PaSharp Nested Step & Repeat

As you might have seen on my previous post, PaSharp offers a very powerful set of trapping tools. Now we'll talk about nested step and repeat for packaging. PaSharp offers a tool that does just that.

From within Adobe Illustrator, using PaSharp you can quickly step & repeat your jobs by coordinates or you can directly import a CAD layout file, PaSharp supports DXF and CFF2 formats. Its interactive step & repeat tools allow you to automatically add station numbers with specified sequences. Plus PaSharp provides modes for adjusting bleeds & overlaps.





On this video Michael Jahn shows us how to use the PaSharp nest feature to step & repeat a job in Adobe Illustrator.

InfoFlex 2011, see you there

May 2nd and 3rd I'll be at the InfoFlex show at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. This is the #1 show for the packaging and converting industries. I'll be at the Anderson Vreeland booth showing the latest Compose products. Including Express Label Print. Anderson Vreeland recently became OKI 510 DW dealers and as you know this product uses the Compose Express Label Print.



If you're going to be at InfoFlex 2011, stop by.

Color Management in Express Label Print

As you probably know, Compose Label Print is the software behind the OKI 510DW Color Web Press. Express Label Print makes it very easy for users to select and organize their label runs.
Because of the diversity of media and simulation profiles available, our customers have been asking us to create a video showing how to install an ICC profile on the Express RIP. And once installed, how to configure ColorPro inside of the RIP.

On this video, Michael Jahn walks us through the necessary steps to install an ICC profile, how to create a ColorPro setup and finally how to implement this setup in your Page Setup.




If you have any questions about this video, please email us at support@composeusa.com

Express Label Print: A smart way to print labels

This week we did our first series of webinars on Compose products. We started with Express Label Print. Express Label Print comes with every OKI 510DW printer. Express Label Print is a solution designed for digital tag and label printers who print a lot of short-run static or variable-data labels. It comes with a web based job submission utility as standard, but also allows customers to have jobs submitted from different ERP or B2C printing website front ends.



Express Label Print delivers an outstanding performance solution to label printers. With its powerful, yet intuitive layout tools, it helps to shorten production time and reduce human errors. Express Label Print also includes a powerful cost analysis tool that not only calculates the cost of the print run, but also determines the amount of waste.



With the optional VariPrint module, Express Label Print turns into a robust variable data solution. Where you can specify text, and images as variables on your jobs.



Express Label Print is available on the new OKI 510DW printer. For more information visit OKI proColor or contact me directly.

Mind the GAP! - The missing link for narrow-web offset printers

I did not win last week’s lottery nor did I receive great news on my retirement account statement. I did however, get a package by mail with books I had ordered a few days before. I signed off the delivery sheet that the mailman had given me and received a duplicate copy from him. Today, through snail mail,, I also received rebate check for that external hard drive I’d purchased a while back. It’s not all bad.
You are probably asking yourself, “Where is he going with this”. Well, you see, most of the documents, except for the books, were printed on a narrow-web press... But why? Narrow web presses are very fast and provide the ability of inline finishing procedures like perforation, die cut, slitting, roll to roll rewinding, ETC... The downside of using a narrow-web press is the place where the plate and the rubbers are mounted to the cylinders.


This area is non-printable, and it’s what we call the “GAP”. A simple solution would be to add a blank area on the top or the bottom of the job to shift into the “GAP” area. However it may cause errors while adapting the job or an endless point of discussion with some customers who do not want to compromise their design. This is can be very inefficient and not at all cost-effective because of the amount of time it takes to get the job to the press. Compose offers a complete toolset to mitigate the issues related to narrow web prepress and plate making. Using 1bit tiff data for input and output, not only is the content of the job secured, but it also allows simple and open connectivity with many systems. This toolset is made up of two programs. One is Plate Controller. Plate Controller allows the arranging of elements on a plate for flatout work. Plate Controller offers advanced “Step & Repeat” and alignment functions. It supports single sided and double sided jobs. The second program is called Gapfinder.
Gapfinder locates the so called “GAP” and moves it to an area of the job where there’s no information. Thus “enlarging” the printable area, or saving a significant amount of paper. If a plate does not have a place to move tha “GAP” to, that plate can be split into what is called a “2 plate lockup”. So part of the image will be printed on a press unit and the rest on another. When these products are used together, Plate Controller gives Gapfinder the “Step & Repeat” information. With this data, Gapfinder can automatically find the gaps and move them, or create the necessary splits. Gapfinder can also place all the necessary registration & custom optical marks that some presses require. Plate Controller and Gapfinder can help you increase your productivity.
Stop by booth 6555 at Print09 to see it in action, or call us and see for yourself what Compose can do for your Narrow Web business. To download the Plate Controller click here, to download the Gapfinder brochure, click here.