Adobe Systems Ships OPEN Prepress Workflow Automation System.SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 29, 1995--Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :ADBE ADBE Adobe Systems, Inc. (stock symbol) ) today announced that the company is now shipping the Adobe(TM) OPEN(TM) automated production workflow environment. As a platform independent system shell, OPEN integrates and automates many of the tasks associated with prepress imaging that previously required unconnected stand-alone applications. High volume prepress operations will benefit from the OPEN program's modular, server-based architecture in which the production processes such as trapping, digital imposition and image replacement can be automated. Prepress professionals can now automate off-the-shelf prepress software programs without operator intervention in an integrated computing environment. "We believe between 25 to 50 percent of the repetitive-type jobs going through prepress operation can be automated with OPEN software," said Eric Bean, product line manager for the Adobe commercial prepress products. "OPEN provides the integral glue that ties prepress processes together while giving our customers head start toward the era of digital publishing with digital prepress. As we pursue the new worlds of on-demand printing See print on demand. and high-end imaging systems, OPEN will be the catalyst for products and technologies to provide open and extensible solutions across computing platforms." The prepress stage is the final phase of the print production process in which color separation Separating a picture by colors in order to make negatives and plates for color printing. The four-color process requires four separations: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). See OPI and DCS. and publication assembly take place. The need for major productivity increases has spawned an emerging market category known as prepress workflow automation See workflow. . How OPEN Works Adobe OPEN software offers several features designed to take existing electronic prepress The use of computers to prepare camera-ready materials up to the actual printing stage. It includes drawing, page makeup and typesetting, all performed electronically rather than by drafting or mechanical cut and paste methods. applications and unite them into a complete, automated prepress system in a networked environment. As a centralized electronic production manager, OPEN software resides in the center of a prepress production environment and controls the flow of jobs from one function to another: providing parameters for a process, executing that process and then passing the job to the next process in the production workflow. "OPEN establishes a user-defined, modular approach to production," said Bob Malecki, product manager for Adobe OPEN software. "It was designed to be a truly open architecture to provide seamless integration An addition of a new application, routine or device that works smoothly with the existing system. It implies that the new feature or program can be installed and used without problems. Contrast with "transparent," which implies that there is no discernible change after installation. with applications from multiple vendors. This allows customers to use off-the-shelf components, overcoming the limitations of proprietary systems." OPEN program users define what tasks OPEN will perform by setting linked processes with graphical production templates called Workflow Pipelines. Through a graphical user interface graphical user interface (GUI) Computer display format that allows the user to select commands, call up files, start programs, and do other routine tasks by using a mouse to point to pictorial symbols (icons) or lists of menu choices on the screen as opposed to having to , users drag and drop A graphical user interface (GUI) capability that lets you perform operations by moving the icon of an object with the mouse into another window or onto another icon. For example, files can be copied or moved by dragging them from one folder to another. icons representing the different applications to their place in the Pipelines. Each Pipeline consists of any combination of linked processes and allows users to have custom settings for each process within the Pipeline. The workflow can then be set to pause at specific steps for manual operations and to pass through others using a set of default or defined operational steps. An unlimited number of Pipelines can be linked together so that workflows can converge. Other key features include an advanced messaging system Software that provides an electronic mail delivery system. It is made up of the following functional components, which may be packaged together or independently. Mail User Agent that continuously updates users about the status of their files; error logs and queues to help manage problem files; and holding "baskets," that pause at user-specified intervals for operator intervention. Third-Party Applications Over 65 progressive electronic prepress and computer companies belong to the Adobe OPEN Developer Program. Membership in the program gives third-party firm access to the OPEN Software Developer Kit, which describes three tiers of OPEN "awareness," or compliancy com·pli·an·cy n. Compliance. Noun 1. compliancy - a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others complaisance, obligingness, compliance, deference . Each tier provides a different level of interaction for the developers to link their applications to the OPEN system. The companies are at various stages in the development of their OPEN Aware(TM) products. Pricing and Availability The Adobe OPEN automated production workflow environment is available immediately worldwide from Certified Adobe OPEN Prepress Dealers for a suggested retail price of $4,495 (U.S.). System Requirements To be used efficiently, all computer software needs certain hardware components or other software resources to be present on a computer system. These pre-requisites are known as (computer) system requirements and are often used as a guideline as opposed to an absolute rule. For maximum system performance, it is recommended that OPEN run on a dedicated workstation. System specifications for process applications will vary depending upon the individual application's requirements. The recommended system configuration for Adobe OPEN software is any Apple(R) Macintosh(R) Quadra(R) series or greater computer, including Power Macintosh See Power Mac. (computer) Power Macintosh - Apple Computer's personal computer based on the PowerPC, introduced on 1994-03-14. Existing 680x0 code (both applications and device drivers) run on Power Macintosh systems without modification via a Motorola 68LC040 emulator. (R), running System 7.5 with 16MB of RAM and 500MB of unused hard drive disk space. The minimum configuration must include a Macintosh(R) Series II computer with System 7.1 or later, at least 9MB of RAM available to OPEN, and a 120MB hard drive. The OPEN program is compatible with most popular networks, servers and routers. For more information about Adobe OPEN software or to obtain information about other Adobe prepress products, customers should call the Adobe Prepress Group at 800/685-OPEN. Adobe Systems Incorporated, founded in 1982, is headquartered in Mountain View, California For the census-designated place, see Mountain View, Contra Costa County, California. For other places called "Mountain View", see . Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city gets its name from the views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. . Adobe develops, markets and supports computer software products and technologies that enable users to create, display, print and communicate electronic documents. The company licenses its technology to major computer, printing and publishing suppliers, and markets a line of application software and type products for authoring visually rich documents. Additionally, the company markets a line of powerful, but easy to use, products for home and small business users. Adobe has subsidiaries in Europe and the Pacific Rim serving a worldwide network of dealers and distributors. Adobe's 1994 revenue was approximately $598 million. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: Adobe, the Adobe logo, OPEN, OPEN Aware, OPI (Open Prepress Interface) An extension to PostScript that provides color separations. It was developed by Aldus Corporation, which was later acquired by Adobe. , Color Central, PostScript, PressWise and TrapWise are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated or its subsidiaries and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Apple, Quadra, Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective holders. CONTACT: Burke & Associates Barbara Burke, 206/938-8827 http://www.adobe.com/ |
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