About VIVA

What we do

VIVA develops software for graphic design as well as for optimizing and automating marketing and layout processes for corporations in all branches as well as the graphics industry.
With more than 200,000 users and customers, VIVA today is one of the leading suppliers of media services and software products.

What we are

Publishing, Design, Typography and color is (our) life. Therefore we see ourselves primarily as a software technology company and solution supplier in the service of our customers.

We are very proud that annually millions of publications (posters, books, catalogs, magazines, etc.) are produced with our technology and software products.

Our Mission

We develop the best programs world-wide for graphic design and automation of marketing and layout processes. Every day we improve our software to the advantage of our customers, who with their ideas and requests provide an important impulse for our development. We listen to our customers and understand their wishes.

Our strength

Because of our size, our innovative strength, our wide product portfolio and many years of experience, we can react very flexibly and individually to our customers’ requests and solve or carry out difficult tasks ourselves in very short time spans. We know of no other company in the world that can bring services in this form and extent based on their own software.

Our innovations

For more than 20 years, VIVA has been one of the pioneers of publishing software. Already in 1992, for example, VIVA invented the principle of the separation of form and function for layout programs. Today millions of people work according to this principle, which has been taken over by all current layout programs.

Through its inventions and developments, VIVA has contributed significantly to the advance in the graphics software industry:

  1. Invention of “Database Publishing” based on the layout program “LinoPage” (1989-1991) and later “VivaPress” (1992-1994), “VivaPress Professional” (1994-2005) and “VivaDesigner” (from 2005). “Database Publishing” connects a data source to a layout program for manual or SEMI-automatic creation of graphic documents. “Database Publishing” is a registered trademark of VIVA GmbH.
  1. Invention of “Network Publishing” and the first publishing server world-wide in the late 1990’s. “Network Publishing” is the further development of “Database Publishing” with which a user can create graphic documents FULLY automatically from any application. Today the term “Web-to-Print” is used extensively, which however presents just a fraction of the application in the sense of “Network Publishing”.
  1. VIVA invented technologies and functions for its layout program, which until now in many cases have remained unsurpassed:
    • Separation of form and function (1992)
    • One document format for all languages, incl. Japanese and Chinese (1994)
    • One program for all operating systems incl. Linux (2004)
    • A complete typesetting and layout program for browsers that can be used without any installation (2011)
    • Oval/circular and polygonal text and picture objects (1989)
    • Style sheets for pictures and objects (1989)
    • Character-based style sheets (1992)
    • InRIP color separations (1996)
    • Cap Height calculation (1995)
    • Dependant objects (Alias objects) (1992)
    • Decryption of the QuarkXPress file formats (3.3 bis 5.0) (1994)
    • Limit editing functions with a password (1992, 2010)
    • Object-related baseline grid (2008)
    • and much more ….
  1. VIVA was the first manufacturer
    • to develop a layout program for Mac OS X on Intel (Feb. 2006).
    • to offer publishing software for renting as well as purchase (2004).
    • to offer a free of charge version of a complete commercial layout program (2004).
    • to offer the free of charge Runtime versions for imaging studios, so as to be able to output customer documents with any service provider (1992).

Configuration requise (System Requirements French)

Configuration requise

Configuration minimale (Windows)

  • Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 or newer.
  • VIVA Version 8.0: Microsoft® Windows Vista®, Windows® 7 ou Windows® 8, avec l’installation du Service Pack plus récent. Installation sur Windows® XP est possible mais n’est PAS supportée officiellement.
  • VIVA Version 7.1: Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows® Vista®, ou Windows® 7, avec l’installation du Service Pack plus récent. Installation sur Windows® 8 possible mais n’est PAS supportée officiellement.
  • Adobe® Reader X ou plus récent pour l’impression des documents.
  • Configuration minimale (Mac OS X)

  • Processeur Intel®.
  • VIVA Version 8.0: Mac OS X 10.7 ou plus récent.
  • VIVA Version 7.1: Mac OS X 10.6.8 ou plus récent.
  • Configuration minimale (Linux)

  • Processeur Intel® Pentium® 4 ou AMD Athlon® 64 ou plus récent.
  • Ubuntu, Debian Sarge, Red Hat, SuSe, ou des distributions comparables en versions actuelles de 2013 ou plus récent.
  • Configuration minimum général

  • 500 Mo d’espace disque disponible.
  • 1 Go de RAM libre, 1.5 Go de RAM libre ou plus est recommandé.
  • DVD-ROM (pas nécessaire pour la version à décharger).
  • Résolution d’écran 1024 x ‡68 avec carte vidéo 16 bits, 1280 x 1024 ou plus est recommandé.
  • Port USB 2.0 pour la protection du matériel en option du fonctionnement du logiciel.
  • Connexion Internet et adresse e-mail pour l’enregistrement et le fonctionnement du logiciel.
  • Note importante: À l’heure actuelle le produit est fourni sous forme de version de l’application 32 bits. Une version 64 bits 8.0 est uniquement disponible en version serveur. Une version 64 bits pour PC de bureau est en cours de développement.

    VivaPosterize Marks Handling

    The handling of marks is a central function of the program which far exceeds the usual functions of other similar programs.

    Customer Marks
    The user can generate as many of his own marks as he wishes and include them in VivaImpose. Individual marks (company logos, special pull down lays, etc.) are created with the help of illustration programs (e.g. Adobe Illustrator), which can create vector EPS files. Standard marks (such as fold and crop marks) are integrated in the program and can be set according to preference.

    Global Marks
    With the management of marks, VivaPosterize follows a global concept. If you set a crop mark in a template, this will automatically be changed in all templates if the mark is altered in any way.

    Relations
    The application of Marks also allows local and global settings to be made. If a mark is to appear on every spread, it is for simplicity and maintenance reasons better to apply this mark to a machine rather than to a template. A mark can therefore be applied to both a template and to a machine.

    Mark Sets
    In order not to have to define the same marks for every template, VivaPosterize has so-called Mark Sets. These automatically apply the required crop and fold marks to all pages on the template, and also individual marks if required. Since it is not absolutely necessary to define marks in a template, the user can create several mark sets and wait until just before the output to a printer or imaging machine to decide with which mark set the spread should be printed.

    Mark Intelligence
    The Color Control Strip and Excess Color Strip or Take-off Bar are dynamic marks. They are automatically created from the colors used in the spread. The user can define a preferred position and two alternative positions, and from this definition the program decides automatically where the marks will be placed. If not enough space is available, the marks will wander to the next position, or not be printed.

    Here is an example:
    The Color Control Strip and Excess Color Strip or Take-off Bar are dynamic marks. They are automatically created from the colors used in the spread. The user can define a preferred position and two alternative positions, and from this definition the program decides automatically where the marks will be placed. If not enough space is available, the marks will wander to the next position, or not be printed.

    VivaImpose Marks Handling

    The handling of marks in VivaImpose is a central function of the program which far exceeds the usual functions of other similar programs.

    Customer Marks
    The user can generate as many of his own marks as he wishes and include them in VivaImpose. Individual marks (company logos, special pull down lays, etc.) are created with the help of illustration programs (e.g. Adobe Illustrator), which can create vector EPS files. Standard marks (such as fold and crop marks) are integrated in the program and can be set according to preference.

    Global Marks
    With the management of marks, VivaImpose follows a global concept. If you set a crop mark in a template, this will automatically be changed in all templates if the mark is altered in any way.

    Relations
    The application of Marks also allows local and global settings to be made. If a mark is to appear on every spread, it is for simplicity and maintenance reasons better to apply this mark to a machine rather than to a template. A mark can therefore be applied to both a template and to a machine.

    Mark Sets
    In order not to have to define the same marks for every template, VivaImpose has so-called Mark Sets. These automatically apply the required crop and fold marks to all pages on the template, and also individual marks if required. Since it is not absolutely necessary to define marks in a template, the user can create several mark sets and wait until just before the output to a printer or imaging machine to decide with which mark set (e.g. with or without page gutters) the spread should be printed.

    Mark Intelligence
    The wealth of application variations of our users knows hardly any boundaries. Therefore VivaImpose offers “intelligent marks”. Intelligence means in this case that it is decided on the basis of fixed settings if and how the mark will be printed.

    Here are three examples:
    1. Collating mark
    The collating mark can be so configured that the output, size and position of the mark depend on the binding type selected.
    2. Color Control Strip
    The Color Control Strip and Excess Color Strip or Take-off Bar are dynamic marks. They are automatically created from the colors used in the spread. The user can define a preferred position and two alternative positions, and from this definition the program decides automatically where the marks will be placed. If not enough space is available, the marks will wander to the next position, or not be printed.
    3. Cropping-dependent Marks
    Marks can be defined in relation to the cropping. Thus it is possible to cause a mark not to be printed, if the crop is above or below a defined value.

    Automatic Line-out
    VivaImpose is the only imposition program which can automatically line out the spread at the touch of a button. With the Line-out, the user can check the exact cropping and positioning of the pages in a proof or on a film. The Line-out mark also shows the edges of the printing plate and the gripper edge of the machine, so that the user can check the size and positioning of the spread inscription. Since the Line-out can also be created as a spot color, it is no longer necessary to rip the data again, as this color plate can simply be deleted from the RIP. This option does however depend on the model of the RIP-Model and the workflow.

    VivaImpose Color Handling

    VivaImpose possesses an extensive color management which controls the application and output of colors.

    Color Usage
    For color control VivaImpose has a Color Usage dialog, which displays a list of all the colors used in the document, including spot colors.

    Color Separation and InRIP Support
    VivaImpose has an integrated color separation and additionally supports the InRIP function for color separation.

    Color Mapping
    It often occurs that two identical spot colors occur in a document whose names are written slightly or totally differently. In this case a spot color can be mapped to the plate of another spot or process color.

    Conversion of Spot Colors
    As well as color mapping all spot colors can be converted to process colors at the output stage.

    VivaImpose File Handling

    Documents created with the import of data can be saved, closed and opened again at any time.

    Simple Navigation
    Navigation within documents is made with the help of the Page Layout Palette and the scroll bars in the document window.

    Variable Zoom
    The display of a section can be freely selected in a range from 5% to 1000%. A zoom tool function, with which an individual selection can be made, is available with a key combination.

    Simple Reproduction
    All documents saved contain the WYSIWYG data, the links to the original files and all imposition settings. Therefore after the document has been opened every order can be 100% reproduced.