05.31.2022
Adobe today announced Adobe PDF Print Engine 6. The new release builds on Adobe’s 40-year history of transforming the graphic arts. Version 6 includes new features that will unleash the power of emerging technologies, standards and workflows. While commercial printing continues its recovery from the business impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, industrial printing continues its rapid growth with the development of innovative applications that harness the power of inkjet in new ways. The capabilities in PDF Print Engine 6 will empower all print segments, delivering exceptional print quality, maximum efficiency and increased automation with print-time decisions based on job intelligence.
PDF Print Engine 6 is optimized and updated to take full advantage of the latest system hardware and imaging science. The new color features in version 6 will accelerate the adoption of spectral colors by brand owners, and increase market traction for single-inkset production workflows, driving both digital and analogue presses. Prepress operators can leverage and precisely control the full color palette available on press, for vivid and accurate reproduction of corporate brand colors, graphics and images. The reduced switching overhead between jobs will save time and money, especially as average run-lengths continue to decline.
What’s new in Adobe PDF Print Engine 6
– Streamlined ECG Processing (Expanded Color Gamut). Single-stage, high-performance color conversions for efficient and precise output to presses running Orange and/or Green and/or Violet inks (OGV) in addition to CMYK process inks.
– Spectral Brand Colors. The new spectral module will process spectrally defined spot colors so that they can be seamlessly color managed with other job elements.
– Sophisticated Image Re-sampling. When resizing an image, a powerful new algorithm will generate optimized color values for derived pixels.
– Integrated Graphics and Manufacturing. Advanced methods to manage and automate post-press and inline embellishments such as varnish and foils, along with other non-graphic elements, and converting dielines.
– Derived planes/plates. Varnishes and white underprints can be dynamically auto-generated from job elements at run-time.
– Enhanced variable printing. In conjunction with the Mercury scalability architecture, PDF Print Engine 6 delivers enhanced support for Variable Data Print (VDP) and variable product print workflows that can scale to drive any press at its rated speed.
Availability
PDF Print Engine 6 will be distributed to Adobe’s print partners in June 2022. Products built on version 6 are expected to become available later this year.
Adobe quote
“The Adobe Print Family is proud to launch version 6 of PDF Print Engine, our flagship imaging platform for commercial, packaging and textile printing,” said Amit Dayal, VP & GM, Digital Advertising, Learning, & Publishing, Adobe. “As new color methods gain acceptance, the industry needs sophisticated controls to maximize their potential . . . and more automation everywhere. The new features in PDF Print Engine 6 will accelerate workflows and boost productivity. Most importantly, it will give print service providers the edge they need to capture new business and grow profits.”
Partner quotes
EFI – “With our 30+ year commitment to delivering the fastest and highest quality print, we know what it takes to get the best performance and image quality in a DFE solution,” said John Henze, VP of Sales and Marketing, EFI Fiery. “Our long-term partnership with Adobe helps us achieve these objectives. Customers will benefit from Adobe PDF Print Engine 6 through improved Fiery color accuracy across applications using spectral data-driven color workflows.”
Konica Minolta, Inc. – “The long-standing partnership between Konica Minolta and Adobe has provided comprehensive value for digital printing in commercial printing and label markets worldwide”, said Mototaro Noguchi, General Manager, Industrial Printing Business Unit, Konica Minolta. “In particular, the superior image quality and color reproduction for brochures, photo books, leaflets, and labels as well as the high performance required for variable printing are achieved by combination with Konica Minolta’s DFE and Adobe’s APPE technology, including the Mercury RIP architecture and PDF/VT processing.”
Global Inkjet Systems – “Adobe invented PDF and pioneered its use as the preferred job exchange format for print production in the early ‘90s,” said Simon Edwards, Business and Product Manager, Software, Global Inkjet Systems. “Today Adobe is globally recognised as the leading supplier of PDF technologies for digital printing. With the importance of PDF workflow to the industrial inkjet industry, access to the Adobe suite of leading PDF and upstream technologies via the GIS Atlas® RIP Server and User Interface offers our customers, and their end users, a world-class, flexible, and powerful platform for growth.”
SCREEN – “SCREEN has been providing Computer to Plate and various ink jet printing system over the years to meet the market demands of the printing industry which continue to change rapidly,” said Yukiyoshi Tanaka, President, SCREEN Graphic Solutions. “Under the partnership for more than 25 years with Adobe, we have adopted its RIP Core as the development platform for our original controller and collaborated to modernize the production environment. The enhancements for packaging in Adobe PDF Print Engine 6 definitely match our direction. We are sure that collaborating with Adobe more than before, becomes the latest and the best solution for various customers.”
Canon Production Printing – “Canon Production Printing and Adobe are true strategic partners in providing industry leading best-of-breed rendering technology via the Adobe PDF Print Engine,” said Bert van Agen, Vice President Strategy & Alliances, Canon. “Combining our print server technology with Adobe technology enables us to deliver unmatched consistency and predictability in the print production workflow and helps our customers realize best-in-class reliability and performance.”
Agfa – “The Adobe PDF Print engine is more than a technology to Agfa. It is a versatile solution that meets the requirements of Agfa’s diverse customer base,” said Erik Peeters, Market Manager Commercial, Agfa. “Whether it is cloud capability for a commercial printer subscribing to Apogee, or extreme high-resolution and precise rendering for bank note printing, it’s all embedded. As a result, it was a natural decision to select APPE for Amfortis, our packaging workflow. And to exceed the expectations of that print segment, Agfa looks forward to the innovations that are part of APPE version 6 as they will increase efficiency at our packaging printers and converters in various ways.”
