Sydney, Australia, July
28, 2005 - LithoTechnics Pty Limited (www.lithotechnics.com)
today announced the release of Metrix® version 1.6, a free
update for all Metrix users. Metrix, the first truly automatic
layout calculator for commercial printers, was recently honored
with the prestigious 2005 InterTech™ Technology Award from
the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical
Foundation (PIA/GATF). Version 1.6 adds significant features
to enhance user productivity and integration with prepress
systems.
Metrix 1.6 addresses one of the most common
production issues that occur at the last minute - when the
artwork arrives. Artwork files for 4-page and 6-page products
are sometimes supplied as reader spreads, a single page for
each side of the product. In Metrix 1.6, such products can
be planned as a 4-page or 6-page, but if the art arrives as
reader spreads the user can simply set one property and Metrix
will automatically tailor the Preps® template to suit.
For such situations Metrix creates a single independent page
and, where there is room, automatically places line marks
around the product indicating the location of the folds.
"These days turn-around times are so tight
that to be competitive commercial printers require all the
assistance technology can offer," says Rohan Holt, LithoTechnics
founder. "Any job that needs extra attention, for instance
to reformat artwork files or to manually modify prepress templates,
can seriously detriment overall production - especially when
gang printing dozens or even hundreds of jobs every day. LithoTechnics
is committed to continually enhancing Metrix with features
that streamline such issues."
Other enhancements in 1.6 include popup menus
which provide shortcuts to commonly used features, such as
aligning products on the sheet.
Commenting about the new features, Richard
Bowers of Indexx Inc., Greenville, South Carolina, says "Metrix
1.5 has allowed us to save time by creating the layouts once
and passing the Preps template onto Prepress. The new updates
in Metrix 1.6 will allow us to save even more time in Prepress."
About LithoTechnics
LithoTechnics is a privately held company founded in 2003 by Rohan Holt. Holt is the original inventor of SuperImpose™, the product that was adapted and renamed UpFront® when it was acquired by ScenicSoft in 1999. Metrix, LithoTechnics' flagship product, received the prestigious 2005 PIA/GATF InterTech™ Technology Award, recognized industry-wide as a symbol of technological innovation and excellence. Based south of Sydney, Australia, LithoTechnics is a software company focused on providing key tools and technologies to enable print workflow automation. LithoTechnics is a full member of the CIP4 Organization.
