Tags: Enfocus PitStop

* A new way to centrally control Enfocus PitStop Pro settings in a collaborative workflow environment

Enfocus announces PitStop Workgroup Manager, a brand-new and significant efficiency tool that has been developed to simplify the use of Enfocus PitStop Pro in multi-user collaborative working environments.

PitStop Pro is designed to operate as a standalone desktop application, but in practice it is also often used in workgroups where people need to collaborate. This means different team members wish to share Preflight Profiles, Action Lists, Workspaces, etc while the team manager needs to control the settings that are used. Although it’s easy to export the PitStop Pro Action Lists and Preflight Profiles for import by other users, there has been no way to manage this across a workgroup from a single central point and make sure that everybody only uses the latest settings.

New way to manage big teams

PitStop Workgroup Manager solves this issue. Released at the same time as the new PitStop Pro 10, the Workgroup Manager runs on a central computer and allows one person to control the allocation of settings. It also manages the PitStop Pro licenses by acting as a license server for Floating Licenses. For each licensed PitStop Pro copy in the local area network, PitStop Workgroup Manager can automatically be used to distribute settings like Preflight Profiles, Action Lists, Global Changes, output intents, Workspaces and color preferences.

“Every company having a large number of installed PitStop Pro copies can benefit from the advantages of installing the Workgroup Manager,” explains Elli Cloots, Enfocus Director of Product management. “Our goal in developing it was to make life easier for our larger volume customers. They can now manage their settings in a central way, which will help them to save a lot of time compared with doing this manually on every station.”

Standardization through central settings

The PitStop Workgroup Manager also enables large companies to apply policies to certain groups, Cloots adds: “As a head of a department, you can ensure that a certain group uses only certain settings. You may also want to prohibit users from changing these settings or perhaps prevent them from creating new settings. It allows you to work in a very standardized way without confusion and to simplify your group’s work and communication efforts.”

Availability and pricing

PitStop Workgroup Manager is supplied when purchasing a Floating License for PitStop Pro 10. A Floating license allows the installation of unlimited copies of PitStop Pro across a network, but only a certain number can be used simultaneously. The user pays for a certain number of Floating Licenses, for instance five or ten, with a progressive discount.

Enfocus PitStop Workgroup Manager will become commercially available together with the PitStop Pro 10 release in October 2010, with Floating License packages of Enfocus PitStop Pro 10. For pricing contact your preferred reseller, email sales@enfocus.com or consult the Enfocus website at www.enfocus.com.

About the PitStop PDF preflighting tools

Enfocus PitStop Pro is a long established and widely used PDF editing and preflighting application. It runs as a plug-in to Adobe^® Acrobat^® and includes manual and automatic content editing tools for text, graphics and other elements. The preflight checking, editing and fixing can be semi-automated by the use of Action Lists and QuickRuns. It is now being upgraded to PitStop Pro 10, with improved color management, new user-requested features, and expanded collaborative working tools.

About Enfocus

Enfocus provides modular and affordable tools safeguarding job quality and enabling automation throughout the complete production chain. Innovative solutions improve communication between design and production while enhancing productivity and predictability through automation of routine tasks.

Step-by-step deployment dramatically increases added value without forcing users to completely rethink their way of doing business. Well-known brands include Instant, PitStop and Switch.

Enfocus is a business unit of EskoArtwork and has its headquarters in Gent, Belgium.

About EskoArtwork

EskoArtwork is a global supplier and integrator of innovative solutions for packaging, commercial printing, sign and display finishing and professional publishing. Its products and services help customers raise productivity, reduce time-to-market, lower costs and expand business.

EskoArtwork employs around 950 people worldwide. Its global sales and support organization covers Europe, the Americas and the Asia Pacific, and is completed by a network of distribution partners in more than 40 countries.

EskoArtwork is headquartered in Gent, Belgium, and has R&D and manufacturing facilities in 5 European countries, the United States, China and India. The consolidated full year financials ended for 2009 with revenue of EUR 145 million and an EBITDA of EUR 23 million.