NewsWay

Automated workflow system Cost-effective customization for every publishing-industry need Scalable to meet tomorrow’s needs

ProImage’s NewsWay is a highly advanced digital workflow and production tracking solution for the newspaper and magazine printing industries. Designed based on four major generic technologies that form the foundation of ProImage’s web-based products, these technologies dramatically improve the performance of your production workflow. The highly modular NewsWay software will control and manage your production workflow from a variety of front-end editorial systems through to the press via a plate-making process. Because it uses a simple web browser, NewsWay will monitor production status from origination to print sites, regardless of their location.

Web-Browser-Based License-Free Clients ProImage’s NewsWay was designed and built as a web-based-browser software platform from the ground up. As such, none of the web and browser-related features of NewsWay are add-ons but an integral part of the solution. The NewsWay platform is the software foundation on which the user, through a browser, may interact with the solution’s powerful plugged-in modules. Moreover, the web server foundation of NewsWay gives high visibility to all functions of any NewsWay system throughout the entire enterprise, be it on a local or wide area network (LAN or WAN). It even provides visibility through the Internet for authorized users. NewsWay also allows for very easy software upgrades. As the core software resides on the server and the workstations are simply license-free web clients, all that is needed is to upgrade the software in the server. Unlike most other software applications, users do not need to upgrade each workstation.

Instant Views
The NewsWay platform automatically generates thumbnails and composite, low-resolution views of all page elements that go through the system. This provides users with instant views of every production element and full control of the entire process.

Job Tracking
The NewsWay platform has flexible built-in mechanisms for highly sophisticated job tracking capabilities. They support layered views – from very general views to highly detailed separation level information – that provide users with the actual status of each system element in real time.

Drag and Drop
Drag-and-drop is the method of working that is native to the NewsWay platform. A highly intuitive GUI and user screens make it very easy to operate.

Flexibility and Adaptability
The NewsWay platform has been designed with flexibility in mind. It is tailored to the environment in which it is installed, not the other way around. To further enhance this flexibility, ProImage has developed a highly adaptable Naming Convention Engine that can be programmed to accept virtually any naming convention.

Outstanding Collaboration Tools
The NewsWay platform is the natural platform for collaborative working. Because of its web-server-based architecture, NewsWay is open to all methods of messaging and collaboration offered by modern communications technology, and also supports its own highly developed notes and collaboration tools.

Custom Built
Through the unique Scripting Tools of the NewsWay platform, each system can be customized to the exact requirements of each user. Not only are these scripting tools essential during the setting-up of each system, but they also provide customers with the flexibility to further alter and customize their NewsWay systems as their requirements change.

Highly Scalable
The NewsWay platform was designed and built with scalability in mind to address the ever-changing requirements of the printing and publishing industries. An integral part of the solution is its clustering capability, which allows multiple slave servers to run under the control of the main server. NewsWay Cluster has a single server manager that coordinates the tasks, as well as any number of NewsWay servers assigned to different processes. Each NewsWay server manager and server runs on single PC. As many as needed may be clustered to spread the workload and provide back-up. In short, the platform can “grow as you go,” adapting to the changing needs of the industry.

Standard Platform

The NewsWay platform runs on standard Windows 2008 R2 Operation System PC hardware, making it very easy to maintain, source spare parts, and upgrade.


Superior Technology
ProImage is one of the world’s most experienced companies in web-server-based development, and has also developed proprietary technologies for real-time response to web server clients. Based on distributed component relationships and on a dynamic web application model, these superior technologies put the NewsWay platform at the forefront of web-server-based production tracking systems.

ProImage Ink Optimization Provides Significant Savings for More Newspaper and Commercial Printers

Princeton, NJ – 24th October 2011: The Reading Eagle, PA, is a company that believes it is imperative to stay abreast of technology, and to maintain a tight rein on costs. It processes approximately 4,600 broadsheet pages each week, and therefore suffers a significant cost in ink usage. To reduce this cost burden it has installed ProImage OnColor ECO, the industry’s leading ink optimization software, stated New ProImage (new-proimage.com) today. “With OnColor ECO we are currently now saving an average of 27% in total ink costs,” said Chris, D’Angelo, Production Prepress Manager. “And as we are continuing to increase our commercial printing business, so our total cost for ink is increasing – therefore the percentage cost saved becomes even more important. “Also, with less ink being put on the page we have seen a cleaner finished product coming off the press, especially with lighter weight newsprint,” added Mr. D’Angelo. The Reading Eagle implementation of OnColor ECO is integrated within their ProImage NewsWay production workflow. Another recent installation of this ink saving tool is at the Nowata Printing Company with three Midwest printing facilities. Nowata is dedicated to providing commercial printing solutions for a wide variety of clientele. It specializes in heat, cold and UV web offset printing of inserts, flyers, catalogs, magazines and newspapers. It knows the cost of every aspect of its production, and invests in technology to improve efficiency and competitiveness. Since it implemented ProImage OnColor ECO ink optimization software Nowata Printing is, according to Gary Hensley, General Manager, saving more than $140,000 per year. Nowata has implemented OnColor ECO with its existing Screen Trueflow workflow system. Rick Shafranek, vice president sales, New ProImage America, says, ”With a total cost of ownership so low, the ROI so high, and usage so simple, implementing OnColor ECO should be a no-brainer for most printers, whatever systems they use.”

ProImage Software Presets Registration to Reduce Waste and Improve Quality for Asbury Park Press

Princeton, NJ – 1st August 2012: For many newspapers a decline in circulation means that they no longer have the budget to rebuild or replace their old presses.  However as presses get older registration becomes more difficult to achieve – yet advertisers as well as readers demand an ever-higher color quality.  Every advertiser and reader has to be satisfied with the printed product or ad revenue and circulation is likely to decline further – it can become a vicious spiral.

To overcome this dilemma, ProImage designed a new software solution - NewsWay Press Register. It greatly improves the final print registration and minimizes time spent making mechanical adjustment on the press. It does this by processing the 1 bit Tiff of each individual separation (C, M, Y or K) to the appropriate size and angular deviation in order to compensate for any web press mis-alignment on the plate.

NewsWay Press Register comes with a Press Wizard for manually assigning plates to a unit. Also included is a digital microscope to accurately measure the amount of correction needed for significantly improved registration at press start. It can also import a text/XML file from an existing Press Control System to obtain cylinder and plate location, to automate where plates go on the press, and route TIFFs to the correct set-up for processing.

The software can operate as a stand-alone server and can also be easily implemented within the printer’s workflow. 


The Asbury Park Press, New Jersey, USA
Asbury Park Press is a Gannett-owned newspaper company located in Neptune, New Jersey. Its Goss Metro and Metroliner presses are almost 30 years old and the company was seeing a deterioration of the plate cylinder at the lead edge. This deterioration was causing poor registration. To correct this they had to pre-shim the lead edge of their plates. This pre-shimming had to be made on 15 percent of their plate positions. Shims however are not an effective way to register plates due to their standard thickness (ie: .010, .015, .020mm) when registration can be out by any amount.  Shims also have the tendency to fall off during the press run and if they collect in the gap or slide underneath the plate it can cause damage to the blankets.

For Asbury Park the standard process positions were 4/1 lead, one mono unit into one mono/deck unit when they also experienced a small amount of fan-out between the two units.  They also run a 4/4 lead, one mono though two mono/deck units to achieve back-to-back color and experienced a considerable amount of fan out when running this configuration. The ProImage software now enables them to adjust images to correct this problem.

Before installing Press Register, Asbury suffered the delay and cost of an averaged two press stops per run in order to better register color.

Rick Shafranek – VP Sales for ProImage states, “The system is improving registration and is minimizing press stops, additional savings include the elimination of shim purchases and the savings of not having to replace blankets due to shims coming off and damaging them.” Later in the year Press Register will import a file from Harland Simon to automate the planning process.

Information provided on behalf of New ProImage by Media Matters,
Contact; Richard Hall. Tel: +33 (0)4 67 00 25 87, Mob: +44 (0)7831 777 210
e-mail: richard@media-matters.com

Honolulu Star-Advertiser saves 25% of color ink

Princeton, NJ – 1st July 2012: For several years the Honolulu Star-Advertiser was rated as the USA Today number one print site. It knows how to print consistent high quality color. Recently however, in an effort to reduce production cost whilst maintaining its record of consistent high color quality, the company embarked upon a project to research, and subsequently install, ink optimization software.

After tests the newspaper selected ProImage OnColor ECO. Not only was it found to be the easiest to use, it also provided the best results.

“Our records show that we are saving over 25% of our previous color ink consumption.  Annual savings will run into six figures,” said production director Marty Black. “We achieve more consistent start-ups and top quality in fewer copies on start-up.

 “OnColor ECO fits well into our workflow. Files are sent to ECO prior to the page output and press ink presetting systems. It runs seamlessly. Since we started running it we have had no problems at all. Also the people at ProImage have been great to work with! Their service and support has been exceptional.”

The daily Star-Advertiser publishes approximately 40 full color pages with a print run of about 125,000 copies, plus Midweek, a 64 page tabloid. The company also prints a large number of commercial jobs each week including approximately one million copies of Kmart inserts; 270,000 copies of Foodland, Times, plus many other smaller jobs.

Investors Business Daily Invests in ProImage Workflow & Transmission Technology

Princeton NJ – 20th June, 2012 :  New ProImage America (www.new-proimage.com) has today announced that Investors Business Daily (IBD) has implemented its NewsWay workflow automation and transmission management solution. IBD, a US national newspaper covering international business, finance and the global economy provides up-to-the-minute information aimed at investors. And it makes its own investment decisions based on careful research.

IBD needed a solution that would enable it to easily and efficiently control the distribution of page files to multiple destinations either simultaneously or individually.  Having carried out in-depth research ProImage NewsWay was selected.

“Being able to customize the workflow plus the capability for simultaneous file distribution over a WAN was key,” said Henry Godinez National Technical Systems Manager, IBD. “The NewsWay Communication Center which enables us to instantly communicate across the enterprise and to all our print centers was essential, and being browser based we did not have to invest in multiple client licenses – therefore any authorized user can access the system from anywhere with an Internet connection, at no additional cost.

“NewsWay integrates easily with our existing systems and will provide valuable cost-savings,” added Mr. Godinez.

NewsWay is being used to automate the transmission of page files to IBD’s print sites using FTP (file transfer protocol).  IBD’s first relationship with ProImage was in 1999. Since then ProImage technology has evolved to become an industry market leader all around the world.

Time Inc. deploys ProImage Automated Workflow

March 5, 2012 - The Chesapeake Resource Group LLC - Research Brief

The purpose of this study is to provide an independent evaluation of the degree of success achieved by ProImage in meeting the needs of Time Inc. in the delivery and commissioning of an automated advertising workflow transmission system.

ProImage contracted with the Chesapeake Resource Group LLC (CRG) to provide a fact based assessment of the degree of customer satisfaction delivered by ProImage. The appropriate information was gathered in a series of interviews with senior production management at Time Inc., and in a demonstration of the system.

CRG is a fifteen year old, independent consulting organization, specializing in technology assessment, digital workflow and computer to plate processes for the publication industry. CRG may be contacted at Chesresgroup@gmail.com.

1. Executive Summary
Our findings indicate the following key points:

• Time Inc. succeeded in meeting ambitious goals for upgrading their magazine transmission process and launching an automated advertising workflow.

• This success was achieved by using a metadata driven, automated process that eliminated costly intermediate steps and many manual interventions.

• ProImage was successful in developing and implementing a solution that fully met Time Inc's design goals. Accordingly, ProImage achieved a high degree of customer satisfaction, both as a supplier and as a development partner.

• The main differentiating feature of ProImage lies in its software architecture. This technology provides an unusually high degree of flexibility in both the form and functionality of the delivered product.

• The extensibility of the ProImage architecture is a value-added benefit that permits the development of additional solutions. This will provide Time Inc. with an ongoing ability to leverage technological developments in the communications business.

2.  Background
Time Inc., a division of Time Warner, is one of the largest branded media companies in the world.  Among its 95 titles worldwide are iconic names such as TIME, PEOPLE, INSTYLE and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED.  The company’s magazines reach more than 110 million Americans each month, and its web sites attract nearly 50 million unique visitors each month.

3.  The Problem
The growth of Time Inc's brands created pressure on its aging production system that depended on a proprietary private network for transmission to their printing plants.  This legacy system was comprised of dedicated hardware and software, with continuously rising maintenance costs.  The biggest constraint was the lack of development resources being applied to a system design that was approaching the end of its useful service life.  In a sweeping step forward, Time Inc. production management made the strategic decision to both replace the transmission system and create a new method of automating the advertising workflow.

4.  The Solution
The desired approach identified the need for common formats, standardized workflow, and the automatic processing of advertising and editorial assets across the network.  The critical design concept was to embed meta-data into each page to drive the process eliminating many manual steps in the current system.  Thus, the idea of a "smart page" was born.

In order to turn the vision into practice, Time Inc initiated the search for a development partner with the necessary expertise based on proven products in the field.  This led to the selection of ProImage, who was able to demonstrate a history of supplying successful workflow solutions to major newspapers around the globe.  According to John Ialacci, President of New ProImage of America  "the opportunity provided by Time Inc. offered a perfect fit because of our experience in providing clients with tailored solutions optimized for their specific needs"

The heart of the solution deployed by ProImage is their NewsWay application.  In the initial transmission replacement phase of the project, ProImage was able to improve the efficiency of the transmission by a measurable amount by interfacing with Time Inc's "Mass Transit" system that was already installed and used in the remote printing plants.  Efficiencies were obtained by the elimination of logging and other manual processes.

The transmission phase was followed by the major step of automating the advertising workflow, and making it available across the network to all magazines.  This process begins when clients send high resolution ads in PDF format to a web portal.  Within the portal, files are pre-flighted, coded with meta-data, and down loaded to NewsWay.  The files are processed further by adding additional meta-data from the booking and planning departments. All submitted data is validated and a visual inspection is done to pre-empt possible problems in the printing operation. When the ads are ready, they are routed automatically to the designated print sites by NewsWay, using metadata from Time Inc.’s planning system to drive the process.

As the central node in the system, NewsWay provides management with a powerful user interface that provides real time status of the various publications by tracking the progress of pages throughout the system. The NewsWay transmission dashboard displays the time that each page was sent and received at each designated plant. The dashboard interface further provides the capability for ad hoc destination changes, page inspection and file re-transmission.

5. Implementation
Time Inc. has implemented a cloud like process for managing the flow of ad materials throughout the network. Among the efficiencies this solution has provided is the elimination of software loaded on users work stations resulting in savings in license and maintenance costs. The ad management process is almost fully automated and NewsWay has allowed a secure, reliable, and highly controlled transmission process using standard internet technologies.

In describing the relationship between the companies, Kin Wah Lam, Time Inc’s Director of Digital Development commented "We’ve developed an excellent working relationship with ProImage that resulted in both a smooth implementation and continued system enhancements that have created additional value for our company."

6. Results
The deployment of the system has enabled Time Inc. to meet its twin goals of replacing a legacy transmission system and launching an automated advertising workflow. This has delivered both labor and cost savings, and achieved the desired ROI. Process simplification has reduced human errors and increased reliability and quality.

Peter Meirs, Time Inc’s Vice President Production Technologies, commented, “Our challenge was to implement a state of the art production system that could scale, manage and integrate many combinations of magazines. Our end goal was to incorporate process automation, driven by metadata, to achieve the desired efficiencies. We installed ProImage's NewsWay and the workflow has satisfied every requirement."

7. Value added
Perhaps the greatest benefit of the ProImage architecture is the ability of the system to meet new challenges, and grow with Time Inc. into the future. The next milestone will be to develop the ability to transform the printed files quickly and easily into a format that can be displayed on tablets and other new and evolving media devices. The future beckons, and the production team is confident that they have the tools to meet these goals.

More newspapers implement ProImage workflow automation

The Winnipeg Free Press and Birmingham News

Princeton, NJ – 6th February 2012:  When the Winnipeg Free Press in Canada and The Birmingham News, Alabama, both decided to implement CTP they also wanted to take the opportunity to integrate and automate as many processes as possible in order to gain maximum efficiencies.

Although in Winnipeg they decided to install Agfa CTP devices and in Birmingham Krause CTP devices, they both selected the ProImage NewsWay workflow automation and control solution to manage and track production.  

The browser-based NewsWay software saves them production time and reduces the potential for error. It provides both newspapers with total workflow management and includes support for multiple publication tracking, priority scheduling and deadline monitoring. It also delivers event notification, page pairing, hard and soft proofing, annotation, furniture burning and plate room management. It interfaces with their front-end systems to provide one powerful end-to-end workflow solution from pre-press through proofing, CTP, plate punch benders, bar code readers and press control systems.
Rick Shafranek, VP sales and marketing for New ProImage America states, “Our production management solutions continue to evolve and remain industry leading, robust and cost-effective. We embraced the Internet and web based systems from Day One – now more than 16 years ago – and continue to do so today.

“Our browser and Cloud-based technologies continue to be a winning formula. With pressure on cost and capital expenditure we pride ourselves in providing valuable software tools with a rapid ROI for newspapers and publishers all around the world.”

To help streamline efficiency, NewsWay also delivers a complete set of production reports such as the time pages where RIPped, approved, and released – recording the actual time each plate was output or transmitted - as well as any wastage.  The browser-based interface makes the workflow accessible from virtually anywhere and enables instant communication between people, departments and facilities and, when required, allows human intervention to be made immediately.