User Manual

Creating a Production Configuration

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In this article, you will learn

  • where the function for adding a new Production Configuration is located, and
  • how to proceed when creating a Production Configuration.

1. General

In a Production Configuration, all Operations required for a process step are added in the necessary order to achieve the desired outcome. Creating a Production Configuration is possible in just a few steps:

  1. Navigate to the menu Automation > Production Configurations.
  2. Create a new Production Configuration by clicking Add [1].

Figure 1: The Production Configurations area

  1. In the opened dialog Add Production Configuration, you have to assign a Name to the configuration and add the required Operations in the desired sequence. At least one Operation has to be defined.
  2. In the final step, select the parameters for each individual Operation.
  3. Once all Operations have been configured, simply click Save to complete the setup.

1.1. Available "Operations"

Operations are the basis of a Production Configuration. Depending on the license, the following Operations are available to the user:

  • Operation "Check-in Artwork and Normalize" – this operation checks and normalizes print data uploaded into the Workflow. Depending on the selected Check-in Preflight and Fixup Template, the print file will appear in the Workflow either with the status Normalized or Preflight.

Print Item Operations

  • Operation "Apply Fixup Chain" – this operation edits a Print Item based on the selected Fixup Chain. After executing the Operation, the single Print Item is rechecked using the underlying Check-in Preflight and Fixup Templates, so the Print Item may again appear in the Workflow with the status Normalized or Preflight.
  • Operation "Apply Fixups" – this operation edits a Print Item based on the Fixups added in the Fixups. After executing the Operation, the individual Print Item is rechecked again using the underlying Check-in Preflight and Fixup Templates. The Print Item can then be found in the Workflow either with the status Normalized or Preflight.
  • Operation "Prepare Print Item for Shape Nesting" – this operation creates a Shape Nesting path for the Print Item, based on the selected Technical Spot Color, which is then used as the basis for Shape Nesting.
  • Operation "Split Print Item" – this operation converts a Multipage Print Item into either a single Print Item or splits it into individual pages, based on the selected rule.
  • Operation "Update Print Item details" – this operation updates the Print Item with additional metadata and optionally changes the status of the Print Item, based on the selected options.

Check Operations

  • Operation "Check Print Item and Apply Fixup Chain" – when processing Print Items, it may be necessary to check the print data and then correct it depending on the Preflight Results. This operation performs exactly this task. Print Items can be checked against defined criteria in the structure of the print file and, depending on the result, automatically corrected or assigned to an action.
  • Operation "Check Print Item and Apply Fixups" – when processing Print Items, it may be necessary to check the print data and then correct it depending on the Preflight Results. This operation performs exactly this task. Print Items can be checked against defined criteria in the structure of the print file and, depending on the result, automatically corrected or assigned to an action.
  • Operation "Check Print Item and forward to" – when processing Print Items, it may be necessary to check the print data and then process it further depending on the Preflight Results. This operation performs exactly this task. Print Items can be checked against defined criteria in the structure of the print file and, depending on the result, automatically transferred to a different production configuration, allowing you to switch between several production configurations depending on parameters.
  • Operation "Check Status" – this operation verifies the status of a Print Item. If the configured status is not found, the user can define who should be notified and how.

Impose Operations

  • Operation "Create Impose" – this operation is used to impose single or multiple Print Items together on a predefined Impose size. The resulting imposition is then converted into a Production Job, which requires selecting the Operation Create Production Job as the subsequent step.
  • Operation "Create Impose with Auto Nesting" – this operation allows you to use the processing method known as Auto-Nesting for Hotfolders via a Production Configuration. The operation offers all the functions of the Create Impose operation with the selected impose mode Nesting. In addition, depending on the license, the Optimization option can also be used. This imposition is currently being transferred to a Production Job, which is why the operation Create Production Job from Imposition has to be selected for this operation.

Production Job Operations

  • Operation "Create Production Job" – this operation can be used to create one or more Production Jobs based on the selected options. Optionally, an imposition can be created based on the selected Impose Mode and Impose Template.
  • Operation "Create Production Job for Tracks" – this operation allows to separately feed the tracks that are configured on the printer with print data in a defined order. The number of tracks for the printer can be defined, allowing the entire print width to be divided among these lanes. You can define how many files are to be used per track and how the print sequence is to be carried out by entering the sequence numbers per track.
  • Operation "Create Production Job from Imposition" – this operation allows you to transfer an Imposition that was created using the Operation Create Impose and create a Production Job based on the selected output options.

Output Operations

  • Operation "Send to Printer" – this operation sends a Production Job to the printer. Depending on the Output format, this may trigger a rendering job or simply export a PDF.

Export Operations

  • Operation "Export Imposition Report" – this operation can be used to create a summary for impostions or to generate Mounting Instructions for tiles, enabling faster finishing and assembly of panels by providing information on Imposition. The Imposition Reports can be automatically exported to a local folder, from where they can be retrieved or automatically printed on photocopiers.
  • Operation "Export Ink Consumption Report" – this operation can be used to generate a summary of the ink costs for print data, enabling a quicker assessment of the actual costs. This operation allows to automatically export the Ink Consumption Reports to a local folder, from where they can be accessed or automatically printed out on photocopiers.
  • Operation "Export Print Item" – this operation allows a file to be exported to a target directory for documentation purposes. The Print Items can be adjusted beforehand using a Fixup tool. The Print Items can be automatically exported to a local folder in a predefined, dynamically created storage structure.
  • Operation "Export Spot Color Report" – this operation can be used to create a summary of the spot colors used in a file for documentation purposes. This allows to automatically generate Spot Color Reports for individual Print Items and exported to a local folder, from where they can be retrieved or automatically printed on photocopiers.

1.2. Requirements

To successfully create and save functional Production Configurations, you must make certain preparations in the Workflow beforehand. If you can confidently answer with a "Yes" to the following questions, you are ready to start creating a Production Configuration:

  • Have I created and thoroughly tested all Check-in Preflight and Fixup Templates required for my planned Production Configurations?
  • Have I created all Technical Colors intended for use in production as system-wide defined Spot Colors with the appropriate Processing Steps?
  • Have I saved all parameter combinations used in Fixups as Fixup Templates?
  • Have I created and thoroughly tested all Fixup Chains needed for my planned Production Configurations?
  • Have I configured the default settings for generating Approval Reports under Administration > Settings > Reports as intended?
  • Have I configured the settings for online Approval of Approval Projects under Administration > Settings > Reports?
  • Have I created and thoroughly tested all Impose Templates for the planned Impositions for each respective Impose Mode?
  • Have I created and thoroughly tested all user-defined fields that will be used for Production Variables?
  • Have I linked all Production Variables to the corresponding user-defined fields?
  • Have I saved all variations of Output options as an Output Template in the Workflow?

2. Create Production Configuration

By clicking the Add button [1] (Figure 1) in the Action Bar, a new Production Configuration can be created. In the dialog Add Production Configuration, the user must then add the individual Operations required for producing the desired product.

To create a Production Configuration for post production, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate to Automation > Production Configurations.
  2. Click Add [1] (Figure 1).
  3. The dialog Add Production Configuration opens with the tab General [2] selected.
  4. Enter a Name [3] for the Production Configuration. Make sure the name is unique so you can always clearly identify the purpose of this Production Configuration later.
  5. Optionally, enter a Comment [4].

Figure 2: The tab General in the dialog Edit Production Configuration

  1. Select the tab Operations [5] to configure the operations required for producing the product.
  2. Using the Add Operation button [6], the user can add the operations that the Print Item should pass through during the production of the product. If the operations are added in an inappropriate order, they will be highlighted in red.

Figure 3: The tab Operations in the dialog Edit Production Configuration

  1. First, add the Operation Check-in Artwork and Normalize.
  2. In Check-in Preflight and Fixup Template [7], select the previously created Check-in Template for the desired product.
  3. Optionally, in the Name [8], add any placeholders that you want to use for dynamically generating the Print Item name within the Workflow. The Default Template ${factory_job.file_ref.plain_name} uses the filename of the print file as the Print Item name.

Figure 4: The tab Operations in the dialog Add Production Configuration with the Operation Check-in Artwork and Normalize

  1. Next, add the Operation Check Status to determine whether the print file has successfully passed the normalization process.
  2. In the Print Item Status field [9], select the status that you consider to indicate a normalized file. The status Normalized is a good starting point for this.
  3. Under the option Send Notification [10], define the method to be used of alerting in case the status check fails. You can choose to receive notifications either by e-mail or via a notification to the Workflow User in the Workflow´s Notification Center.

Figure 5: The tab Operations in the dialog Add Production Configuration with the Operation Check Status

  1. Next, add the Operation Apply Fixup Chain to add the required Production add-ons and the Dieline for the poster.
  2. In the Fixup Chain [11], select the Fixup Chain previously created for use in the Poster Production.

Figure 6: The tab Operations in the dialog Add Production Configuration with the Operation Apply Fixup Chain

  1. Next, add the Operation Create Production Job and Impose to achieve the final goal of producing imposed posters on a defined print sheet.
  2. In the Job Name [12], insert the placeholders you want to use for dynamically generating the Production Job Name within the Workflow.
  3. Then select the desired Impose Mode [14] and the previously created Impose Template [15].
  4. Complete the configuration by selecting a previously created Output Template from the Template drop-down menu [13]. If you want to temporarily overwrite parts of the Output Template, click Edit [16] and make the necessary adjustments in the dialog that opens.

Figure 7: The tab Operations in the dialog Add Production Configuration with the Operation Create Production Job and Impose

  1. You have now completed the setup. The Production Configuration is fully configured and can be saved by clicking Save [17].

Article update: Workflow Version 1.19.2 – 04/2025

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Next Article Processing Print Items as Bundles

Automating Print Data Processes

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Working with Production Configurations 3
Operations - Technical Description 14

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