Securing pre-press workflow

Key requirements of a secure data process are cost effectiveness and usability with modern electronic scanning and reading equipment, such as Copapharm Europe's PA:CT (Packaging Certified Technology).

Based on certified PDF (Portable Document Format) technology, PA:CT offers simple data handling, an overview of document history, high data integrity, the use of certified profiles and "good-for-printing" PDF files that can be directly used for production.

Potential errors that could cause a production halt later on in the production process can be avoided with this technology and so Copapharm recommends its early application.

The need for accuracy applies where packaging has gone through several changes or developments, as it is vitally important, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, that the process is traceable.

In the mid-1990s the printing industry entered the digital world as pre-press data could be transferred in digital form, but the incoming data could be corrupted and inaccurate and unsuitable for packaging production.

To complicate matters, the pharmaceutical industry did not allow any changes in files received by the packaging printer, and so these would have to be reworked and sent again.

The creation therefore of a good print-ready PDF requires the implementation of pre-flight tools as early on as possible.

Companies that belong to the Copapharm group have been installing PA:CT for validation periods during the last 18 months to ensure a more optimised and secure workflow.

"With this sophisticated technology the suppliers and brand owners can now optimise and secure the whole pre-press process,"​ said Copapharm's Thomas Wahl, a system administrator and pre-press specialist at August Faller in Germany.

"PA:CT provides complete traceability throughout the whole process from design to print, including prepress - a key point in a complex pharmaceutical workflow."​

According to Copapharm all the packaging printer requires is PA:CT, and the artwork creator only needs PitStop/InstantPDF provided by Enfocus - an Artwork Systems brand - as well as trained personnel and clearly defined processes between the partners to obtain a workflow with complete security and traceability.

Getting a PDF that has been certified and pre-flighted with an agreed standard profile guarantees the quality required for printing.

For the data receiver, a cost-free plug-in called StatusCheck is all that is necessary to decide if a PDF can be used for production or not.

Every change at every step of the process is logged in a document history or edit log and this is of particular importance in an industry where errors could truly have life or death consequences.