Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 18

FIGURE 3:

Adoption of Ganging/Nesting Software

into data and instructions so the printer can produce an
image. Over the years, the functionality has increased where
vendors may have added support for:
* Queue/job management
* Preflight (file checking)
* Color corrections
* Imposition
* Color management via ICC profiles
* Cloud-based synchronization
* Production dashboards
One of the more recent developments is the ability to create
advanced ganging where multiple jobs can be combined, or
even nested, to minimize material usage. The research revealed
the majority (72 percent) of respondents are using software to
combine multiple jobs for production and average around
$7000 in savings annually. (See Figure 3.)

BIG PICTURE

June/July 2020

WHERE RIPS FALL APART (SO FAR)

18

information system (Print MIS) often fills this role, but they're
not widely adopted by sign shops (only 38 percent own a
commercially available solution). There are several vendors
that developed wide-format-specific Print MIS solutions, and
some offer cloud-based subscriptions at affordable price points.
Finally, too much time is spent in shops setting production
schedules and physically tracking the status of work as it
moves through each department. Shops need a single view of
operations that provides operators with daily work to-do lists,
tracks and displays the progression of all work-in-progress
jobs, and offers customizable dashboards to view production
data (including production capacity). Production dashboards
are valuable tools for production managers when work does
not go as originally planned - a daily occurrence for most
shops. These tools also provide awareness to all shop staff,
particularly customer service representatives (CSRs), so that
any job can quickly be located and modified when customer's
inevitably have an inquiry or need a change.
Print MIS solutions and RIPs increasingly offer some type
of production dashboards. Because most sign shops lack a
commercial Print MIS, that leaves the RIP as the source;
however, these may only provide machine-specific data and
omit job information for all of production.
WHERE RIPS EXCEL TODAY
Workflows in the sign and display graphics segment are
largely RIP-based. RIPs are the most owned software (82
percent) for sign shops and perform most of the file preparation tasks. The primary purpose of RIPs is to convert artwork

The difficulty of having a RIP-centric workflow is most RIP
solutions on the market today do not address the biggest
workflow issues of job onboarding, a single system of record,
and a single view of operations.
In fairness, RIP vendors have been expanding their
solutions to support more workflow tasks. Several have
modules or options to accept orders from web shops or
onboard jobs through online file transfer tools like Box and
Dropbox, which are far better than using email. Some vendors
also can integrate through an application programming
interface (API) or connectors with other software solutions,
such as Print MIS and prepress workflow automation tools.
Fewer still have created production dashboards. These largely
focus on collecting data from connected equipment, such as
print volumes and ink consumption, and cannot provide a
view for all production activity.
THE WAY FORWARD
Sign shops must go beyond the RIP to build automation into
their operations. While RIPs are critical to digital printing and
continue to expand their feature sets, there are other solutions
better suited to be the eyes and brains of the operation -
specifically production dashboards and Print MIS solutions.
When these software solutions are used together, shops fix
the big workflow challenges and gain the efficiency and cost
benefits of automation. How are you preparing for the
industry shift?

RYAN MCABEE is the Director for
Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends'
production workflow consulting
service, which helps vendors define
their future through consulting,
market analysis, research, and
forecasting. He also works directly with print service
providers to improve their operations through workflow
audits, based on Workflow Journey Mapping and the Five
Stages of Smart Print Manufacturing. Follow him on
Twitter @mbossed and LinkedIn.


https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbossed/ https://www.twitter.com/mbossed

Big Picture - June/July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - June/July 2020

Big Picture - June/July 2020
Insight
Wide Angle
Upfront
Beyond Décor
How I Got the Job: Pam Richards
Automation is Beyond the RIP
Action 2020
R+D
Job Log
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Big Picture - June/July 2020
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Cover2
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 1
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Insight
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 3
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Wide Angle
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 5
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Upfront
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 7
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 8
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 9
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Beyond Décor
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 11
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - How I Got the Job: Pam Richards
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 13
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 14
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 15
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Automation is Beyond the RIP
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 17
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 18
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Action 2020
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 20
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 21
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 22
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 23
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 24
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 25
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 26
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 27
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 28
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 29
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 30
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 31
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - R+D
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 33
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 34
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 35
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 36
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 37
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 38
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - 39
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Job Log
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Cover3
Big Picture - June/July 2020 - Cover4
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