'Coeur d'Alene Press' implements Fusion Systems Workflow

By: E&P Staff Hagadone Newspapers' Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) Press has chosen Workflow ESP from Fusion Systems International, Portland, Ore., to automate its prepress production workflow.

Press management realized last year a need to automate prepress workflow to better handle its completely new printing operation, which includes an ECRM computer-to-plate device, custom CIP3 ink keying, and five Goss Magnum press towers with a Quadtech Autotron register guidance system.

CIP3 integration, press-accurate proofs, and full automation were key factors that swayed in the choice of workflow. Fusion's ESP ROOM-based workflow is now at the heart of the new operation, helping it produce the daily and Sunday papers, as well as special sections for different editions.

Fusion Systems' DotLock proofing technology generates press-accurate proofs with the same RIPped data, and at the same time, as the high-resolution plating data files. As pages are RIP'd, thumbnails are automatically posted to an embedded Web server that is accessible to production, advertising and editorial staffers. The Website automatically organizes thumbnails by publication date and section. A click on a thumbnail icon opens a post-RIP color composite PDF image generated from plate separations.

With Workflow ESP, the Press can RIP and proof individual pages prior to page pairing, allowing it to catch and correct mistakes early in the production process, since the proofs they see on screen or on paper are made directly from the same dots that image the printing plate.

Fusion Systems also is helping with a phased implementation of automation for daily and tab publications. Automation is achieved through Fusion's Dynamic Job Routing in conjunction with DynaGram Automate software. Dynamic Job Routing's filtering algorithms route fully RIP'd individual page files into automated imposition or page-pairing queues, where Automate pairs pages as they are available.

As part of the implementation, Fusion Systems worked with Goss engineers to customize and automate creation of CIP3 PPF output to the new Goss GWC-NP ink-keying system. Fusion claims the only Harlequin RIP CIP3 implementation able to achieve this level of automation with the Goss system.