When creating a barcode of either type EAN 13, ISBN, ISSN or UPC, the checkboxes for SC size and SC height have been removed. Instead, a link has been added to provide users with further information [1] about creating barcodes in conjunction with defined SC sizes.

Figure 1: The Format tab of the VDP Editor with the infobox regarding the code type EAN 13

In Step & Repeat mode, the two new strategies Minimum Overproduction and Minimum Underproduction were provided.

In this version, the calculation of these strategies for Impositions in Step & Repeat mode has been optimized. For this purpose, several iteration steps are used for the calculation of the minimum repeat height. Subsequently, the minimum overproduction and underproduction for the Imposition is derived.

In the Impose Mode Tiling, the additional Expose view has been implemented in version 1.17.1. With this view, the individual tiles are displayed separately in the overall view. The Expose view allows users to inspect changes in the Bleed, the Overlaps, the Printed Overlaps, and the Edge Reinforcements on the entire Tiling. This was not possible until this version.

Proceed as follows to activate the Expose view:

1. Navigate to Automation > Impose Editor.
2. Create a new Imposition in Tiling Impose mode.
3. Add the desired Print Items from the File Manager to the Imposition.
4. In the Artboard Settings tab, define the desired Overlap parameters.
5. In the action bar of the Impose Editor, click on the Expose icon [2].
6. The tiles are now displayed with all overlaps or reinforcements.

Figure 2: The Impose Editor with activated Expose view in the Tiling mode

In case that you are a beta customer and already working with the new user interface, try out the new Print [5] function in the Impose Editor. The function allows you to send the Production Job to the Printer directly after saving an Imposition. Furthermore, the menu structure has been adapted to provide more space for other functions. The menu structure is now organized as follows:

• Impose [3] – select the commands New, Open, or Save as.
• Save [4] –  secure a revised Imposition.
• Print [5] – transfer the current Imposition to a printer.
• Close [6] – close a version that has already been saved. When the Imposition has not been saved yet, a dialog with a corresponding warning is displayed.

Figure 3: The Impose Editor with the new user interface in the menu bar

With version 1.17.2, a new mark has been added and marks have been improved. The following small innovations are available:

In Production Configuration [10] (Figure 4), select and compile the individual processes that need to be completed for the production of the desired product.

Proceed as follows to create a Production Configuration:

1. Navigate to Automation > Production Configuration.
2. Click on + Add [12].

Figure 5: The action bar of the menu Automation > Production Configuration

3. The Add Production Configuration dialog opens with the General [13] tab.
4. Enter the Name [14] for the Production Configuration.
5. Optionally add a Comment [15].

Figure 6: The General tab of the dialog Add Production Configuration

6. Select the Operations tab [16]  to configure the processing steps for the product that should be created.
7. Use the + Add Operation [20] button to add operations that the Print Item should pass for the creation of the product. If processes are added in an inappropriate order, they are highlighted in red.
8. The following processes have been added as an illustrative example:
   • Status Check [17]: With this process, files should only be passed on to the next process if the selected status is given for the Print Item. In our example, the status was set to "Normalized" (not visible in the figure). If the Print Item has a different status, e.g. "Preflight", then the automated processing for this Automation Jobs is stopped.
   • Data Preparation [18]: Select a Fixup Chain for production in the configuration area [19]. The individual Fixups in the Fixup Chain are also displayed.
   • Update Print Item details: The Print Item details can be updated here. For example, the status can be set to "Ready to print", the value of a user-defined field can be set and/or the name of the Print Item can be set.
   • Status Check:  By checking the status again, errors can be detected after a Print Item has been updated, thus preventing further automated processing.
   • Create Production Job and Impose: A Production Job is created and an Imposition is generated based on the selected Imposition parameters. This creates a finished Production Job, which then only needs to be rendered. A preliminary check can still be carried out visually before the rendering process is started. However, if an automated render is started, the render operation can be added at the end.
9. Click on Save to save the Production Configuration.

Figure 7: The dialog Add Production Configuration with the Operations tab and the operation Data Preparation

10. The Production Configuration that has just been created is displayed in the list of Production Configurations. This configuration is not currently used in any Production Scheduler [21].
11. The next step is to create a Production Routine for this configuration. However, you can already use this production configuration by creating Automation Jobs for selected Print Items with this production configuration. Find out more about that in the next sections.

Figure 8: The list of Production Configurations of the menu Automatisation > Production Configuration

Before it is possible to create Automation Jobs for a Print Item, you have to start the Production Automators, i.e. the processing machines in the Workflow.

Proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Automation > Production Automators.
2. Make sure that all Production Automators are activated, this is indicated by a tick symbol [22].
3. Make sure that the Max. parallel executions [23] of your workload corresponds to the files that should be processed (see info box in the next paragraph). The default value is currently set to five parallel executions.
4. If necessary, click on the Edit icon of the respective Automaton [25] to change these settings.

Figure 9: The list of Production Automators in the menu Automation > Production Automators

5. The Edit Automaton dialog opens, in which you can set the desired changes.

Figure 10: The Edit Automaton dialog with the available options

6. Change the settings according to your needs. You can use the following settings:
   • Max. parallel Executions [26] – Determines how many parallel Automation Jobs can be processed in this Automator at the same time. This value must be set depending on the available resources of your system.
   • Automator is active [27] – use this to activate or deactivate the respective Automator.
   • Manual Activation [28] – after restarting the Workflow, the Automator must be restarted manually. This option is for your own safety so that all pending Automation Jobs are not automatically processed again after the Workflow is restarted. This allows you to restart a system in a controlled manner.
   • Automatic Activation [29] – after a restart, this Automator is automatically reactivated.
   • Intervall in Seconds [30] – use this to determine the Spacing at which the Automator should continue its task.
7. Save the changes by clicking Save.
8. In the next step proceed to create a Production Scheduler.

With the Production Scheduler the user can determine at which point in time and to which files a Production Configuration should be applied. This is done by time slicing and by specifying filters for various criteria.

Proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Automation > Production Scheduler.
2. Click + Add [31] to add a new Production Scheduler.

Figure 11: The action bar of the menu Automation > Production Scheduler

3. In the open Add Production Scheduler dialog, specify the following information in the General tab [32]:
   • Name [33] - Enter the name for your routine.
   • Description [34] - Alternatively, add a description.
   • Product Definition [32] - Select the Production Configuration that you have already created.

Figure 12: The dialog Add Production Scheduler with the General tab

• Cron Expression [35] – determine when the Production Scheduler should be carried out. By clicking on an entry it is possible to exactly determine the point in time. The following possibilities are available:
  • Minutes – select the minutes of a whole hour in which the routine should be carried out.
  • Hours – select the hours of an entire day in which the routine should be carried out.
  • Days – select the days of an entire month on which the routine should be carried out.
  • Months – select the months of an entire year in which the routine should be carried out.
  • Weekdays – select the weekdays of an entire week on which the routine should be carried out.

Figure 13: The dialogs for setting the Cron Expression

4. Switch to the Apply to tab [37] to determine which Print Items the routine should pick up and process when starting. To do that access the following options:
   • Source [38] - select whether the routine should seize Articles or Print Items (print data from Orders). In version 1.17.2, access is only available for Articles. In version 1.18.0, Print Items of an order can also be accessed.
   • Add Filter [39] - Select the criteria that should be used for filtering the files in the selection menu and subsequently define the values for each selected filter.
   • Query Result [40] - Depending on the selected filters, the current workload is visible here. This allows you to quickly check your entries in the filter.
5. Once you have selected all the required filters, click Save. The Production Scheduler is now ready for use.

Figure 14: The Apply to tab of the dialog Edit Production Scheduler

6. Back in the Production Scheduler menu item, the newly created Production Scheduler is displayed with the corresponding workload and the used filters [41]. The different schedulers are not activated by default.
7. A Production Scheduler can be edited at any time. To do this, click on the pencil icon [43].
8. Two options are available for activating the Production Scheduler:
   • Execute immediately [42] - This allows you to run the scheduler at any time. This is particularly advantageous if there's a very high workload for the scheduler and you would like to prioritize certain productions.
   • Activate [44] - This activates the scheduler. The scheduler will automatically execute the processing with the set rhythm.

Figure 15: The list of Production Schedulers in the menu item Automation > Production Scheduler

In order to process Articles or Print Items automatically according to the set Operations, the user has the following options in version 1.17.2:

• Start Production Scheduler - As mentioned above, the Production Scheduler can be started automatically or manually by clicking on Execute immediately.
• Apply Production Scheduler to selected Articles - Select the desired files in Articles, navigate to the the More menu [45] and click the Create Automation Jobs [46] menu item .

Figure 16: The list of Articles with the opened menu More

If Automation Jobs have been created, it is now possible to view the current status and process of an Automation Job via Automation > Automation Jobs.

• Operations [49] – Each operation is displayed separately. This allows you to see which step of the Production Configuration the current print file in the Automation Jobs is in.
• Status of the Operation – The status of a operation is highlighted in color. The following three colors are possible:
  • Gray – The file has not yet gone through the Automation Jobs operation.
  • Green [47] / Dark green – Green means that the print file in the Automation Jobs has already successfully completed the operation. Dark green means that the print file is currently being processed in the Automation Jobs.
  • Red [48] – Red means that the print file has not been processed in the operation, various reasons are possible for this scenario.
• Print Item preview – Display of the preview for the processed file. This was not yet implemented in version 1.17.2. With 1.18.0, however, the preview will be visible here.
• Symbol in the chip [50] - The current status can be read out precisely using the symbols. If several sub-steps have been reached in a process, this is shown by the symbol. Typical sub-steps in addition to success and error are In queue, In processing or Waiting for files.

Figure 17: The list of Automation Jobs in the menu item Automation

Click on the preview to open the page navigation, where you can view the processing in more detail. Click on the process chip [47] to open a window in which additional information about the process and the status is displayed.

Figure 18: Information regarding the Process Overview

An Approval Project is a collection of Approvals (Print Items that should be approved) that must be visually checked by a responsible person before production.

To create an Approval Project, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to the desired Print Items in Articles or in Orders.
2. Select the Print Items in the list.
3. Then select the Create Approval Project [53] entry in the More [52] menu.

Figure 19: The menu item Create Approval Project in the menu More in an Article

4. The Create Approval Project dialog opens.
5. In the General Settings tab determine the settings for the content of the Approval Project. The available options are the same as the previous options in almost all respects.
   • Print Item selection [54] – Select the Print Items that should be available as Approvals in the project. This option was already available in the current implementation.
   • Print Item Preview [55] – Select the color separations that should be displayed on the first page of the Approval Report. This option was already available in the current implementation.
   • Additional Pages [60] – Select the color separations that should be displayed in the Approval Report on the additional pages. This option was already available in the current implementation.
   • Project Name [56] – select the placeholders that should be used to generate the file name for the Approval Project. This option was already available in the current implementation, but the user had significantly fewer placeholders to choose from. The following new placeholders are available:
     • Comment of the Approval Project
     • External ID of the Approval Project
     • Expiration date of the Approval Project
     • Number of Approvals in the Approval Project
     • Approval Project created by
     • Approval Project created or modified on
   • Approval Report Name [57] – select the placeholders that should be used to generate the file name for the Approval Report. This option was already available in the current implementation.
   • Comment [58] – enter the desired comment that should be displayed to the viewer in the online Approval Dashboard. This option was not yet available in the current implementation.
   • External ID [59] – enter the order number of the customer order here so that the viewer can make a quick assignment in the online Approval Dashboard, among other things. This option was not yet available in the current implementation.
   • Expiry Date [61] – enter the expiration date and the expiry time for the Approval Project here. How many days into the future should be set by default can be set in the system settings for Approval Projects. This option was not yet available in the current implementation.

Figure 20: The General Settings tab of the dialog Create Approval Project

6. In the Report Settings tab, determine the details for the creation and which additional content should appear in the Approval Report. The available options are similar to the previous options in almost all respects.
   • Report Generation [62] – select whether you want to create the Approval Report in landscape or portrait format. This option was already available in the current implementation. All other options in this area still have no effect.
   • Approval Report Information [63] – Enter the information that should appear on the Approval Report. This option was already available in the current implementation.

Figure 21: The Report Settings tab of the dialog Create Approval Project

7. In the Share Options tab all options required for approval in the online Approval Dashboard are available.  Please note that this sub-step is executable only from version 1.18.0, as the online Approval Dashboard is not yet available in its new form.
8. Skip this step in the current version and continue with Save.
9. After you have created the Approval Project, the overview of this project is available in the Approval Dashboard.

Figure 22: The Share Options tab in the Create Approval Projects dialog

The Approval Projects Dashboard displays a list of all Approval Projects. The projects created can be efficiently filtered in this dashboard and checked according to the respective status before production. The dashboard is structured as follows:

• Filter bar [64]: Use this to filter for Approval Projects by entering the search term in the Search input field or build any filter from the available options. The functionality corresponds to the common implementation in Workflow. The following filter options are available in version 1.17.2:
  • Expired Approval Project
  • Expiration date of Approval Projects
  • Status of Approval Projects
  • Approval Projects published on the Approval Dashboard
  • Approval Projects notified via e-mail
  • Status of Approvals
  • Created and modified Date of Approval Projects
  • Created by Date of Approval Projects
• Function bar [65]: Quick filters, functions and page navigation are available here.

Separate quick filters have been implemented for Approval Projects so that the user can quickly find the desired or critical Approval Projects. The following quick filters are available:

• My Approval Projects - Approval Projects that have been created by the current user of the Workflow.
• Pending - Approval Projects that contain Approvals that have not yet been approved or rejected.
• Expired - Approval Projects that have already exceeded the set expiration date.
• Expiring soon - Approval Projects that are about to expire (in the next five days).

The following functions are available for the Approval Projects dashboard:

• Edit - This function allows you to edit the Approval Project with regard to its Name, Comment, External ID and Expiration Date.
• Refresh display - Updates the list view of Approval Projects.
• More functions - This allows you to search for obsolete Approval Projects, close selected Approval Projects and select the Display Options for the list view.
• List of Approval Projects [66]: Which Approval Projects are displayed in the list depends on the selected filter options. The order in which the projects are displayed in the list also depends on the sorting option selected.

Figure 23: The new Dashboard for Approval Projects

All filtered Approval Projects are therefore listed in the list of Approval Projects. For each Approval Project, the user can very quickly obtain a picture of the status of the project. The following information supports the user:

• Preview [69] – Display of up to three preview images so that the desired Approval Project can be found quickly.
• Information [71] – Display of additional information about the Approval Project. The information to be displayed can be defined by the user via the display options.
• Approval Project Status [70] – Display of the status of the Approval Project. The status is partially derived from the content of the Approval Project and can also be partially influenced by the user. The following statuses are possible:
  • Empty – The Approval Project does not contain any Approvals.
  • Pending – At least one Approval is still pending.
  • Rejected – At least one Approval has been rejected.
  • Completed – All Approvals have been released or the Approval Project has been closed by the user.
  • Error - An error occurred when creating the Approval Project.
• Number of Approvals [68] - As soon as the number exceeds three Print Items, the additional number of Print Items contained in the Approval Project is displayed here.
• Approval Status [67] - Displays the total number of approvals in the respective status. The following statuses are available for Approvals:
  • Approved  - Number of Approvals already released.
  • Pending - Number of Approvals still to be released.
  • Rejected - Number of rejected Approvals.
  • Deprecated - Number of Approvals that are no longer up to date. By creating a new version of the Approval, the current Approval is set to deprecated, prompting the user to update the list of Approvals.

Figure 24: The new Dashboard for Approval Projects

The user can perform two more activities in the list of Approval Projects:

• Delete Approval Project [73] – Deletes the Approval Project with all Approvals created with it as well as Approval Reports.
• Download Approval Reports [72] – Start the creation process for the Approval Reports. The creation runs independently in the Workflow, the completion is displayed in notifications. After clicking on the function, the following dialog is displayed in which you can select the form in which the Approval Reports should be made available.

Figure 25: The dialog Create Collection of Approval Projects as well as the provided downloads in Task Notifications

To view an Approval Project in the Dashboard, simply click once on the preview stack to open the overview page for the Approval Project.

• Approval Project overview page [74] – The overview page, like the dashboard itself, consists of the filter bar, the function bar - with the quick filters for Pending, Approved and Rejected - and the list of all Approvals.
• Approvals – Approvals have a preview [76], further information [75] about the approval itself and an approval status [77]. The user can determine which information is displayed in the list via the display options. The following values can exist as release statuses:
• Approved – The Approval has already been approved.
• Pending – The Approval has not yet been approved.
• Declined – The Approval has already been rejected.
• Deprecated – The Approval has expired. A new version is available in the Workflow

Figure 26: The overview page of an Approval Project in the Dashboard Approval Projects

On the overview page of an Approval Project, the user can perform the following tasks:

• Go To [78] - Jump to the Approvals tab of the Article or Print Item concerned.
• Download Report [79] - Download the current Approval Report for the Approval (Print Item).
• Delete Print Item from Approval Project [80] - Remove an Approval (Print Item) from the currently displayed Approval Project.
• Approve [81] - Either approve or reject the Print Items.

6. In the Grid Chart Configuration [90] step, the Grid Chart Type [91] option is available. First select the desired type. The following types are available from version 1.17.2:
   • Color Values - This type corresponds to the previous implementation, whereby a Grid Chart is generated by selecting the Process Colors  the X, Y as well as Z axes.
   • Chromatic - This new type makes it possible to create a Grid Chart by changing the brightness (light/dark) as well as the saturation (colored/uncolored).
   • Color Cast - This new type allows to create a Grid Chart by changing the red-green and yellow-blue axes.
7. Select Chromatic [91] in the selection menu.
8. Determine which Template [92] and which Patch Size [93] the color areas on the Grid Chart should have.
9. In the middle of the Grid Chart the color field of the source color is located. This field is outlined with a green frame. The color value [94] and the resulting DeviceN values of the output color are displayed in the Channel Configuration area
10. By moving the respective slider [95], the gradations for the X-axis, i.e. the brightness, or the Y-axis, i.e. the saturation, can be adjusted.

Figure 29: The step Grid Chart Configuration of the Add Grid Chart dialog with the selected Chromatic Grid Chart

When Color Cast [96] was selected in the selection menu of the Grid Chart Type option, only the two sliders in Blue - Yellow and Green - Red [97] change.

Figure 30: The step Grid Chart Configuration of the Add grid Chart dialog with the selected Color Cast Grid Chart

11. Click Next to switch to the next step which is Layout [98].
12. Determine the arrangement of the Grid Charts on the selected Substrate in terms of the Impose Sheet Size [99], Alignment [100], number of Columns and Rows [101] and rotation [102].
13. Save the Grid Chart or click Send to Printer.

Figure 31: The Layout step of the Add Grid Chart dialog

14. After saving the Grid Chart is displayed in the list of Grid Charts in Farbe Color > Color Books & Grid Charts > Grid Chart [103] with the respective symbol for Chromatic [104] and Color Cast [105].
15. In case the Grid Chart was created in the detail view of an Article or Print Item, the corresponding link [106] is shown in the footer of a Grid Chart in the list of Grid Charts.

Figure 32: The list of Grid Charts in Color > Color Books & Grid Charts > Grid Chart

16. In the list, perform the following functions for the selected Grid Chart:
    • Edit [107] - This allows you to display the Grid Chart again in the browser. You can read the color values for the individual color areas from the tooltip.
    • Delete [109] - Delete the Grid Chart irrevocably.
    • Send to Printer [110] - Transfer the Grid Chart to the printer again.
    • Download [108] - Download the Grid Chart as a PDF. Please note that as soon as you use additional colors such as OVG etc., the color depiction in Adobe Reader will not meet your expectations, as Adobe's color management does not work properly with 7C colors.
    • Copy GUID to Clipboard [111] - Copy the unique ID for this Grid Chart to the clipboard in case you need the ID to search in another dialog.
17. The two new Grid Charts types are currently printed as depicted below. Only color patch numbers are available for the individual color patches, but currently no color values. The color values will also be output in version 1.18.0.

Figure 33: The list of Grid Charts in Color > Color Books & Grid Charts > Grid Chart

In v 1.17.2 special Checks for better prediction of cutting times on Cutter Devices as well as the Fixup to convert a Registration Color to Rich Black right at Check-in were added.

An existing check - Spot Color has no Lab color values - has been improved in this version.

Functions have been added or user guidance improved for some existing Fixups.

In the Print Item Editor of the Workflow, the One-Up tab offers further options for transferring Print Items that do not fit the One-Up exactly. This can be done by either positioning the One-Up on the Print Item or adjusting the Print Item on the One-Up.

To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Open the Print Item Editor for a Print Item to which you want to assign a One-Up.
2. Switch to the One-Up tab [136].
3. Select the desired One-Up [137] in the selection field. If the ImageBox of the Print Item matches the Final Size of the One-Up, you can continue without any further editing steps. However, if this is not the case, as in our example, the error message [138] will give you some hints. Editing is unavoidable if you want to have correct print data. The following solutions are available:
   • Scale Print Item - You have determined that the proportions of the ImageBox of the Print Item don't match the proportions of the One-Up. For this reason, the warning [139] indicates that the Print Item must be scaled down by the specified factor using the "Scale Page Content" Fixup so that the ImageBox of the Print Item matches the Final Size of the One-Up.
   • Position One-Up - By moving the One-Up - centering would be optimal in our case - on the Print Item, the One-Up can be positioned exactly on the Print Item.
   • Adjust Print Item - By moving or scaling the Print Item, the Print Item can be adjusted to fit the One-Up.
4. Decide whether you want to position the One-Up [140] or adjust the Print Item [141].

Figure 52: The user interface of the Print Item Editor with the Fixups for the positioning of One-Ups and the adjustment of Print Item

4. Click on Position One-Up [140] (Figure 52), which opens the corresponding settings area.
5. Carry out the positioning of the One-Up either by
   • By entering the coordinates [143] to the selected starting point [142] or
   • By horizontal and vertical alignment [144] (centering) to the selected origin [145].
6. Click on Apply to to set the new position.

Figure 53: The settings area Position One-Up

4. Click on Adjust Print Item [141] (Figure 52) to open the corresponding settings area.
5. Perform the positioning or scaling of the Print Item either
   • by entering the coordinates [147] to the selected starting point [147] - you can of course also move the position manually - or
   • by entering the desired width and height, which can be either relative or absolute [148] to the starting point [147], or
   • by simply scaling - fit proportionally, fill proportionally or distort - in the Fitting Options [149] or
   • by executing a Fixup [150] .
6. Click on Apply to take over the new position and the scaling.

Figure 54: The settings area Adjust Print Item

With version 1.17.2, the File Manager for Die Cut mode now offers the option of displaying only those Print Items that match the selected N-Up, as well as displaying all other Print Items. This function is particularly advantageous for users in the label environment, as it allows them to quickly place Print Items in a Die Cut, even if they are not specially prepared for a N-Up.

Proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Automation > Impose Editor.
2. Create an Imposition in Die Cut Impose Mode and select a N-Up.
3. Click on the Display all available Print Items [155] icon in the File Manager.
4. If necessary, switch back to Display only Print Items which can be used for this N-Up [156].

Figure 56: The File Manager with the new option to switch between mapped Print Items of a One-Up and all Print Items

Version 1.17.2 provides users with the option of creating an Article quickly and efficiently from available One-Ups.

To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Administration > Die Cut Library > One-Up.
2. Select the desired One-Up from the list of One-Ups.
3. Open the More [157] selection menu.
4. Click on Create Article from One-Up [158].

Figure 57: The selection menu More in the Die Cut Library > One-Up menu

5. The Create Article form One-Up dialog opens.
6. Check the Name, External ID and Bleed - if necessary, modify this information via Edit.
7. Click on Create to create the Article in Article > Article and access it there.

Figure 58: The dialog Create Article from One-Up

In the new Workflow user interface, beta customers can now also take a first look at the Gamut preview for Print Items.

To do this, proceed as follows:

1. In the new user interface, navigate to a Print Item via an Article, Order or Production Job.
2. Find the Gamut View for the Print Item in the Print Data tab in the Spot Colors settings area.
3. Click on the Display Gamut icon [159] in the footer of the settings area.
4. Click on this icon to open the corresponding dialog box.

Figure 60: The Print Data tab of a Print Item in the new user interface

5. The Gamut View opens, where now also all Spot Colors of the Print Item are visible. This allows you to quickly assess how far the Spot Color is outside the gamut of the Color Policy. Please note that in version 1.17.2, the simulated positions of the Spot Color are currently displayed. A corresponding improvement is expected in version 1.18.0.

Figure 61: The Gamut View with the simulated color values