AFP document usage costs reduced

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Nov 15, 2005

Exstream Software's AFP Compare software substantially improves accuracy, saves time and reduces production costs in AFP document usage.

Exstream Software has announced the general availability of its AFP Compare software, a high-speed comparison solution for viewing two advanced function presentation (AFP) files side by side to verify output quality before production.

AFP Compare combines regression testing and proofing functions into a single solution, saving application development time by eliminating manual document testing; reducing printing and production costs by reviewing visual output electronically for quality assurance before running expensive production or print factory processes; and improving document accuracy with comparison precision down to a single printer element (PEL) for exact changes between AFP print streams.

AFP Compare allows companies to achieve these benefits by:.

* Visually comparing two AFP files side by side on screen, with a page in the middle that highlights the differences.

* Setting colour-coded change markers to quickly delineate differences between "before" and "after" pages.

* Masking areas from comparison to check for margin shift.

* Locking one file to a particular page while scanning the other file to find differences more quickly.

* Zooming in and out to more easily view document changes.

* Displaying resource names by placing the cursor over the text in question.

* Controlling comparison tolerance by adjusting the PEL sensitivity.

* Generating detailed comparison reports that describe document changes.

"AFP is often the document output format of choice for enterprises producing high-volume variable print applications because it was designed for high-speed print processing," said Tim Baxter, product manager at Exstream.

"With AFP Compare companies can easily verify that only what needed to be changed on the document was changed, which ensures accuracy and saves a tremendous amount of time in the AFP document development and testing process".

AFP Compare is available from Exstream as a stand-alone product, or as an optional module in the company's market-leading Dialogue enterprise personalisation software.

For more information on all of Exstream's AFP productivity solutions visit www.exstream.com and click on AFP Studio.