The following new features are available in version 1.21.0 of the Workflow:

Impose Editor – In Version 1.21.0, existing functions were extended and improved

• Impose Multipage Print Items – Starting with this version, it is now possible to use multipage Print Items in the Impose Editor, which means that multipage Print Items no longer need to be split into individual pages for the Imposition. [PPDWF-9203]
• Double-sided Nesting – Backside Assignment – The option "Backside Assignment" was added, which allows specifying which Print Item should be used for the backside. [PPDWF-10977]
• Nesting – Grouping Print Items – The option to create a caption for a group of Print Items and a line, i.e. frame around the group, is available since version 1.20.1. The option has been extended in this version. Starting with this version, the caption is placed inside the line, and it is possible to specify the Font Size and Line Width. [PPDWF-9474]
• Captions – Placeholder Impose Editor Options – New placeholders Sheet Height, Sheet Width, and Total Impose Length are available for creating Captions. [PPDWF-5304]

Approval Projects –In this version, extended possibilities for handling Approval Projects were added.

• Multipage Print Items in an Approval Report – The option to use multipage Print Items in an Approval Report, which has been available since version 1.20.1, has been expanded in this version. The option now includes a new Report Template that allows to display the frontside and backside of a two-page Print Item in a report. [PPDWF-10900]
• Resending a Notification – Starting with this version, a function is available to resend an e-mail notification as soon as a new version of an Approval Report has been created for a Print Item. [PPDWF-11094]
• Using Annotations – Starting with version 1.21.0, it is possible to handle Annotations during the approval process. A system setting is provided to enable or disable the use of Annotations. Users are enabled to create and display Annotations in the Approval Portal using various setting options, and also view them in the comments timeline. [PPDWF-4402]

Fixups and Fixup Chains – As part of the development of version 1.21.0, a new Fixup has been added, the functionality of three existing Fixups has been expanded, and improvements to Fixup Chains were made:

• New Fixup – In this version, the Fixup "Add Grommets/Drillholes along Irregular Shape" has been added. [PPDWF-10627]
• Improvements in Existing Fixups – Improvements were implemented for the already existing Fixups "Add Caption", "Create Bleed", and "Flatten Transparencies".
• Improvements in Fixup Chains – For Fixup Chains, the user interface has been modernized and simplified, making it easier to create a Fixup Chain and providing a better overview. [PPDWF-9057]
• General Information and Errors –End of life for outdated XML-based Fixups. The Fixups are set to Outdated, meaning they no longer work. [PPDWF-11803]. In addition, a bug in the Fixup Add Edge Reinforcement has been fixed. Previously, the CropBox and MediaBox were offset 10 times the entered value. [PPDWF-11366]

Automation – With version 1.21.0, functions in the environment of automation have been enhanced and optimized.

• Operations –The following new features and improvements have been implemented for Operations:
  • Operation "Export Print Item" – The Operation Export Print Item allows for automatically saving Print Items to a file server in a specific directory. The Operation can be used, for example, to store Print Items on a data server in a freely definable folder structure once they have reached a certain status. [PPDWF-9288] [PPDWF-10738]
  • Operation "Export Imposition Report" – The Operation Export Imposition Report allows to create an Imposition Report for Operations that include an Imposition – Create Imposition with Auto-Nesting, Create Imposition, or Create Production Job from Imposition, Create Production Job – and save it to a file server in a specific directory. [PPDWF-11239]
  • Operation "Export Ink Consumption Report" – The Operation Export Ink Consumption Report enables the automated calculation of ink costs for a Print Item and the creation of an Ink Consumption Report for a Print Item. This report can then be saved on a file server in a specific directory. [PPDWF-10544]
  • Operation "Export Spot Color Report" – The Operation "Export Spot Color Report" enables the automated creation of a Spot Color Report for a Print Item. This report can then be saved on a file server in a specific directory.
• Print item Detail View for Automation Jobs –The Print Item Detail view for Automation Jobs, available since version 1.20.2, has been enhanced in this version. This includes the following enhancements:
  • Automation Jobs –Open in PDF Editor –Users now have the option of jumping from the application to the PDF Editor, where they can analyze and edit Print Items. [PPDWF-9672]
  • Displaying ∆E Values – If no Color Policy is assigned to the Article or Print Item, the Color Policy that is set system-wide will be used as a fallback starting with this version. [PPDWF-10934]
• Display of Error Messages – Improvements – Several improvements have been made in this version for the display of error messages, including the following:
  • Display of Validation Results – The display of validation results has been improved. [PPDWF-11603]
  • Validation for "Quick Print", "Batch Processing" and "Hotfolder" – Starting with this version, the system checks whether the Operation "Check-in Artwork and Normalize" is available in the selected Production Configuration, Quick Print, Batch Processing, or Hotfolder. Only then is the Production Configuration selectable. [PPDWF-11132]
  • Operation "Create Impose" – Error Messages – Starting with version 1.21.0, error messages are displayed in an easy-to-read format when there are problems with Cutter Devices, the Height and Width of the Imposition, the Roll Length, and the Optimal Length. [PPDWF-11387]
• Improvements in Print Item Detail View for Automation Jobs – Starting with this version, the Print Item name is displayed in full length in the Print Item detail view of an Automation Job. Furthermore, a page navigation has been added to the Print Item detail view for Automation Jobs, allowing you to navigate through a multipage Print Item. [PPDWF-11428] [PPDWF-11358]
• Search Option When Adding Operations – Starting with this version, a search field is available in the selection menu when adding Operations.The reason for this implementation is the already large number of available Operations. [PPDWF-10976]
• Creating Automation Jobs From Selected Print Items – Version 1.21.0 provides an asynchronous call for validating the Print Items that should be produced. Thereby, the waiting time until the first Automation Job is genereated is shortened. [PPDWF-10636]

API –The following extension has been provided in the API for version 1.21.0.

• Production Job – Status Change –Using PATCH, it is now possible to change the status of a Production Job itself in addition to the existing metadata of a Production Job. [PPDWF-10774]

New User Interface –With version 1.21.0, various enhancements and some long-planned improvements have been implemented in the new user interface:

• Measurement Devices –Starting with this version, the Measurement Devices can be created in the new user interface. No new functions have been integrated compared to the old user interface; there are only improved options for searching and setting parameter sets. [PPDWF-10834]
• Production Jobs – Change Output Template – Starting with this version, the Output Template for multiple Production Jobs can be changed simultaneously in the new user interface. [PPDWF-10878]
• Measuring Spot Colors –In this version, the option to measure Spot Colors in the new user interface has been implemented. In addition, manual positioning for the Barbieri Spectro LFP qp Measurement Device is now possible using the control arrows. [PPDWF-8059] [PPDWF-10834] [PPDWF-11240]
• List of Production Jobs –If a Production Job is currently being rendered, the entry in the Production Jobs list is dimmed and marked with a progress icon, which means that this Production Job can no longer be changed in the new user interface. [PPDWF-11478]
• Substrate – Substrate Definitions – Starting with this version, Comments are displayed in the list of Substrate Definitions. [PPDWF-11380]
• Dark Mode – All areas where dark mode for the user interface had not yet been optimally implemented have now been correctly implemented. This includes the preview for an Imposition as well as the background in the tab Page Geometry in the Print Item Editor. [PPDWF-11202] [PPDWF-11179]
• Display of Extensive Lists –Extensive lists are now displayed quickly, which has been achieved by dynamically reloading the subsequent entries. [PPDWF-10450]

Enfocus Switch Connector for Workflow –Version 1.12.0 is the required version to use the Enfocus Switch Connector, which was released at the same time. Production Jobs can be generated using Operations via the Switch Connector.

Further improvements have been implemented in version 1.21.0 of the Workflow.

• Print Item Editor – Barcodes / QR Codes –In the Print Item Editor, the "Barcodes/QR Codes" tab now offers the option of obtaining additional information by extracting the barcode content. The additional information contains the color of the barcode, the color of the barcode's background, and the size of the zone. [PPDWF-9365]
• Quick Print – Simplified User Guidance – The Quick Print function has been equipped with simplified user guidance in this version to ensure fast processing of the Print Items. [PPDWF-10938]
• Batch Processing – The menu item Batch Processing under Automation > Batch Processing has been added in this version. The purpose of this menu is to process print data as automatically as possible as Articles or Production Jobs. [PPDWF-9791] [PPDWF-10932] [PPDWF-10901]
• PDF Printer – Extending the Print Configuration – This version provides the option to save the print PDF created using a PDF printer to a target directory with a hierarchical folder structure. [PPDWF-10846] [PPDWF-10846]
• Extracting Metadata Template – In this version, improvements have been implemented for the template to extract metadata. These include the following:
  • Expected Bleed – In version 1.21.0, the option to extract the expected Bleed for the Print Item from the file name was added. [PPDWF-10749] [PPDWF-10749]
    • The provision of this function has made further changes available in this area:
    • Access to the expected Bleed is now possible in the Fixups as well as in the Check-in Preflight and Fixup Templates. [PPDWF-10753] [PPDWF-10752]
    • The expected Bleed can be set when adding Articles and Print Items. [PPDWF-10751]
    • The expected Bleed can now be set separately for all four pages in the system settings.
    • The expected Bleed can be set separately for all four pages in the Print Item detail view.
• Export / Import – In version 1.21.0, the option to export or import templates for extracting metadata was added. [PPDWF-10543]
• User-defined Fields – Numeric Fields – In this version, the option to select the unit for input and display has been added for the Numeric type. The type of user-defined field cannot be changed retrospectively. [PPDWF-10700] [PPDWF-10351]
• Small Improvements – In addition, several minor improvements have been made in this version.
  • Substrate – New Fields – The two columns Substrate UUID and Substrate Type have been added to the printer Substrates in the Workflow in this version. The information is also transferred to the Jobticket. [PPDWF-10818] [PPDWF-10842]
  • Create Production Job – Resolve References – From version 1.21.0 onwards, it is possible to remove references from an Article when creating a Production Job, so that there is no longer any connection between the Article and a Production Job. [PPDWF-5607]
  • Printer Name in "Send to Printer" Dialog – In version 1.21.0, the option to display the printer name is available in all dialogs where data is transferred to the printer. [PPDWF-9427]
  • Cutter Devices – Importing Substrates – This version provides the option of using user-defined IP addresses to import materials/recipes from Zund and Optiscout Cutter Devices. [PPDWF-10467]
  • Approvals – Selection of Approvals – This version provides the option to select multiple Approvals in the Approvals list and add them all to the Approvals list in one go. [PPDWF-10874]
  • Ink Consumption Calculation – Volume Unit – Starting with this version, it is now possible to change the Volume Unit from milliliters to liters when calculating ink costs and subsequently use this value in a report. [PPDWF-11745]
  • Ink Consumption Report – ml/m2 – In version 1.21.0, the Ink Consumption Report was extended to include the information "ml/m^2". [PPDWF-11420]
  • Spot Color "White Over" – System-Wide Spot Color – In this version, the Spot Color "White Over" is provided in the standard installation as a system-wide Spot Color. [PPDWF-10838]
  • Fluo Inks – Color Configuration and Standalone Separation – This version also offers the option of using Fluo inks (fluo pink and fluo yellow) in a Color Configuration. Fluo inks can also be output as a standalone separation. [PPDWF-4949] [PPDWF-10817]
  • Color Setup – Total Ink Coverage Chart – Some fields in the chart for Total Ink Coverage were incorrectly set up. Incorrect color patches have been corrected in this version. [PPDWF-10469]
  • Print Item Detail View – Prepare for Shape Nesting – This version provides the option of applying Shape Nesting to multiple selected Print Items in the new user interface. [PPDWF-10730]
  • Information – Zunicomm Version on Render Satellite – Starting with this version, a warning is displayed when the Zunicomm version on the render satellite is not identical to the main instance.  [PPDWF-11496]
  • Ink Update – The list of available inks for Durst printing systems has been updated again with version 1.21.0.  [PPDWF-11184]

Automation – General Errors – In the Automation environment, the following errors were fixed in version 1.21.0:

• "Create Imposition" Operation – Cutter Device Selection – When entering the name for a Cutter Device, no Cutter Device was suggested. This behavior has been fixed – this assistance in selecting a Cutter Device is available again as of this version. [PPDWF-11517]
• List of Automation Jobs – User Display in "Modified" – In the list of Automation Jobs, the wrong user was specified for the "Modified" field in many cases for the list entry "Modified". This error has been fixed. [PPDWF-11288]
• Grouping Option "For each Print Item" – The grouping function was not working in the "Create Impose" and "Auto Nesting" Operations. This bug has been fixed. [PPDWF-11114]
• "Create Production Job" and "Create Production Job from Imposition" Operations – Placeholders for Production and Delivery Dates – When the production or delivery date was set depending on a variable function, the respective date was not resolved correctly. This error has been fixed. [PPDWF-11012]
• Operation "Split Print Items" – If the page size was too large, the working memory could run out, and the system would no longer be functional. A solution has been found for this. [PPDWF-10909]
• Deleting the Automation Routine – It was not possible to delete an Automation Routine when the Production Configuration that was assigned to the Automation Routine had been deleted beforehand. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-10792]

New User Interface – The following bugs have been fixed in version 1.21.0 of the new user interface:

• Create Printer – Print Configuration List – The assigned Process Color for the printer was not displayed in the list. [PPDWF-11813]
• Create Substrate Category – It was not possible to create a new Substrate Category in the new user interface. [PPDWF-11796]
• Output Settings – Template – Changed values could not be saved for the settings of an existing Output Template. [PPDWF-11792]
• User Role – Structure – Due to inconsistencies in the structure of permissions across different menu items, this was revised. [PPDWF-11783] [PPDWF-11195]
• Send to Printer – Rotate – Once the Rotate function was set in the “Send to Printer” dialog, it could no longer be deactivated. [PPDWF-11778]
• Create Approval Project – Production Job – Up to this version, Approval Projects could be created from Production Jobs. This behavior has been fixed; for logical reasons, from this version onwards, they can only be created from Items and Jobs. [PPDWF-11647]
• “Add Color Book Definition” Dialog – Template Selection – Grid Chart templates were offered in the template selection list. [PPDWF-11566]
• External Printer – Name of Print Configuration – The same name could be assigned multiple times to a Print Configuration. [PPDWF-11484]
• Order – Custom fields – Changes made to custom fields for an Order were not saved. [PPDWF-11341]
• Creating Technical Colors – Processing Steps – Selecting the Processing Steps Group and the Processing Steps Type was not mandatory. [PPDWF-11261]
• Create Spot Colors – The following errors were fixed in this area:
  • Processing Steps Groups – Creating a Processing Steps Type was mandatory for the Processing Steps Groups “Braille,” “Dimension,” and “Legend.” This is no longer mandatory. [PPDWF-11259]
  • Color Policy – Filtering by Printer – Filtering by printer in the Color Policy input field was not possible. [PPDWF-10882]
  • Fallback Color Values – Spot Color Definition from Grid Chart – The fallback color values of a Spot Color created for the Substrate were not determined correctly if the Spot Color definition came from a Grid Chart. [PPDWF-10554]
• Measure Spot Colors – The following errors were fixed in this area:
  • Color Mode – When measuring a Spot Color, the color mode was not set to Lab. [PPDWF-11243]
  • List of Measurement Devices – When selecting a Measurement Device, the list of Measurement Devices was not pre-filtered. [PPDWF-11242]
  • Status of connection to Measurement Devices – The status of the connection to the Measurement Device was not displayed. [PPDWF-11241]
• Edit Collections – When values for multiple collections were edited at the same time, they could not be saved. [PPDWF-11217]
• Creating Printers – Color Configuration – The same Color Configuration could be created multiple times for a printer. Starting with this version, the Color Configuration must be unique. [PPDWF-11008]
• Production Job – Imposition Preview Image – In many cases, the Imposition Preview Image was not displayed in the list of Production Jobs. [PPDWF-10876]
• Hotfolder – Renaming Print Item Names – When using the default variable for the placeholder (Print Item name), the internal ID was always prefixed. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11540]

Old User Interface –The following bugs were fixed in version 1.21.0 of the old user interface:

• Creating Technical Colors – Processing Steps – When creating a Technical Color in the old user interface, it was not possible to assign it to a Processing Steps Type for the Processing Steps Group “Position” and “Structural.” This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11777]
• Amazon Transparency Codes – Creating Customers – When creating a customer in the old user interface, it was sometimes not possible to create a new data record for customers. This bug has been fixed. [PPDWF-11655]
• Production Job – Deleting Motifs – When deleting Production Jobs, the entire Production Job was sometimes deleted, but the Print Items associated with the Production Job were still available in the system. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11616]
• Hotfolder – File Extension – Only files with the extension .pdf in lowercase could be processed, but not those with the extension .PDF in uppercase. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11564]

XRite Measurement Devices / i1iO Measurement Table – Measurement Method – When measuring with Measurement Devices in this series, the M2 measurement condition was always used, even if a different measurement condition was selected. This behavior has been fixed; as of version 1.21.0, the M2 measurement condition is only used when selected. [PPDWF-11466]

Black TAC Calculation – The calculation was performed incorrectly in some cases. This error has been fixed. [PPDWF-11466]

PDF Printer – Placeholders for IDs – It happened that placeholders for IDs –${print_order.id}, ${motif.id}, and ${print_order_item.id} – could not be configured by clicking on the respective chip when creating the printer. This bug has been fixed. [PPDWF-10313]

Hotfolder – Automatic Activation after PMS Restart – Hotfolders that were not previously active were automatically activated after restarting the system (PMS). This bug has been fixed. [PPDWF-2388]

Quick Print / Batch Processing – Placeholder Production Order Name – When using the placeholder ${motif.name}, one Print Item name was used for all orders. This behavior has been fixed; starting with this version, the name of the Print Item contained in each order is used. [PPDWF-11716]

Generation of Approval Reports – The generation of an Approval Report failed when a Print Item was added via the user interface or an API call was made to generate a report. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11251]

Cutter Devices – Text for QR Code– The text displayed for the content of a barcode did not match the encoded content of the QR code. This error has been fixed. [PPDWF-11377]

Verification Report – Media Wedge – The Media Wedge was missing when downloading Verification Reports. This error has been fixed. [PPDWF-11790]

Spot Color – System-wide Creation – A Spot Color could be created system-wide with the same name. This behavior has been fixed, as color names must always be unique. [PPDWF-11491]

Routine “System Cleanup” – Intermediate Versions – Intermediate versions were not deleted if the “Modified” date was older than the reference date. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11488]

Gamut Viewer – Hybrid Colors – Spot Colors were no longer displayed in the Gamut Viewer when a hybrid color was used for the Print Job. This bug has been fixed so that hybrid colors are not displayed in this version, but all other Spot Colors are. [PPDWF-11411]

Fixups and Favorites – Some Fixups could not be removed from the Favorites list; this behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11410]

Hotfolder – Extract Metadata – In some cases, not all metadata was extracted correctly from the file names via Hotfolder. This error has been fixed. [PPDWF-11400]

Spot Color Report – Multipage Print Item – Up to this version, all Spot Colors of a multipage Print Item were output on the Spot Color Report, which only displayed the first page. This behavior has been fixed. Starting with this version, only the Spot Colors of the first page are displayed, and a warning is issued. [PPDWF-11382]

Search – Print Item Names with Umlauts – Print Item names with umlauts could not be found when they were entered in the Search field. This behavior has been fixed by extending the search to include umlauts. [PPDWF-10864]

Grid Chart Type “Overprinting” – Crop Function – When creating a Grid Chart the ‘“Crop” function in the “Layout” tab was not saved and applied. This bug has been fixed. [PPDWF-10850]

Vision Hybrid Mark – The Vision Hybrid Mark could be selected for the Plate Template. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11749]

Winding Type – Error Message – An error message appeared when placing Articles that had a set Winding Type. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11344]

Double-sided Nesting – Scaled Print Items on Backside – Scaled Print Items on the backside of a Nesting were not scaled correctly. This bug has been fixed. [PPDWF-11306]

Impose Mode “Die Cut” – Creating the Impose – It was possible to select a new Impose without selecting an N-Up. This behavior has been fixed; the N-Up field is now required. [PPDWF-10796]

Impose Mode “Manual” – Plate Templates – When creating a manual Imposition with a selected smaller Plate Template as the Sheet Template, the warning message was displayed twice, and no Imposition could be created with a Plate Template. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-10795] [PPDWF-10793]

Prepare for Shape Nesting – It was possible to confirm the Prepare for Shape Nesting dialog without selecting a Technical Color. This behavior has been fixed. Selecting a Technical Color is now mandatory. In addition, pre-filling of the available Technical Color has been implemented. [PPDWF-10705] [PPDWF-10704]

Fotoba Cutter Device – When multipage Impositions were used, no Crop Marks were applied when using the Cutter Device. This issue has been fixed. [PPDWF-11162]

Utilization Rate – Sheet Duplicates – The utilization rate was calculated incorrectly when the “Remove Sheet Duplicates” option was enabled in multipage Nesting. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-11018]

Double-sided Nesting – Error Message – When using Pre-Angulation, an error message was displayed during Double-Sided Nesting stating that the Print Items on the backside were larger than the Print Items on the frontside, even though the same Print Items were used. The error message has been removed. [PPDWF-10903]

Extract Metadata – Import Template – Importing a Metadata Template failed. This behavior has been fixed. [PPDWF-10985]

Barcode Creation – Line Breaks in Text – Line breaks could not be interpreted correctly from the CSV file. This error has been fixed by implementing a corresponding extension in the VDP Editor. [PPDWF-9836]