Flow Questions in PowerSwitch

[CSimpson]

I downloaded the trial of PowerSwitch and I am have a couple of technical questions about how to do certain things.

How can you get your flow to detect the size of a pdf and the finish requirements, so you can direct it to your proper imposition hot folder then to the proper printer whether B&W or Color? If this requires reading a JDF companion file than that is fine I am just curious how you do it.

Also, is there a way to read a jdf file, get the paper pulls and pass that automatically to a print driver? For example, a saddle stitched job goes through your work-flow, it gets the proper imposition, it has a 80#C cover and 80#T guts, it is sent to the printer with the proper tray pulls without an operator manually programing those pulls. If this is possible what would it involve from a programing or software investment.

Is there a way where you could pull say the JDF info and create a ticket page that would be added to a PDF, so that when a job prints it is accompanied with a ticket that lets the operator know what finishing needs to be done and who the job is for? If possible what would be involved to get this done? Any added software and/or some custom scripting within PowerSwitch.

I have written a fair amount of VB Scripts for Excel in the past. With this experience could I do these things or do you feel that I would need outside help to create a fully automated digital flow driven by JDF? Does Enfocus provide this type of service? If so ball park figure?

 

[CSimpson]

If I want to sort by binding type using the java sort script provided with the sample would this be the correct xpath syntax?

JDF//BindingType/@Preferred

 

[the_brain]

I downloaded the trial of PowerSwitch and I am have a couple of technical questions about how to do certain things.

How can you get your flow to detect the size of a pdf and the finish requirements, so you can direct it to your proper imposition hot folder then to the proper printer whether B&W or Color? If this requires reading a JDF companion file than that is fine I am just curious how you do it.

You have a few options:
- You can work with the embedded metadata in the files. These are called variables in Switch. You can use these variables to set conditions, rename, create a hierarchy, etc.
e.g. the PDF file size is written down as XMP info in the file, so Switch can read it without having to use any third party software or preflight.
If other information is stored as embedded XMP data (E.g. in the Keywords field), it could be possible to use this data as well.
- If all the job information is saved in JDF files, PowerSwitch can pick-up data external information and attach it to the job. The 'JDF Pick up' element will do the trick. Then aftwards you can route the files based on this information. Again using the conditions with variables option available in the properties of any connection.

Also, is there a way to read a jdf file, get the paper pulls and pass that automatically to a print driver? For example, a saddle stitched job goes through your work-flow, it gets the proper imposition, it has a 80#C cover and 80#T guts, it is sent to the printer with the proper tray pulls without an operator manually programing those pulls. If this is possible what would it involve from a programing or software investment.

As said before reading the JDF information is not a problem. Switch interacts with a number of imposition applications (Quite and Ultimate) that allow JDF as being the scheme. The printer part will be the hardest part and probably needs some sort of scripting to address the correct information to the printer.

Is there a way where you could pull say the JDF info and create a ticket page that would be added to a PDF, so that when a job prints it is accompanied with a ticket that lets the operator know what finishing needs to be done and who the job is for? If possible what would be involved to get this done? Any added software and/or some custom scripting within PowerSwitch.

JDF is XML based. An XML to PDF Converter (AltSoft's XML2PDF can be used in Switch) can create a PDF file out of this, Acrobat can be used to merge it with the actual PDF file.

I have written a fair amount of VB Scripts for Excel in the past. With this experience could I do these things or do you feel that I would need outside help to create a fully automated digital flow driven by JDF? Does Enfocus provide this type of service? If so ball park figure?

Well, a good knowledge of VB scripting is always interesting. Switch has a good reference guide (F1) where you can find most answers.
If that's not enough, you can contact Enfocus Certified Resellers or Experts and ask if they can help you creating the scripts you need. If that's not enough, you can contact Enfocus as well.

Cheers,
Bert

 

[Ultimate]

Hi C,
you can also use the dynamic template functionalities in Impostrip On Demand Digital. Our solution completely integrate with Switch and we can help you build a proper ot folder structure to further automate your production on multiple orinting devices. We offer the most advanced, most automated and best priced solution in cunjunction with Enfocus Switch.

Contact me directly and we can schedule a live demo and also send you a complete version for a free trial.

Ray Duval
raymond @ imposition.com

Ultimate Technographics Inc.
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[CSimpson]

Hello Ray, I am currently a customer of yours already I e-mailed Roberto, and he let me know there are somethings I could do that I was probably not fully aware of, I will probably be calling him monday to get into and test some specifics.

 

[mattbeals]

Simpson, who's your reseller for SWITCH?

 

[CSimpson]

Simpson, who's your reseller for SWITCH?

I haven't contacted one as of yet. I want to play with the program to find out if I can make it do what I want it to do. The other reason is I have been talking to a few Web2Print companies and some intergrate into their own workflow like Kodak (Though I am not sure if it needs to, to do what I want, I am in the process of finding out), some have their own partner programs like Avanti, and yet others are completely stand alone and in those cases I would need to know if they can create the needed JDF to automate the workflow. So, I want to make sure whatever I do is well planned, and that I am 100% confident will work the way I expect it to.

I think the biggest task at this point for me to ensure the switch program will work for me is to understand how to write the scripts to do tray pulls off the JDF information and pass them to various print drivers. How complicated is this? Can you have a B&W and Color folder were you can choose which printer you want to realse the jobs to? Can you do color splitting? Where the color sheets print and then are assigned as inserts on the B&W printer?

 

[mattbeals]

It's not really a matter of what SWITCH can or cannot do. It is a matte of what the programs SWITCH controls can or cannot do. Can you split black pages and color pages into separate processes? Sure, but what is a color page and what is not a color page? You have to have a tool that can reliably differentiate between the two. Once you have that, then programmatically you can do this. Is the device, or are the devices, you are sending the jobs to able to understand when to pull what from a JDF file? I don't think you can code those choice into the PDF itself. So some how you have to get the JDF and the right PDF to the device.

You're asking for a lot of a workflow. It's not that it cannot be done, but it's a lot to ask. And I'm sure that much of it will rely heavily on scripting. SWITCH can facilitate the scripting and other programs. Think of it as the conductor of an orchestra rather than as a musician.

 

[mattbeals]

Chad, I tried calling but wasn't able to leave a message. Call me back when you get a minute or send me an email.