Esko has launched the latest generation of its award-winning native PDF editor for packaging and label prepress – ArtPro+ 21.0.3. Basically, ArtPro+ increases packaging prepress efficiency by eliminating errors and increasing automation of the editing process. With a new Variable-Data Printing (VDP) module and full integration with Hell gravure equipment, the latest version of the software delivers a further boost to prepress operational excellence. Established as one of the leading native PDF editors for the packaging prepress process, ArtPro+ enables users to reduce unintentional errors when editing, and to automate repeating tasks without the need for any special programming skills.
“With ArtPro+, prepress teams can enjoy the significant benefits of working directly on PDF files with a complete set of editing features,” explained Frank Woltering, Product Manager of Graphic Editing at Esko. “With this new release, our next-generation prepress editor further evolves to meet the growing needs of packaging professionals in today’s business environment. With new ArtPro+, Esko is the only provider that offers a Variable-Data Printing (VDP) solution to label and folding-carton converters running Adobe Illustrator or PDF in their prepress operation. Traditionally, VDP jobs can take hours to expand and rip, for what takes minutes to print on press. Jobs can be cumbersome, involving patchwork data from various sources or vendors, and can comprise thousands of variations, making normal human approval processes impossible.
But now, with ArtPro+, users can convert any artwork file to a VDP template and validate the output before print,” he added. “ArtPro+ contains all the functionality needed to go from a customer file to a print-ready file in just a few clicks and without leaving the application. Images, text and barcodes can be made variable in size, layout and colour by reading a record from a CSV database. The rule-based validation capabilities not only check the database, but also preflight the final output, and report on potential printing issues before going to press. The VDP module allows data to be expanded directly into a Step & Repeat template, resulting in a fully stepped and repeated layout file ready to print,” Woltering pointed out.
New ArtPro+ is also fully integrated for use with Hell equipment. Hell is a global leader in gravure equipment, and Esko ensured that the new ArtPro+ integrates with the proprietary Hell Job Ticket format. With full integration with Esko Automation Engine as well, classic gravure automation can now become a 100% PDF native, Esko added. The Hell integration and the new VDP module add to an already comprehensive list of features in the state-of-the-art software, which significantly reduces the time spent on non-value-added tasks while increasing the speed of jobs to press.
