COUNTDOWN TO DRUPA: ESKO

Esko is co-exhibiting at drupa with sister businesses X-Rite, Pantone and Enfocus, as the company focuses on giving the market solutions for ultra-short turnarounds.

Integrating pre-press departments with the supply chain will be a key focus for the company at the expo, where it will launch Esko Cloud. This will connect all production, while integrating all aspects of the job into one cloud-based system.

All existing assets will be able to be leveraged into the cloud, with Esko saying it is taking customers on a technology journey into the cloud and on to AI. The open architecture platform will integrate with third parties. It is also developing an Innovation Lab, which will develop AI.

Esko is also engaged on a new collaboration with HP Indigo, which it says will enable customised packaging at scale.

Also new at drupa from Esko will be Job Onboarding, a new solution connecting the brand owner to the converter.

Esko will have new screen technology for its CDI Crystal flexo platemaker, which will run at a higher speed, and says it will bring gravure-like quality to flexo printing. CDI Crystal platemakers that have been installed in the last two years will be field upgradable.

Pantone will launch Autura, a new cloud-based ink formulation that it says is quick, easy, and for non-experts. It will also release a private library manager in Pantone Live.