By Cassandra Balentine
Wide format printed output often requires a form of cutting. For some popular applications—like stickers, decals, and vehicle wraps—it is an integral step. To improve productivity and profitability on these jobs, prepress tools provide many benefits.
Production software is evolving and expanding to handle increasingly complex print orders and skilled labor shortages.
Once a time-consuming task, preflighting files with software has given the industry a boost in productivity. “Tasks that took hours can now be completed within minutes due to the advancement of prepress software,” says Sebastien Hanssens, VP marketing and operations, Caldera.
Software has evolved with a strong focus on automation, integration, and efficiency, particularly in regards to printing and cutting. David Lunardi, VP of sales, OneVision, Inc., points out that software tools streamline workflows by automating file preparation, ensuring compatibility across devices, reducing manual intervention and errors, while increasing production speed and accuracy. “This evolution aligns with the industry’s demand for faster turnaround times and higher precision.”
Debra Hobden, global marketing director, PrintFactory, feels that the role of prepress software has evolved from being a static tool for basic file preparation to a dynamic solution that integrates and automates every stage of the print production process. Advanced prepress tools now focus on streamlining workflows, enhancing color accuracy, and reducing waste. “With the addition of automation features, prepress software transforms artwork into finished products effortlessly, ensuring a seamless production pipeline from design to delivery.”
While we often classify these advancements in print-and-cut workflows under the umbrella of prepress software, Mary Gay Pettit, public relations director, Markzware Inc., points out that because cutting is a post-press process there are distinctions. “Prepress encompasses all activities that prepare a printed image for production, such as file formatting, color management, and proofing. In contrast, cutting occurs after the printing process, where printed materials are trimmed or shaped to their final specifications. This differentiation is crucial because it highlights that cutting does not involve preparing the artwork or managing print quality; rather, it focuses on finishing and refining the printed product.”
Initially focused on file preparation, Pettit says prepress software has evolved into integrated solutions that streamline both printing and cutting processes. “These innovations enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and include features like automated nesting algorithms to optimize material usage.”
Above: Significans includes ongoing support and guidance, from implementation to optimization, from a team of integration specialists. This dedicated team has a combined 100-plus years of hands-on, print shop floor experience.
Forging Ahead
Print service providers (PSPs) seek to improve their workflows for many reasons. “The primary drivers of new advancements in prepress software are automation, ease of use, and color consistency. These factors are crucial for improving efficiency and ensuring high-quality output,” shares Bobby Cagle, NA sales director, SA International (SAi).
Print providers face increased demand for faster turnaround times, greater customization, and improved efficiency. Hobden says customers expect higher quality with less margin for error, pushing the industry towards automation and precision. Print workflow and prepress tools leverage automation to optimize artwork preparation, reducing manual input while ensuring accuracy.
“Everyone is doing their best to ‘do more with less,’” admits Joseph Lehn, director of product management, PressWise by Smartsoft. “This often means fewer staff handling larger quantities of orders with shorter runs. Without automation to help provide downstream instructions, the chance for error always increases. Staff turnover means taking time away from production to provide training for new people. Automation reduces the need for training on multiple steps of the process, getting the staff back to production and adding to the bottom line.”
Increased demand for short-run, personalized printing and just-in-time production drives innovation in software development, including artificial intelligence (AI)-driven automation, seamless integration with digital and traditional workflows, and holistic digital production tracking that includes analog work steps and machines. “All of this helps PSPs to be efficient enough to maintain margins, have an alternative when skilled labor is scarce, and also address sustainability issues,” says Lunardi.
The growth of wide format printing also drives new advancements in this space. “It has created a need for solutions that handle a diverse range of machines and processes. Wide format printing has experienced a surge in demand, opening new possibilities for printing across sectors. This growing diversity has resulted in a greater need for prepress software that can adapt to different machine specifications and output requirements,” adds Piet De Pauw, head of marketing, Enfocus, an Esko Company.
Expanded Integration
Wide format presents a broad spectrum of products printed on an array of substrates.
As production environments become more diverse, Lunardi says seamless integration between prepress software and various printers, cutters, and finishing equipment is essential for optimizing workflows.
“It’s not just ‘print on paper’ anymore. This creates the need for alternate ways to provide cutting instructions not only for the differences in the shapes of the products, but the various cutting methods needed for the alternative materials,” comments Lehn.
Expanding integration capabilities with a wider range of hardware solutions would be highly beneficial. However, the diversity of equipment available makes it challenging for software companies to keep up with all the different features and models. To address this, Cagle says hardware providers must collaborate closer with software developers, providing access to drivers and workflow options to ensure seamless integration.
The growing diversity of printers, cutters, and substrates in the wide format space necessitates broader integration capabilities, agrees Hobden.
“Software developers need to focus on creating more flexible and adaptable solutions that work with a range of different hardware solutions,” says De Pauw.
Marc Raad, president, Significans Automation, points out that one way print equipment suppliers continue to offer improved workflow automation is in the form of digital front ends (DFEs) that optimize their flagship presses. “Prepress departments must understand the intricacies of how they work in order to constantly feed flawless, print-ready files into these presses and finishing devices for error-free production.”
Most print shops also use multiple combinations of workflow systems and related business software. “These could include web to print, CRM, ERP, ECM, shipping, AI, robotics, and so on. Prepress must interact on a daily basis with all of these software systems. Only an experienced integration partner or consultant can guarantee that these disparate systems will communicate effectively and seamlessly,” explains Raad. “The question we as software integrators invariably ask is, ‘how can we get all our customers’ systems to talk with each other to reduce touch points, errors, and significantly increase efficiency?’”
As a general rule, Raad says the more printing and finishing devices you use, the greater the need to expand—and simplify—prepress workflow processes. “Remember that each of these complex devices has its own DFE, which must be integrated with your current workflow systems as part of your end-to-end, in-shop production goals. Expanding integration capabilities enables prepress software to serve as an easy-to-use ‘central hub’ for coordinating all processes seamlessly across various devices, including printers and digital cutters, to ensure smooth and efficient production.”
Broadening integration also yields workflows that remain scalable and adaptable as a business grows and new, more sophisticated hardware technologies emerge. “This is even more critical in the wide format sector where, because of the higher costs of substrates, prepress tasks such as nesting and imposition are essential to reduce costly waste,” shares Raad.
Defining Optimal
Optimal print-and-cut workflows allow users to take printed materials directly from the printer to cutting equipment to determine—via barcoded programs—what needs to happen in order to cut out the final product successfully based on provided registration marks, explains Lehn.
Key elements of an ideal print-to-cut workflow include automated nesting and cutting path optimization for maximum material utilization, integrated color management to ensure consistency across multiple devices, centralized control with real-time monitoring and updates, and scalability to adapt to changing business needs and volumes, offers Hobden.
Hanssens walks us through the steps of an optimal print-and-cut workflow. First, the customer places an order via the front end or website; next the uploaded art goes through MIS software where the order is created, then prepress software receives information—art files—and processes them; next the nested file moves to the RIP where it is processed for printing.
“The ideal print-and-cut workflow environment would be highly automated, efficient, and would minimize error occurrence. An optimal setup is a one-touch or even no-touch model, where a design file would enter the system, undergo automated processing, and require only a brief operator review before processing to production,” explains De Pauw.
From a design perspective, an optimal print-and-cut workflow enables employees to create print-and-cut designs without needing assistance from a graphic designer. “The ability to add contour cuts to files submitted by end users and seamlessly convert them into print-and-cut jobs through an automated process is ideal. This streamlines operations and enhances productivity,” suggests Cagle.
From a prepress perspective, Lunardi describes an optimal workflow as highly automated, integrated, and error free. Real-time data exchange between prepress, press, and cutter ensures accurate job execution, while a user-friendly interface allows for easy monitoring and adjustments. “Such a system minimizes manual intervention, reduces downtime, and delivers consistent, high-quality results at scale.”
Pettit says an ideal workflow would integrate the automation of efficient file management and thorough quality checks to streamline operations and minimize errors. “This begins with using a robust MIS or ERP system that facilitates transferring files along with preflight instructions to the prepress department. The automated system performs essential checks on incoming print files ensuring compliance with desired specifications such as resolution, color accuracy, and bleed requirements.”
By automatically generating cut paths and adding necessary registration marks the workflow reduces manual adjustments between design, printing, and cutting stages. “Prepress software plays a crucial role in this environment by enabling preflighting processes that identify potential issues before printing. This includes verifying image quality, checking for font consistency, and ensuring that all design elements are correctly formatted. By adhering to best practices—such as maintaining high-resolution images, ensuring proper bleed margins, and selecting appropriate file formats—prepress teams can significantly enhance the quality of the final printed product while reducing the likelihood of costly reprints,” comments Pettit.
The approval process is another key aspect where automation can improve efficiency. Once a job is approved by the customer, automated systems can modify it according to specific printer instructions to nest jobs for optimal media usage and prepare files for cutting without further human intervention. “This automation speeds up production and ensures that jobs are processed consistently and accurately,” adds Pettit.
Sam Mulay, VP – business development, InSoft Automation, admits that while current prepress workflows provide automation, one missing part is the optimization that makes a difference in the bottomline.
Achieving Automation
Automation is trending in prepress operations, which extends to finishing. The key to a successful print-and-cut workflow is communication and integration, driven by automation.
“As new, more sophisticated technology enters the market, prepress software is adapting to handle every possible production scenario, while ensuring that all systems communicate clearly with each other. Therefore, some existing prepress software systems may have to be ‘upgraded’ to handle new challenges. Finally, as a print shop’s ‘frontline’ worker, many of today’s prepress specialists are now adept at image editing, color management, layout and imposition, and much more, in addition to creating flawless print-ready files,” offers Raad.
Optimal print-and-cut workflow environments are characterized by a high degree of automation in file handling, rigorous preflighting protocols, and standardized practices for quality assurance, says Pettit.
Additionally, seamless communication among all stakeholders involved is critical in the printing process. “By focusing on these elements, organizations can achieve greater efficiency, reduce operational costs, and deliver high-quality printed materials consistently,” concludes Pettit.
Mar2025, Digital Output
