Plato Question - 'Variable Continuous Line Guide' ?

[Bluefist]

Hello everyone,

I work at a company where we produce labels for both Flexo & Digital presses.

My question is in regards to Plato. I hope I'm not leaving out any important information in my phrasing.

We are running Automation Engine 12.1 & are using the tabular step & repeat function to automatically step jobs. This links to our Label Traxx ERP system through an ODBC driver. In the tabular step & repeat, we select a set of marks created in Plato 12.1. These marks have a continuous line guide that is printed to help keep the web straight on our finishing equipment. We need this line guide to be the exact size of our stepped labels PLUS the row space so that it's the exact same length. If it's not the same length, it throws off our eyemarks & where the frames meet up on our digital press.

What we are looking for is to have that line guide be a 'variable continuous line guide' that adjusts with the different row spaces that come the come through our shop. Right now in Plato, all we can do is set a specific size. So, consequently, we have to make a different set of marks for each row space.

Does anyone know how this can be achieved?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tyth_Esko]

Take a look at the position mark in Plato - the link is below. With a position mark, you can build formulas by right clicking in the fields. You can then build formulas which will allow you to build a position mark the size of your GRID HEIGH + ROW SPACE for example or even the GRID HEIGHT + [SMARTNAME] (from labeltraxx). The after building the position mark, you can then attach another mark to it and have your mark (rectangle for example) fit to the height of the position mark. Hopefully this guides you in the right direction...

User Manual

 

[Bluefist]

This worked out VERY well. Took a few tweaks, but we're exactly where we wanted to be on this.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!