In this article, you will learn
- which functions are available in this Operation,
- for which processing steps this Operation can be used, and
- how a use case can look like.
1. Introduction
As described in the article Creating a Production Configuration, you can add different Operations to a Production Configuration. This article provides a detailed description of the prerequisites as well as the options available in the Operation Export Mounting Instruction.
If tiling is created for processing Print Items, it may subsequently be beneficial to also generate Mounting instructions for the later Impose – for example, for wallpapers. Export Mounting Instruction Operation is used in Production Configurations that map an entire workflow – from uploading print data into the workflow to output – as well as when applying Production Configurations to selected Articles or Print Items.
Export Mounting Instruction Operation can be inserted flexibly multiple times within a Production Configuration. However, this Operation cannot be placed at all positions of the Production Configuration. The following Operations can be used before the Operation Export Mounting Instruction:
- Create Production Job – if tiling is created within it.
- Create Production Job from Imposition – if tiling has previously been created using the Operation Create Impose.
2. Function and Purpose of the Operation
The primary function of the Operation Export Mounting Instruction is to generate Mounting instructions for the created tiling, thereby simplifying the display process.
The goal of this step is to automatically generate Mounting instructions for all created tiles and export them to a local directory, from which they can be retrieved or automatically printed for later use.
Create Approval in Advance
Before you can automatically export a Mounting Instruction, you must first create an approval share (type Other Servers) under Administration > File Management. For more information, refer to the section Setting Up the File Management in the article Setting Up External Systems.
2.1. Add Operation
To add the Export Mounting Instruction Operation, proceed as follows:
- Open the corresponding Production Configuration via Automation > Production Configurations, create a new Production Configuration or edit an existing one, and then switch to the tab Operations.
- Add Export Mounting Instruction Operation to the Operations list. By default, the Operation is inserted at the end of the existing Operations list.
- Move the Operation, by dragging it to the desired position within the Production Configuration. Note the previously mentioned placement rules – the Operation can only be inserted after the Operations used to create a Production Job.
2.2. Setup Operation
After adding Export Mounting Instruction Operation, you must define the required parameters within the Production Configuration.
Figure 1: Edit Production Configuration dialog with Export Mounting Instruction Operation selected
The following options are available for configuring the Operation. They are divided into two sections:
Export Mounting Instruction
- Destination [1] – select the destination where the Mounting Instructions will be saved. Note that a corresponding directory must be created upfront and shared via Administration > File Management. If multiple approvals are available for the selected host, you can choose the path by clicking the icon [14].
- Hierarchical Archiving [2] – by entering a "/", you can define the directory hierarchy to be created in the file system. Example:
${contact.display_name}/${print_order.order_number}creates a directory named "Customer Name"within the selected target directory, and within it another directory with the "Order Number". Add a placeholder for the directory to be created by clicking Insert Placeholder [3]. - Filename after Export [4] – enter the desired file name that the Mounting Instruction should have after export. Add a placeholder for the directory to be created by clicking Insert Placeholder [5]. Note that Mounting Instructions may overwrite existing ones if the placeholder configuration allows it.
Report Settings
- Paper Size [6] – select the desired paper size – A4 or US Brief (8,5" x 11").
- Paper Orientation [7] – the paper orientation for a Mounting Instruction is set to Mode Portrait by default. This setting cannot be changed.
- Language [15] – select the desired language for the Mounting Instruction. This determines the language used for field labels. Note, however, that labels for user-defined fields are not translated.
- Include Overview Page [8] – the overview page provides a summarized representation of an entire order. All order-relevant information is consolidated and clearly displayed here.
- Include Overview Page of all Tiles of the Print Item [9] – the overview page includes a summary of all used tiles, including all dimensions and the mounting sequence.
- Include detail pages for each Tile [10] – the detail pages for each tile display all available information for the respective tile, along with a corresponding preview. This includes, among other things, the size, the printed overlap, and production size.
- Include Output Configuration [11] – when this option is enabled, the output configuration selected for printing is displayed on the overview page [8]. This includes information such as printer, substrate category, substrate definition, cutter device, printer configuration, substrate, color policy, and the parameter set used for the cutter device.
- Comment [12] – optionally enter a comment for the Mounting instruction. Add a placeholder by clicking Insert Placeholder [13].
2.2.1. Placeholder
By clicking the Insert Placeholder button [3] | [5] | [13] (Figure 1), Select Placeholder dialog opens, displaying the available placeholders for the options "Hierarchical Archiving", "Filename after export" and "Comment".
Following placeholders are available:
Figure 2: Select Placeholder dialog for dynamically naming the respective option
Meaningful Placeholder Configurations for Hierarchical Archiving
The variety of available placeholders can make a selection challenging. Below are some practical configuration examples:
${global.year_4digit}/KW ${global.week_2digit}/${print_order.order_number}– stores the mounting report by year and calendar week and creates a subdirectory for each Order Number within it.${contact.display_name}/${global.year_4digit}/${print_order.order_number}– stores the mounting report by customer and year and creates a subdirectory for each Order Number within it.${print_order.external_id}/${production_job.production_date}– stores the mounting report by external Order ID and creates a subdirectory containing the Production Date.
Meaningful Placeholder Configurations for File Names
The variety of available placeholders can make a selection challenging. Below are some practical configuration examples:
${global.random_guid}– generates a file name for the Mounting Instruction using a unique identifier – e. g. a3328987-ac65-4a48-a29d-82c89ee1d471.${factory_job.file_ref.plain_name}– generates the file name based on the original file name without its extension – e. g. Inaccurate_TrimBox_End.${global.random_guid}_${factory_job.file_ref.name}– generates a file name consisting of a unique identifier combined with the current file name including its extension – e. g. a3328987-ac65-4a48-a29d-82c89ee1d471_Banner.pdf.${motif.name}_${global.current_date}– generates a file name based on the Print Item Name and the current date – e. g. My Print Item_03.10.2025.
3. Use Case
In the example described below, print data is to be uploaded to $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW via Automation > Batch Processing. For each Print Item, a tiling and a Production Job will be created, and a Mounting Instruction will be exported.
To implement this process, a Production Configuration must be created with three Operations – Check-in Artwork and Normalize, followed by Create Production Job, and finally Export Mounting Instruction – in the specified order. Proceed as follows:
- Select Automation > Production Configurations menu item.
- Create a new Production Configuration. For instructions on how to do this, refer to the Article Creating a Production Configuration.
- In the General [17] tab assign a Name to the Production Configuration and then switch to the Operations [16] tab.
- First, add Check-in Artwork and Normalize [18] Operation to the Production Configuration. Select the desired Check-in Preflight and Fixup Template. In this example, the Template Workflow Default Preflight is used. The default settings of the Operation have not been modified.
- Next, add the Create Production Job [19] Operation and select a suitable name for the Production Job as well as a valid Output Template.
- Then, in the Impose Mode option of the Create Production Job Operation, select the Tiling mode. In this example, the default Template for Tiling is used.
- Finally, add the the Export Mounting Instruction [20] Operation. Select the desired Destination [21] and the Filename after Export [22]. Adjust the Report Settings parameters if necessary. In this example, no changes were made to the default settings.
- Save the Production Configuration by clicking Save.
Figure 3: Edit Production Configuration dialog showing the Operations required for the example
- Navigate to Automation > Batch Processing.
- In theExecute Batch Processing [23] tab, add the desired files from your local system using Choose Files [24]. In this example, Banner.pdf file is used.
- Enter the desired number of copies for each Print Item in the Quantity [26] field.
- Then select the previously created Production Configuration from the Production Configuration [25] dropdown list.
- Click Start [27] to begin the Operation Batch Processing.
Figure 4: The settings area of the menu item Batch Processing
- In the Batch Processing popup dialog, review the settings once again and enter the Name [28] to be used for the Batch Processing Job.
- Click Start Batch Processing [29] to initiate the process.
Figure 5: Batch Processing dialog for confirming execution
- You can track the progress of individual Automation Jobs in the Batch Processing History tab of the Automation > Batch Processing menu, as well as via Automation > Automation Jobs.
- Once, the job is complete, navigate to the defined destination directory on your local system.
- The exported Mounting Instruction will be stored there.
Figure 6: The Destination where the Mounting Instruction was saved
Article Update: $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW 2.0.0 – 04/2026