Processing web-to-print or MIS jobs automatically

Are you receiving job orders through your website? Are you looking for a solution to process those jobs automatically? Do you have a print management information system (MIS) and you would like to produce print ready files automatically?

Enfocus Switch is capable of processing web-to-print or MIS jobs automatically. You can rename or preflight your jobs corresponding to the job ticket info.

Enfocus Switch is compatible with Mac and Windows and with its user friendly “workflow” builder, it will take you less than 30 minutes to create an automation flow that will give you extra time to focus on new prospects.

Enfocus Switch Modules Needed

• Enfocus Switch Core Engine
• Enfocus Switch Metadata Module

How does it work?

You will need an XML document with the job info.  Most MIS and Web-to-print systems offer the option to export data to an XML file. With Enfocus Switch, you pick up the XML data and then it is a part of your job. As the XML data goes along with your job through the flow, you can use that XML data at any point of your flow.

Use cases

The MIS or Web-to-print system sends (1) an XML file (which includes the path to the artwork) or (2) it sends two files, an XML and the artwork.

Configuration

XML file

Enfocus Switch flow

Create a flow as seen above and configure your XML pickup element.  Select it and go to the properties > Pickup mode property.

(1) If you only have an XML file then you select “Metadata is asset”.

(2) If you have an XML file and the artwork (two files) then you select “Metadata alongside asset” and note that both files should have the same name.  For example job123.pdf and job123.xml. If you have your PDF production file and your XML file both in a job folder, then you select “Metadata in job folder asset”. This option will work regardless how the files are named.

Drop the corresponding job into the hot folder and you will be able to use any of the data from the XML file.

The next question is, how do you select the data from the XML file?  And how does Enfocus Switch know which node of the XML file to use?

Selecting XML node location

You’ll need to have an active job in Enfocus Switch and use that job’s metadata to select the correct XPath location in the XML.

Creating an active job in Enfocus Switch.

As we need an active job with the XML data, we set the connection on hold after the XML pickup element’s outgoing folder.

Drop your job into the hot folder and wait until you have a job in the “-” folder.  As soon as you have the job there, deactivate the flow.

The next step is to go to the variables panel and select the location path in your XML file.

If the number of pages for your job should be one then we will preflight and check for one page; if the number of pages should be five then we will preflight and check for five pages and so forth.

XML file with artwork location

In case you only have an XML file and you want to import the artwork using the path in your XML file, then you would have a flow like you see below.

Select the outgoing connection from the Inject job element and go to the Properties panel.  Configure your outgoing connection from the Inject job element like you see below.

Let’s take a closer look at the Job repository and Job name property.

Job repository

You can use Job.NameProper if the name of the XML file without the extension is equal to the name of the artwork without the extension.  Or, if the file name of the artwork is also in the XML file, then you build another location path.

Every time a job arrives, we will look into that folder path and see if there is a file called x. If there is, we will bring that file into our workflow.

If your XML file is triggering an error in the variables panel in Enfocus Switch, or you are using a CSV or Excel file, then please contact us for further guidance.

Time saving

Processing web-to-print or MIS jobs automatically will save you a lot of time and it will give you the opportunity in looking into further automation within your current workflow.

Enfocus Switch and PitStop Server offer much more than this functionality, so if you’d like to learn more, please contact us today.