).

DIPS Converter digitally "scans" pre-press files (reads almost any RIP format including CIP3/CIP4) to obtain image coverage data. The data is then passed to DIPS Box for further processing.

DIPS Box stores and processes image coverage data from a prepress area sent via Ethernet from DIPS Converter. By acting as a storage device, DIPS Box allows jobs to be stored, used, recalled and moved at will. When the job is to be printed the image coverage data is converted to key preset values and is transferred to the press console to preset the fountains. DIPS Box is very flexible and can support several press lines by using multiple press interfaces. The key zone information as well as the printing characteristics is calculated and stored for the press selected by an operator. Once a job has been run, it may be rerun on a different press if that is required by workflow considerations.

P2P Optim is a software tool which helps you optimizing the image area coverage data from prepress so that the ink fountains preset values would be as accurate as printers expect.

Many printers have made the move to CTP, but their operations are not yet 100% digital and may never be completely so. Printflow can now offer the solution for printers wishing to preset their printing machines from prepress files while simultaneously using the benefits of a plate scanning system. Inkscan plate scanner can also serve as DIPS Box and thus combine both the conventional and the new technologies. If possible jobs can be preset by using data from prepress, if not the ink coverage information from the plate scanner is used.

Printflow DC employs both the benefits of CIP3 compatibility (Digital Ink Preset System) and the advanced closed-loop color management to ensure accurate and consistent color.

Technical data