IBM Corp is targeting the market for traditional offset printing with a new line of print hardware and software called InfoPrint for short-run, quick turnaround printing of black-and-white and color PostScript documents. It claims InfoPrint Manager software includes the first implementation of Adobe Systems Inc’s next-generation Supra raster image processing (RIP) architecture which combines PostScript and the Portable Document Format. IBM says InfoPrint eliminates many of the costly and time-consuming steps involved in offset printing. Moreover, IBM says InfoPrint users will be able to RIP and print documents with both PostScript and its Advanced Function Presentation print integrity mechanism, on the same page. InfoPrint Manager software includes job ticketing and a print scheduler and runs on an RS/6000. It uses elements of IBM’s Print Systems Manager, but does not require Distributed Computing Environment like PSM, which is designed for organizations which have lots of users se nding lots of jobs to lots of printers in distributed Unix environments. InfoPrint manager is designed to manage systems which send large volumes of jobs to a relatively few, specialized printers. $780,000 buys the InfoPrint-enabled RS/6000, InfoPri nt Manager software and the high-end black and white InfoPrint 4000 printer which can print 464 pages per minute at 600 dpi – 708 pages per minute at 240 dpi, available now. The Supra-enabled version will be available by mid-1997. An InfoColor 70 printer can print 70 color pages per minute at offset quality and is designed for variable, short-run, high-quality, color printing. InfoPrint 60 prints 60 black and white pages per minute at 600 dpi. It’s designed for use by small print-on-demand shops and departments.
