Signs of the Times - January 2013 - (Page 38)

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW By Chris and Kathi Morrison Chris and Kathi Morrison own and operate The Image Specialists, a full-service graphics company based in Clements, CA. Chris is also a Microsoft-certified systems engineer. Onyx Thrive Software Thrive runs on multiple computers, with one license. Our shop comprises multiple printers outfitted with different ink technologies that, in turn, are managed by different RIPs, that source different gamuts and produce different color results. We also own printers with on-board RIPs that feed through a second RIP to produce final images. It gets worse. New printers sometimes arrive with a hardware or software RIP that has a unique set of ICC profiles. On some days, we narrowly determine any given printer’s output and, if one printer goes down, no other printer can take over. Additionally, because incoming work resides in various programs, color correction can take hours. Recently, Adobe introduced its PDF Print Engine 2 Workflow, a streamlined, end-to-end, printproduction system that provides one workflow source for all job types. In the process, Adobe cooperated with Onyx Graphics Key Information Onyx Graphics 6915 High Tech Dr. Midvale, UT 84047 (801) 568-9900 www.onyxgfx.com Contact: Onyx Sales (800) 828-0723 sales@onyxgfx.com in introducing Thrive and ONYX Advantage™ for Thrive. Both are Adobe-based, multiworkflow systems for production printing. Thrive allows you to distribute workflow across multiple computers and easily scales up if you add printers. The Onyx Advantage plan provides product upgrades, new printer drivers and automatic disk updates for Onyx ProductionHouse RIP users. ProductionHouse is Onyx’s software RIP for medium- to high- Recommended System Requirements Operating System Processor RAM Hard Drive Network Connectivity Thrive Production Manager Secondary Workstations Windows® 7 Professional OS (SP1 or higher Intel® Core™ i7 or equivalent 2 Gb/processing core One dedicated system / One dedicated hard drive for ONYX Thrive (500+Gb free space) Gigabit Macintosh®, Windows PC or mobile-device web browser (Safari®, Chrome™, Firefox®, and IE 9® The same OS with Intel Core 2 Duo Processors or equivalent; 2GB RAM; and, 250 GB free hard-drive disk space. volume production environments. But, how does Thrive fix our type of problem – the difficulty of untidy technology? Onyx incorporated Adobe’s Print Engine into its Thrive software, and its Job Editors, RIPS and Normalizers, and these allow Thrive to optimize different printers’ output. The package includes ONYX’s Quick Sets and Hot Folders, which streamline and/or reduce the print set-up time; its Smart 16-bit™ processing and 32-bit ONYX Color Engine, which form an efficient printprocess system; such attributes as RIP-and-print on the fly while simultaneously ripping multiple files; and, its automated printand-cut workflow system. Onyx’s basic package comprises two Adobe PDF Print Engines with Normalizers, a job editor, layout tool, roll-to-roll cut support and unlimited Thrive productionmanager browsers that align to your network. Optional items include color profiling, flatbed cutting support and systems for up to six, wide- or grand-format printers. You can operate and manage the workflow from any Internet-linked computer or your mobile device. If you want to experience color fidelity with all of your printers with native-PDF, print-engine workflow, study Onyx’s Thrive. It’s an investment for today and beyond. ■ 38 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / JANUARY 2013 / www.signweb.com http://www.onyxgfx.com http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - January 2013

Signs of the Times - January 2013
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review
Technology Review
Design Matters
New Products
Scenes from the Global Village
Crane Truck Safety Advice
Supreme Wrap
The Value of Signs
Industry News
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - January 2013