Hybrid Printing
DigitalPrint Link enables offset and digital printing to work seamlessly together to improve efficiency in hybrid print production environments.
Combine Offset and Digital Printing
Use the right production technology for each job, without having to manage separate workflows.
For many print shops, combining offset and digital production is the answer to cost challenges and offers effective solutions for their deadlines and customer needs. However, managing two production environments can add complexity, especially when each relies on different workflows, processes, and operator expertise.
ECO3 helps unify offset and digital production through a unified prepress workflow, making it easier to manage different production technologies while maintaining consistent quality and control.
Assign the Right Job to the Right Press
APOGEE’s automation capabilities can use job information and predefined rules to route jobs to the appropriate production schedules. High-volume orders can be routed to offset printing, while digital jobs can be distributed among black-and-white and color digital presses.
Business outcome: Make better use of your equipment and reduce the manual effort involved in production decisions.
Manage shorter runs more efficiently
APOGEE intelligently combines print jobs to optimize press time while preserving the identity of each order, including finishing information.
For a hybrid print shop, this creates more opportunities to efficiently utilize available production capacity.
Business outcome: Maintain equipment productivity without losing control over individual customer orders.
A single workflow for offset and digital
APOGEE DigitalPrint Link connects digital presses to APOGEE Prepress, creating a unified hybrid prepress workflow and maintaining consistency.
Instead of managing offset and digital production separately, your team can oversee both through a single user interface. DigitalPrint Link also enables the sharing of resources such as normalizers, renderers, ICC profiles, and fonts throughout the workflow.
Business outcome: Simplify production management while maintaining consistency and retaining the flexibility to use the right technology for each job.
The Challenge: Two Production Worlds
- Separate prepress workflows
- Different job preparation processes
- Manual job routing
- Multiple operator interfaces
- Inconsistent production processes
- Deciding which technology is most efficient for a job
A hybrid printing workflow
Why ECO3?
The opportunity offered by hybrid printing lies in making offset and digital presses work together.
ECO3’s APOGEE workflow has been developed to support commercial printers as production environments evolve, integrating offset and digital production into a connected prepress workflow. APOGEE DigitalPrint Link provides a unified environment for managing traditional and digital presses, while APOGEE’s automation capabilities help printers make better use of available production resources.
The goal is simple:
To provide your team with a single workflow that offers the flexibility needed to use different production technologies.
Customers Using APOGEE for Hybrid Printing
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is hybrid printing?
Hybrid printing combines different production technologies—most commonly offset and digital—to give printers greater flexibility to match each job with the most appropriate production method.
- Why combine offset and digital printing?
Combining the two technologies allows printers to respond to different run lengths, turnaround requirements and customer needs while making better use of available production capacity.
- Can ECO3 manage offset and digital through one workflow?
Yes. APOGEE DigitalPrint Link connects digital presses to APOGEE Prepress, allowing traditional and digital production to be managed through a unified prepress workflow and user interface.
- Can ECO3 automate which press receives a job?
Yes. APOGEE's Automate Task Processor can use job information and predefined rules to route pages and orders to specific production plans.
- Can hybrid print production improve press utilization?
It can. By combining intelligent job routing and job combination with access to both offset and digital production, printers can make better use of available production resources.
- Does hybrid printing require a completely separate digital workflow?
Not necessarily. APOGEE DigitalPrint Link is specifically designed to connect digital presses with APOGEE Prepress, allowing digital and offset production to share a unified prepress environment.
- Can ECO3 support different digital press technologies?
APOGEE supports a range of digital production devices, with current releases continuing to expand device support.
Ready to Connect Your Offset and Digital Production?
Your customers don't care which press produces their job. They care that it is produced efficiently, consistently and on time. A connected hybrid workflow gives your team the flexibility to choose the right production technology without creating separate processes for every type of job.