Hybrid software releases Packz 12

Context-aware guidance for the tools and workflows

August 20, 2026

Hybrid Software has upgraded its Packz PDF editor for packaging prepress, releasing version 12, which includes a multilingual AI-powered assistant.

The AI assistant offers context-aware guidance for the tools and workflows and can generate Action Lists, dynamic information panels, print marks and scripting code, to help users automate routine processes and develop custom workflows more quickly.

Pascal Wybo, product manager for PackZ. “We see AI as a way to remove barriers between users and the software, making advanced capabilities easier to discover, easier to learn and easier to automate routine tasks.”

Earlier this year, Hybrid Software joined Amazon’s Transparency Service Provider Network, and this is reflected in this new Packz software, which now supports Amazon Transparency Codes. These codes are essentially GS1 2D barcodes, which mostly come in the form of QR codes and are gradually replacing horizontal barcodes in some markets.

The 2D barcodes contain the Global Trade Item Number that identifies each product, but can also hold much more information about a product, its components and supply chain. As such, they are a key tool in reducing counterfeits, with Amazon introducing its Transparency program to its marketplace in 2017 to give customers more confidence.

However, this does require brand owners to produce these 2D codes for every item, and to cope with any variation between items. Hybrid Software’s contribution is an end-to-end workflow, starting with its Artflow program for artwork management, up to the Cloudflow enterprise software. So this update to Packz completes the chain, adding in variable data print production. Packz has been able to support the GS1 Sunrise 2027 initiatives for 2D barcodes since version 11, so Packz 12 now extends this to the Amazon Transparency codes.

Apart from these serialization codes, there are some additional new features, including new Packzimizer capabilities to optimize stacked label layouts to reduce waste. This new version also includes support for Hell Gravure JobTickets for better connectivity between prepress and engraving. For the Packz Max version that includes a Harlequin RIP, the inspection of object-based screening on transparent artwork elements with mixed screensets has been simplified for better quality control.

Further details at hybridsoftware.com.

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Naresh Khanna – 12 January 2026

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