Xitron begins shipping Raster Blaster Pro

Print Solutions

Xitron has begun shipping the next generation of Tiff Catcher software – Raster Blaster Pro. Browser based and accessible from any platform, Raster Blaster Pro was designed for CTP owners looking for more than ‘catch and release’ functionality in plate production.

‘After extensively researching our Raster Blaster user base of over 5000 customers, we were able to determine a feature set that will have impact on over 70% of them,’ said Jeffrey Piestrak, Xitron product manager. ‘In the process, I believe we have developed the first intelligent Tiff Catcher.’

Because it is browser based, Raster Blaster Pro is accessible by any authorised user in the printing plant. ‘It doesn’t matter if they are on a Mac, a PC, a smartphone, a tablet, you name it,’ Jeffrey continued.

‘We have replaced the single access point that could facilitate production bottlenecks and made it simple to search, re-order, preview, release and re-plate jobs using a super intuitive graphic user interface.’

Coupled with the release of Raster Blaster Pro, Xitron has also introduced B3, the Network Interface.

‘What we have done is embedded the Raster Blaster Pro software directly into the interface hardware,’ explained Jeffrey. ‘The (slightly) bigger blue box now sits on the network near the CTP engine and users operate it through their own desktops or mobile devices. If they prefer, they can even attach a touch screen to the interface and still enjoy full functionality.’

Raster Blaster Pro and B3 are fully compatible with every CTP engine previously supported by Xitron’s catalogue of USB interfaces, which includes output devices from Fujifilm, Screen, Agfa, Creo, Kodak, Heidelberg, and others. This means that current Raster Blaster users can take advantage of the increased functionality of Raster Blaster Pro through a simple upgrade process. Customers who still rely on PCI interfaces can migrate to a new package that includes B3and Raster Blaster Pro.