SmartDFE™ brochure

Label and Package Printing
for the Smart Factory
2018
ScreenPro: recipient of a PIA
Intertech Technology Award 2018
PrintFlat: recipient of a PIA
Intertech Technology Award 2019
Direct: recipient of a Pinnacle
Intertech Technology Award 2021

Designed to be the heart of a fully automated manufacturing system, the SmartDFE will
transform the role of the digital press in the smart print factory of the future. Beginning with
label and packaging, the SmartDFE brings together in one powerful solution the creation of
optimized print-ready PDF files; workflow and job automation to connect with enterprise IT
systems; RIPping; screening; optimized image quality; and, via Harlequin ® Direct, it drives the
print data directly to the printheads at blistering speeds through Meteor Inkjet’s software and
electronics, or through Xitron’s Navigator DFE platform.
SMART BUSINESS SOFTWARE AND JOB
CREATION
Smart Job Creation
Nothing will stop an automated system faster than jobs that can’t
be printed without intervention. It is important to validate, correct
and prepare PDF files for smooth processing in a highly automated
print system. Stepz from HYBRID Software provides a professional
tool to prepare label and packaging PDFs.
Making a PDF ready for VDP, adding marks, correcting color
and preparing the digital step and repeat are all possible with a
single tool.
Smart Job Cost Estimator
The SmartJCE uses the same Harlequin Direct that drives
the SmartDFE. It calculates a very accurate estimate of the
ink, substrate and services for a given job. It will calculate the
per-item cost and the cost for the whole job. SmartJCE is
self-contained and doesn’t require any connection to your
print subsystem, or the internet. This makes it ideal when your
customers want to give a job cost indication on the road.
SMART PRODUCTION
Once the job has been created it will be passed to the smart
factory to be printed and manufactured. This will require
precise tracking of the item through the production process
and seamless connectivity between components in the smart
factory including the print subsystem. The Smart Print Controller
(SPC) brings together multiple powerful technologies to provide
automated control over the entire production process.
Smart Print Subsystem
Smart Production
Smart Job Creation and
Business Software
Inspection System
Ink Delivery
Smart Factory
MIS
Memjet Support
Head Temperatures
Cloud and AI
ERP
Smart Job Cost Estimation
Inkjet Printhead
Driver Electronics
Printer PLC
Remote
Monitoring
Order Fulfillment
Smart Job Creation
“Supporting Industry 4.0 and full automation”

Smart Workflow
CLOUDFLOW is an enterprise label and packaging workflow
system that is installed alongside the Smart Print Controller
to create advanced workflows. It is a compact, modern, and
modular system for running automated graphics production
workflows on a private or public computing cloud. More than
ever, your success is based on processing a larger quantity
of smaller orders, with the same number of employees and
equipment. This requires a new breed of automation tools.
knowledgeable press operators, however as print moves to be a
subsystem in a wider smart factory the skills of the operator will
change. The smart factory operator will know a much wider set
of technologies and will not have a depth of knowledge in print.
Artemis is the print operators AI, adding a highly skilled virtual
press operator to the Smart Print Controller. Artemis will train
machine learning models in the cloud and these will be deployed
to run locally offline in the SmartDFE applications. Artemis will
enable for instance smart predictive maintenance and job cost
estimations.
Smart Print Operator AI
Dedicated printing presses often require skilled and
JSON JSON JSON JSON JSON
Smart Print Controller (SPC) Smart Job Cost Estimator (JCE) Direct Benchmark ColorPro Makeready PrintFlat Create
Co-developed by all the companies in the Global Graphics Group

Smart Connectivity
The Smart Print Controller has integrated OPC UA (Unified
Architecture), communicating down to printer sub systems
and the production line, as well as up to the wider smart
factory. OPC UA is an open standard for information exchange
for industrial communication and is supported by the 800+
members of the OPC Foundation and deployed to over 50
million devices. It has a full encryption and security stack (secure
by design). Smart Print Controller can connect to existing
industry-standard SCADA, PLCs and components. as well as
powerful Industry 4.0 scenarios.
SMART PRINT SUBSYSTEM
Smart RIP Engine
To get maximum speed and complete job flexibility you need
to drive the print subsystem directly and in real time. The
SmartDFE contains a new generation of direct streaming RIP
engines (Harlequin Direct) that offer instant first page out (no
need to RIP ahead) - RIPping ahead to disk is not real-time
enough to be part of a SmartDFE. SmartDFE also contains
Direct QI adding support for camera-based, real-time quality
inspections systems, the same real-time streaming of rasters
but this time RGB for camera systems. Harlequin Direct is a
multi-core, multiple PC, ultra-high speed and massively scalable
RIP engine. The cost of multiple PCs can be kept low as
Harlequin Direct supports Linux as well as Microsoft Windows.
Harlequin Direct has no dependency on a third-party core RIP;
we have our own Harlequin Core which is renowned for its
speed. It is supercharged with ScreenPro Core , the world’s
fastest screening core and includes PrintFlat technology to
take inkjet quality to the next level.
Smart Printhead Drive Electronics
Meteor Inkjet supports all major industrial inkjet printheads
and offers rapid support for new printheads, so you have
ultimate flexibility in your printhead choice. For example, you
can begin your press development having chosen one printhead
model and then switch to another with minimal impact to
your development schedule. Or you can mix printheads
from multiple vendors and models in a single press. With this
flexibility comes a comprehensive set of tools and services to
deliver an exceptional product to market. The SmartDFE can
also drive the Xitron Navigator RIP, unlocking the Memjet range
of heads.
RIPping
Printhead Drive Electronics
PDF
JOB
FARM
RIP
SHARED
MEMORY
SCREENPRO
PDF
CONTROLLER
RIP
FARM
RIP
FARM
RIP
SCREENPRO
PACK
PACK
STREAM
OUTPUT
HARDWARE.DLL
HARDWARE
(DRIVER ELECTRONICS
AND PRINT HEADS)
SCREENPRO
FARM
RIP
QI
inside
Inspection system
SCHEDULER
A smart factory needs a smart digital front end (DFE)
Designed to be the heart of a fully automated manufacturing system
Co-developed by all the companies in the Global Graphics Group
Next Generation of SmartDFE delivered at the same price point as existing DFEs
www.globalgraphics.com
Global Graphics Software Inc
5996 Clark Center Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34238
United States of America
Tel: +1(941)925-1303
Global Graphics Software Ltd
Building 2030
Cambourne Business Park
Cambourne, Cambridge
CB23 6DW UK
Tel: +44 (0)1954 283100
Global Graphics KK
610 AIOS Nagatacho Bldg.
2-17-17 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 100-0014
Japan
Tel: +81-3-6273-3198
Harlequin, Harlequin Direct, ScreenPro, ScreenPro Direct, Mako, Streamline Direct, PrintFlat SmartDFE and Direct are trademarks of Global Graphics Software Limited which may be registered in certain jurisdictions.. Global
Graphics Software is a registered trademark of Global Graphics PLC. All other brand and product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners. Global Graphics makes no warranty and
accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of information or particulars in this document. Copyright © 2021 Global Graphics Software Limited. All rights reserved.
Sept 2021 v1