AlfaQuest Technologies Releases Ink Optimizer

By: E&P Staff An ink optimizer module is now available for the PrintExpress Consolidated Production Management (CPM) system from alfaQuest Technologies, Rolling Meadows, Ill.

After analyzing color pages during rasterization to determine cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink saturation, optimization replaces, where appropriate, color inks with less expensive black ink. The optimizer is "designed to reduce color ink costs by 20 to 30%," alfaQuest Systems Technology Director Frank O'Hearn said in a statement.

Producing color ink savings as high as 40%, depending on page content, the optimizer can provide a return on investment cost in months without sacrificing quality, according to alfaQuest.

An integrated PrintExpress module, the optimizer adds no overhead to file processing. It accepts PostScript or PDF files.