Print. Software. Innovation.
Press Releases
2024
Xitron Introduces K2 Workflow to Latin American Printers at EXPOGRAFICA 2024​
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Will exhibit in Hybrid Software stand 2532 November 12-15
Ann Arbor, MI – November 4, 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, will use the upcoming Expográfica show in Mexico City to introduce their new offset prepress workflow to Latin American customers. K2 will be presented in live, “bespoke” demonstrations to attendees, many of whom are looking to upgrade legacy workflow software such as Prinergy, Prinect, and Apogee.
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“During our North American introduction at Printing United in September, our K2 station enjoyed a non-stop audience,” said Karen Crews, president of Xitron. “We literally had no breaks due to the interest and buzz that started with our debut at Drupa. In an effort to extend this excitement to Latin America, we’ve accepted an invitation to exhibit in Mexico City,” she added.
K2 is an entirely new offset prepress workflow developed to replace once popular workflow systems that still demand costly service agreements or expensive subscription pricing – but have stagnated development and are lacking new functionality. Offered as an all-inclusive bundle with a perpetual license, K2’s feature list includes PDF-based interactive trapping, PDF-based integrated imposition, ink remapping, preflighting, and a browser-based job submission module that streamlines the entire workflow process. Based on the Harlequin Core, K2’s RIP module is the fastest in the industry.
“Like most Xitron products, K2 has been designed to work with virtually every computer to plate device in use today, so printers don’t have to make wholesale changes to their prepress departments in order to use it,” Crews continued. “It doesn’t matter if you have a 10-year-old Screen PT-R, a 20-year-old Creo Trendsetter, or a brand-new Kodak Achieve. Xitron’s K2 is compatible, and it will improve throughput and productivity.”
“And, as important as compatibility and functionality are,” she summarized, “Affordability is paramount in all markets. Printers will be interested to find that K2’s price point is well below the original cost of their aging workflows, and that Xitron has put special finance programs in place that will help with budgeting concerns.”
Printers attending Expográfica are encouraged to stop by the Hybrid Software stand (2532) or contact Bret Farrah to schedule a personalized demonstration during the show.
Xitron to Showcase Navigator DFE and Navigator Flexo Suite at Labelexpo​
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Will join Hybrid, Global Graphics, and Meteor in booth 3015
Ann Arbor, MI – September 9, 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, will use Labelexpo Americas to highlight prepress workflow solutions for both digital, and flexographic label production. Co-located in booth 3015 with parent company Hybrid Software Group, Xitron will feature Navigator DFE for high-speed digital inkjet production, and Navigator Flexo Suite for traditional flexo applications.
Based on the fast and accurate Harlequin Core, Navigator DFE offers a customizable, brandable, browser-based GUI, and the ability to support most inkjet printheads available today. Due to extremely tight integration with print drive electronics from sister company Meteor Inkjet, the Navigator DFE works with Dimatix, Epson, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, XAAR, and many other printheads. It also supports systems with embedded drive electronics such as the HP Fixed Imager 1000, and all Memjet printheads.
“Supporting a diverse collection of printheads is imperative,” said Eric Nelsen, Xitron’s VP of Product Development. “By doing so, we’re able to get high-speed inkjet press manufacturers to market very quickly, regardless of their choice in printhead technology. This has proven valuable to more than a dozen new manufacturers over the last couple of years, many of whom will also be exhibiting at Labelexpo.”
Coming off a stellar response at the recent Drupa exhibition, Navigator Flexo Suite featuring SmartFlexo screening will also be available for demonstration. With its proven ability to greatly improve solid ink densities while eliminating trailing edge void, pinholes, and halos in any flexo environment, Navigator Flexo Suite offers an unbeatable price-performance ratio. “Flexo Suite is nonproprietary, which means it can replace or enhance any existing flexo workflow,” said Paul Napolitano, Xitron product manager. “Aside from the outstanding quality aspects of SmartFlexo screening, it’s also one of the most economical solutions available.”
“Additional functionality for label printers has been integrated into the Flexo Suite product through a collaborative effort with Hybrid Software,” Napolitano continued. “PDF-based trapping and tabular step & repeat are both available, making the workflow extremely easy and productive.”
Xitron’s K2 Offset Workflow Makes US Debut at Printing United
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Joins stable of established Xitron workflows for offset, flexo, digital, and screen printing
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Ann Arbor, MI – August 27, 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, announces the North American launch of their new K2 offset workflow at PRINTING United Expo. Originally introduced to dealers and endusers at Drupa in May 2024, Xitron will be demonstrating K2 in booth C3315 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from September 10-12.
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“The overwhelming response that K2 received at Drupa reinforced what our development team already understood,” said Karen Crews, President of Xitron. “The offset market is eager for a new, full-featured offset workflow that is affordable – and not restricted to subscription licensing. We can’t wait to introduce it to printers here in North America at PRINTING United.”
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Based on the speedy Harlequin v14 core, K2 boasts a feature list that reads like a “Who’s Who” of leading-edge prepress technology. According to Crews, the code base is strictly Xitron, but incorporates knowledge from sister Hybrid companies ColorLogic, Global Graphics, and Hybrid Software for preflighting, PDF-based interactive trapping, ink remapping, and color management. K2 also integrates Ultimate Tech’s Impostrip Offset Pro for dynamic and intuitive imposition.
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“To be clear, this is not a ‘bolt-together’ pseudo workflow,” says Crews. “We leveraged the APIs provided by our partners to perform a seamless integration of their best technologies, which complements our workflow framework. When combined with our browser-based job submission module – built on a SQL Server database – the power, speed, and usability become hard to match. K2 is designed from the ground up to take the place of aging, under-developed, and end-of-life offset workflows. It can drive virtually any existing platesetter on the market.”
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According to Paul Napolitano, Xitron’s Product Manager, K2 symbolizes a quantum advancement in offset workflow. “If you look at the prepress workflow landscape, you can see several players who have done a decent job of development over the last 20 years. However, you typically find that, while one is strong in trapping, it might be weak in imposition. Another might be strong in color management but weaker in preflight. By leveraging the best technologies available today, and constructing a strong UI to harness them, K2 quickly climbs to the top of the mountain while balancing productivity, ease of use, and affordability.”
Xitron Energizes Drupa Lineup with Introduction of New Offset Prepress Workflow
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K2 will be first new commercial offset workflow in nearly two decades
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Ann Arbor, MI – May 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 has released their product demonstration line-up for the upcoming Drupa trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany May 28 - June 7th, 2024.
Of special note is the introduction of a new offset workflow designed to replace many of the aging systems installed by Kodak, Fujifilm, Agfa (Eco3) and Heidelberg over the past several years. Without compromising functionality, speed or performance, its price point is expected to be well below competing packages, making it an attractive alternative to high-priced upgrades and costly subscription models. Dubbed K2, the workflow will have only one or two optional modules, as it is intended for sale as a full-featured package designed to drive virtually any new or existing CTP engine.
“We’ve included everything,” says Paul Napolitano, Xitron product manager. “Everything you’d expect in terms of offset workflow features is already there, including an incredibly dynamic imposition engine that puts functionality onto each operator’s desktop.” Harvesting technology from sister companies Color Logic, Global Graphics, and Hybrid Software, K2 delivers streamlined efficiency for commercial offset prepress production unlike any system previously developed.
“The workflow is fast and powerful, and the interface is clean and easy to use, which makes the learning curve extremely short,” Napolitano continued. “With new technology constantly being introduced for other industry segments, we saw offset as being somewhat neglected when it comes to workflow innovation,” he added. “By developing new tools for the offset sector, we feel we’re paying attention to users who have been feeling that neglect.
Along with K2, Xitron will be demonstrating their full slate of products in hall 7A, stand D03. Included will be Navigator Flexo Suite with its remarkable SmartFlexo screening, Navigator SP workflow for screen printers, and the award-winning Navigator DFE for digital print production. K2 and Navigator Flexo Suite will both feature prominently in the Hybrid Software theater with special presentations each day of the show.
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.