Xerox 700i, 700 Variable Data Printing

Xerox 700 Digital Color Press with Integrated
Fiery

®

Color Server

Variable Data Printing

© 2008 Electronics for Imaging, Inc. The information in this publication is covered
under Legal Notices for this product.

45072761
21 April 2008

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

CONTENTS 3

INTRODUCTION 5

Terminology and conventions 5

About this document 6

OVERVIEW 7

Overview of variable data printing 7

Variable data job components 8

Integrated Fiery Color Server variable data printing 9

Compatible variable data printing languages 9

Integrated Fiery Color Server core features for variable data printing 10

PRINTING VARIABLE DATA DOCUMENTS 11

Printing variable data documents using FreeForm 11

How FreeForm works 11

Creating the master document 12

Creating the variable document 12

Combining the FreeForm master with the variable document 13

Guidelines 14

Previewing master documents in the Windows printer driver 19

Printing variable data documents with FreeForm 2 19

INDEX 21

INTRODUCTION

Terminology and conventions

INTRODUCTION 5

This document provides information about variable data printing (VDP) and describes
the variable data printing features supported by the Xerox 700 Digital Color Press with
Integrated Fiery Color Server, including:

• Compatible variable data printing languages such as FreeForm and FreeForm 2

This document uses the following terminology and conventions.

Term or convention Refers to

Aero Integrated Fiery Color Server (in illustrations and examples)

Digital press Xerox 700 Digital Color Press

Integrated Fiery Color Server Xerox 700 Digital Color Press with Integrated Fiery Color Server

Mac OS Apple Mac OS X

Titles in italics Other documents in this set

Windows Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003,

Windows Vista

Topics for which additional information is available by starting
Help in the software

Tips and information

Important information

Important information about issues that can result in physical
harm to you or others

INTRODUCTION 6

About this document

The document covers the following topics:

• Basic concepts of variable data printing

• Supported Integrated Fiery Color Server features and compatible variable data printing
languages

• Instructions for printing variable documents with FreeForm and FreeForm 2

NOTE: For detailed information about printing variable data jobs using third-party variable

data printing applications, see the documentation that accompanies the application.

For example scenarios of popular variable data printing workflows, see Workflow Exam p l e s .

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW 7

This chapter describes variable printing technology and discusses the supported components
that allow you to create variable data print jobs.

For specific variable data printing scenarios and workflows, see Workflow Exampl e s

Overview of variable data printing

Variable data printing is typically used for personalized mailings, such as direct-mail
advertising. It involves combining a set of master elements that are common across copies
of a document (reusable data) with a set of variable elements that change from copy to copy.
When you use variable data printing, you create personalized communications with elements
that have special appeal to your targeted audience.

An example of variable data printing is a brochure that greets customers by name and may
include other personal information about the customer obtained from a marketing database.
Background elements, illustrations, and text blocks that do not change across copies of the
brochure are master elements. The customer’s name and other customer-specific information
are variable elements.

In its simplest form, you can use variable data printing as a basic mail merge. However,
you can also dynamically assemble images, charts, text, and other objects to create attractive,
highly customized documents.

Variable data printing uses digital printing technology that customizes communication by
linking databases that contain the content for printed documents to a print device, such as the
digital press. The customized communication includes rules that specify the selection of
content from the database and the placement of that content in the document.

.

The following two variable data printing technologies describe how reusable data is specified
within a variable data printing language.

Page-based technology describes static, reusable data (the master element) in terms of entire

pages. Each page element is called a master page. Page-based languages are more suitable for
simple, predictable layouts. FreeForm is a page-based language. For more information about
FreeForm, see “Printing variable data documents” on page 11.

Element-based technology describes static, reusable data in terms of elements or objects.

Element-based technology allows you to use many separate objects within a page as static
elements or variable elements individually.

Element-based variable data jobs use reusable objects for the variable elements in the job,
such as images. Because these elements are frequently accessed, they are stored on the
Integrated Fiery Color Server and cached as a group.