VDP help

[Presso-f]

Hello,

I have an oce CS650 Pro digital printer and i work with the program "Workstation 4". I want to use VDP (Freeform), but i have a question. When i click the right mouseclick on a job at workstation 4. Then i click on job properties. Then you see a tab VDP. There i click on. I see on the left side an empty field and i have to put a document in it, but i don't know what. I really hope you can help me with my problem.

Thanks for your help.


F. Heesbeen

[X33]

To use Fiery FreeForm :

First, you send the "fixed" part and select "Create Master"

Second, you send the "variable" part and select "Use Master"

do you have a CD with documentation? There should be a PDF file called "VDP Resources" that explains all details about this.

[Presso-f]

I have search in the vdp resources, but i couldn't find what im searching for.
I know that i have to send the fixed part and the variable part and select create master and user master, but i don't know what the fixed part en the variable part is. Do you know what kind of file it is and what i have to put there in these two files?

Thanks for your help, I really appriciate it

[X33]

example : postcards

Fixed Part : is usually the background of the postcard, any drawings, pictures, logos, fixed text, etc. typically a PDF let's say 5x8

Variable Part : is just the variable text of the postcard, the name, address, zip code, etc. only the text that changes for each piece. it could be an MS Word file, some people use Corel Draw or another Adobe application to create this variable file with a mail merge.

I don't know about OCE, but Fiery makes CDs and DVDs for Xerox customers with detailed tutorials and examples on this. Maybe you can ask your vendor.

go to EFI Color Print Management Software Digital Printing and look for a document called ABCs of Variable Printing. it could help too.

[Presso-f]

Yes i want postcards...

Uhm someone tells me that the Variable part you make in Excel and save as CSV (Comma Separated Value) file. Is that true?

Thanks

[X33]

yes, usually your DATA is in Excel, and then you have to merge it with another application like MS Word to get your actual VARIABLE FILE with all the records you want.

[Presso-f]

yess

Thanx i think i know it now. I'm gonna try it

I really appriciate your help.

[Craig]

Go to Printable | Home and get Fusion Pro Desktop. It will save you a ton of headaches. It sure beats using command workstation, and is a lot more flexible.

[Presso-f]

Sorry but i've tried to follow your instructions, but i don't understand some points.

I have made a PDF file (background postcard) and a CSV file ( adresses )

I have imported in the workstation 4 a sunflower.PDF file. After that i have no clue what to do next. I know i have to go to the VDP tab and select a network path.

can someone tell me what kind of a network path and some instructions what to do next.


If you can help me with my question you help me a lot.

Thank you

[random]

Perhaps an explanation of why\what freeform is. Freeform is only usefull if the base image on your document is the same on every page and you only want to overlay a small amount of data such as an address. If you were to merge your document off the rip you would be sending the image and text for everypage and this would take forever to process.

In Freeform you would send your base image which we call your master. Sounds like you have done this. Now you need to send down your text. People get a bit confused here thinking they just send the raw data and freeform works it out from there. This is not correct.

If your master/base image is letter size then your have to create your proposed data on a letter document where you expect the address or what ever it is to be placed ontop of the master. Think of your master as a printed letter size page and your data is a letter size transparency.

So if for instance you had 100 address you would print 100 letter size pages with the address in the correct location and select the master to be "attached" when printing. This is much much faster as the base\master is already ripped and waiting on your rip.

Hope this helps.