For more than a decade, Ravensburger has relied on Esko ArtiosCAD and ArtPro+ to prepare complex packaging layouts for production. Together, the solutions help the company’s prepress team efficiently manage changing packaging formats while giving them greater control throughout the production preparation process.
The Challenge
Ravensburger produces puzzles, board games, and other toys, supported by a packaging portfolio that includes a wide variety of folding cartons and die-cut sheets.
Within prepress, Ravensburger’s packaging designs must be accurately imposed onto printing plates while accommodating constantly changing product dimensions and production requirements.
One particularly challenging project involved preparing artwork for a folding carton where a single supplied design needed to be duplicated, rotated, and arranged into a complex step-and-repeat layout for front and back printing. The individual designs needed to interlock with minimal spacing while ensuring that no artwork overlapped adjacent repeats.
The Solution
Today, ArtiosCAD is used across Ravensburger’s prepress department. The software enables the team to quickly position packaging designs on printing sheets and efficiently accommodate a wide variety of printing plate layouts.
For the complex step-and-repeat project, ArtiosCAD provided an effective way to build the layout. Working together with Esko, the team created individual design blocks that could then be repeated within the manufacturing file. This approach allowed complete production PDFs to be generated much more quickly than before.
The integration between ArtiosCAD and ArtPro+ simplified production preparation. Structural information created in ArtiosCAD is passed directly into ArtPro+, allowing masks and positioning data to be carried through automatically. Because the structural layouts interlock correctly, artwork remains cleanly separated across adjacent repeats without unwanted overlaps.
Everything works well together. The solutions are tailored to our needs, and we receive quick and efficient support.
The Results
While Ravensburger had already established CAD-based workflows before adopting Esko, the integration between ArtiosCAD and ArtPro+ has improved communication between applications, made production preparation faster, and provided greater control during data processing.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, Ravensburger expects automation and connected workflows to play an increasingly important role as experienced prepress professionals retire, and fewer people enter the industry.
As additional departments adopt ArtiosCAD and other Esko solutions, the company expects even greater value from the broader Esko ecosystem.
For me, Esko has long been the technology leader in the packaging industry. Their experience and expertise in packaging and print production are evident not only in the software, but also in the advice and support they provide. When problems arise, the support team is fast, knowledgeable, and always willing to help.
