New SAi Flexi Cloud and SAi PhotoPRINT Cloud

 Flexisign & Photoprint  Comments Off on New SAi Flexi Cloud and SAi PhotoPRINT Cloud
Mar 012013
 

FlexicloudSA International (SAi), the leading provider of solutions for the professional signmaking, wide-format digital printing and CAD/CAM for CNC machining industries, has extended two of its most popular software packages to include useful web-based tools that enhance the way sign and print providers do business. SAi Flexi Cloud and SAi PhotoPRINT Cloud bring state-of-the-art, Internet-based capability to SAi’s best-known brands, while adding many useful functions.

SAi Flexi Cloud adds a new dimension to the feature-rich attributes of SAi’s leading sign making software, Flexi, which provides easy text layout and vinyl cutting packages that offer high production capabilities with cutting and printing tools. In addition, the new SAi PhotoPRINT Cloud increases the functionality of SAi’s PhotoPRINT RIP software, which offers an affordable, easy-to-use print-and-cut solution for wide-format print businesses.

Easily accessible via a Cloud Web Window that sits on a user’s desktop display, SAi Flexi Cloud and SAi PhotoPRINT Cloud have been introduced to meet the changing needs of sign and print providers. Both programs offer three important tools that enable users to enjoy greater versatility across production and job tracking, wherever they’re working:

  • Local and remote production information through Job Reports – a valuable feature that offers an easy way for business owners to view production information and trends. The Job Reports tool provides summary production information on completed projects, providing critical analytics on print-and-cut jobs, printer and media usage, as well as total production time on each job.
  • Cloud Storage – an on-line data hosting facility that provides sign and print businesses with 1GB of free storage for uploading and archiving design jobs for backup, sharing and retrieval as required. Accessible via an icon within the Cloud Web Window, this convenient feature also provides the platform architecture needed for future cloud-based business growth capabilities.
  • FlexiQuote™ – an innovative web-based tool that allows sign and print businesses to quickly and effectively create customer quotes for new jobs. FlexiQuote features a simple, user-friendly design, which comes pre-loaded with a database of standard media and their costs to rapidly and accurately configure pricing, while factoring in materials, labor, commissions, discounts and taxes. As such, the handy FlexiQuote ‘wizard’ overcomes the occasionally troublesome and time-consuming job quoting process faced by sign and print providers, and can give a customer quote within 30 seconds.

Information on the Go
In addition to Job Reports being viewable through the Cloud Web Window within SAi’s Flexi Cloud and PhotoPRINT Cloud solutions, SAi has created a free, companion mobile application that also provides businesses owners with remote access to valuable production information while on the road or away from the office. Known as the SAi Cloud mobile app, SAi is the first RIP manufacturer to offer such a mobile application, which is compatible with both Android and iPhone devices.

SAi’s Cloud Web Window also provides useful links to a growing number of other resources and content. These include media profiles, software updates, support information, and SAi’s dedicated social media channels, which feature informative training materials and videos.

“Our customers know us for simplifying and improving the way they do business, so we are delighted to once again lead the way when it comes to delivering innovative tools that meet these objectives,” says Dean Derhak, Product Director at SAi. “Providing vital, instantaneous information, whether in the office or on the go, SAi Flexi Cloud and SAi PhotoPRINT Cloud reflect the fast-pace at which business owners operate today.

“The result is design-through-production software that enhances efficiency and builds on the heritage of our best-known brands to deliver information to users, wherever they’re working,” concludes Derhak.

Boxes around drop shadows or transparencies

 Flexisign & Photoprint, Rip Software  Comments Off on Boxes around drop shadows or transparencies
Apr 182011
 

I see and get asked very regularly why sometimes in digital printing you get a different colored box around drop shadows, transparencies and sometimes masks.

The reason is because sometimes the printer rip software allows a different “rendering intent” to be selected for images (bitmap) to vector (spot colours) and quite often the rip software will even default these to be different settings for the 2 things.

Continue reading »

Communication lost between Flexi & Production manager

 Flexisign & Photoprint  Comments Off on Communication lost between Flexi & Production manager
Mar 222011
 

Flexisign can communicate with Production Manager (also known as Photoprint) both on the same computer or across the network to another computer. It’s important you understand what Production manager you are trying to connect to.

If you are connecting to a computer across the network then when you select the “rip and print” button of the top menu it should open up a new dialog box asking if you want to connect to the local computer (the one you are working on now) or across the network. If you select the network you should be able to see any running versions of Production manager on the network, select that computer and send jobs directly to that computer.

Couple of things to check: Continue reading »

Calibrating multiple identical printers in Photoprint 6v2

 Flexisign & Photoprint  Comments Off on Calibrating multiple identical printers in Photoprint 6v2
Mar 182011
 

We have found a bug within Photoprint v6 that has existed since the release of this version 6 relating to calibration when using multiple same printers. This problem will most likely exist in Flexisign although we have not at this stage tested this. I will post back to update as I know more.

When you have multiple printers using the same media or paper types it’s important to calibrate the media to each printer. We have however found that Continue reading »