Hamillroad Software Announces Support for Esko Flex RIP / LEN files in FirstPROOF

7th January, 2008

Hamillroad Software, the world leader in pre-press soft-proofing products for Harlequin and TIFF based RIPs, is pleased to announce that it has added support for Esko’s Flex RIP / LEN files as part of the release of FirstPROOF v5.0. This allows operators of Esko RIP’s driving CDI output devices to utilize the power of FirstPROOF to accurately proof jobs before printing, thereby reducing errors and saving time and money. Furthermore, with the introduction of the color management capabilities in version 5, color accurate press-side soft-proofing can be used to completely eliminate hard-copy proofs.

Running on both Mac (OS9 and OSX) and PC (NT, 2000, XP and Vista) platforms, FirstPROOF provides extremely high-performance viewing capabilities together with an unsurpassed set of tools for checking jobs before printing. Tools exist for checking content, blank separations, page orientation, positive/negative imaging, object alignment, screening, screen moire, content moire, smoothness of blends/vignettes, line widths, object sizes, OPI image replacement, font usage, traps, overprints, black traps, barcodes, over inking, under inking (minimum dot), cylinder seams, duplex alignment, dot gain, densities and color. Detection of these and many other problems, made easy by FirstPROOF’s powerful tools, allows for a substantial reduction in errors and hard-copy proofing, leading to significant savings in time and money.

For further details, please see our web site at: http://www.hamillroad.com/main/products/firstproofguide.htm.

Furthermore, the new color management capabilities introduced in FirstPROOF v5.0 allow for color accurate soft-proofing, which can be used alongside the press for printing to, as well as in pre-press. The innovative method implemented in FirstPROOF allows for fast spectral profiling of an output device in a matter of seconds (using an inexpensive spectrophotometer such as the Eye-One Pro) without having to print a special press test chart. The need for hard-copy proofs press-side can therefore be completely eliminated, leading to further savings in time and money.

For further details, please see our web site at: http://www.hamillroad.com/main/products/firstproofcolor.htm.

“Over the last few years as the tool set in FirstPROOF has become ever more powerful, we have had a number of requests to support Esko’s Flex RIP / LEN file format.” comments Andy Cave, Hamillroad Software’s CEO. “We’re really pleased to be able to announce that we’ve done just that and offer our product to a wider audience, especially in the packaging and label markets where the power and range of tools available in FirstPROOF are a natural fit”.

FirstPROOF v5.0 was released in December 2007 and is available through Hamillroad Software’s dealer network.
For further details, please see our web site at: http://www.hamillroad.com/main/sales/dealers.htm.

FirstPROOF v5.0 has also been made available to Hamillroad Software’s OEM sales partners.
Specific information on their release plans can be obtained direct from the individual OEMs.
For further details, please see our web site at: http://www.hamillroad.com/main/sales/OEMs.htm).