05.31.2022
Adobe today announced Adobe PDF Print Engine 6. The new release builds on Adobe’s 40-year history of transforming the graphic arts. Version 6 includes new features that will unleash the power of emerging technologies, standards and workflows. While commercial printing continues its recovery from the business impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, industrial printing continues its rapid growth with the development of innovative applications that harness the power of inkjet in new ways. The capabilities in PDF Print Engine 6 will empower all print segments, delivering exceptional print quality, maximum efficiency and increased automation with print-time decisions based on job intelligence.
PDF Print Engine 6 is optimized and updated to take full advantage of the latest system hardware and imaging science. The new color features in version 6 will accelerate the adoption of spectral colors by brand owners, and increase market traction for single-inkset production workflows, driving both digital and analogue presses. Prepress operators can leverage and precisely control the full color palette available on press, for vivid and accurate reproduction of corporate brand colors, graphics and images. The reduced switching overhead between jobs will save time and money, especially as average run-lengths continue to decline.
What’s new in Adobe PDF Print Engine 6
– Streamlined ECG Processing (Expanded Color Gamut). Single-stage, high-performance color conversions for efficient and precise output to presses running Orange and/or Green and/or Violet inks (OGV) in addition to CMYK process inks.
– Spectral Brand Colors. The new spectral module will process spectrally defined spot colors so that they can be seamlessly color managed with other job elements.
– Sophisticated Image Re-sampling. When resizing an image, a powerful new algorithm will generate optimized color values for derived pixels.
– Integrated Graphics and Manufacturing. Advanced methods to manage and automate post-press and inline embellishments such as varnish and foils, along with other non-graphic elements, and converting dielines.
– Derived planes/plates. Varnishes and white underprints can be dynamically auto-generated from job elements at run-time.
– Enhanced variable printing. In conjunction with the Mercury scalability architecture, PDF Print Engine 6 delivers enhanced support for Variable Data Print (VDP) and variable product print workflows that can scale to drive any press at its rated speed.
Availability
PDF Print Engine 6 will be distributed to Adobe’s print partners in June 2022. Products built on version 6 are expected to become available later this year.