Autura Ink: The Future of Cloud-Native Ink Formulation and Quality Control
X-Rite’s latest innovation, Autura Ink, a cloud-native ink formulation and quality control solution, recently won the prestigious PRINTING United Alliance Pinnacle Award in the color management and quality control category. This award recognizes innovative new products that significantly enhance the printing industry through exceptional quality, capability, and productivity.
We sat down with Ming-Pong Liu, Software Solutions Product Manager for X-Rite, to discuss Autura Ink, its functionality, features, and real-world impact on the industry.
X-Rite: Congratulations on winning the Pinnacle Product Award. In your own words, how does Autura Ink help advance the print industry?
Liu: Autura Ink represents a paradigm shift in ink development, management, and quality control. By consolidating critical processes into a unified, cloud-native platform, Autura Ink simplifies data sharing between formulation, quality control, and PantoneLIVE digital standards. Users no longer need to switch between applications to validate formulas, which is now done seamlessly within the platform. It also integrates with X-Rite spectrophotometers, including the eXact 2 family, to create a connected workflow.
By doing so, Autura Ink accelerates ink formulation, minimizes press downtime, and reduces returns for ink suppliers, manufacturers, and converters. Its modern architecture ensures ease of deployment, maintenance, and scalability, setting new standards for efficiency and adaptability in the industry.
X-Rite: What tangible benefits does Autura Ink offer to users?
Liu: Autura Ink benefits ink manufacturers, printers, and converters alike. Its Quick Correction feature empowers press operators to make necessary adjustments on-the-fly, minimizing downtime and waste. Integrated BestMatch capabilities enable operators to confidently determine ink compatibility, restoring press performance swiftly and efficiently. Furthermore, configurable formula templates enhance repeatability and productivity, while the Assortment View feature simplifies the management of ink assortments, reducing the risk of duplication and streamlining operations.
X-Rite: What are the advantages of moving ink formulation and QC to the cloud?
Liu: Moving ink formulation and quality control to the cloud with Autura Ink offers numerous advantages, including accessibility, centralized data management, scalability, enhanced collaboration, and cost-efficiency. Stakeholders can access the system anytime and anywhere, benefiting from streamlined processes and improved performance. The platform's robust, scalable architecture uses secure, serverless cloud technology, reducing the need for local IT support while ensuring seamless expansion. Autura Ink's centralized ink management system provides a single hub for storing, approving, and managing ink formulations, accessible from any compatible web browser. Additionally, Autura Ink delivers significant gains in speed and accuracy, with early beta customers reporting a 50% reduction in color calculations.
X-Rite: Does Autura Ink replace X-Rite InkFormulation Software?
Liu: In the long term, Autura Ink is designed to supersede InkFormulation Software (IFS). However, we understand that many of our customers rely on IFS in critical applications. To ensure a smooth transition to the cloud, X-Rite will support IFS for the next few years. Together, Autura Ink and IFS support diverse infrastructure requirements and offer customers a level of flexibility to migrate to the cloud while benefiting from Autura’s continuously enhanced innovative features.
X-Rite: How are customers responding to this new cloud platform?
Liu: Throughout the development of Autura Ink, we partnered with several key industry players to ensure our solution meets today’s market needs. One notable partner is Siegwerk, a German ink and coating manufacturer. Their team replaced an outdated and slow color management system in their American facilities with Autura Ink. This transition brought immediate benefits, including enhanced security, centralized color data, and significant improvements in speed. Additionally, Autura's predicted strength values helped Siegwerk minimize re-dos caused by weak ink formulas, leading to more efficient resource management. You can read the full case study about Siegwerk on our website.
X-Rite: Where can people go to learn more about Autura Ink?
Liu: To learn more about the power of Autura Ink, visit the video tab on xrite.com to watch demonstration videos.
For a live demonstration of Autura Ink, don’t miss these upcoming events!
- When: September 10-12, 2024
- Where: Las Vegas Convention Center
- Booth: C3237
- When: September 10-12, 2024
- Where: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Chicago
- Booth: 335
To learn more, request a free preview or get in touch with our Color Experts.
