Squaring the Circle with Preton’s Pixel Optimizer
Can you turn a square into a circle? Printers attempt to do so every day, with each print. And it turns out to be quite costly. Print and computer screens use pixels (dots) to describe data (text, graphics and images). While screen pixels are square, the printer pixels are round. To account for the difference, the printer uses overlapping pixels that create ink and toner overuse. A team of software and business professionals decided to address this issue, founding Preton in 2005. The Tel Aviv-based company created Pixel Optimizer to solve the problem.
Designed mainly for enterprise users, PretonSaver with the Pixel Optimizer uses algorithms to remove overlapping pixels from print jobs. The technology can also identify different elements of a document and remove unnecessary aspects before printing. When printing from a Web browser, for example, the Pixel Optimizer can remove wasteful banner and advertisement images.
The motivation for developing the Pixel Optimizer was simple: rein in consumable costs, a goal both end-users and MPS providers should understand well. Device users are well aware of the effect toner and ink costs can have on increasingly slim bottom lines. The same is true for providers, who, in the face of stiff competition, are looking for ways to increase revenue from existing and future MPS contracts.
With Pixel Optimizer technology, Preton is seeking to impact the cost per page paradigm. End-users report an average of 30-35 percent savings on toner and ink, while MPS providers can reduce fixed per page costs. Preton estimates that the average provider can reduce toner costs by roughly 18 percent, generating noticeable savings and creating greater profit margins. Less toner also means lower logistical costs, again raising profit margins for providers.
Although unnecessary pixels are removed without a noticeable loss in quality, users can select to print client-facing documents with normal pixelation. Conversely, internal documents or reference materials can be printed with toner savings of 50 percent or greater.
Preton has also created Elements Identifier, a technology that identifies the different elements on a page, such as text, pictures, or graphics. These elements are affected differently by the removal of pixels—savings may be higher on texts than on graphics or pictures without degrading quality. To maximize savings without degrading quality, Preton uses Elements Identifier to apply different optimization algorithms. The saving levels reached on the text can achieve as high as 50 percent, while the graphics and images can benefit from 20-30 percent savings.
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