User Manual

2.2 Apply a Fixup Chain

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In this article, you will learn

  • where Fixup Chains can be selected and applied within the Workflow,
  • how Fixup Chains can be applied to multiple Print Items, and
  • how Fixup Chains can be managed and triggered in an Automation Environment.

1. Introduction

Fixup Chains can be selected and applied to Print Items in various areas within the Workflow. This functionality is also accessible to external systems via REST:API calls or XML control files.

There are six main areas within the Workflow where Fixup Chains can be used. These include:

  • Applying a Fixup Chain when creating a Print Item/Article.
  • Applying a Fixup Chain to the selected Print Item in the Print Item detail view.
  • Applying a Fixup Chain to multiple Print Items/Articles in the Print Item- / Article list or motif list.
  • Applying a Fixup Chain when executing an Automation Job, making this option available in both Hotfolder environment and for Quick Print.
  • Calling a Fixup Chain via an XML Job Ticket in connection with a Hotfolder.
  • Calling a Fixup Chain via the API.

The following sections describe these options in detail.

Creating Fixup Chains

For more information on how to create Fixup Chains in Workflow, refer to the article Create a Fixup Chain.

2. Applying Fixup Chains when Creating a Print Item/Article

When creating a new Print Item or Article in the Workflow, you have the option to apply a Fixup Chain directly during the creation process. This ensures that the specified corrections are automatically applied during the creation process, streamlining your Workflow and ensuring that the Print Item meets predefined standards.

Steps to apply Fixup Chains when creating a Print Item/Article:

2.1. Creating an Article

In the Workflow, creating an Article involves several essential steps to ensure that it is properly set up for production. This process allows you to define the Print Item's attributes and apply necessary corrections, such as Fixup Chains, before finalizing it for processing. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Article > Article.
  2. Click on + Add in the action bar to open the dialog Add Article.
  3. Drag and drop the files you want to upload as an Article into the dropzone [1].
  4. Select the Article [2] to which you want to apply a Fixup Chain. If you want to apply the same Fixup Chain to all uploaded Articles, select the first entry [3] in the Article line.
  5. Complete the form with the required information and then select the desired Fixup Chain from the Fixup Chain option [4].
  6. Click Save [5] to start the upload process. The normalization step will be performed, and the Fixup Chain will immediately be applied to the Article(s).

Figure 1: The dialog Add Article

2.2. Creating a Print Item

To create a Print Item within an Order or Production Job and apply a Fixup Chain, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Orders > Orders or Production Jobs > Production Jobs.
  2. Click on + Add in the action bar to open the dialog Add Order or Add Production Job.
  3. Select the tab Print Items.
  4. Drag and drop the files you want to upload as Print Items into the dropzone [6].
  5. Select the Print Item [7] to which you want to apply a Fixup Chain. If you want to apply the same Fixup Chain to all uploaded Print Items, first select the first entry [8] in the Print Item line.
  6. Fill in the entire form with the required information and then choose the desired Fixup Chain [9] from the dropdown menu.
  7. Click Save [10] to create the Order or Production Job. This will initiate the upload process, execute the normalization step, and immediately apply the Fixup Chain the Print Item(s).

Figure 2: The dialog Add Production Job

3. Applying a Fixup Chain to the Print Item in Print Item Detail View

The Print Item Detail View is available in the menus Article, Order, and Production Job under the tab Print Data with the same name.

To apply a Fixup Chain to the currently selected Print Item, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate to Article, Order, or Production Job.
  2. In the list of Articles, Orders, or Production Jobs, click on the name of the Article, Order, or Production Job.
  3. This will open the tab Print Data [11] for the respective Article, Order, or Production Job, automatically taking you to the Print Item Detail View. The Print Item Detail View is divided into various sections, each offering information and functions for different topics.
  4. If you have opened an Order or Production Job, select the desired Print Item to which you want to apply the Fixup Chain.
  5. In the footer [12] of the sections Document Information, Page Information and User-defined Fields, you will find various Fixups, grouped into Fixup groups. In the last icon, Fixup Chains [13], there is an option to apply a Fixup Chain to the currently selected Print Item.
  6. Click on the Fixup Chains [13] icon to open the dialog Apply Fixup Chain.
  7. In the dialog, select the desired Fixup Chain [14] to apply to the Print Item.
  8. Click on the Apply to Selection [15] button to apply the Fixup Chain to the Print Item.

Figure 3: The tab Print Data of an Article with the dialog Apply Fixup Chain

4. Apply Fixup Chain to Multiple Articles/Print Items

If a Fixup Chain is to be applied to multiple Articles or Print Items at the same time, this can be done either in the Article or Print Item list, or altenatively, within the tab Print Item of an Order or Production Job.

4.1. In the List of Articles and Print Items

To apply a Fixup Chain to multiple Print Items, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate to the list of Articles or Print Items in Article > Articles or Orders > Print Items.
  2. Select multiple Articles or Print Items as needed. Then, open the Fixups [17] drop-down menu and choose Fixup Chain [16].
  3. When you select Apply Fixup Chain [17], the dialog Apply Fixup Chain will open.
  4. Select the desired Fixup Chain [18] you want to apply to the selected Print Items.
  5. Click the Apply to Selection button [19] to execute the Fixup Chain on the selected Print Items.

Figure 4: The Article list of the menu Articles with the dialog Apply Fixup Chain

4.2. In the tab «Print Items» of an Order or Production Job

To apply a Fixup Chain to multiple Print Items within an Order or Production Job, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate to Orders > Orders or Production Jobs.
  2. Click on the Name of the relevant Order or Production Job in the list of Orders or Production Jobs.
  3. This opens the tab Print Item [20] for the selected Order or Production Job, where the list of Print Items is displayed in the Print Item line.
  4. Select the Print Items that should be edited in the Print Item line by activating the symbol [23]. If you want to select all Print Items in the Print Item line, click on the Select all button [22].
  5. If multiple Print Items are selected, open the menu Fixups [21] and choose the Apply Fixup Chain command [24].
  6. When you select Apply Fixup Chain [24], the Apply Fixup Chain dialog opens.
  7. In the dialog, select the desired Fixup Chain [25] you want to apply to the selected Print Items.
  8. Click the Apply to Selection button [26] to execute the Fixup Chain to the selected Print Items.

Figure 5: The tab Print Item of a Production Job displaying the Print Items contained in the Production Job

5. Use a Fixup Chain in Operation «Apply Fixup Chain»

Production Configurations, which can be created under Automation > Production Configuration, define the procedural Workflows that a Print Item must pass through production. These configurations are typically used in the context of Quick Print, Hotfolders, or generating Automation Jobs. Their purpose is to automate production tasks to the greatest extend possible and eliminate repetitive manual actions for users.

To define the Print Item's process within a Production Configuration, individual process steps are added.  Each step performs a specific task within the overall Workflow. The Apply Fixup Chain process step is used, among other things, to prepare normalized print data with the necessary add-ons for production.

To create a Production Configuration that includes the Apply Fixup Chain operation, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate to Automation > Production Configuration.
  2. Click Add to create a new production configuration.
  3. In the tab General [28], enter a Name and Description for the Production Configuration.
  4. Switch to the tab Operations tab [27] and use the + Add icon [29] to insert the desired steps in the appropriate order.
  5. Add the Apply Fixup Chain operation [30] and select the desired Fixup Chain in the Fixup Chain option [31].
  6. Finalize the creation of the Production Configuration by clicking Save [32]. This Production Configuration is now available for use in Quick Print, Hotfolders, and when creating Automation Jobs.

Figure 6: Left: The tab Production Configuration in the menu Automation; Right: The dialog Add Production Configuration

Creating Production Configurations

Please note that Production Configurations can also be created directly when setting up a Quick Print or a Hotfolder. The configuration of the Apply Fixup Chain operation can be carried out in the same manner as described above.

6. Accessing the Fixup Chain via the XML Job Ticket

In addition to the processing methods Individual Files, Auto Nesting, ZIP Files and ZIP for Multiple Print Runs, the XML processing method is also available to the user when configuring a Hotfolder. By describing a Production Job using an XML file, you can assign a specific Fixup Chain to individual Print Items within the Production Job using the appropriate automationKeys.

Example of a Job Ticket Schema: Creating a Production Job with two Print Items, each using a specific Fixup Chain:

<HotfolderJob>

<ProductionJob name="Production Job with 2 Items" externalId="EXT123" comment="A comment" leadIn="2" leadOut="3" shippingDate="2023-07-07" productionDate="2025-02-27">

<PrintItem name="Print Item 1" unit="inch" width="35.0" height="202.0" numberOfCopies="10" pages="1" url="smb://127.0.0.34/files/file1.pdf">

<FixupChain automationKey="THIS_IS_A_FIXUP_CHAIN"/>

</PrintItem>
<PrintItem name="Print Item 2" unit="mm" width="350.0" height="2020.0" numberOfCopies="20" pages="2" url="smb://127.0.0.34/files/file2.pdf">

<FixupChain automationKey="THIS_IS_ANOTHER_FIXUP_CHAIN"/>

</PrintItem>

</ProductionJob>

</HotfolderJob>

For a detailed explanation of how to use Fixup Chains via an XML job ticket, refer to the article Hotfolder – XML-Jobticket.

Fixup Chains Not Fully Parametrizable via XML Job Ticket

Note that while a Fixup Chain can be applied to individual Print Items within an XML job ticket, it is only possible to control its parameters to a limited extend. This Fixup Chain will always be executed using the parameters defined within the chain itself. Custom parameters cannot be dynamically set via the XML job ticket.

7. Calling Fixup Chains via API

Another way to apply Fixup Chains to Print Items is by sending a defined request to the {REST:API}. This request must be triggered by a leading system such as an ERP/MIS system or a middleware component. The request must include both the target Print Item and the corresponding automationKey for the desired Fixup Chain. For a detailed description and an example of how to apply Fixup Chains suing the API, refer to the REST API documentation, in the Fixup subsection.

Artikel update: Workflow 1.19.2 – 04/2025

Previous Article 2.1 Create a Fixup Chain
Next Article 2.3 Export and Import Fixup Chains

Preparing Data for Print

1. Standard Fixup – Technical Description 131
2. Creating and Applying Fixup Chains 3
3. Creating and Uploading Custom Fixups 2

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