Print. Software. Innovation.
Press Releases
2025
Xitron Announces Winner of K2 Workflow Giveaway at PRINTING United Expo
​
Budget Printing Center of Tallahassee, Florida Receives Complete K2 Workflow Bundle
​Ann Arbor, MI – November 6, 2025 – Xitron, a subsidiary of Hybrid Software Group and the developer of Harlequin-based Navigator RIP and workflow products for commercial, flexo, screen, digital, and high-speed inkjet printing, today announced the winner of its K2 Workflow Bundle Sweepstakes, held during PRINTING United Expo in Orlando, Florida. The grand prize, valued between $30,000 and $35,000, was awarded to Budget Printing Center of Tallahassee, Florida.
​
Accepting the prize was Tom Wiegand, who recently retired after owning Budget Printing since 2000. Rather than sell the company, Wiegand placed the business in a trust for his employees, ensuring long-term continuity and stability for the team that helped build its success.
“Tom’s commitment to his people is extraordinary,” said Karen Crews, President of Xitron. “It’s a perfect reflection of the values we share with our customers, investing in the future and ensuring independence for the next generation. We’re thrilled that K2 will be part of Budget Printing’s next chapter.”
Wiegand attended PRINTING United in person, making the four-hour drive from Tallahassee to Orlando to see K2 demonstrated firsthand before entering the giveaway. The prize includes a full K2 Workflow software package, computer platform, on-site installation and training, and a one-year support agreement.
“When we designed K2, our goal was to give printers complete control of their workflow without the uncertainty of subscriptions or vendor dependency,” added Bret Farrah, Executive Vice President at Xitron. “Tom’s story about securing his company’s future aligns perfectly with K2’s mission: empowering print businesses to own their technology and their destiny.”
Built to replace aging and subscription-based systems such as Kodak Prinergy, Fujifilm XMF, Agfa Apogee, and Heidelberg Prinect, K2 is a modern PDF-first workflow featuring preflight, integrated imposition, PDF-based trapping, ink remapping, and Harlequin Core technology, among a plethora of other features. Available only as a perpetual license, K2 allows customers to own the software outright, maintaining complete operational control and long-term cost predictability.
Xitron Showcases K2 as the Modern Replacement for Legacy Workflows at Printing United
Highlights perpetual licensing, flexible payment options, plus a K2 bundle giveaway
Ann Arbor, MI – October 1, 2025 – Xitron, a subsidiary of Hybrid Software Group and the developer of Harlequin-based Navigator RIP and workflow products for commercial, flexo, screen, digital, and high-speed inkjet printing, will be highlighting their K2 workflow bundle at Printing United in Orlando, October 22-24. Designed as a replacement for aging Kodak Prinergy, Fujifilm XMF, and Agfa Apogee installations, K2 is a robust prepress workflow featuring perpetual licenses instead of being subscription-based.
“It makes no sense to continue with a subscription model when updates are few and far between,” said Karen Crews, president of Xitron. “Customers end up paying for the same software two or three times over in just a few years. If the draw is a budget-friendly monthly payment or avoiding a large upfront cost, they can achieve both through Xitron’s no-interest plan — pay monthly, but not forever.”
To celebrate K2’s successful first year on the market, Xitron is announcing that a complete K2 workflow bundle (software, platform, on-site installation, training, and first year annual support agreement), will be given away at the show on Friday, October 24th at 12:00 pm. The only requirement for participation in the drawing is to attend a K2 demo at booth 3610. The retail value of the bundle is expected to be approximately $30,000.
“We’re very excited about this drawing,” said Crews. “We have a lot of attendees who scheduled K2 demo appointments through the chatbot on our website at www.xitron.com. With this announcement, we expect to fill most, if not all the remaining slots.”
Because Printing United encompasses many different print market segments, Xitron will also be demonstrating workflows for flexo, digital, and screen printing applications, all of which are based on the Navigator line of RIPs and workflows. Long recognized as economical, productive solutions, there are more than 45,000 Navigator installations worldwide, driving virtually all forms of CTP, CTS, and high-speed inkjet presses.
By showcasing K2 alongside its proven Navigator workflows, Xitron underscores its commitment to providing printers with modern, cost-effective alternatives to outdated systems. With perpetual licensing, flexible payment options, and a focus on productivity across multiple print segments, Xitron continues to demonstrate why its solutions remain trusted by thousands of shops worldwide.
Xitron Reports Successful Initial Installations of K2 Workflow
Workflow replaces aging systems at commercial print facilities in North America and Europe
​
Ann Arbor, MI – August 5, 2025 – Xitron, a subsidiary of Hybrid Software and the developer of Harlequin-based Navigator RIP and workflow products, announced several successful installations of its new K2 prepress workflow solution over the past few weeks. The implementations, spanning North America and Europe, have resulted in the replacement of older systems such as Fujifilm XMF, Rampage, Sierra, and Kodak Prinergy.
Customers cited several motivations for transitioning to K2, including the desire to run on current operating systems, improve production efficiency, and avoid the increasing trend toward software subscription models. With aging workflows reaching end-of-life across the industry, K2 presents a modern, cost-effective alternative without the burden of ongoing subscriptions.
“Our demonstration schedule has stayed quite full since we began shipping in April,” said Karen Crews, President of Xitron. “In almost all instances, customers mentioned the perpetual license as an important consideration. Subscriptions obviously aren’t attractive to all customers.”
K2 was developed as a complete workflow package for commercial offset printers and includes enhancements and modules tailored for hybrid shops running digital devices. Its browser-based Job Submission Module allows seamless access across all departments, making it ideal for printers with varied job types and output devices.
“The initial feedback on K2’s GUI and process control are very favorable,” Crews added. “Operators are able to quickly grasp the architecture, which is reflected in the short learning curve we’re seeing during installation and training. This is a testament to the product management team, who all have prepress production backgrounds.”
Xitron performs up to eight K2 installations per month across North America, while certified dealers in the US, Europe, and Latin America are fully authorized to perform installations independently. To find a dealer near you, visit https://www.xitron.com/find-dealer.
​
For more information or to schedule a K2 demonstration, visit https://www.xitron.com/demo-request-form.
Xitron Begins Release and Rollout of K2 Prepress Workflow​
​
End-user purchases follow dealer certification in North America, Europe, and Latin America
Ann Arbor, MI – February 5, 2025 – Xitron, a subsidiary of Hybrid Software and the developer of Harlequin-based Navigator RIP and workflow products for commercial, flexo, screen, digital, and high-speed inkjet printing is releasing their new K2 commercial offset workflow for end-user purchases. The rollout comes on the heels of successful dealer certification classes recently completed in the US. European and Latin American dealer training is scheduled for the weeks of February 10th and March 3rd, respectively. Additional classes will be scheduled in the second quarter in order to bring more dealers around the world on board.
K2 was developed specifically to replace aging prepress workflows whose owners are experiencing high maintenance costs, end-of-life notification, lack of feature development, or forced subscription conversion. Deployed with a perpetual license, K2 is a bundled solution that provides all the tools modern commercial printers need at a very economical price. It also includes functionality for hybrid shops where offset and digital printing are produced in tandem.
“Our first certification class here in Ann Arbor went incredibly well,” said Eric Nelsen, Xitron’s Vice President of Software Development. “Initial participant comments included, ‘powerful,’ ‘affordable,’ and ‘easy to learn and use,’ all of which were stated goals of the development team. Having dealers validate our work so quickly is a testament to our engineers and testing group,” he added.
Expectations for the first European dealer certification at Hybrid Software’s offices in Ghent, Belgium are equally high. “This class went to capacity within a week of dealer notification,” said Nelsen. “We’ll be hosting attendees from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Bulgaria, representing the most highly qualified dealer organizations from those regions.” Once these teams are certified, they will be cleared to start selling, installing, and supporting K2 throughout the EU.
Details for Latin American dealer training - and the subsequent release of K2 there - will be finalized by February 6th and interested dealers will be able to reserve space at that time. Printers interested in speaking with certified dealers in their region, or scheduling an online demo can visit https://www.xitron.com/find-dealer.