In this article, you will learn
- where Fixup Chains can be selected and applied within the Workflow,
- how Fixup Chains can be applied to multiple Print Items, and
- how Fixup Chains can be triggered in an Automation Environment.
1. Introduction
Fixup Chains can be selected and applied to Print Items in many areas of the Workflow. However, this functionality is also available to external tools – either via a REST API call or through an XML control file.
In general, there are six main areas within the Workflow where Fixup Chains can be utilized. These include:
- Applying a Fixup Chain when creating a Print Item/Article.
- Applying a Fixup Chain to the selected Print Item in the Print Item Detail view.
- Applying a Fixup Chain to multiple Articles/Print Items in the Article or Print Item list.
- Applying a Fixup Chain when executing an Automation Job, which makes this option available both in the context of a Hotfolder and Batch Processing.
- Triggering a Fixup Chain through an XML Job Ticket in connection with a Hotfolder.
- Triggering a Fixup Chain via the API.
The following sections describe each option in detail.
Creating Fixup Chains
For more information on how to create Fixup Chains in the Workflow, refer to the article Create a Fixup Chain.
2. Applying Fixup Chains when Creating an Article/Print Item
Print data can be created in the Workflow either as an Article or as a Print Item. If you already know at the time of the creation which Fixup Chain should be applied to the file after uploading, you can select the Fixup Chain directly during the creation process.
2.1. Creating an Article
To create an Article and select a Fixup Chain to be applied to it, proceed as follows:
- Navigate to Articles > Articles.
- Click on + Add in the action bar to open the dialog Add Article.
- Drag the files you want to upload as Articles into the dropzone [1].
- Select the Article [2] to which you want to apply a Fixup Chain. If the same Fixup Chain should be applied to all uploaded Articles, first select the top entry [3] in the Article line.
- Complete the form with all required information and then select the desired entry in the option Fixup Chain [4].
- Click Save [5] to start the upload process. The normalization step will be performed, and the Fixup Chain will immediately be applied to the Article(s).
Figure 1: The dialog Add Article
2.2. Creating a Print Item
To create a Print Item in an Order or Production Job and select a Fixup Chain to be applied to it, proceed as follows:
- Navigate to Orders > Orders or Production Jobs > Production Jobs.
- Click on + Add in the action bar to open the dialog Add Order or Add Production Job.
- Select the tab Print Items.
- Drag the files you want to upload as Print Items into the dropzone [6].
- Select the Print Item [7] to which you want to apply a Fixup Chain. If the same Fixup Chain should be applied to all uploaded Print Items, first select the top entry [8] in the Print Item line.
- Complete the form with all required information and then select the desired entry in the option Fixup Chain [9].
- Click Save [10] to create the Order or Production Job. This will initiate the upload process, execute the normalization step, and immediately apply the Fixup Chain to the Print Item(s).
Figure 2: The dialog Add Production Job
3. Applying a Fixup Chain to the Print Item in Print Item Detail View
The Print Item Detail View is available in the menus Articles, Orders, and Production Jobs under the corresponding tab Print Data.
To apply a Fixup Chain to the currently selected Print Item, proceed as follows:
- Navigate to Articles, Orders, or Production Jobs.
- In the list of Articles, Orders, or Production Jobs, click on the name of the corresponding Article, Order, or Production Job.
- The tab Print Data [11] for the selected Article, Order, or Production Job opens, placing you automatically in the Print Item Detail View. The Print Item Detail View is divided into sections, providing information and functions for various topics.
- If an Order or Production Job is opened, select the desired Print Item to which the desired Fixup Chain should be applied.
- In the footer [12] of the sections Document Information, Page Information, and User-defined Fields, various Fixups are available, grouped into Fixup Groups. The last icon, Fixup Chains [13], allows you to apply a Fixup Chain to the currently selected Print Item.
- Click the icon Fixup Chains [13] to open the dialog Apply Fixup Chain.
- In the dialog, select the desired Fixup Chain [14] to be applied to the Print Item.
- Click the button Apply to Selection [15] to apply the Fixup Chain to the Print Item.
Figure 3: The tab Print Data of an Article with the dialog Apply Fixup Chain
4. Apply Fixup Chain to Multiple Articles/Print Items
If a Fixup Chain is to be applied to multiple Articles or Print Items at the same time, this can be done either in the Article or Print Item list, or alternatively, within the tab Print Item of an Order or Production Job.
4.1. In the List of Articles and Print Items
To apply a Fixup Chain to multiple Print Items, proceed as follows:
- Navigate to the list of Articles or Print Items in Articles > Articles or Orders > Print Items.
- If multiple Articles or Print Items are selected, the command Apply Fixup Chain [17] can be accessed from the menu Fixups [16].
- When you select Apply Fixup Chain [17], the dialog Apply Fixup Chain will open.
- Select the desired Fixup Chain [18] you want to apply to the selected Print Items.
- Click the Apply to Selection button [19] to execute the Fixup Chain on the selected Print Items.
Figure 4: The Article list of the menu Articles with the dialog Apply Fixup Chain
4.2. In the tab «Print Items» of an Order or Production Job
To apply a Fixup Chain to multiple Print Items in an Order or Production Job, proceed as follows:
- Navigate to Orders > Orders or Production Jobs > Production Jobs.
- Click on the Name of the respective Order or Production Job in the list of Orders or Production Jobs.
- This opens the tab Print Item [20] for the selected Order or Production Job, displaying the list of Print Items in the Print Item line.
- Select the Print Items to be processed by activating the icon [23] in the Print Item line. If you want to select all Print Items in the Print Item line, click the button Select all [22].
- When multiple Print Items are selected, open the menu Fixups [21] and select the command Apply Fixup Chain [24].
- When you select Apply Fixup Chain [24], the dialog Apply Fixup Chain opens.
- In the dialog, select the desired Fixup Chain [25] you want to apply to the selected Print Items.
- Click the button Apply to Selection [26] to apply the Fixup Chain to the selected Print Items.
Figure 5: The tab Print Item of a Production Job displaying the Print Items contained in the Production Job
5. Using a Fixup Chain in Production Configurations
Production Configurations, which can be created under Automation > Production Configurations, define the Workflow procedures that describe the process a Print Item must pass through production. Production Configurations are used in Batch Processing, Hotfolders, or when creating Automation Jobs to automate production processes and eliminate repetitive manual tasks for users.
To describe the process in a Production Configuration, you use Operations, which execute individual steps of the Workflow. The Operations Apply Fixup Chain and Check Print Item and Apply Fixup Chains represent the process steps that, among other things, prepare normalized print data for production with the necessary add-ons.
To create a Production Configuration with the Operation Apply Fixup Chain, proceed as follows:
- Navigate to Automation > Production Configurations.
- Click Add to create a new Production Configuration.
- In the tab General [28], enter a Name and Description for the Production Configuration.
- Switch to the tab Operations [27] and add the desired Operations in the preferred order by clicking the icon + Add [29].
- Add the Operation Apply Fixup Chain [30] and select the desired Fixup Chain in the option Fixup Chain [31].
- Complete the creation of the Production Configuration by clicking Save [32]. The Production Configuration is now available for use in Batch Processing, in Hotfolders, and when creating Automation Jobs.
Figure 6: Left: The tab Operations in the dialog Add Production Configuration
Creating Production Configurations
Please note that Production Configurations can also be created directly when setting up a Batch Processing job. The configuration of the Operation Apply Fixup Chain can be carried out in the same manner as described above.
6. Accessing the Fixup Chain via XML Job Ticket
In addition to the processing methods Individual Files, Auto Nesting, ZIP Files, and ZIP for Multiple Print Runs, users can also select the XML processing method when setting up a Hotfolder. By describing a Production Job in an XML file, a Fixup Chain can be assigned to individual Print Items using the appropriate automationKey. This allows Fixup Chains to be applied to specific Print Items within the Production Job.
Example of a legacy XML Job Ticket: Creating a Production Job with two Print Items, each with a specific Fixup Chain applied individually:
<HotfolderJob>
<ProductionJob name="Production Job with 2 Items" externalId="EXT123" comment="A comment" leadIn="2" leadOut="3" shippingDate="2023-07-07" productionDate="2025-02-27">
<PrintItem name="Print Item 1" unit="inch" width="35.0" height="202.0" numberOfCopies="10" pages="1" url="smb://127.0.0.34/files/file1.pdf">
<FixupChain automationKey="THIS_IS_A_FIXUP_CHAIN"/>
</PrintItem>
<PrintItem name="Print Item 2" unit="mm" width="350.0" height="2020.0" numberOfCopies="20" pages="2" url="smb://127.0.0.34/files/file2.pdf">
<FixupChain automationKey="THIS_IS_ANOTHER_FIXUP_CHAIN"/>
</PrintItem>
</ProductionJob>
</HotfolderJob>
A detailed description of how to apply Fixup Chains via an XML job ticket can be found in the article Hotfolder – XML-Jobticket.
Configuring Fixup Chains?
Please note that while a Fixup Chain can be applied to individual Print Items in a legacy XML job ticket, the ability to configure the parameters with which the Fixup Chain is executed is limited. A Fixup Chain will always run with the parameters stored within the Chain itself.
If you want to override the parameters of a Fixup Chain, you must use the new job ticket structure, which has been available since version 1.21.0.
7. Calling Fixup Chains via API
Another way to apply Fixup Chains to Print Items is by sending a defined request to the {REST:API}. In this REST call, which must be initiated by a leading system such as an ERP/MIS system or a middleware, the Print Item as well as the corresponding automationKey for the Fixup Chain must be provided. A detailed description and an example of applying Fixup Chains via the API can be found in the REST API Documentation - Workflow, under the section Fixup Chains.
Article update: Workflow 1.21.2 – 10/2025