According to Imaging Solutions’ CEO Rainer Bauer, the print quality that can be reached on real photo paper is still unbeatable: "I am convinced that real photo paper goes far be-yond the level that can be achieved with alternative on-demand printing processes. For this reason, the new value added photo products offer a high potential especially for photofinishers, because no one else can provide such outstanding workflows for the processing of photo paper; no one else has gathered so much experience with the production of print products of the smallest possible number – i.e. one single copy.
With our PURUS concept, we are offering our customers the possibility to produce the new print products in the same outstanding quality that has already proven its su-periority with digital images: true purePhoto quality."
For this reason Imaging Solutions is developing, under the PURUS concept, solutions for the efficient production of value added photo products, including both the required software applications in the workflow suite and the high-speed printers that are the heart of the production workflow. On the laboratory side, the data collected by the Internet front ends is received by the webGate software and converted into the laboratory file standard. webGate is seamlessly integrated to the front end solutions from futureLAB and Album printers. An open XML interface allows for simple adaptation to connect to other front end solutions as well. pageCreate is the software component that improves the actual image data with the state-of-the-art image enhancement software Enhance. Fonts are rendered with high-quality algorithms. Then the images and texts are combined on the templates selected by the customer and the single pages are put together to form orders and batches for the exposure. This process is controlled by the Workflow Manager workControl, as is the production of all purePhoto value added products.
On the equipment side, Imaging Solutions presents the wide format printer widePrint that produces up to 6,000 pages per hour in the full A4 format – a highly productive solution for the creating photo book or photo calendar pages and greet-ing cards. The new post card device fastCard 9500 allows the automatic production of individualized photo post cards. Up to 9,500 photo prints per hour in the 4" format are automatically glued with a pre-printed back side, and then cut to the true size. As an additional part of the PURUS family, Imaging Solutions is continuing the development of a system to allow the production of complete book blocks for photo books using real photo paper in capacities consistent with market require-ments.
pilotLab in Regensdorf
This autumn Imaging Solutions will open its pilot laboratory "pilotLab" at the headquarters in Regensdorf, Switzerland, where the whole workflow of the PURUS system will be shown in practice. This fully functional laboratory will be used for practical demonstration of central laboratory systems and for training of our customer’s staff. The R&D engineers of the Swiss high-tech specialist will test new devices and systems here to refine products and optimize production workflows. pilotLab can also act as OEM supplier for Imaging Solutions’ customers. Those who have not yet installed their own production lines for value added photo products can order photo books, photo calendars, post and greeting cards to be pro-duced at pilotLab. This way, they can gain experience with the new products and test business concepts prior to committing to invest capital.