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1. cell of the next row The starting position is the top left cell of each block 13 14 15 Rows ZigZag The numbering pattern alternates direction for each row and is restarted once the beginning of a row is encountered The starting position is the top left cell of each block Rows ZigZag per Block Columns per Block The numbering pattern is restarted when the end of a column in a block is reached and continues from the top cell of the next column The starting position is the top left cell of each block Note If the Block Size is set to Complete Job then this filling order is equal to Columns per Job 23 Variable Data Printing e Columns per Block Reversed The numbering is restarted when the end of a column in a block is reached and continues from the bottom cell of the next column The starting position is the bottom right cell of each block Note If the Block Size is set to Complete Job then this filling order is equal to Columns per Job Reversed J 1 i Columns per Block Reversed Columns per Job The numbering is restarted when the last cell of a column in the job is reached and continues from the top cell of the next column The starting position is the top left cell of the job 24 Variable Data Printing ii Columns per Job Columns per Job Reversed The numbering is restarted when the last cell of a column in the job is reached and continues from the bottom2. E S KO x Variable Data Printing Contents N Introduction ter De iro ta d a dip m eme dra o d t ema ded tM oer bre c Neusat 4 1 1 Copyright NOTICE aaah ceteri scade recs natare Patios da bert Pa uev og abad 4 2 Gomponenls 52 5 ctt emet tent pr nf A co i n c BUNGA o f d d 6 PM FONU ENO DTP 6 2 11 Introducing SrmartMarks oie rage rt ir erre reed ti ete encode Fed ded 6 2 1 2 Plato for Step and Repeat se ee etel ted bir b bd rn pte e Pa putre dpt tube 6 21 3 Front End Output ieri re red th re p e e bran Eia 6 2 2 Database T M 7 2 2 1 Field name req lrerients eee eee eee ed ded eR e i e rg e 7 2 2 2 XML document structure requirements sss nennen nnn 7 2 2 3 GSV format requirements eee ae e uber NAN e tbid doe ra bt e qua 7 2 3 BackStage Server IasKS rette arbe a d epe plate ape p HU doa da Rad 8 2 3 1 The Expand Variable Data to PPML File task 8 2 3 2 The RIB to WS4000 Series task uen amem een tre te D neg na da e ede d ge 9 3S PackEdge Workflow oett tte irem cya mdi deed vedi enne due d tpe cp doe derit 10 341 Greate a Job mGA NANGANAK BA Pa RR n A ERE RA ETHER 10 3 2 Prepare the Data eet tend ti dua e tum nid NAG AN NA 10 3 3 Design a one up in Esko PackEdge sse enne 11 3 3 1 Inserting Text Marks nennen rennen tenete tenentes 14 3 3 2 Inserting Barcode Marks debts eerte tenore Ye dre est MUN Pen V dd 15
3. because during expansion only the entries in the database that are based on these names will be updated 4 Click Browse in the Open XML Database dialog box and choose the XML file that contains the variable data ESKO ngan 12 Record Index is used to specify what record from the database will be used for the preview File SmartName values Open XML Database Database File File Location Preview Record Record Index j 5 Click Browse in the Open CSV Database dialog box and choose the CSV file that contains the variable data Then complete the additional settings for the CSV format You have to specify the database encoding a field separator character and a source for field names Open CSV Database Database File File Location Browse Encoding Field Separator UTF 8 Y Comma Y Field Names Preview Record Record Index j Currently only the UTF 8 encoding is supported for the database file A field separator can be chosen from a predefined list or can be set manually to a specific character Field names can be defined using the first record from a database This will cover the majority of use cases However sometimes the field names may be located in a separate file If so you Variable Data Printing will have to specify the path encoding and a field separator for this file because they can be different from the database file 6 Click OK The File SmartNam
4. E S KO x Variable Data Printing Then in the ImageMark settings you can specify the full path as follows f vdp image path Nimage vdp index ct It is recommended to use the Image Path feature since it makes your job more portable If the folder with the images is moved the job can easily be adapted without having to modify any other ImageMark settings 3 4 Step and Repeat in Plato 18 The repetition for variable data printing is created in Esko Plato The result is saved as a PDFPLA file The only supported format is PDFPLA STA and PDFSTA files are not supported According to Esko standards all jobs are assumed to be portrait oriented Only stations contained in grids are recognized by the expansion task Step and Repeat Position amp 1 000 mm sg 20 000 mm t 100 000 mm mm e Select Step and Repeat or QuickStep repetition chart from the Tools menu to create a grid A grid created via Filled Step and Repeat is not supported in a multiple grid repetition e When setting options in the Step and Repeat dialog box make sure that first cell of the repetition is placed in the top left corner otherwise the numbering will be incorrect e All the pages generated by the expansion task will have the same background Therefore head turn repetition is not supported All pages have to start with the head up so the result will not be correct for pages with an odd number of r
5. Identical one ups Block Size Complete Job EB Variable one ups a 1 Grid Rows v Database Filling Order Columns per Job OpenXML Open CSV Preview 1 printing direction a Details No file selected 1 IT Image Path Od Create Gaps Put Emp Yy One ups v Starting gap At the start Gap between blocks At the end no Ending gap rOne up filename Gap Size 1 Grid R 2 Click the Add button The Add Step dialog box appears 3 Select the Rip to WS4000 Series task ticket from the Task Type list in the Add Step dialog box 31 ESKOS eoe Variable Data Printing Add Step Available Task Type Rip to WS4000 series Rip to WS4000 series Rip to WS4000 series ws4 Ticket Name SH CMYK NOcms L Default SH IndiM1 NOcms 4 Click OK The chain has been created and you can now save the workflow ticket 32 Variable Data Printing 5 Configuration 5 1 FlexRip Indigo Configuration To configure the RIP a FlexRip Indigo Dispatcher must exist Usually a default one is created during the installation process To modify its settings use the FlexRip Configurator application Modify Rip Configuration E FlexRiplndigo indigo indichrome 33 ESKO ngan 5 2 Dispatcher Configuration Indigo Configuration Configuration Name indigo indichrome Inks Paths Set He IndiChrome
6. a description on all the options of the RIP task please refer to the Esko BackStage documentation If the RIP to WS4000 Series task finishes successfully the temporary files from the expansion task can be deleted These files are not deleted automatically 4 2 1 Inks Tab The Inks tab of the Rip to WS4000 Series task ticket contains a variable data printing specific option Use varnish inks in output The Use varnish inks in output option enables or disables interpretation of varnish type inks by the RIP 27 ESKO Variable Data Printing eee Default RIP Variable Data to JLT File File View Save and Close Tickets Steps l E Add Settings for Step RIP Variable Data to JLT File n Device HP Indigo m FlexRipProof gt Generic Proofer output A General Inks Advanced Pre Rip Output v pical inks in output d c D Use varnish inks in output Hite One Separation 4 2 2 Output Tab The Output tab of the Rip to WS4000 Series task contains the variable data printing specific option Use CMS for Variable Data The Use CMS for Variable Data option enables the use of color management for the variable data elements in a design instead of only color managing the fixed background If the variable data are put in a Pantone or a designer ink and the option is turned off the inks will be converted by using the color strategy linear Note Turning on c
7. the United States and or other countries Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation Portions of this software are owned by Spatial Corp 1986 2003 All Rights Reserved JDF and the JDF logo are trademarks of the CIP4 Organisation Copyright 2001 The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress Press and Postpress CIP4 All rights reserved The Esko software contains the RSA Data Security Inc MD5 Message Digest Algorithm Java and all Java based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems in the U S and other countries Part of this software uses technology by BestTM Color Technology EFI EFI and Bestcolor are registered trademarks of Electronics For Imaging GmbH in the U S Patent and Trademark Office Contains PowerNest library Copyrighted and Licensed by Alma 2005 2007 All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners Correspondence regarding this publication should be forwarded to Esko Software BVBA Kortrijksesteenweg 1095 B 9051 Gent info eur esko com E S KO x Variable Data Printing 2 Components The Variable Data Printing module consists of a front end a database and some BackStage server tasks 2 1 Front Eng The front end to the system consists
8. 3 3 3 Inserting Image Marks sss nennen tenere nee nenne 16 3 4 Step and Repeat in Plato sean emeret rta eon eine NUN NG bet ING 18 3 5 launch the Server Tasks niae netter over edo rd e ono t doe e be Rt 19 4 BackStage Server Tasks tte trie tereti titia tart tette ttti n 20 4 1 Expand Variable Data to PPML File Configuration 20 4 11 Grids iip te tto quld te eua uo t rata pde canes duet P dia reg caede 21 4 1 2 Grid Contents iit e rp Pati aiid d ndn GANA BAN NAG NAI 21 4 13 Database aient eem t eire ree etie pe be pe orb rd pr e meneame 21 ATA Conten Fillitiga icit cte ptt ceno bep t berto ot do epa coto hin co d 22 4 2 Rip to WS4000 Series Configuration sssssssseee eene 27 z M Cro 27 2 2 2 OUtBUE TaD Aah BA ANA ie area AN eden ates at dd REMOTA AD NE 28 4 2 3 Known Issues in the RIP eene nenne tenente eene 29 4 3 Ghaining the Tasks tnt ti boten bl n etd vto D AN Hd orn b to 30 5 ConfigufaltiOD aaa rte attt AA ANA teri AN AA DA better NAA Dette bett 33 5 1 FlexRip Indigo Configuration aan 33 5 2 Dispatcher Configuration rrt e de tre rg n een de tele utere v che eere ei 34 5 3 Access to the Press PC sss 5 4 Dispatcher connection with the BackStage server Contents E S KO x Variable Data Printing 1 Introduction Variable Data Printing provides you the ability to print jobs with variable elements on digital presses while keeping in mind the needs of the packaging industr
9. L database file URL e CSV database one or two file URLs other options delimiter character e Image Path URL when Image Marks are used optional e Block size job sheet or custom e Gap at the beginning of the job optional e Gap between blocks optional e Gap at the end of the job optional e Gap size Ordering e Empty one ups 4 1 3 Database This parameter defines the database which will be used for expansion The database file can be different from the one used for loading File SmartNames The only requirement is that the identical 21 E S KO x Variable Data Printing column names are used The database can be either in XML or a CSV file format and must use the UTF 8 encoding XML Database This type of database is a file in the eXtensible Markup Language format Clicking Open from XML opens a file browser which allows you to select the XML file Please note that the XML file must be stored within a container in order to be visible to the BackStage server which performs the expansion task CSV Database A CSV is a Comma Separated Value file The Open from CSV button opens a dialog box where the operator has to specify a URL to the database file its Encoding and Field Separator options If field names are not stored in the first line of the database file you can specify a separate file with the required information by using the Field Names part of the dialog box CSV file format i
10. Output indigotProdflow Presstinputilan bio Generate Magental Separation Images on Rip indigo Prodflow_Press images esko ib Name Book Cyan process Images on Press D Jobs Press images esko Magenta process Yellow process Black process r Paper on Output Media IndiChr Orange designer Size From job Source Roll Fed kd Tav ves designer Delete width 0 00 Height 0 00 Ink Book Modify Units mm i Ink Name 7 Add i 812 8 i Color Management we s Reset FF Proofer Profile None z Screen Default Job LUT Default Cancel The Paths group contains the location of the Master JLT file and of all the variable JLT files images The output folder of the RIP is the hotfolder on the press Please note that all of the paths must use the UNC format with the Images on Press field being the only exception since this path is used by the press to access the variable JLT files stored at its local drive If your network drive is mapped to a drive letter an automatic conversion to UNC format will be offered Typically paths look similar to this Output indigo Prodflow_Press input lan Images on Rip indigo Prodflow_Press images esko Images on Press D Jobs Press images esko 34 Variable Data Printing 5 3 Access to the Press PC The BackStage server user BGSYSTEM must have write access to the hotfolder of the press PC If not the RIP to WS4000 S
11. ate a job in Esko BackStage Prepare the data Design a one up in Esko PackEdge Step and repeat in Esko Plato Launch server tasks in the BackStage Pilot ahOoOnN 3 1 Create a Job The BackStage job will be used to encapsulate all the variable data resources To create a job e Inthe BackStage Pilot create a new job or use an existing job This job should contain a one up document containing the design with variable elements definitions and all the documents which are created during the workflow process such as a repetition file PDF files for both fixed and variable parts of the job and a linking PPML file In addition input data database files and images is also often stored in the Jobfolder 3 2 Prepare the Data An XML or CSV database file containg variable data values will be used for expansion During the design of a one up it is not needed to have access to the real and often big database Instead a small subset with just several records can be used The real database will be needed only during the expansion process To prepare the data e Prepare a database file in XML or CSV format e Make sure any variable images are stored in a BackStage Container When variable images are used in the design the files must be stored in a BackStage Container so that BackStage server can reach them It is recommended to store all images in a Jobfolder If the same set of images is used for multiple jobs
12. ay look like this joburl tmp expansion date time 2 Once the Expand Variable Data to PPML File task finishes start the RIP To WS4000 Series task to launch Esko FlexProof The input file for the RIP To WS4000 Series task is the PPML file If the RIP To WS4000 Series task has finished successfully the input files from the expansion task can be deleted Please note that the files are not deleted automatically 19 ESKOS 4 Backstage Server Tasks Variable Data Printing The BackStage Server offers two tasks to handle variable data in a PackEdge workflow Expand Variable Data to PPML File and RIP To WS4000 Series The Expand Variable Data to PPML File and RIP To WS4000 Series can be chained into a workflow ticket 4 1 Expand Variable Data to PPML File Configuration The Expand Variable Data to PPML File task ticket contains settings for defining grids grid contents the database and content filling eee General Expansion Expand Variable Data to PPML File File View Save and Close Tickets m Steps Add Ex Settings for Step Expand Variable Data to PPML File Output in Job URL 03 Output 01 Expansion Date Time Browse ae File Name a JobName Grids Grid 1 UH cun Content Content paling O Identical one ups Block Size Complete Job 34 Variable one ups 1 Fi Database n Filling Order Colum
13. cell of the next column The starting position is the bottom right cell of the job Columns per Job Reversed 25 E S KO x Variable Data Printing 26 Create Gaps Some jobs need to be interrupted after a certain amount of labels This amount can be defined using the Block Size parameter Gaps can be inserted between these blocks as well as to the beginning and to the end of a job No one ups are printed in the gap area so the press operator can easily identify the gap as a white space However all the elements outside the one up area such as die cut marks are printed Here you can specify where you want to the gaps to be generated The following options are available e Starting gap This gap will be printed first with respect to the printing direction before any variable data are printed Gap between blocksThese gaps will be generated in between Blocks Note When Block Size is set to Complete job this toggle is useless Ending gapThis gap will be printed last with respect to the printing direction after all the variable data have been printed The Gap Size option specifies the size of the gaps in grid rows frames meters or feet Put Empty one ups In general the database size is not an exact multiple of the number of cells in a block most cases one of the blocks cannot be filled completely with database entries It will be padded with empty one ups It will be padded with empty one ups The toggles A
14. d Variable Data to PPML File and RIP To WS4000 Series The Expand Variable Data to PPML File and RIP To WS4000 Series can be chained into a workflow ticket 2 3 1 The Expand Variable Data to PPML File task The Expand Variable Data to PPML File task performs expansion of the specified database entries into the corresponding graphical output The task takes the following input files e adesign file containing variable elements generated by Esko PackEdge Normalized PDF file arepetition file generated by Esko Plato PDFPLA file e and a database file XML or CSV It generates the following output files e one file with constant unchanging graphic elements Normalized PDF file e several files with variable graphic elements Normalized PDF files Variable Data Printing All these files are linked together by a standard PPML file 2 3 2 The Rip to WS4000 Series task The RIP to WS4000 Series task triggers FlexRip to create HP Indigo proprietary JLT files These files can be read only by an HP Indigo press The main difference compared to the generic RIP tasks is that this task supports PPML files which is essential for correct variable data interpretation E S KO x Variable Data Printing 3 PackEdge Workflow There are several ways to prepare documents and data for Variable Data Printing in Esko PackEdge and Esko Plato There is however a recommended workflow Use the following workflow for best results Cre
15. digo gt Indigo output E Mail Configuration Rip Node RIP node 4 Fastlmpose Site Preferences gt 3 FlexProof Image DownLoader EskoLink Portnr 3010 gt 3 FlexRip Approval b 3 FlexRip B b 3 FlexRip BI b 3t FlexRip CDI gt 3 FlexRip CDI Compact gt 3 FlexRip CDI Spark Y 3 FlexRip HP Indigo 4000 Series HP Indigo 4500 b 3 FlexRip Proofer Output gt 3 FlexRip Screened Output b 3 FlexRip Unscreened Output 36
16. ences to the database will become part of the variable layer 13 ESKO ae Caution The general SmartMarks concept supports several different overprint modes However only Opaque and PostScript overprint modes can be used for variable data printing The other overprint modes may produce unexpectable results This is due to the technology which designates that the actual merging is done on the press machine which currently does not support other overprint modes 3 3 1 Inserting Text Marks Use File SmartNames in combination with Text Marks to define variable sections of the text To insert a Text Mark with variable text 1 Create a new Text Mark The SmartMark Options Text Mark dialog box appears SmartMark Options Text Mark Text Inks Position Mirored lv Automatic Size Text Style Smart Text Advanced 2 Click the Smart Text button to easily enter a File SmartName 3 Select File SmartNames from the list on the left of the Smart Text dialog box 14 Variable Data Printing Smart Text first name id code ReportMaker last_name Output Parameter pieces File SmartN ames vdp db entries Eo 4 Select the appropriate field from the list of field names from the database 5 Click Insert to insert the File SmartName into the Text Mark Example If the database has a column named description then the SmartName reference inside the Text Mark will be Name
17. eries task will cause an error when writing the Master JLT to the hotfolder The configuration of access rights depends on the OS where the BackStage server runs e Windows 2000 Server make sure that you have access to the Administrator account of the press PC Create the user BGSYSTEM on the press PC with the same password as the one on the BackStage server system and grant this user access to the required folders e Windows 2003 Server e Log in as user BGSYSTEM on the BackStage server e Map the hotfolder of the Press net use indigo Prodflow_Press SAVECRED user password SAVECRED stores the credentials permanently During subsequent logons the share on the press will be automatically accessible 5 4 Dispatcher connection with the BackStage server The BackStage server must be configured in order to be able to send data to the HP Indigo Dispatcher A new proofer device that is linked to the HP Indigo Dispatcher must be created This can be done using the Configure application BackStage Pilot gt Tools menu gt Configure In the left pane of the Configure application select FlexRip HP Indigo 4000 Series and click File gt New to create a new device In the right pane enter the port number of the Indigo Dispatcher and click Synchronize with Rip 35 ESKO setas eoe Configure File Edit Create DCS Master o P 3 Digital Delivery gt Digital Die Cutter Type FlexRipin
18. es dialog box now displays the values loaded from a database File SmartNames File Smart Names Field Name Value first name Edward id code 40948824551 711 last name Gallagher pieces 3 weight 750g vdp indes 1 vdp frame 1 vdp db entries 102 vdp image path Load from XML il Note The following SmartNames are generated automatically and you are strongly disadvised to change their field name e vdp index returns the number of the used record During expansion of the very first record of the database its value is 1 For the second record it is 2 and so on e vdp frame returns the number of the current frame generated by the expansion task e vdp db entries returns the total count of all entries in the current database file e vdp image path vdp image path you can use this SmartName to define the path of the folder containing the image files if you are working with Image Marks 7T Click OK to submit the database You can now create or modify the variable data design All variable objects are created as SmartMarks Everything else will be stored in a fixed background Note Make sure that the design does not contain any fixed objects covering the VDP SmartMark objects since all variable elements are placed on top of the fixed background All SmartMark objects created in PackEdge will go into the variable layer during expansion Even ordinary SmartMarks that do not contain any refer
19. f tname firstname 3 3 2 Inserting Barcode Marks Use File SmartNames to define variable sections of the bar code value In most cases the whole value will be taken from database To insert a Barcode Mark with variable text 1 Create a new Barcode Mark The SmartMark Options Barcode dialog box appears 15 Variable Data Printing SmartMark Options Barcode Bar Code Box Inks Position Type EAN 13 Code lfid eod L1 Bar Width Reduction 0 000 2 Device Compensation pon H Magpnification Moo y Height 25 9330 24 Output Resolution 2540 H GED MV Light Margin Indicator BH u 2 Click the Smart Text button to easily enter a File SmartName The Smart Text dialog box appears 3 Select one of the items and click OK to insert the Smart Text into the Barcode Mark Smart Text ReportMaker Output Parameter File SmartN ames vdp db entries TE The bar code types provided here are equal to the PackEdge bar code types so for the properties of each bar code please consult the Esko PackEdge documentation It is possible to modify File SmartNames to see how the variable part will look like with different input All changes can be done in Production menu File SmartNames To update a SmartMark with a new value open the corresponding SmartMark dialog box and press Apply The new value will replace the old one 3 3 3 Inserting Image Marks Use File SmartNames to de
20. fine variable images in your design In the Image tab you can define the image location Insert a File SmartName using 16 Variable Data Printing 1 Create a new Image Mark The SmartMark Options Image Mark dialog box appears SmartMark Options Image Mark not found Image Inks Position Name lt vdp image path g Scale 100 00 To fit to the Borders Clip or Repeat the Image Vertically Extend 10 000 mm Horizontally Extend 10 000 mm 2 Click the Smart Text button to define a variable section of the image location The Smart Text dialog box appears Smart Text first name id code ReportMaker last name Output Parameter pieces File SmartNames vdp db entries Dice 3 Select File SmartNames and choose the appropriate item from the list on the right 4 Click Insert to insert the File SmartName into the Name field The f vdp image path SmartName which can be defined using the File SmartNames dialog box is already prefilled for you This SmartName represents a path to the folder where all the Image Marks data are located When you specify this folder in the File SmartNames dialog box you do not have to specify the full path to the image in the database fields Example The full path to an image looks like this server share customer job images image001 ct Use Image Path to specify the fixed part of the path server share customer job images 17
21. it is possible to store them only once and reuse them from all jobs All images must be in Esko native format CT and they cannot use RGB or LAB color space 10 Variable Data Printing 3 3 Design a one up in Esko PackEdge A design for Variable Data Printing consists of two main parts static graphic elements in the background and variable elements placed on top of them Placing fixed graphics on top of the variable graphics is not supported To design a one up 1 Create a new file or open an existing file with a design proposal for the static part of the one up 2 Choose File SmartName from the Production menu to define File SmartNames Designers do not need to have access to the actual database used for printing However they must be able to obtain the column names to use them in the variable part This can be done either by using a dummy database file or by entering the field names and preview values manually File SmartNames File Smart Names Field Name Load from XML Load from CSV 3 Do one of the following If you want to use a Then you must XML database CSV database Click Load from XML to open the database file Proceed to step 4 Load from CSV to open the database file Proceed to step 5 It is also possible to manually define File SmartNames by clicking the New and Edit buttons However be careful not to misspell the column names
22. ns per Job o Open XML Open CSV Preview 1 printing direction Database Details No file selected i Image Path BERE qu Create G Put E One Browsezzd reate Gaps mpty One ups v Starting gap 2 At the start Gap between bloc At the end wae v Ending gap One up filename Gap Size 1 Grid R 1a 20 Variable Data Printing 4 1 1 Grids For variable data multiple grids are supported The VDP parameters must be specified for each grid individually To specify the parameters for a grid select the grid from the Grids list The options for each grid are stored individually so a change of parameters for one grid will never influence the output of another grid on a frame 4 1 2 Grid Contents The expansion task can handle two types of grid contents Identical One ups does not include any variable elements It will fill the empty space on a substrate that is unused by variable data e Variable One ups carries the design with variable data elements The main difference for these two types of contents is the absence of a database specification and ordering pattern possibilities for the Identical One ups option Following enumeration gives you an overview of the differences Identical one ups Total number of one ups for repetition Block size optional e Gap size e Gap at the beginning of the job optional e Gap at the end of the job optional Variable one ups e XM
23. of Esko PackEdge for creating a design and Esko Plato for setting up the step and repeat SmartMarks are used in PackEdge to define variable elements within the design 2 1 1 Introducing SmartMarks SmartMarks are objects in the design that are linked to the database entries and are generated based on their contents In other words for various database records various SmartMark objects are generated A SmartMark can be of three different types a Text Mark a Barcode Mark or an Image Mark e A Text Mark contains a text value and implements tools for its formatting e A Barcode Mark carries a bar code and e An Image Mark is used to place an image into the design based on its file location 2 1 2 Plato for Step and Repeat Esko Plato is used to set up the step and repeat parameters In Plato you can specify general repetition parameters such as plate and sheet size horizontal and vertical steps as well as variable data specific parameters such as the database parameters ordering pattern and gaps generation 2 1 3 Front End Output The output of the front end consists of a repetition file PDFPLA file and a one up file Normalized PDF file Server tasks are started via the BackStage Pilot application A more detailed description of the front end and its features can be found in the chapter on the PackEdge Workflow Variable Data Printing 2 2 Database CSV and XML database formats are supported Both formats must be
24. olor management for variable data slows down the performance significantly 28 Variable Data Printing eee Default RIP Variable Data to JLT File File View Save and Close Tickets m Steps Add Settings for Step RIP Variable Data to JLT File Device HP Indigo i FlexRipProof Generic Proofer output a General Inks Advanced Pre Rip Output Configuration Set Output Mode Name FlexProof Indigo cmyk f 3 OutputFile se Dracc innitilan MEE Color Appearance Path 5 pp elite O Color Management Use Color Strategy HB Job Options AntiAlias E IV Use CMS for Variable Data Number Of Copies Source Profile R z d by the D Destination Profile User Deug Rendering Intent Color Strategy linear H 4 2 3 Known Issues in the RIP The following are known issues when ripping variable data printing Only PostScript and Opaque overprint modes The overprint modes of the variable part on the fixed part are limited to PostScript overprint and Opaque This is caused by the fact that the 2 parts are combined on the press and not on the system However inside the fixed part of the job all overprint or transparency settings are supported Unsupported transparacies in variable layer Using unsupported transparencies in the variable layer may result in parts of the variable objects not being printed No JLT viewer available Currently no JLT viewer is a
25. ows e SmartMarks generated in Esko Plato will be placed into the fixed part of a job It is highly recommended to use the capability of a SmartMark named Grid Mark Grid Marks can attach Variable Data Printing graphic symbols with respect to the repetition layout This can be useful when you have to create die cut marks Note that a Grid Mark is supported for a single grid repetition only 3 5 Launch the Server Tasks BackStage offers two tasks that process the variable data Expand Variable Data to PPML File and RIP to WS4000 Series Note Both the Expand Variable Data to PPML File and RIP to WS4000 Series tasks can be used in chain and can thus be executed as a workflow 1 Launch the Expand Variable Data to PPML File task in the BackStage Pilot The expansion task will generate fixed and variable parts of a job based on a design file a repetition file and a database All information required is stored in a PDFPLA file which is the input file for the task Please refer to the chapter on Server Tasks for more information The output of the task is one PDF file with a fixed background and several PDF files each of them containing the variable part of a specific sheet The output files are linked together by a PPML file This file describes how the fixed and the variable parts should be combined It is recommended to place the output files in a temporary folder of the job The specified path in the task panel m
26. rsions PANTON ES PantoneLIVE and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners Pantone is a wholly owned subsidiary of X Rite Incorporated Pantone LLC 2012 All rights reserved This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group Portions of this software are copyright 1996 2002 The FreeType Project www freetype org All rights reserved Portions of this software are copyright 2006 Feeling Software copyright 2005 2006 Autodesk Media Entertainment Portions of this software are copyright 1998 2003 Daniel Veillard All rights reserved Portions of this software are copyright 1999 2006 The Botan Project All rights reserved Part of the software embedded in this product is gSOAP software Portions created by gSOAP are Copyright 2001 2004 Robert A van Engelen Genivia inc All rights reserved Portions of this software are copyright 1998 2008 The OpenSSL Project and 1995 1998 Eric Young eay cryptsoft com All rights reserved This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation http www apache org Variable Data Printing EB Adobe the Adobe logo Acrobat the Acrobat logo Adobe Creative Suite Illustrator InDesign PDF Photoshop PostScript XMP and the Powered by XMP logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in
27. s the preferred format since the expansion performance for larger databases is higher An overview of all the settings will be displayed in the Variable Data page of the stepX dialog Image Path The location specified here is used to fill in the vdp image path SmartName which might be necessary if the job uses Image Marks It must contain a valid path to the images folder Please note that the value specified in the File SmartNames dialog is used for designing preview purposes only and therefore is not used by the expansion task Therefore it needs to be specified once again here as an expansion task parameter 4 1 4 Content Filling 22 This part of the dialog box is used to specify how the database values will flow through the variable job Please note that according to Variable Data Printing standards all the jobs are assumed to be portrait oriented Block Size Following options are available Complete Job This option defines that database will flow through the job without any interruptions One Frame The size of a frame is equal to size of the document defined in stepX Custom The size of a block can be user defined Units that can be used are grid rows frames meters or feet For units such as meters or feet rounding to grid rows is applied Filling Order Following options are available Variable Data Printing Rows The numbering is restarted when the end of a row is reached and continues from the left
28. stored in UTF 8 encoding CSV and XML files can be aquired from almost any database application and as a consequence other proprietary file formats are not supported 2 2 1 Field name requirements When composing database field names you are restricted to alphanumerical characters or underscores The first character of a field name should not be a number The interpretation of field names is case insensitive Uppercase letters will always be converted to lowercase during import 2 2 2 XML document structure requirements The XML document structure should look like this lt xml version V1 0 encoding UTF 8 V25 lt rootElem gt lt recordElem gt lt fieldNamel gt FieldValue 1 1 lt fieldNamel gt lt _fieldNameZ gt FieldValue 1 2 lt fieldName2 gt x recordElem lt recordElem gt lt fieldNamel gt lt fieldNamel gt lt _fieldNameZ gt FieldValue 2 2 lt fieldNameZz gt x recordElem lt rootElem gt The names of the XML elements are arbitrary but the following rules must be observed e Field name elements must conform to the rules for valid field names listed above e The amount and type of field name elements must be the same for each record Note The use of element attributes in the XML database is not forbidden but they are not interpreted by our solution in any way A correct XML file can easily be exported from Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel XML files are not supported 2 2 3 CSV format requiremen
29. t the start or At the end specify where to put the empty one ups from Filling Order point of view Examples Printing direction DIOITIN e LO Mm CO D T T 0 0 o LO 10 10 10 10 10 10 O o co e e opo 5x a I NTO st WwW ophe o C T N NININJN NEN TEN C4 Ce risfet olo Jo Jele zis 12 This job was created using the following settings Block size 4 grid rows Filling order Columns per Job Gap between blocks 2 grid rows Empty One ups At the end Variable Data Printing Mm co o o r co o MP coo o zeel ellil 5 8 8 8 II O o ist e o It iuo O ejz feje 8 5 8 8 isis isis I o T IN Cc oO IT IN o NT IN LIE Rieke 9259 Ww o N CO o Im co ko lo Ph fo lalalala eis ist Nf see F 8 2 5 lels This job was created using the following settings Block size 4 grid rows Filling order Columns per Block Gap between blocks 2 grid rows Empty One ups At the end a t jc e dt O HH PB EREE This job was created using the following settings Block size 4 grid rows Filling order Columns per Block Reversed Gap between blocks 2 grid rows Empty One ups At the beginning 4 2 Rip to WS4000 Series Configuration When the expansion task finishes the RIP to WS4000 Series task can be started to launch FlexRip There are only two minor differences in the ticket dialog compared to a generic rip or proof task Note For
30. ts An example of the CSV format for the same database is provided below E S KO x Variable Data Printing fieldNamel fieldnameZ2 FieldValue 1 1 FieldValue 1 2 FieldValue 2 2 Aside from the standard rules creating CSV formatted files the following must be taken into account e Field names must conform to the rules for valid field names listed above e Each record line must have the same number of fields equal to the number of field names e Newline characters in field values are not supported if you want to use a newline character in Text Mark use the standard nl control sequence Field names can be extracted either from the first record of the CSV file or can be provided in a separate CSV file The delimiter character can be a comma semicolon space or a tab character with the comma being the default A valid CSV file can easily be exported from either Microsoft Access or from Microsoft Excel Note If a database contains regional characters files exported from Microsoft Excel have to be converted to UTF 8 encoding e g using Notepad as Microsoft Excel does not support UTF 8 encoding for CSV files Microsoft Excel for Mac is not able to export some of the regional characters into CSV format which might lead to loss of data if it is used for generating the CSV database file 2 3 BackStage Server Tasks The BackStage Server offers two tasks to handle variable data in a PackEdge workflow Expan
31. vailable The only way to check ripped data is to view them at HP Indigo press using the Job Editor 29 E S KO x Variable Data Printing Files not deleted automatically Files stored in the images folder at the press PC are not deleted automatically Make sure that the total number of files located in this folder does exceed 3 000 otherwise operations within this folder may become slower CMS for variable data reduces performance When CMS is involved for the variable part of job performance is reduced significantly No Magenta layer for variable data A Magenta1 separation M1 is generated when Magenta overlaps with an Orange Violet or Green separation Using M1 however is not supported for the variable layer M1 will never be generated for the variable layer 4 3 Chaining the Tasks 30 Two or more tickets can be connected in a chain Consult the Esko BackStage 7 0 User Manual for more detailed instructions To chain the variable data printing tickets 1 Open the Expand Variable Data to PPML File task ticket Variable Data Printing e ae General Expansion Expand Variable Data to PPML File J File View Save and Close Tickets B Steps Insert Remove Settings for Step Expand Variable Data to PPML File Output in Job URL 03 Output 01 Expansion Date Time a file Name JobName cl a Grids Gull baka Content r Content Hun Jj
32. y A variable element can either be text a barcode or an image This document will explain only those topics related to Variable Data Printing Knowledge of Esko BackStage Pilot Esko FlexRip Esko PackEdge Esko Plato and SmartMarks is required 1 1 Copyright Notice Copyright 2012 Esko Software BVBA Gent Belgium All rights reserved This material information and instructions for use contained herein are the property of Esko Software BVBA The material information and instructions are provided on an AS IS basis without warranty of any kind There are no warranties granted or extended by this document Furthermore Esko Software BVBA does not warrant guarantee or make any representations regarding the use or the results of the use of the software or the information contained herein Esko Software BVBA shall not be liable for any direct indirect consequential or incidental damages arising out of the use or inability to use the software or the information contained herein The information contained herein is subject to change without notice Revisions may be issued from time to time to advise of such changes and or additions No part of this document may be reproduced stored in a data base or retrieval system or published in any form or in any way electronically mechanically by print photoprint microfilm or any other means without prior written permission from Esko Software BVBA This document supersedes all previous dated ve
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