Managing Editor Inc. (MEI) announced the immediate availability of K4 Publishing System version 5.6. The latest version of this editorial system accelerates the production process for publishing workflows using Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy by adding built-in integration with Adobe InDesign Server. The release also improves interoperability with other systems and incorporates new features. With its multilevel security controls and customization options, K4 supports a transparent and fast production workflow for individual workgroups or entire publishing enterprises. InDesign Server integration provides K4 5.6 with a layout rendering engine that speeds up the process of checking in items and enables the system to offer PDF previews of every page for saving, commenting and printing. Every standard K4 Publishing System comes bundled with Adobe InDesign Server CS2, designed specifically to enable tasks like background generation of page proofs for viewing over the Web. Customizable change controls allow administrators to disable editing functions in InDesign or InCopy by category of user. This new feature prevents for accidental document modifications or user errors. K4 also features an optional new Revision Manager plug-in to allow users to compare the differences between versions of InCopy files and easily keep track of revisions. K4 DropFolders offers automated batch check-in of images, ads, text files or any other type of content and metadata into K4 from pre-defined directories that can be fed from an asset management system or content repository. K4’s new Caption&Credit feature can capture caption and credit information for images as metadata, logically link this data to the image on the InDesign page, and dynamically create caption and credit frames on the page based on publication-defined parameters. All information is automatically adjusted if the image frame is moved or resized, speeding page layout and reducing errors. After an issue is closed out, a list of placed images, with their caption and credit metadata, can be exported for statistical purposes. K4 5.6 also includes updated K4 XML-Exporter version 1.2, which can automatically provide publication data as XML to feed archiving and Web publishing solutions and generate all the metadata on images, text and other objects in the issue. K4 version 5.6 and XML-Exporter version 1.2 are available from MEI and its distribution partners. All K4 customers are eligible to receive a free upgrade to version 5.6 and can purchase or upgrade XML-Exporter version 1.2 as an option. http://www.maned.com
Day: March 29, 2006
Some of you may have seen the press release from us yesterday announcing our new consulting practice focused on the needs of commercial and corporate publishers. Of course this is not a new area for us – Bill Trippe especially, has long been very active in the publishing space – but rather a dramatic expansion of our activities in an area we know well. It is great to be working with Steve Paxhia again, who will be running this practice. It will also be great to be working more regularly with Gene Gable, Thad McIlroy, Bill Rosenblatt, and Dale Waldt. Here is a description of the practice. We’ve already launched the practice, but most of our team and our partners will also be at Gilbane San Francisco, where we have a lot of content relevant to publishers including (but not limited to!) the new Automated Publishing track.
