PuzzleFlow in New Zealand

2005-09-04

PuzzleFlow workflow system, created by the Polish company ACCHSH, is becoming more and more popular all over the world. The Wellington-based Pronto Print Solutions company from New Zealand invested in the Polish software a year ago. Currently more than 50% of its prepress processes is automatically made by the PuzzleFlow system.

Pronto Print Solutions, part of Pronto Group, is one of the biggest printing companies in New Zealand. The company was established by its current owner Bernard Nolan in 1978. From the beginning the company has been specializing in commercial printing, e.g. brochures, leaflets, business cards etc. In recent years Pronto Print Solutions has started automation of production processes concerning business cards and other stationery items containing variable data. Bernard Nolan says: I wanted our customers to be able to create the cards on-line, proof it themselves and then go straight to printing after a simple internal proof. Well, it took 27 years but we have now made this dream possible.

Mike Keegan, IT Manager at Print Pronto Solutions, adds that implementation of the PuzzleFlow workflow system from ACCHSH was very helpful in that process: The main reason for purchasing PuzzleFlow last year was for this very reason. This has always been a very labour intensive function for a product for which there was little return. Currently the PuzzleFlow system is used for automatic imposition of all business cards that are created by the company’s Online (Web-Based) Business Cards Fulfilment Software. All cards are proofed on-line as PDF’s with low resolution company logos, then the low resolution logo is removed and replaced by a high resolution version. It is imposed, in a hot folder, as either 8- or 10-up, depending on the card name (Client Variable Name), trapped and then output to a local colour printer for an imposed proof before submission to the CtP device or for digital output on pre-printed stock.
Print Pronto Solutions uses PuzzleFlow for another applications as well: We also use it for standard imposition for letterheads and other stationery items as well as booklet impositions. This has enabled us to free up out prepress staff to perform the more difficult and complex tasks.

We see that between 50-60% of prepress functions, that were performed by prepress operators, have now been replaced by PuzzleFlow, thus saving on extra staff costs as our business grows – Mike Keegan says.