Hybrid Software launches variable data option

Hybrid Software has released a variable data printing (VDP) option for its Packz PDF editor and Cloudflow workflow suite that it is targeting at the labels and packaging markets.

Commercially available with immediate effect for users of Packz 5.0 and higher, Hybrid said the VDP option leverages its native PDF technology and ‘live objects’ controls for adding customised content to a PDF file.

The developer said its VDP tools eliminate the upfront template creation which slows down other VDP products on the market.

Hybrid’s VDP Prepare option can be used to turn any PDF package or label design into a VDP design by indicating which elements – text, barcodes, images or colours – are dynamic and linking those to a data source.

VDP Prepare displays all iterations of the design and features special tools for quality assurance.

Once the graphics are VDP-ready, Hybrid’s VDP Execute module is used to prepare an optimised PDF file that is ready for digital output.

Hybrid Software chairman Guido Van der Schueren said: “With the rapid adoption of digital presses for labels, cartons, and corrugated boxes, our customers needed a better solution for VDP preparation and output.

“We believe that the existing solutions on the market are far from optimal and this brings both ease of use and productivity. Our solution takes VDP over from the press side and into the pre-press side, which is where it belongs, and it is very fast compared to existing solutions in terms of printing speed.”

Van der Schueren added his company’s optimised PDF output is device independent and has been “extensively tested with the most common digital presses available today”.