The Menu List is located on the left side of the screen and contains the main menu items such as Articles, Order, Production Jobs, Automation, Color, and Administration, as well as the user picture/avatar of the logged-in person.

The menu bar is available in two different views:

• Standard View (left)
• Thumbnail View (right)

Figure 2: The Menu List in two forms: Standard View or Thumbnail View.

The Action Bar is located at the top of the screen. It provides access to System Status, Activities, Clear Cache, Logout, and Language. The following display options can be seen within the Action Bar:

• Status and Activities [7]: The Action Bar provides a clear overview of the System Status and the Workflow server load. Yellow and red numbers attached to the icons indicate errors or warnings that have occurred even if the respective windows are not displayed.
• System Status [8]: In System Status, you can find out the runtime stats for your system and the license status (with or without a maintenance contract) currently in the Workflow.
• Process [9]: Various Processes can be executed by clicking on their entries/symbols. If there are several possibilities for a Process, they are available in the Process drop-down menu. To ensure that the user knows which element (e.g. Order, Order Item, or Print Item) an action is executed, the corresponding descriptions are also displayed in these menus.
• Language [10]: The last symbol in the Action Bar is the selection of the user interface language.
• Manual [11]: This button takes you to the user manual, which is available in German and English.
• Logout [12]: The Logout button disconnects the logged-in user from the system. The login window will appear again and a new session can be opened, it is also possible to log in as a different user. Further information can be found in the article: Log in to start the Workflow.

Figure 3: The Action Bar of the Workflow.

The footer is located at the bottom of the screen and contains only one active element:

• The Toggle Side Navigation arrow [14] which allows the user to switch between Standard and Thumbnail View.
• Copyright Information [15]
• License Information [16]

Figure 4: The Footer in the Workflow.

If an Article is selected, the following article-related details are displayed in the General Information area:

• Name [17] – this includes: the name of the Article, a unique Internal id and an External id, which is used to identify the Article in an ERP system, for example.
• Info [18] – Displays additional information about the Article.
• Customer [19] – Name of the company assigned to the Article (can be empty)
• Collection [20] – If the Article is assigned to a Collection (can be empty)
• Status [21] – Shows the status of the Article

The tabs below, show detailed information for the Article which are grouped by topic.

Figure 5: The General Information area using an Article as an example.

Overview pages are available for the following menu items: Articles, Orders and Production Jobs. They contain a central area for viewing, managing and editing the information contained in the selected menu item.

There are two distinct areas:

• General Information – Distinguishable by color, according to the area.
• Detailed Information – Displayed on a white background.

There are two levels for Orders: General Information and Order or Order Item Information, where the content of the Order is displayed.

If an Order is selected, the following order-related details are displayed in the General Information area:

• Order [22] – Name and the Order Number
• Tags [23] – Displays any Tags assigned to the Order
• Order Item [24] – The Order Item is separated by a line above it and displays the Order Items contained in an Order. Use the paging arrows to switch between Order Items [26]
• Due Date [25] – Displays the selected date for which the Order Item should be complete.
• Status [27] – Represents the status of the Article.

In the tabs below both the Order or Order Item information is displayed and grouped by topic.

Figure 6: The General Information area of an Order.

Since an Order can consist of several Order Items and this information can be very extensive, the area for reading the Order and Order Item information is displayed below the General Information area.

Four tabs are displayed:

• Print Item [28] – This tab displays all Print Items that are assigned to an Order Item. In the tabs [32] below, detailed information for the selected Print Item is displayed in grouped tabs [31].
• Approvals [32] – Contains all Approvals that have been created over time for Print Items in the Order Items. The creation of these print releases takes place elsewhere.
• Additional Files [29] – Any additional documents added to the Order Item are displayed here. You can also upload additional documents in this tab.
• Order Information [30] – While general information about the Order is already displayed in the header area, detailed information about the Order such as Company, Contact Persons, etc., is displayed here. In addition, you can also upload additional documents to the Order.

Figure 7: The Order and/or Order Item information for an Order.

There are two information levels for Production Jobs: General Information and Production Parameters, where content for the Production Job is displayed.

When a Production Job is selected, the following production-relevant details are displayed in the General Information area:

Production Job [33] – The Name of the Production Job plus the unique internal ID as well as the external ID, which is used, for example, to identify the Production Job in a leading ERP system.

• Tags – Displays Tags assigned to a Production Job.
• Production Date [34] – The date and time of the production.
• Shipping Date [35] – Displays the shipping date for the Production Job.
• Status [36] – Displays the status of the Production Job.

In the tabs below, Production Parameters for the Production Job are displayed.

Figure 8: The General Information section of a Production Job.

In addition to General Information about the Production Job, Production Parameters show more detailed production-relevant information. Information relating to the printing process plays an important role here. The Production Parameters as well as statistical data are split into nine tabs:

• Print Item [36] – All Print Items that are used for the Production Job are displayed here. In the tabs [45] below, detailed information for the selected Print Item is displayed in tabs which are grouped by topics.
• Output Configuration [37] – Here you can select your: Printer, Substrate, and Substrate Definition as well as which quality the output should have. Assigning an Output Configuration is essential for production.
• Impose [38] – Here you can open the Impose Editor to create impositions from the Print Items in the Production Job. Imposing Print Items is not a mandatory step here. If you want to optimize the amount of printed area for each Print Item, then creating an imposition is necessary.
• User-defined Fields [39] – User-defined Fields that have been created by the user can be accessed here, User-defined Fields can be created under the Administration menu item.
• Files [40] – Provides access to all internal files: preview files, impose specs, variable data info, etc. Files under this tab are required when creating impositions for example but can also contain additional files which are relevant for print production.
• Protocol [41] – The Protocol tab provides information for all processes that have been applied to the Production Job.
• Ink Consumption [42] – Shows how much ink was used for the Production Job and how often the Production Job has already been printed.
• Print Statistics [43] – Shows ink consumption for the specific job and how often the Production Job has been printed.
• Cut Info [44] – In this tab, the cut data of the Production Job is stored or displayed, and each created cut file is listed with additional information. Furthermore, the cut file can also be downloaded locally. In addition, individual Cutter Devices can also send information back to the Workflow, which is then subsequently displayed in this tab.

Figure 9: The Production Parameters section of a Production Job.

Depending on the selected tab in the General Information area or in the Production Parameters area of a Production Job, the Detailed Information area will look different. For example, the detailed information of the Print Data tab is described below. Detailed information for specific functions can be explored further in the article Print Data Analysis.

The following information is displayed for the selected Print Item [46] under the Print Data tab [47]:

• Preview [48] – A preview is displayed below the Print Item Name. Individual PDF Page Geometry Boxes and the ImageBox or the Expected Bleed can be displayed under the preview by hovering over the appropriate button.
• Document Information and User-defined Fields [49] – Displays all the information about this file as determined by the check-in process.

Figure 10: The upper section of the Print Data tab.

• Production Information [50] – All information that is used for production is displayed.
• Fonts [51] – This area shows all fonts used in the PDF file including their status.
• Process Colors [52] – This area displays all Process Colors used in the PDF file.
• Spot Colors [53] – This area shows all Spot Colors used in the PDF file.
• Technical Colors [54] – This area shows all Technical Colors used in the PDF file. Technical Colors are omitted in the color calculation for the output and are therefore not printed.
• Separations [55] – This area shows a preview of all separations from the PDF file.

Figure 11: The lower section of the Print Data tab.

Action dialogs almost always consist of a header and an input area:

• In the header area [56] the name with a short description is displayed.
• The appearance and layout in the Input Area [57] are context dependent and change based on the requirements of the respective process step. The input area can consist of further setting areas, as shown in the example below using Force Print.

Figure 12: An action dialog using Force Print as an example.

In addition to overview pages, information can also be displayed in the central area in the form of Lists. Typical List examples can be seen in Articles, Orders and Production Jobs. However, Lists can also be found in other cases as well in the Workflow.

Figure 13: List view of the central area using the Order menu item as an example.

A List generally consists of: Pagination, the List Header and the Listed Entries.

• Pagination [59] – Displays the current page of the list from the total number of list entries found. The amount of entries listed [58] on one page can be selected by the user.
• List header [60] - Displays the column headings. The columns that are displayed in the list, and in which order the columns should be displayed and sorted can be individually set by the user via the configuration menu on the right side of the List Header.
• List Entries [61] – An entry in the list represents an Order if we are using Orders as an example. Note the arrows at the end of a list entry.
  • Down arrow – If you click on this arrow, the items contained in the Order are displayed.
  • Arrow facing right – If you click on this arrow, a detailed view for the Order Item is opened (when using Orders). A double click on the Order Item executes the same command.

The User Interface of the Editor is composed of different areas, which may change depending on the usage. A distinction is made between the following areas:

• Work Area [66] green – Shows the Artboard(s) as a grey rectangle on a white Imposition surface. This is where the Imposition takes place.
• Toolbar [64] cyan – Here you will find all the tools that are available to you in the Workflow.
• Header [62] yellow – The header is used to select the Impose Mode, the Impose Template and the size of the Artboard. In this area the user can also take advantage of the Display dropdown [65] and therein define further options concerning the display of the Imposition.
• Settings Area [67] magenta – Here all relevant settings for the Imposition can be entered.
• File Manager [63] blue – The File Manager allows you to select individual or multiple print items from either Articles, Orders or Production Jobs.
• Footer [68] red – Displays the information about the Workflow.

Figure 14: The Impose Editor using Nesting Mode.

Every editor has at least one workspace where Print Items can be attached, created or modified. Depending on the situation, the work area can have different names and can also be displayed differently based on the selected Editor. Keep in mind that you may encounter several work areas depending on the situation.

In the case of the Impose Editor, we refer to the work area as the Work Area [66].

The tools that are available in the editor are summarized in the Toolbar [64]. Depending on the Editor selected, the toolbar can be equipped with various tools.

In the Impose Editor, the toolbar is located on the left side of the work area. There are 10 tools available.

Settings, additional functions, or selection lists within an editor are offered in the Header [62]. Different features are displayed based on the Editor selected.

The following functions are available in the Impose Editor:

• New - Creates a new Imposition.
• Open - Opens an Imposition from a Production Job.
• Save – Saves the current state of the Imposition. This creates a PDF with the current Imposition and a preview image in the background.
• Save as - Saves the current state of the Imposition - the Sheet Configuration, Job Name, and Comment can be adapted before saving.
• Sheet Template – Here you can enter the size or margins for the Sheet Configuration.
• Impose Mode – This allows you to switch between Manual and Rule-based Impose Modes.
• Impose Template – This option allows access to stored templates based on the selected Impose Mode.
• Dimensions - You can quickly change the height and width of the current sheet or automatically crop it using the Trim to Height/Width options.
• Display [65] – determine the display of the used preview images on the Artboard. Here Display Information is given which can be helpful when working with the Impose Editor in order to display specific parts of the Imposition or Print Item. If you require that a certain area should be displayed, the respective letter must be selected. The following areas can be displayed:
  • Display Quality: Display the Print Item on the Imposition in low or higher quality.
  • Tiling Collections: displays the overview of Tiles for Tiling Mode, with separate articles created per tile.
  • Help – A help dialog including all the shortcuts you can use in the Impose Editor is displayed here.
  • IB – Displays the ImageBox (Final or Trimmed format) in green for each individual Print Item.
  • IB + B – Displays the ImageBox plus Bleed (production format) in blue for each individual Print Item.
  • M – Shows the Margin that is applied to the Sheet.
  • A – Displays all Artboards in red.
  • S – Displays the Substrate as a gray surface.
  • PD – Indicates the printing direction for the sheet using black arrows.
  • P – This enables or disables the Preview for Print Items.
• Zoom - The current Zoom percentage is shown here and may also be changed in the dropdown.
• Imposition Warnings – Here the user is shown possible warnings or errors that have occurred in the Imposition.

If settings can be made in the Editor, they are offered in the Settings Area [67]. Settings are almost always displayed in the form of panels. If there are a large number of settings or selection options available, panels must also be distributed over several tabs.

In the case of the Impose Editor, four tabs are available, we are using Nesting Mode as an example:

1. Artboard Settings– This area is divided into three panels. These are:
   • Settings – Here you can define the Margin and the alignment orientation as well.
   • Nesting Options – Here you can specify the alignment, arrangement, filling, rotation and distance between the Print Items to be used for Nesting.
   • Bleed – Select the Bleed to be used for Print Items in the Nesting.
2. Print Items – Lets the user enable or disable Print Items placed in the Imposition, as well as specify the number of copies and scale per Print Item.
3. Marks – Allows you to add Printing Marks, Captions, Grommets and Lines.
4. Finishing – Add a Dieline and a Cutter which can also be saved in a template.

The File Manager [63] is a special area available for the Impose Editor and can be used to access Print Items in the Workflow without having to leave the Impose Editor. Print Items can be individual Articles, Print Items from an Order or Order Item, or even Print Items from a Production Job.

Depending on the selected Editor or workspace, the Footer area displays the Built of the current Workflow.