As IT manager at Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Print-Tech Inc., Steven and others at the company had been using PagePath's Launch in the late 1990s, when the software was fairly limited in terms of functionality.

At the same time, they began using Enfocus Software products such as Pit Stop. Even though they saw the possibilities with Instant PDF—a tool for generating press-ready PDFs—at that time, they didn't think it would fit into their workflow.

"We'd been searching for a solution, and when Instant PDF was first released, I thought it had nice features for the end user, but not many for us as a vendor," Steven said.

Then, last year, he chatted with someone at Enfocus about changes coming out in Version 3, and he saw the chance to finally integrate the application. "It really has made a large jump into our workflow perfectly," he said. "We feel that it gives us an edge."

Print-Tech's goal has always been to create a one-stop location for customers, Steven said. Since the company's main clientele is commercial accounts, a single customer can represent a great deal of business.

Because of this, Print-Tech has worked on being able to manage the whole life cycle of a project, instead of focusing on one aspect such as prepress and having the customer have to go to four or five different companies for the rest of the work.

To meet its goal of being an end-to-end print provider, Print-Tech has concentrated on perfecting its PDF workflow, hoping to stand out in a crowded printing industry with a streamlined, distinctive workflow that keeps customers coming back. But that doesn't mean the strategy has been free of challenges.

After Steven started at Print-Tech seven years ago, it took a while for PDFs to catch on at the company. When they were used, it was for soft proofs, just to show content. About four years ago, the firm started pushing PDFs for problematic files from applications like Word or Publisher, in order to reduce conflicts with the programs.

Now about 45 percent of incoming files are PDFs, running the gamut from traditional duping to 5-color offset. Steven said the larger aim is to be over 50 percent PDF and even PDF/X1A-compliant.

Click here to read about Enfocus' latest product updates.

"We can standardize and get PDF/X1A coming in, which will eliminate a lot of wasted time, and cut overtime," Steven said.

One of the largest changes to the workflow has been the integration of Enfocus CertifiedPDF.net. The integration with Instant PDF 3 taps into CertifiedPDF.net's potential, Steven said. Print-Tech publishes PDF queues, which have all the settings for controlling PDF quality, right to Certified PDF.net from Instant PDF.

"There was an issue before establishing this system of how to update the customer," Steven said. "As our profiles change, we wanted to push that out to the customer, but we'd have to rely on them to remember. Subsequently, we'd have to go out to customer sites or call them up to walk them through it."

Now, there's no need to disturb customers, since Instant PDF has an automatic update feature, Steven said.

Updates get pushed out, and customers can easily print and generate a certified PDF with errors fixed and push it back to Print-Tech's FTP server. From there, it's connected into the Xitron workflow, and processing begins automatically. From the time the customer hits print until the PDF is in Print-Tech's workflow is about 10 minutes.

"How can you have a simpler process for a customer?" Steven asked. "There's still some testing and fixing that we're doing, but basically we're making our customers' lives easier."

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