When an Article is selected in the Articles menu item, the header bar displays the following article-related information and functions:

• Name [4] – displays the Print Item name and the internal ID in parentheses.
• Duplicate [5] – duplicates the selected Article with the same metadata.
• Fixups [6] – applies a Fixup or Fixup Chain to the current Article.
• Additional Functions [7] – provides additional functions that can be applied to the current Article, such as Create Order, Create Automation Job or Create Production Job.
• Status [8] – displays the current status of the Article. Click the appropriate arrow to change the status of the Article manually.

Figure 2: The header bar of an Article

When an Order is selected in the Orders menu item, the first row of the header bar displays the following order-related information and functions:

• Name [9] – displays the Order name and the internal ID in parentheses.
• Edit [10] – edit the order information, such as Order Name, Order Number, Customer, and the Order Information.
• Show Order Infos [11] – click Show Order Infos to display all order information about the order in an overview.
• Reports [12] – click Reports to create an Approval Project with an Approval Report for all Print Items in the Order.
• Create Production Job from Order [13] – allows you to create either a single Production Job for all Print Items in the Order or separate Production Jobs for each Print Item.
• Additional Functions [14] – this dropdown menu provides additional functions, such as Delete Order | Assign Tags | Additional Data: Order | Additional Data: Order Line, which affect the entire order.
• Set Tag [15] – use this button to add previously created tags to the Order.
• Status [16] – displays the current Order status. Click the appropriate arrow to change the Order status manually.

The second row of the header bar contains the following information and functions related to the Order Lines of the Order:

• Order Line [17] – use this to switch between the Order Lines.
• Name [18] – displays the name of the Order Line and the internal ID in parentheses.
• Add [19] – creates a new Order Line for the Order.
• Edit [20] – edit the information for the currently selected Order Line.
• Delete [21] – deletes the currently selected Order Line from the Order, including the Print Items it contains.
• Create Production Job from Order Line [22] – creates a Production Job for all Print Items in the Order Line.

Figure 3: The header bar of an Order

When a Production Job is selected, the header bar displays the following production-job-related information and functions:

• Name [23] – displays the Production Job name and the internal ID in parentheses.
• Edit Production Job [24] – edit the Production Job Information, such as Job Name, External ID, Output Configuration, Production Date, Shipping Date, etc.
• Send to [Name of the Printer] [25] – click this button to transfer the print files to the selected output device or directory. In many cases, this also initiates the rendering and Color Management process, after which the result is transferred.
• Show Production Job Infos [26] – click this button to display all information about the Production Job in an overview.
• Additional Functions [27] – this button provides additional functions, such as Delete Production Job and Export, which affect the current Production Job.
• Tags [28] – use this button to add previously created tags to the Production Job.
• Status [29] – displays the current status of the Production Job. Click the appropriate arrow to change the status of the Production Job.

Figure 4: The header bar of a Production Job

The Print Item Selection displays all Print Items contained in the current Order Line. To switch between Order Lines, use the pagination [17] (Figure 3).

The Print Item Selection provides the following information and functions:

• Number of selected Print Items [30] – displays the number of currently selected Print Items. All actions performed using the adjacent functions apply to the selected Print Items.
• Add [31] – adds another Print Item to the current Order Line.
• Edit [32] – edits the information of the selected Print Items, such as Copies, Tags, etc.
• Delete [33] – deletes the selected Print Items from the Order Line.
• Reports [34] – creates a report for the selected Print Items, such as an Ink Consumption Report or Approval Project with Approval Reports.
• Fixups [35] – applies a Fixup or Fixup Chain to the selected Print Items.
• Create Production Job from selected Print Items [36] – creates a Production Job from the selected Print Items for further processing.
• Prepare for Shape Nesting [37] – prepares the selected Print Items for Shape Nesting.
• Upload and Normalization Settings [38] – selects the Check-in Preflight and Fixup Template or the Template for extracting metadata to be used when adding a Print Item.
• Status [39] – displays the current status of the selected Print Item. The currently selected Print Item is indicated by a colored border in the Print Item Selection.
• Thumbnails [40] – displays thumbnails of all Print Items contained in the Order Line.

Figure 5: The Print Item Selection of an Order

In the Print Item Selection of a Production Job displays all Print Items contained in the Production Job. The available functions correspond to those of the Print Item Selection for an Order. For a detailed description of all functions, refer to the section 2.2.1 Order.

For Production Jobs, the Print Item Selection also provides the following tabs:

• Print Item [41] – displays all Print Items used for the Production Job. The tabs below provide the detailed information for the currently selected Print Item.
• Output Configuration [42] – defines the Printer, Substrate and Substrate Definition, as well as the output quality. Assigning an output configuration is mandatory for output.
• Impose [43] – use the Impose Editor to create an Imposition  for the Print Items in the Production Job. Creating an Imposition is not mandatory for a Production Job. However, an Imposition is generally recommended for Substrate optimization and to improve downstream processes.
• User-defined Fields [44] – provides access to all user-defined fields of the Production Job that have been created in the settings under Administration > Settings > User-defined Fields.
• Files [45] – additional files, such as preview files, imposition specifications, specifications for variable data, etc., that are required for documentation purposes can be stored here.
• Protocol [46] – provides an overview of all processes that have been applied to the Production Job.
• Ink Consumption [47] – displays the expected ink consumption for the Production Job. This information is only available after the rendering job has been completed.
• Print Statistics [48] – if the information can be returned by the printing system, this tab provides production information for the Production Job, such as Duration, Total Printed Area, and various Costs.
• Cut Info [49] – displays cut info for the Production Job. The corresponding cut file can also be downloaded locally from here.

Figure 6: The preview area of a Production Job

For an Article or the selected Print Item, the Print Data tab displays the following information:

• Preview [50] – displays a preview of the print file. The ImageBox, expected Bleed, all PageBoxes, and all types of Spot Colors can also be displayed in the preview.
• Document Information [57] – displays all information about the print file that was extracted during the check-in process.
• Page Information [58] – displays, among other things, information about the dimensions, layers and Preflight Results from the normalization check for each page of the print file.
• User-defined Fields [59] – displays all available user-defined fields for the selected Print Item. The content of the user-defined fields can be edited here.
• Pagination [60] – if the print file is a multipage document, use the pagination to navigate between pages.
• Functions for the selected Print Item [61] – the following functions are available for the currently selected Print Item:
  • Edit – edit all information relating to the Article or Print Item in this dialog, such as Name, number of Copies, expected number of pages, and Dimensions.
  • Download – download the Article or Print Item as a PDF. The following options are available:
    • Actual Version – Print Item including all types of Spot Colors
    • Original Version – the file that was originally uploaded to the application
    • Print Item Only – the Print Item with all separations used for rendering
    • Selected Technical Colors Only – all selected Technical Colors
  • Reports – select the required report from the menu, such as an Ink Consumption Report or a Spot Color Report. An Approval Project can also be created for the Print Item, or the selected Print Item can be added to an existing Approval Project, or a new Approval Version can be created. Note that these options may be partially restricted within a Production Job.
  • Additional Functions – allows the user to delete the selected Print Item or revert to a previous version. If the license includes access to the Die Cut Library, a One-Up can also be assigned to the Print Item or created from the Print Item.
• Production Information [51] – displays all information relevant to and used for production.
• Fonts [52] – displays all fonts used in the PDF file, including their font embedding status.
• Process Colors [53] – isplays all Process Colors used in the PDF file.
• Spot Colors [54] – displays all Spot Colors used in the PDF file that are intended for printing.
• Additional Spot Colors [55] – displays all Technical Colors, Hybrid Colors, and non-printing Colors used in the PDF file. These additional Spot Colors are excluded from the Color Management process for output and are therefore not printed.
• Separations to Print [56] – displays previews of all separations in the print file, organized by printing Spot Colors and additional Spot Colors.

Figure 7: The entire detail view of the Print Data tab

The Data Preparation tab provides more than 100 Fixups that can be selectively applied to the Print Item. The available cover a wide range of typical adjustments for editing and optimizing print data.

Figure 8: The content of the Data Preparation tab

By applying these Fixups, erroneous files can be analyzed and corrected directly within the application and prepared for further processing or printing. There is no need to open or edit the file in an external desktop application.

In the Variable Data tab, control files can be uploaded and displayed. The VDP Editor is also available for placing variable objects on the selected Print Item. Sequential numbering or data-driven content can be created based on a control file (e. g., CSV). In addition, variable barcodes, images, or areas can be defined and positioned on the Print Item.

Figure 9: The content of the Variable Data tab

In the Before / After tab, the current version of the Print Item can be compared with the original, unedited Print Item. This allows changes made to the Print Item to be visually tracked and specifically reviewed.

Figure 10: The content of the Before / After tab

In the Additional Data tab, additional documents associated with the Print Item can be uploaded. These may include fonts, job tickets, or text files containing color information. The tab also provides access to system-generated intermediate documents, such as preview files or the currently generated PDF file. These files can be viewed, downloaded if required, or deleted.

In the Statistics tab, ink consumption can be calculated based on the available Color Policies. This makes it possible to assess the expected production costs and determine the most efficient and cost-effective production method for the selected Print Item.

Figure 11: The content of the Statistics tab

The Protocol tab provides a complete record of all processing steps performed on a Print Item, from upload through to setting the status to Ready for Print. This makes it possible to trace at any time which actions were performed, by whom, and when.

Figure 12: The content of the Protocol tab

As soon as an Article or Print Item is added to an Approval Project, this tab displays the current status of the print file within the Approval Project. This provides an overview of the current processing status and progress of the Approval process. Changes to the Print Item are taken into accunt accordingly and displayed in the context of the project, making it possible to track the current status at any time.

Figure 13: The content of the Approvals tab