EskoWorld 2017 Review

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1 EskoWorld 2017 Review By Catherine Haynes It's May 9th, first day of EskoWorld 2017 with more than 500 Esko users in attendance! Esko's President, Udo Panenka, opened with an overview of Esko's Vision. Esko has been with Danaher for more then 6 years as part of the growing Product Identification Group. During this time X-rite, Pantone, VideoJet and Laetus have joined this group and soon AVT will too. The group's key focus is servicing the Packaging Value Chain: concept design package design printing retail and distribution Esko's main directive is focusing on the "consumer experience". Asking Brand Owners what really matters to them, it could be narrowed down to 3 key points: Growth, Compliance and Cost. While these are not really new or surprising to hear, Udo stressed the focus of this EskoWorld is to identify current and new solutions that specifically address these pain points. Better Packaging - more attractive, targeted Consistent Quality - across packaging sources, more variations and faster Omni-Channel Consumer Experience - users experience with packaging across different media Studies showing that the Printing Industry lags behind other manufacturing industries in defined management processes, affirms Esko's vision to Simplify Packaging will help arm our industry to improve and grow. Udo's take of must-see's for EskoWorld 2017: Esko Platform for Brands - managing packing in an omni-channel environment Studio & Keyshot - exciting photo-realistic packaging shots Pre-confirgured WebCenter & Automation Engine - best simplified label workflow As with previous years, this EskoWorld includes 2.5 days of over 75 sessions touching on product roadmaps, focused product and solution presentations, hands-on labs, and Esko's software interaction room with partner table tops. Topics will address digital flexo, commercial print, digital finishing, packaging, structural design, 3D design and brand management. If you were not able to attend this year's event, consider making it a priority for EskoWorld 2018.

2 Session Reviews Color Management, Proofing & RIPs Roadmap Esko continues their focus to introduce more color management in Automation Engine workflow and for more lights out automation. By incorporating more user guided wizards and interfaces they further they strive to improve product simplification while introducting more connectivity and more artificial intelligence. In April of this year, with the release of IE , new performance, memory and quality improvements were made available. o An option to compensate for outline thickness (noticeable when migrating from FlexRIP) o Esko screening model - when used with transparency objects - can choose Esko or Adobe model for handling overlapped images o Auto dot removal - especially helpful for flat top plates o highline XM screening - transition HL effect - autoblend screening now available PackProof - integrated color accurate proofing solution - updated drive server Equinox - ecosystem of products - Editors, proofing, AE, color books Roadmap o Color Pilot 16.1 Unification Color management for digital printing profile creation for press - Equinox profile creator color management for proofing updated dashboard interface o PackProof 16.1 redesign of GUI - wizards - walk you through proofer setup, spot color optimization new interface for editing color strategies redesign of GUI - the Picker - content changes based on what you are doing redesign GUI for color conversion options algorithmic improvements unified profiles to calculate spot colors over process colors unified device links - less memory and faster generic linearization files to simplify linearization process o Color Preflight NEW New AE task - color preflight to predict color for digital printing - new AE module can pick path/build that yields best delta-e to cost/click ratio process can be automated o Equinox in Adobe Illustrator - in pre-release convert lineart to CMYKOGV extended gamut (or to CMYK) o IE platform release Nov 2017 prepare for viewing - in-rip instead of post-rip client server viewer roadmap - used in AE, cross-platform, HTML5 web version is planned auto prepare files for viewing

3 new screening for crystal and XPS Plato screening - can be set for each object or continuous through entire S&R Esko Forum - Support Community now has IDEAs community AE Roadmap Why automate? - accuracy (compliancy, regulation, inventory) and diversity (shorter turn arounds, marketing, personalization) o reduces touch point, one-up prep, production, QC, integration, prepress management New in 16 o Device Manager - linking AE with CDI and Kongsberg - tracking, reporting, planning, controlling and organizing semi automatic merge - merge proposals beam selection info added due date added last minute changes - edits (rotation, beam selection optimization) partial plates o Automation Simplification no human interaction required to prep LEN for exposure = repeatable processes no human interaction required to merge separations on a CDI plate accurate cutting workflow o Integrated and automated QC o improvements to delays in DeviceManager and some corrugated improvements Future Focus o Platemaking automation Automation of Stagger cut line creation PlatePatcher in AE o Summer - simplification and UX addressing challenges - adding standardized workflow best in class examples starting with WebCenter for Labels & AE for Labels o 16.1 release in November - simplified UX is big change - modern, intuitive & UI wizard driven o Future: Adding new device for DeviceManager - need SDK to work with company automated color preflight for HP Indigo - defining most efficient way for process digital print layout estimation - optimally mix items in layout for digital and conventional printing expand AE Connect to support other forms like JSON linking different AE systems - enable better sharing & collaboration between sites, enable resource pooling, enable multi-site products/jobs/workflow sync site via closed Esko Cloud

4 Studio Roadmap Focus: o complex shapes o substrate variety o special inks and finishes, brad colors o cost, time & regulatory pressures New in Studio & Toolkits o User Experience faster more accurate composition nudge, snap, lift up, drop down, views print area in technical drawing seal crimping dedicated operations can save custom operations and share and reuse operations - reduces errors & saves time o Realism new substrates - canvas textured & wrinkled foil, kraft paper & fiber textured paper, extra matte & high gloss options added improved quality and accuracy of shrink sleeves - shrink can be smaller than object Key Shot (~$1K) - rendering engine create photo-realistic packaging images (released April 2017) renders depth of field (can change focal object) renders type of liquids can see reflection of nearby object in an object fast, easy & user friendly big with brand owner renders images and movies but not a 3-D file Adobe - Felix - similar to Key Shot but in beta o Sharing share Studio Viewer for ios includes all visualizer quality effects - substrates & print effects cloud storage augmented reality files in the future quick & easy movies - image sequences that allow user to incorporate custom call outs Studio & Toolkits Wish list and Ideas o automation - higher realism, automatic pack shots, more view setting for perfectly framed pack shots o sharing (interactive 3D) - cloud solution to upload and review 3D results (Esko hosted), visualizer quality on Android App, floor shadows on all viewers, more augmented reality features (AR on WebCenter viewer, HTML5 web viewers, custom trackers, track-less, multiple trackers) o output - compressed movie export straight from Studio, more types of animation, more integration with Key Shot and others

5 o o o modeling (rigids) - help to visualize content, better labeling tools or existing 3D models, more tools to create right containers with labels modeling (cartons & flexibles) - bending tool in toolkit for boxes, better support for large compositions, more flexible/paper bags types artwork - technical drawings, import profiles for technical line types, more advanced conical distortion Store Visualizer Roadmap o view and interact o instantly see your new design on the shelf o test the visual impact in the environment where it all happens o Focus: o integration add complete pallets to a store pallets can be shopped down like a planogram import directly from WebCenter o realism added realism with real time rendering July Release better rendering of liquids and materials can modify parameters such as liquid level of fill reflection and refraction of light through materials and liquids, also from surrounding environment and products o sharing technology prototype - store walk-through in a browser looking for feedback from users on if this is useful and what it should look like or how it should work how do you move through a store? how do you navigate? how can the interact with items? how to guide user to interact in the environment? o Visualizer Wish list and Ideas layout mode category management modifying a store shopping simulation consumer insights viewing over the web animation and environmental interaction

6 AE Products / Milestones / Notifications Notifications - task completion status o set up roles for internal and external completion of tasks o notification of completion status of task o notification is create for each ticket o notification can be ed, create or extend xml Milestone - tracking job status o a milestone in the life of a job o can track status of the job o visual way of tracking status o integratabtle with external systems o use milestone to filer for status of jobs Products - artwork database o one up graphics stored in AE database o long term recurring file o represents a stock keeping unit (SKU) o a product part is one piece of the final precept Editors Roadmap current editors o PackEdge & Plato - Windows o DeskPack & AI - Windows & Mac o ArtPro - Mac o ArtPro+, Neo and Preflight future editors o DeskPack and ArtPro+ - Windows and Mac ArtPro is a PDF Editor o Vision - keep it native PDF (not normalized) to retain movies and other unique items of PDF o Improve User Experience incorporates bread crumbs that allow you to understand the components and how they were created - may be PDF from a source like AI, InDesign, Word. etc incorporates clean up tools to help users simplify a file to make it easier to select items object browser to assist user in navigating elements in a document enhanced InstantTrapper functionality improved auto trapping for difficult objects like soft masks and opacity packaging preflight - more packaging checks place CAD graphics & flap prioritization Action List to automate repetitive tasks (Oct 2017) add S&K functionality stagger cut (2018) improved dynamic marks and report maker template DeskPack - AI Design

7 Vision - solution for standard design app, short learning curve, linked and integrated to Esko platform, template driven artwork creation, continued improvements for automation standalone Preflight that can share between DeskPack, ArtPro+ and AutomationEngine o new packaging specific checks artwork creation with dynamic content o can export SML content to Illustrator o WebCenter content management function within Dynamic Table tool added Extract o button to transfer data from one table style to a new table style (i.e. nutrition facts) o doesn t need to be created by a dynamic table o does need to be line text Future release for OCR on outline type FlexoTools - new repeparate filter - black generation filter - maximal K (GCR) or minimal K (no GCR) DGC support in Ink Manager, Screening and Viewer plugins Roadmap o end of annotations workflow o Future release - OCR on outline type, more packaging checks, trapping improvements, 3rd party barcode recognition, Equinox plugin for AI, new Canadian nutrition facts label, custom tables