sequences_digital

Page-by-page (PagePrint) or sheet-by-sheet (ImposedPrint) output?

The Prinect workflow offers two different ways to output documents on a digital printing press:

•Output using a PagePrint sequence:

PagePrint sequences operate on a page-based system, meaning the input documents contain individual pages that are interactively imposed in the Prinect Cockpit. The pages are then assigned to a newly defined page list or a layout-based page list containing corresponding page placeholders. See Output via a PagePrint Sequence

•Output using an ImposedPrint sequence

ImposedPrint sequences work on a sheet-based system, meaning the input documents contain fully imposed sheet layouts including print marks. See Output via an ImposedPrint sequence.

Output via a PagePrint Sequence

Using a PagePrint sequence is always recommended when individual pages – ideally with the same page format – need to be printed. In a PagePrint sequence, imposition is interactive; that is, a "page list" with page placeholders is first created in the "Pages" step. In the "Imposition" step, the individual document pages are assigned to the page placeholders. This assignment can also be done for a large number of pages in one step using drag and drop. See [link/reference]. See Assign Pages or Page Lists for Output with a PagePrint Sequence.

If multi-page layouts with a specific page arrangement are to be printed, a sheet layout template can be assigned to the job in the "Imposition" step, in which the arrangement of the page placeholders is predefined. Such layout templates can be created – for more complex requirements – with the Prinect Signa Station, or the Prinect Imposition Editor – an Acrobat plug-in that is supplied with the Prinect Production software – can be used for layout creation.

Output via a PagePrint sequence is recommended, for example, in the following use cases:

•The dimensions of the printed sheet are not significantly larger than the format of the individual pages.

•All pages have the same page format.

•No special print marks are required on the printing sheet that are not supported by a PagePrint sequence.

The finishing process does not place any special demands on the process.

Output via an ImposedPrint sequence

Using an ImposedPrint sequence is always recommended when printing complex sheet layouts that contain different page formats and/or special marks. This is especially true for printing packaging layouts.

Output via an ImposedPrint sequence is recommended, for example, in the following use cases:

•The printed sheet is significantly larger than the page format(s) of the documents.

•A printed sheet contains pages of different formats and orientations (portrait and landscape) – possibly also pages from different printed products (multiple orders).

•For specific marks, the marks library of the Prinect Signa Station is required.

•The finishing process places specific demands on the process.

In addition to these requirements, there are other factors that must be taken into account when preparing an order for digital printing:

The Job Type

•Standard job

All jobs which are no gang jobs or which contain no variable data can be processed as standard jobs in Prinect.

•Jobs with variable date (PDF/VT)

Prinect and a digital printing press can be used to prepare and output print jobs with variable data. Prinect offers various scenarios for preparing variable data output:

aProcessing a multipage PDF file (a PDF file containing an extremely large number of pages) in the Cockpit: Such PDF files can be prepared and optimized using the "Normalization" option of a Qualify sequence. A multipage PDF file can be converted to a PDF/VT file. This conversion offers the advantage of faster processing speeds when handling color management and forwarding the job to the printing press. See "PDF + PDF/VT" group.

bFor recurring orders, a PDF/VT file can be used as a template and a CSV file ("Character separated Values") containing the content data.

cThe Prinect PDF Toolbox can be used to create a PDF/VT file and edit it as a multipage PDF file in the Cockpit with a Qualify sequence. See also Output of variable data as sheet-fed printing

•Gang Print Jobs

When creating gang print jobs for digital printing, it is often necessary to place elements from different print jobs or with different designs on the individual print sheets in such a way that the printable area is used optimally in order to save production costs.

The goal is often to produce print jobs using standardized finishing and conversion processes. However, as the number of individual print jobs increases, it eventually becomes impractical to handle all production steps manually.

On the other hand, the use of print formats larger than SRA3 is increasing. Examples of this trend are machines like the Jetfire 50 with a B3 sheet format (353 x 500 mm).

In digital printing, the requirements for imposition of gang print jobs differ from those in offset printing. Typically, in digital printing, printed sheets larger than SRA3 are cut in "cut and stack" mode, whereas in offset printing, the printed sheets are stacked in the correct order and simply cut without the need for re-sorting. This "ganging across the stack" is more of a sorting process performed during the layout design of the gang print job than a sheet page optimization process.

To ensure an efficient production process, print jobs must be sorted according to criteria such as substrate, number of pages, page format, or finishing requirements.

In the current Prinect version, batch job elements or print jobs can be sorted in Prinect Signa Station. However, the distribution of individual jobs or page elements is not based on the criteria of the finishing processes (e.g., "Cut & Stack"), but rather on the optimization of the printing sheets. The available filters for batch jobs must therefore be adjusted accordingly for commercial digital printing output.

Finishing Process

The finishing process significantly determines the layout requirements in a digital printing workflow because the way a printed product is cut, folded, bound, or otherwise processed after printing must be considered when designing the sheet layout. Finishing processes require precisely coordinated imposition schemes. If finishing is to be automated, the sheet layouts must be compatible with the machine specifications—for example, for barcode placement, defining sheet areas for job numbers, etc.

If you require special finishing marks, these may need to be placed on the relevant sheet in the Prinect Signa Station.

For example, if the printed sheets for a print job are to be processed using the "Cut & Stack" finishing function — that is, the sheets are cut into smaller sections and stacked in a specific order — the Signa Station should typically be used to create the sheet layout, and the output should be generated using the ImposedPrint sequence. This is because the Signa Station allows for precise control of the imposition schemes. This applies particularly to the parameters relevant for finishing, such as the delivery order, the definition and positioning of the cutting marks, and the design of the sheet layout.

Requirements for Sheet Design

Sheet layouts that must meet specific requirements, such as folding or binding, are best created with the Prinect Signa Station. For simple print jobs, such as printing single pages, a PagePrint sequence is sufficient.

Repeat orders and layout templates

Jobs that are printed repeatedly often use reusable layout templates. For these purposes, it is recommended to create the layout templates using Prinect Signa Station.

Users' level of knowledge

The Prinect Signa Station offers more options and precision in layout design, but requires more knowledge and experience than output via a PagePrint sequence, which is also usable for less experienced users.

Layout Creation with the Prinect Signa Station

Using an ImposedPrint sequence requires a sheet layout created with the Signa Station. To create a layout suitable for digital printing, the necessary resources must first be created on the Signa Station.

Following the principles of offset printing, parameters such as the printing press used, sheet format, imposition schemes, printing marks, etc., must first be generated on the Signa Station. The specific parameters required depend on the level of automation and other configuration requirements.

In the Signa Station software, the digital printing press being used must be selected under "Digital printing presses".

Level of Automation

Commercial digital printing jobs can be created and executed in Prinect Production Manager with varying degrees of automation:

•Manually using a PagePrint Sequence.

•Manually with the Signa Station.

•Automatically using a Smart Automation workflow involving a PagePrint sequence.

•Automatically using a Smart Automation workflow involving the Signa Station Server.