Print. Software. Innovation.
Press Releases
2024
Xitron Announces Navigator RIP Version 14 Release;
Prepares for Drupa Demonstration Schedule
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RIP Based on Global Graphics’ Ultra-Performant Harlequin® Core is Fastest Yet
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Ann Arbor, MI – April 22, 2024 – 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, is announcing the version 14 release of their Navigator RIP. Nearing almost 50,000 installations worldwide, Navigator is one of the most popular RIPs in service today and is the foundation for Xitron’s full slate of prepress workflow products.
Under development for more than three years, Navigator version 14 introduces support for PDF/X-6, PDF/X-VT3, and Color Exchange Format (CxF), as well as interpretive speed improvements. It is also the core technology for every product Xitron will demonstrate at the upcoming Drupa trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany from May 28th through June 7th.
“The Navigator name is recognized by printers around the world as an extremely stable, economical, and performance-oriented RIP platform,” said Eric Nelsen, VP of Product Development at Xitron. “For those and many other reasons, you’ll find it operating in every printing environment from mom & pop screen printers to mega-printing companies with names everyone recognizes. The improvements in this latest iteration simply cement its legacy.”
“Having version 14 completed will be pivotal for our introduction of a new product at Drupa,” said Karen Crews, President of Xitron. “While I cannot comment on specifics before the official launch, I can say that Navigator will be taking a great leap forward in the commercial prepress market with this release.”
From April 1st forward, all Navigator RIPs sold around the world are automatically licensed for version 14. Customers will be able to download the installer from a link on www.xitron.com. For customers with older versions of Navigator, upgrade specials will be announced, including incentives to pair the upgrade with Xitron’s recently announced IntelliTrap workflow module. Released in March, IntelliTrap moves trapping out of the RIP and into PDF files as they enter the workflow, tremendously speeding up the process and providing interaction opportunities for operators.
Navigator 14 will begin shipping April 30th. For more information, please contact your Xitron dealer, or write to sales@xitron.com.
Xitron Releases IntelliTrap to Offset Print Customers
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PDF-Based Trapping Module Now Part of Navigator Workflow
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Ann Arbor, MI – March 7, 2024 – 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, has released its next generation trapping solution – IntelliTrap – for their expansive base of offset printing customers. In prepress, trapping compensates for misregistration on press by creating overlaps of ink where different colors touch in printed designs.
Prepress operators typically rely on in-RIP trapping solutions that provide insufficient control (especially with print jobs containing transparent layers) or manipulate the artwork manually in applications like Adobe Illustrator. Neither process is efficient, especially when dealing with large or multipage projects.
According to Xitron Product Manager, Paul Napolitano, IntelliTrap is the perfect platform for effectively applying trap settings in prepress. “IntelliTrap is fully configurable for all offset printing conditions. Trapping is applied to the incoming PDF within the Navigator Workflow, which is much faster than trapping in the RIP.” Napolitano reports seeing job throughput increase by as much as 70%, especially with complex artwork.
Moving from in-RIP trapping to PDF-based interactive trapping, Xitron engineers leveraged expertise from sister company Hybrid Software. “By integrating Hybrid’s proven PDF trapping technology, we were able to go from functional specification to shippable product in record time,” Napolitano continued. “The end result is a fast, easy-to-use trapping module that gives our customers a practical, productive solution to a complicated problem.”
The IntelliTrap workflow module can be used in a fully automated mode or set to allow operators to inspect traps and apply changes on the fly, before committing the job to RIP and plate. Users can even enter misregistration values in the viewer to be sure the trap settings properly compensate for press issues.
Navigator RIP and workflow customers currently using in-RIP trapping will have an opportunity to upgrade to IntelliTrap at a special price. For new customers, IntelliTrap is available as an option to the Navigator Workflow. For more information, customers can contact their Xitron dealer, or directly at sales@xitron.com.