Esko 25.07 What’s New

Easier Editing for Complex Assemblies

• The top 2 Esko Ideas, resulting from customer votes, have now been implemented. Now, it’s easy to create and edit complex assemblies and scenes in Studio Toolkit.
• Drag to Select objects for quick modifications.
• Grouping objects makes editing complex assemblies faster.

Customizable Store Environments with New Templates

• Create and modify your own custom store environments with Parametric Store Templates.
• Set the size and floor space, customize lighting and the look and feel. They’re also resizable: once generated, change your store on the fly, even within an existing project.

Smarter Plate Cut for Flexo Efficiency

• ArtPro+ introduces a new “Optimized Plate Usage” mode that reduces material waste by maximizing gaps and minimizing plate size.
• In addition, the “Use Selected Path” function is now license-free for Essentials, Layout, and Advanced users, making it easier for Digital Flexo Suite customers to transition without additional costs.

New Compare Densities Tool for Faster QA

• Operators can now instantly compare ink densities of the Input file with the reference file, side-by-side within the Compare mode.
• The redesigned interface highlights breakout/Total Ink Coverage issues, improving accuracy and eliminating the need for manual screenshot comparisons.

Marks Improvements for Greater Control

• Operators can now save and manage custom fill filters for Dynamic Marks, reducing repetitive setup and errors.
• Additionally, Dimension Marks can now be applied to Step & Repeat grids and layouts, enabling better visual validation of station sizes and layout accuracy.

More Powerful PDF Actions for Automation

• New additions to PDF Action Lists allow operators to select objects by shape and size and reorder separations by luminosity (Sort Separations from lightest to darkest or vice versa. These automation-ready features reduce manual effort, improve ink management, and accelerate prepress productivity.

Subscription Edition Selection for Greater Flexibility

• Users can now select which DeskPack subscription edition to activate at login, similar to ArtPro+. This gives teams the freedom to work with the right feature set for each task—maximizing license value and improving user experience.

Canvas Part Grain Direction

• Enhanced Design Flexibility: Designers can now assign independent grain directions to each part within a Canvas file, eliminating the need to rotate parts to match the canvas grain. Part grain direction will be respected when they are added to a Canvas layout.
• Improved Workflow Efficiency: This update streamlines the design process, enabling faster and more intuitive part creation, design and layout alignment.

3D Configurations

• Dynamic Visualization: Define multiple 3D configurations—such as open, closed, flat, or folded—and switch between them instantly with a right click.
• Accelerated Cycle Time: Simplifies design reviews, outputs and presentations by allowing quick toggling between folded states without manual adjustments.

S2 Integration*

• Seamless Data Access: Save and open ArtiosCAD documents directly from S2, centralizing CAD data for easier access across connected products.
• Operational Efficiency: Reduce internal costs and eliminate data duplication by using S2 as your single source of truth for CAD assets.

*Available with a subscription license only

Comply (Beta – Esko SaaS Only)

• Comply brings AI-assisted quality checks to artwork reviews in the WebCenter Viewer. By integrating Esko S2 Quality Services, it helps catch critical errors early, reduce manual review effort, and improve compliance at scale.
• Define reusable Rule Books to enforce standards for formatting, branding, and logos.
• Use the Quality Check node to run automated checks within workflows and validate artwork directly against approved content sheets from your Content Management for Packaging (CMP), ensuring alignment with your ‘source-of-truth’ content.

User Management

• User management just became easier and more powerful with the introduction of a dedicated user search experience.
• Built on the robust search framework, it enables precise user filtering with facets, inline updates to key fields like name and email, instant visual insights through charts, and seamless data export to Excel—bringing greater speed, control, and visibility to user management.

Configuration Management

• We continued our efforts to make configuration faster and more powerful, introducing two key enhancements that boost both speed and flexibility.
• Copy and paste for dashboard blocks simplifies setup by allowing reuse of fully configured elements, while JavaScript routing in workflows enables dynamic logic with custom output paths—giving users more control with less complexity.

PDF Report Upload to WebCenter

• Upload Cape reports as PDF documents directly into WebCenter. All Cape metadata is automatically mapped to WebCenter attributes for extended use.
• Enable full document lifecycle management—review, annotate, approve, and track Cape reports within WebCenter workflows.

Custom Default Settings

• Create and manage multiple custom default profiles for input data. Tailor settings to specific use cases, eliminating repetitive data entry.
• Save valuable time and reduce errors by standardizing input configurations across projects.

AI-Powered Color Matching That Saves Time and Reduces Waste

• Print Clone leverages artificial intelligence to automate and optimize color matching for digitally printed packaging. Traditional methods often require 3–4 hours and multiple trial-and-error iterations. With Print Clone, this process is reduced to about 30 minutes, significantly cutting down on reprints and material waste. This not only boosts efficiency but also supports sustainability goals by lowering energy and substrate consumption.

User-Friendly Workflow for All Skill Levels

• Whether you’re a seasoned pre-press operator or new to digital print, Print Clone simplifies the workflow. Users can upload a PDF, measure a physical sample using a spectrophotometer, and let the system handle the rest. The cloud-based interface is intuitive and guides users through each step, making high-accuracy color reproduction accessible to everyone—no Adobe editing or color guesswork required.

Tailored for Digital Print, Built for the Future

• Currently optimized for HP Indigo digital presses, Print Clone is purpose-built for the digital printing market. It enables real-time adjustments and is designed to evolve, with new features released every six weeks via Esko’s S2 cloud platform. Future updates aim to expand compatibility to other digital and conventional printing systems, ensuring long-term value and scalability.

WebCenter Pack is a cloud-native, packaging management solution, designed to help traditional small to mid-size suppliers take their first step into cloud workflows—without the complexity of enterprise software. WebCenter Pack was released in March of this year and helps deliver:

A Smarter, Simpler Way to Manage Packaging from Order to Print

• For CSRs – Faster file approvals, no more bottlenecks!
• For Prepress Teams – Fewer interruptions, more efficiency through automation.
• For Business Owners – Reduced errors, faster time to press and improved customer satisfaction.

WebCenter Pack is a unique offering:

• Purpose-built for small to mid-size suppliers – No enterprise complexity, just seamless onboarding.
• Cloud-native & easy to adopt – No installs, no IT headaches.
• Frictionless file approvals & automated preflight – Customers submit files with no login required, CSRs handle approvals, and prepress teams focus on production.
• Seamless Esko integration – Works effortlessly with ArtPro+ and DeskPack.

Since then, we have launched a further three new updates bringing new innovations to help ease customer pain points.

• Open Link: This was by far the most requested feature from our customers. The ability to allow customers to upload files directly into the system and at any time is seen as a game changer. No longer does a customer need to use 3rd party data transfer applications or be restricted by file size account on email. Simply use the WebCenter Pack Open link and immediately start transferring data in a matter of a few clicks.
• Custom Forms: Custom forms allow your customers to provide the right information at the right time. Configure each form specifically for your customer providing that bespoke feel that customers love.
• Comprehensive version control: Effortlessly access and review multiple file versions. Compare and restore previous iterations, maintaining full autonomy over your files without dependence on IT personnel.