Canto has released a new tool for converting and saving Assets in Adobeis web standard PDF format. The 2PDF AssetProcessor allows Assets to be saved and easily opened in any number of other applications. According to Canto:
Canto today released the "2PDF AssetProcessor". The Option for the Cumulus product line - consisting of a Single User Edition, a Workgroup Edition and an Enterprise Edition - allows to convert assets on-the-fly, centrally at the server, to PDF. This means that assets can be stored and managed in their originating format such as PowerPoint, Word, InDesign or QuarkXPress, while they can be retrieved and published in PDF.
The Cumulus 2PDF AssetProcessor Option reduces the number of assets to be managed and streamlines the cross-media publishing process. Typically, companies need to keep the assets in their original format, e.g. a datasheet in QuarkXPress. But many times the datasheet needs to be published in PDF, which has become a de-facto standard that can be viewed and printed on most computers. That creates the problem that either companies need to manage both assets, or the PDF has to be recreated every time ever it is requested at a later point. The 2PDF AssetProcessor now solves that problem: a user can access any asset via the Convert To menu command in Cumulus which will trigger the originating application - centrally at the server - to output the asset to Acrobat Distiller, which in turn automatically converts it to PDF before Cumulus hands over the PDF to the client machine that requested it. The software involved needs to be installed on the server - and only on the server - thereby ?significantly reducing the number of software installed on the clienti s computers.
"This is a perfect example for cross-media publishing" said Jennifer Neumann, Cantois CEO. "And it definitely highlights the power, beauty and simplicity of the Cumulus architecture, as weire able to keep increasing the value and functionality of the solution, while keeping the user interface simple and intuitive."
The Cumulus 2PDF AssetProcessor Option is the second implementation of this class of server-based modules in Cumulus. The Workgroup and Enterprise Edition already include the functionality to convert any asset to jpeg and down-sample it on the fly. AssetProcessors in Cumulusi architecture can theoretically be used to convert or process or apply anything when retrieving or publishing an asset managed by Cumulus. Third parties can use the Cumulus SDK to implement their conversion and processing technologies as AssetProcessors, which then can be sold, integrated and used with Cumulus solutions, which users prefer over single tools to be employed separately.
The Cumulus 2PDF AssetProcessor is available for US$995 per server. You can find more information at the Canto web site.