The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ, automates production with ProImage NewsWay workflow

- Increases efficiency

- Manages page volumes other systems could not handle

- Keeps track of enterprise-wide plate usage

Princeton, NJ – 20th January, 2008: ProImage has today announced that The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ, has successfully installed its browser-based NewsWay workflow automation and transmission management software.

The ProImage solution manages the entire print production workflow for The Star-Ledger, Newark and The Times, Trenton together with their remote print sites in Piscataway and Montville, NJ.

NewsWay software increases efficiency for the newspaper by monitoring the production of pages from the front-end systems through to imposition, RIPs and CTP equipment - all the way to the delivery drop-off point in the pressroom, and reports on end-to-end progress.

The ProImage solution was selected for its ability to handle The Star-Ledger’s large throughput of pages, its ability to be completely configured to meet the newspapers unique needs, and its ease-of-use.

NewsWay also keeps track of plates locally, in Newark, where previously it was necessary to rely on plate staff at the remote sites to report on what has been accounted for - or is missing.

The Star-Ledger is the eighth Advance Newspapers’ property to have implemented NewsWay to enhance its print production efficiency.

Providing integration from front-end to the press:

For The Star-Ledger NewsWay automates workflow management, production tracking, softViewing, annotation, conferencing, automated event notification, furniture and text burning on to plates, deadline monitoring, priority scheduling, a plate editor and pasteboard and TCP/IP transmission.

Features that have been configured to meet its needs include the ability to import a text file from Layout 8000 to automatically create edition plans with support for multiple zones and provide edition planning and tracking.

Comprehensive production reports are automatically produced by the NewsWay Reporting module, allowing special reports to be created by the newspaper’s own staff.

At the print sites:

At the remote print sites NewsWay provides imposition, page pairing, rotation, cropping and color locking, making sure that plates for the same page are sent to the same CTP device, ensuring maximum color quality and then load balances the CTP machines. It then burns a barcode on to the page image for plate sorting purposes and interfaces to the barcode reader to obtain plate status information from the plate bender.

NewsWay will also automatically calculate ink coverage by column for each page and print out the computed results. These values are input manually and can be transmitted automatically into the press controls systems once upgraded to increasing throughput efficiency.

Due its browser-based technology, authorized users may use the software to check on progress from anywhere, without the need for additional user licenses.