Navigator Digital Front End, the latest technology from Xitron, a subsidiary of Global Graphics PLC, has been honored with a 2020 InterTech Technology Award. The annual awards from Printing United Alliance single out technology expected to have a significant impact on the printing industry.

Navigator DFE is a customizable, brandable, browser-based user interface for processing print jobs through any number of today’s high-speed digital and inkjet presses. Adaptable to the underlying technology of printhead selection, drive electronics and engine controls, Navigator DFE allows operators to prepare their job runs, manage the color accuracy, and drive the press at full rated speed, even when variable data is present on every page. Easy spot color matching functionality surpasses what is achievable through standard print drivers.

Based on the fast and accurate Harlequin Host Renderer RIP from Global Graphics software, Navigator DFE is a scalable solution designed to handle almost any high-speed press requirement. Existing Navigator DFE implementations include single color, multi-color, multi-printhead, single sided and duplex imaging conditions, found in transactional, label, and direct mail applications.

Navigator DFE is available to digital press OEMs who want to bring their press to market faster, and as an aftermarket add on for many Memjet Northstar and Sirius-based short to mid-run printers as well as HP FI-1000 based systems. Xitron is further developing the platform, adding support for a selection of printheads from manufacturers such as XAAR, Kyocera, Toshiba, Ricoh, Fuji Dimatix, and Konica Minolta, among others.

“We are extremely excited to receive this prestigious award from Printing United Alliance,” says Karen Crews, President of Xitron. “To be recognized by this body speaks directly to our commitment to innovative development and to the printing industry we endeavor to support.” James Workman, Vice President,  Technology and Research, Printing United Alliance added, “The judges were won over by Navigator DFE’s ability to handle virtually any high-speed press requirement, including color accuracy, and expect its availability to quicken the pace of press development.”

Printing United Alliance is the new entity borne of the recent merger between Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and Printing Industries of America (PIA). It is the largest, most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in the United States.

In 2018, ScreenPro from Global Graphics software received an InterTech Technology Award for an innovative screening engine designed to maximize the performance of digital printers. In 2019 the PrintFlat technology, which improves the output quality of high-speed inkjet presses, was also honored.