Single page PDF vs Multi page PDF

[zoran]

I am curios is everyone who is using Prinergy also using single page PDF's, like Rampage workflow or there are multi page PDF users too?
What is recommended by Kodak?

I can see advantage of single page workflow when it comes time to replace pages, but other than that, I can not see any other advantage.
On the other hand, I see several advantages for using multi page PDF, for ease of applying mixups with Pitstop global change, or varnishes, trim boxes, etc..

As you can tell, I am multi page PDF oriented, however I would like to hear of other advantages of using single page PDF workflow.

Thanks

 

[JoeatData]

I am multi-page oriented as well.

The biggest advantage I have with the single page is corrections. There are times where we are printing a 3000 page book and it sure is nice to access the single page window to do a correction on 1 or 2 pages then re-refine. This is huge when there are time constraints(which seems to be all the time). You're comparing 5 minutes with a single page to an hour or so with a multi-page PDF. You just need to remember to also updated the corrected pages within the multiply page PDF as well.

 

[jminrod]

We use a multi page pdf export from natives like indesign. Then dropped in prinergy forces file to be single page for trapping. We also export single pages for correction pages as mentioned above for the 3000 page book we would export a pdf with a prefix so we would know whichj change order it was for. I have the prinegry set up with 2 smart hot folders that will automatically over write the current page position based on the name of the single page pdf. 12345_Text.pdf goes in to prinergy and becomes 12345_Text.p1.pdf, 12345_Text.p2.pdf, 12345_Text.p3.pdf ect... If we where going to over write page 3 for a correction the new exported page 3 would be named 12345_Text_aa1.p3.pdf it would over write the current page 3. The only coveat is it will leave the bad page in teh unassigned area to be manually deleted and the vps isn't made automatically.

 

[zoran]

Thanks for replies, so it was not mandatory or recommended by Kodak to split PDF's into individual files?

 

[jminrod]

As far as I know once it gets ripped into prinergy it needs to be split into single pages so the system understands it. There are ways to reoutput as composite pdf from within priner

 

[JoeatData]

As I see it, Prinergy takes a multipage PDF in the input file window of the job manager and once it's refined it splits it into single pages. You can see this within the pages window of the job manager. You can also access these individual pages from the systems folder from the job. Job>System>SubPages.

 

[tbkeffer]

There are multiple reasons to use single page workflows.
Correction cycles for one.
We use Badia Export tools from Indesign to create single pages with unique serialized names for each page. We can easily see by name and date that we are replacing the proper page. We do not re-rip approved pages, ever.

 

[mattbeals]

I believe that there is an option in the Prinergy refine process to NOT split a multi page document into single pages. Whether that is a good idea or not is an entirely different question.

 

[zoran]

I understand ease of replacing page (debatable if you ask me), but what would be the other advantages of single page workflow?
Rampage used to work with eps files.
Since eps files were single page format, not multi page format like PDF, it was mandatory to use single page workflow.
What would be advantage of single page in PDF workflow, beside easy replacement of pages?

Thanks

 

[Joe]

There are multiple reasons to use single page workflows.
Correction cycles for one.
We use Badia Export tools from Indesign to create single pages with unique serialized names for each page. We can easily see by name and date that we are replacing the proper page. We do not re-rip approved pages, ever.

If there is I have never been able to find it.

We use both...basically whatever the customer sends us.

 

[local1]

What would be advantage of single page in PDF workflow, beside easy replacement of pages?

If your system has multiple refine JTP's using single pages for input can reduce your processing time.
So if you have 3 JTP's the input step would distribute the pages across these three.
When using a multipage PDF it sends the one PDF to one JTP while the other two are idle.

Multipage is simplistic. Single page provides faster processing in certain situations.

All pages are in single page format after 1st refine no matter how they are originally formatted.

 

[JoeatData]

All pages are in single page format after 1st refine no matter how they are originally formatted.

Yes, you can bring in multiple single page pdf to your Input files. Single pages do refine quicker than a multiple page pdf.
You just need to label or know what order they fall in within your pages window for imposition purposes.

If you are only refining a limited amount of pages to begin with, it's not too much of an issue.
But if you're working with a 2000 page book you're probably better off having one large multiple page pdf for inputs.
But that's more of a preference with the individual.

 

[zoran]

Thanks to all of you for replies.
My conclusion is that I have not seen definite reason for using single page PDF's over multi-page pdf, other than user preference, potential easier assignment of pages and potential faster refining if using multiple JTP's (depending if you have licensed many JTP's).

I was hoping there would be "magic" formula or "must" reason for doing single pages vs multi-page PDF.
This was actually good outcome as it helped confirm my personal findings.

Again, thanks all.