The new version of the DMP FLO Suite is all about production collaboration. And what better way to achieve this than to create an integration with a superior prepress automation tool like Enfocus Switch.
On one side, DMP FLO Suite interfaces can be used to feed Enfocus Switch workflows. A web2print application, a digital printing storefront, a job submission page. They can all be created in the interface the customers want. And the end result is a PDF file or any other type of content that goes into the flow.
This actually has been possible for years. But on the other side, DMP FLO Suite functionalities can now be called directly from Enfocus Switch by using the new FLO Suite Configurator.
General Settings
To start using the configurator, a couple of general settings need to be entered to handle communication with the server. This includes ways in which to contact the server, but also the definition of the client (the environment in the FLO Suite in which a single end customer or application runs). After that, the command type needs to be selected. A single configurator allows you to access a lot of functions, and depending on the type of the command, you will need to enter different settings.
Feeding assetFLO
A first command type is the creation of assets in the digital asset management system. Images, PDF files or other types of digital files can be uploaded directly to assetFLO. Of course any type of input control or decision processes can be embedded into the Enfocus Switch workflow in advance.
One possible workflow would be:
- input of images in an Enfocus Switch workflow dropfolder
- check the images for resolution and presence of clipping paths
- use Elpical Claro to automatically enhance the images
- send images which can’t be enhanced to the studio, the others can be uploaded to assetFLO
A different type of flow could be created for the input control and manipulation of PDF files:
- An input folder exists for ads, and another one for editorial pages
- All files are checked for validity in the magazines that will be created with them
- Editorial pages are sent through Pitstop Server, and receive a common bleed
- The files are sent to the appropriate assetFLO folder, from which they are selected later on by end users to create publications
Feeding artworkFLO
In a very similar way, InDesign files can be uploaded from a Switch workflow to artworkFLO. In artworkFLO, the files become editable online by product managers or marketing personnel, without needing advanced knowledge (or a local license) of Adobe InDesign. We use Adobe InDesign Server for the online editing.
This configurator can be used for some preparations of InDesign documents before they are being uploaded to artworkFLO. You can check for the existence of all links, the use of proper fonts, and so on.
It is also possible to create a workflow where links in the documents are replaced by lower resolution versions. This way, less network traffic is generated, and the resulting files will be processed faster. A next workflow can be set up to replace the low resolution files with the original ones again.
Online Checkpoint
One of the largest powers of the DMP FLO Suite is its flexibility. This is apparent not only in the creation of custom database publishing workflows, but also in the possibilities to develop new interfaces (such as web-to-print websites) on top of the standard functionalities. The online checkpoint option of the Enfocus Switch configurator allows you to use this flexibility to put new custom interfaces on top of a workflow. End users (or your internal employees) can be presented with simple interfaces in which they have to decide how a certain file proceeds in the workflow. This can be used for simple approval workflows (“I saw this file, and it is ready for production”) to more advanced decisions.
The user logging in to the interface can be either your own customer (logging in remotely with a web browser) or internal employees (such as account managers).
A simple interface might consist of nothing more than a job list (with the files coming into the Switch workflow), and the possibility to send on each individual job with some comments.
But the same logic may apply to more complex decisions. In the next sample, PDF files are sent through a Switch workflow, where they are prepared for production. Halfway through the workflow, a decision needs to be made about each file. Metadata may exist in the Enfocus Switch workflow which contains an offer number. If not, the account manager needs to select the offer from a list of offers available for the current customer in the MIS. The contents of the PDF file are compared to the contents of the JDF file with the offer information:
- number of pages
- dimensions
- Pantone colors
If differences are found, the account manager decides whether these differences are acceptable within the parameters of the original offer, or whether the file needs to be sent back to the customer.
Running Scripts
And finally we allow you to run any script written on the side of the FLO Suite server. This way, any type of database publishing or file manipulation that is possible in the FLO Suite is also made possible in Enfocus Switch.