Hybrid Software Showcases Order Lifecycle Print Management Products at Graph Expo 2012

Seamless connectivity between orders, MIS, and production systems provides more efficient production workflows for printing companies


At Graph Expo 2012, Hybrid Software (booth #254) will showcase its range of Order Lifecycle Management (OLM) software solutions. Developed to provide easy, comprehensive connectivity between web-to-print, MIS, and production systems, OLM software solutions can help streamline production and improve production efficiencies.

As print buyers reduce inventories and employ just-in-time practices, the printing industry is seeing reduced job run lengths, along with a concurrent increase in the number of individual jobs. The greater acceptance of digital print (by both printers and customers) has accelerated this trend, and has also increased the need for jobs to be processed as efficiently as possible to assure profitability.

At the same time, the nature of orders for premedia and print has evolved. In addition to traditional quotations and print bidding, companies now receive orders from sources such as web-to-print portals, online search engines, and computerized EDI procurement systems. Hybrid Software's OLM products address the entire production workflow, from online ordering to delivery, integrating with most popular MIS systems, databases, and production systems. Rather than requiring extensive, customized software development from IT consultants, Hybrid Software solutions provide "integration as a product": all the tools to make the process easier for inhouse IT departments to map data and implement cohesive production systems.

New applications featured at Graph Expo

Hybrid Software's announcements at Graph Expo include the worldwide launch, this month, of Pipeline v2.0, an integration application that allows users to easily share job information from a wide range of otherwise disparate and disconnected graphic arts production systems, such as web-to-print portals, MIS/ERP systems, and premedia workflows. Pipeline v2.0 connects directly to third-party applications that use databases and makes it possible for users to share data from each system to avoid duplication data entry. By interfacing directly with all production systems, it ensures that a change in one system--such as a software upgrade or database schema change--is self-contained and does not affect other production systems.

Hybrid Software will also demonstrate its new Taskforce Scheduler, a highly configurable scheduling system for prepress and graphics production that integrates with MIS and ERP systems to download a feed of jobs and due dates. It then maps available resources to insure that the jobs are produced on time with the available manpower and equipment.

Graph Expo is also the venue of the first North American demonstration of Proofscope Live, an online tool for remote softproofing and, uniquely, remote file corrections and last-minute changes.

Hybrid Software announces new partnerships

Hybrid Software will be supporting the use of their print management technologies as front end systems for two major digital engine vendors, OKI Data Americas (booth #2844) and Xeikon (booth #2238). The systems provide full production management for digital printers including order management, production ticketing, graphics management, production output, archiving, and reporting.

Complete OLM product line on display

In addition, Hybrid will also demonstrate all of the other pieces from its complete OLM product line:

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