EskoArtwork (company)
Encyclopedia
EskoArtwork, formerly called Esko, is a graphic arts
company producing prepress
soft-
and hardware
and offering a portfolio of application support
and consultancy
services. It primarily specialises in solutions for packaging design and pre-press, but it also produces pre-press workflow software for general commercial use.
Enfocus
, a brand of PDF pre-flighting and workflow software originally acquired by Artwork Systems in 2000, is now a subsidiary of the combined EskoArtwork company.
Reflecting the merger, Esko changed its name to EskoArtwork. It also introduced a new logo, though it is visually very close to the Esko original.
Since the fall of 2005, Esko has been fully owned by Axcel A/S, a Danish
private equity investment company.
In January 2011, 100% of EskoArtwork shares have been transferred to Danaher
.
Esko is headquartered in Ghent
, Belgium
, and employs over 950 people worldwide. R&D
and manufacturing facilities are located in Belgium
, Germany
, Norway
, the United States
and the Czech Republic
.
EskoArtwork's global sales and support organization covers Europe
, the Americas
and Asia Pacific and is completed by a network of distribution partners in more than 40 countries.
EskoArtwork is headquartered in Ghent
, Belgium
, and has R&D and manufacturing facilities in five European countries, the United States
, China
and India
.
vendor, Esko established itself as a collaborative software
provider and systems integrator to all participants in the packaging and labeling supply chain
. EskoArtwork's portfolio includes:
Esko Suite 10. This is a comprehensive suite of software covering the entire packaging, print and Sign & Display supply chain
. Esko Suite 10 consists of:
CDI flexo Computer-to-Plate
systems. CDI stands for Cyrel Digital Imager, referring to a joint marketing arrangement with DuPont
, maker of Cyrel photopolymer flexo plates. However the CDI systems can work with any brand of photopolymer plate provided it has an integral black mask layer to absorb laser energy.
Kongsberg computer-controlled cutting & creasing tables for short-run production and sample making in packaging, signage
and display markets. EskoArtwork owns the manufacturer, which is based in the town of Kongsberg
in Norway.
Enfocus
was a subsidiary of Artwork Systems and is now a strategic business unit within EskoArtwork. It specialises in PDF productivity and automation tools. Main products are:
industry, and offers solutions for structural CAD
, desktop design, converting
, sign making, commercial printing.
Graphic arts
A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
company producing prepress
Prepress
Prepress is the term used in the printing and publishing industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the creation of a print layout and the final printing...
soft-
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
and hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
and offering a portfolio of application support
Technical support
Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
and consultancy
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
services. It primarily specialises in solutions for packaging design and pre-press, but it also produces pre-press workflow software for general commercial use.
Enfocus
Enfocus
- History :Enfocus was founded in 1993 by Peter Camps. The company was started to develop solutions for the NeXT platform to edit PostScript files. With the decline of NeXT it migrated to the Macintosh platform...
, a brand of PDF pre-flighting and workflow software originally acquired by Artwork Systems in 2000, is now a subsidiary of the combined EskoArtwork company.
History
Esko was the result of a merger between Barco Graphics and Purup Eskofot in 2002. The merged company was called Esko-Graphics but was renamed Esko in 2006. In August 2007 Esko announced that it was 'combining operations' with Artwork Systems Group NV (AWS), its chief competitor in the packaging pre-press market. Esko initially bought 76.69% of AWS shares for €196 million.Reflecting the merger, Esko changed its name to EskoArtwork. It also introduced a new logo, though it is visually very close to the Esko original.
Since the fall of 2005, Esko has been fully owned by Axcel A/S, a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
private equity investment company.
In January 2011, 100% of EskoArtwork shares have been transferred to Danaher
Danaher Corporation
The Danaher Corporation , is a large global company headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its products are concentrated in the fields of design, manufacture, and marketing of industrial and consumer products....
.
Esko is headquartered in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and employs over 950 people worldwide. R&D
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
and manufacturing facilities are located in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
EskoArtwork's global sales and support organization covers Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and Asia Pacific and is completed by a network of distribution partners in more than 40 countries.
EskoArtwork is headquartered in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and has R&D and manufacturing facilities in five European countries, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Products
Starting off as a software and hardwareHardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
vendor, Esko established itself as a collaborative software
Collaborative software
Collaborative software is computer software designed to help people involved in a common task achieve goals...
provider and systems integrator to all participants in the packaging and labeling supply chain
Supply chain
A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to...
. EskoArtwork's portfolio includes:
Esko Suite 10. This is a comprehensive suite of software covering the entire packaging, print and Sign & Display supply chain
Supply chain
A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to...
. Esko Suite 10 consists of:
- For structural design: ArtiosCADArtiosCADArtiosCAD is a software program dedicated to the design of folded packaging, mainly corrugated boxes and folding carton.ArtiosCAD is designed in Ludlow, Massachusetts in a subsidiary of EskoArtwork, with headquarters in Gent, Belgium....
and Studio - For prepress: ArtPro, PackEdge, DeskPack and Neo
- For dynamic content: Dynamic content engine and Dynamic Content plug-in for Adobe Illustrator
- For sheet layout: Plato, PowerLayout and FastImpose
- For workflow Automation: Automation Engine and WebCenter
- For color management: Color Engine
- For imaging and output: Imaging Engine, screening, FlexProof and the Digital Flexo Suite
- for the Sign & Display and large format printing market: the i-cut Suite
CDI flexo Computer-to-Plate
Computer to plate
Computer to plate is an imaging technology used in modern printing processes. In this technology, an image created in a Desktop Publishing application is output directly to a printing plate....
systems. CDI stands for Cyrel Digital Imager, referring to a joint marketing arrangement with DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, maker of Cyrel photopolymer flexo plates. However the CDI systems can work with any brand of photopolymer plate provided it has an integral black mask layer to absorb laser energy.
Kongsberg computer-controlled cutting & creasing tables for short-run production and sample making in packaging, signage
Signage
Signage is any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. This is typically manifested in the form of wayfinding information in places such as streets or inside/outside of buildings.-History:...
and display markets. EskoArtwork owns the manufacturer, which is based in the town of Kongsberg
Kongsberg
is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg....
in Norway.
Enfocus
Enfocus
- History :Enfocus was founded in 1993 by Peter Camps. The company was started to develop solutions for the NeXT platform to edit PostScript files. With the decline of NeXT it migrated to the Macintosh platform...
was a subsidiary of Artwork Systems and is now a strategic business unit within EskoArtwork. It specialises in PDF productivity and automation tools. Main products are:
- PitStop Professional, the core product for PDF preflight, auto-correction and manual editing. This runs as a plug-in to Adobe AcrobatAdobe AcrobatAdobe Acrobat is a family of application software developed by Adobe Systems to view, create, manipulate, print and manage files in Portable Document Format . All members of the family, except Adobe Reader , are commercial software, while the latter is available as freeware and can be downloaded...
. - PitStop Extreme, a standalone alternative to PitStop Professional that does not need Adobe AcrobatAdobe AcrobatAdobe Acrobat is a family of application software developed by Adobe Systems to view, create, manipulate, print and manage files in Portable Document Format . All members of the family, except Adobe Reader , are commercial software, while the latter is available as freeware and can be downloaded...
to run. - Instant PDF to guide the creation (including verification) of PDFs for professional publishing.
- PitStop Server, a hot-folder based version of PitStop Professional.
- Switch, a family of products designed to automate workflows.
- Certified PDF is a core technology supported by all Enfocus products, that can embed a range of metadata into a PDF file, such as creator, modification/editing history, pre-flight history and criteria, and optionally, a sequence of Undo states. Enfocus products can create, read and update certificates as a PDF is passed through a production sequence. Many workflows systems for professional publishing can also read and update Certified PDF metadata.
Markets
EskoArtwork is active in the graphic artsGraphic arts
A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
industry, and offers solutions for structural CAD
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
, desktop design, converting
Converting
Converting companies are companies that specialize in combining raw materials such as polyesters, adhesives, silicone, tapes, foams, plastics, felts, rubbers, liners and metals, as well as other materials, to create new products....
, sign making, commercial printing.