HYBRID Software, developer of innovative productivity tools for label & package printing, has launched Version 9.5 of its PACKZ and STEPZ packaging and label editors. Version 9.5 is a significant upgrade which includes several new technologies and numerous enhancements to improve operator productivity for digital, flexo, and offset printing of labels and packaging.
HYBRID Software’s new Colorspace color management technology is accessible from within both PACKZ and STEPZ, providing color consistency between different printing methods like flexo and digital printing as well as between different digital printing devices themselves. Its easy-to-use interface simplifies the process of high-quality color conversion and optimization of CMYK, RGB, multicolor and expanded gamut printing. The sophisticated technology uses spectral data, supports CxF/X-4 spot color definitions, and builds DeviceLink profiles on-the-fly with a high color accuracy across all printing methods, allowing packaging to be easily moved from flexo or offset printing to digital print production.
HYBRID Software’s Packzimizer now offers lane planning for efficient gang printing of roll-fed digital labels, while cut-and-stack labels that are printed in bulk on large sheets profit from the cost-effective block imposition with less wastage in cutting and finishing. The full complement of step and repeat solutions in PACKZ and STEPZ support all varieties of package printing and production methods while automating the layout process.
PACKZ 9.5 also marks the introduction of CAPTURE 3D, an optional expert application for shrink sleeve quality and 3D modeling. "We successfully showcased CAPTURE 3D at Labelexpo Brussels earlier this year, mapping 2D artwork to 3D modeling. With innovative technology of CAPTURE 3D, precise grid distortion can be performed in minutes instead of days, speeding up time to market while improving quality. And since CAPTURE 3D eliminates dead zones, shrink sleeves gain valuable real estate for increased visual appeal and brand awareness,” remarks Product Manager Pascal Wybo. PACKZ and STEPZ integrate with Capture 3D to display the compensation of artwork shrinkage live in a visually realistic 3D preview.
Last but not least, PACKZ’s industry-leading trapping technology, which compensates for unacceptable gaps between artwork elements during flexo printing, gets a major upgrade in PACKZ 9.5.
The Trap Rules feature models how artwork edges should be trapped and increase the efficiency and quality of trapping for both images and graphic elements in an interactive and automated prepress process.
