Xitron, the leading independent developer of RIP and workflow products for commercial, digital, and high-speed inkjet printing has begun shipping the next generation of TIFF Catcher software – Raster Blaster Pro. Browser-based and accessible from any platform, Raster Blaster Pro was designed for CTP owners looking for more than “catch & release” functionality in plate production.
“After extensively researching our Raster Blaster user base of over 5,000 customers, we were able to determine a feature set that will have impact on over 70 percent of them,” said Jeffrey Piestrak, Xitron Product Manager. “In the process, I believe we’ve developed the first intelligent TIFF Catcher.”
Because it is browser-based, Raster Blaster Pro is accessible by any authorized user in the printing plant. “It doesn’t matter if they are on a Mac, a PC, a smartphone, a tablet, you name it,” Piestrak continued. “We’ve replaced the single access point that could facilitate production bottlenecks and made it simple to search, re-order, preview, release and re-plate jobs using a super intuitive GUI.”
Coupled with the release of Raster Blaster Pro, Xitron has also introduced B3, the Xitron Network Interface. Xitron revolutionized CTP interface technology in 2007 with the development of the USB “Blue Box,” which eliminated the need for PCI slots in computer platforms. With B3, Xitron has taken the next logical step and eliminated the need for a separate computer entirely.
“What we’ve done is embedded the Raster Blaster Pro software directly into the interface hardware,” explained Piestrak. “The (slightly) bigger blue box now sits on the network near the CTP engine and users operate it through their own desktops or mobile devices. If they prefer, they can even attach a touch-screen to the interface and still enjoy full functionality.”
Raster Blaster Pro and B3 are fully compatible with every CTP engine previously supported by Xitron’s catalog of USB interfaces, which includes output devices from Fujifilm, Screen, Agfa, Creo, Kodak, Heidelberg, and others. This means that current Raster Blaster users can take advantage of the increased functionality of Raster Blaster Pro through a simple upgrade process. Customers who still rely on PCI interfaces can migrate to a new package that includes B3 and Raster Blaster Pro.
“Even used CTP equipment is expensive,” said Piestrak. “As long as we continue to develop platforms that extend their lives and make them open to use by any prepress workflow, we can continue to save money for our customers and improve their profit outlook.”
