Xerox Fiery EXP6000, Fiery EXP5000 Variable Data Printing

Fiery® EXP6000/EXP5000 Color Server

SERVER & CONTROLLER SOLUTIONS

Variable Data Printing

© 2005 Electronics for Imaging, Inc. The information in this publication is covered under Legal Notices for this product.

45049074

15 March 2005

		CONTENTS	3

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION		5
	Terminology and conventions	5
	About this manual	6
OVERVIEW		7
	Overview of variable data printing	7
	Variable data job components	8
	Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 variable data printing	10
	Compatible variable data printing languages	10
	Compatible variable data applications	11
	Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 core features for variable data printing	12
PRINTING VARIABLE DATA DOCUMENTS		15
	Printing variable data documents using FreeForm	16
	How FreeForm works	16
	Creating the master document	17
	Creating the variable document	17
	Combining the FreeForm master with the variable document	18
	Guidelines	20
	Previewing master documents in the Windows printer driver	21
	Printing variable data documents with FreeForm 2	25

		CONTENTS	4

	Printing other variable data printing jobs	26
	Imposing variable data jobs	27
	Imposing FreeForm jobs with Impose	27
	Imposing FreeForm 2 jobs with Impose	28
	Imposing other variable data jobs with Impose	29
INDEX		31

		INTRODUCTION	5

INTRODUCTION

This manual provides information about variable data printing and describes the variable data printing features supported by the Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000, including:

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

•Compatible third-party variable data applications

•Imposing FreeForm 2 jobs with EFI Impose

Terminology and conventions

This manual uses the following terminology and conventions.

Term or convention	Refers to
Aero	Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 (in illustrations and examples)
Digital press	DocuColor 6060/5252/2060/2045
Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000	Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 Color Server
Titles in italics	Other books in this documentation set
Windows	Microsoft Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0,
	Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003
	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 manual

The manual covers the following topics:

•Basic concepts of variable data printing.

•Supported Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 features and compatible variable data printing languages.

•Printing variable documents with FreeForm and FreeForm 2.

•Printing and submitting other variable data job formats, such as PPML (Personalized Print Markup Language) and Creo VPS (Variable Print Specification).

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 Examples.

		OVERVIEW	7

OVERVIEW

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 Examples.

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 four-color 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 technology levels 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 15.

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.

		OVERVIEW	8

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 Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 and cached as a group. A job may have multiple masters.

For an example workflow, see Workflow Examples.

PPML and Creo VPS are element-based technologies. For more information about PPML and Creo VPS, see “Compatible variable data printing languages” on page 10.

Variable data job components

A typical variable data print job includes the following major components:

•Content

Content includes the text, images, or photographs placed in different areas of your document. You can create static or variable content using a variety of applications, such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Word.

•Database

A database is a table containing all the changeable or variable elements in a printed document, such as text, graphics and photographs. You can use a database created in popular desktop applications, such as Microsoft Excel or Filemaker, Inc. FileMaker Pro.

The data must be organized into records, with fields (categories) for each record. For example, in a database about people, a person is a record and the information about that person, such as name, address, and phone number is a field.

•Business rules

Business rules, created in a variable data printing application, specify what variable content to use and where to place it within your document. According to these predefined rules, described by “if” and “then” statements, the variable data application uses particular elements from databases to create personalized pages and documents that contain different text and images for a specific audience. For example, you can set up a rule to print specific content for a specific age range.

•Layout

Layout encompasses the design or page layout of your document in any desktop publishing or word processing application. The layout must accommodate space for variable text and images.

		OVERVIEW	9

1Layout

2Database

3Business rules

4Content

5Variable data application

6Print device

•Variable data print applications

Variable data print applications combine master elements and variable information and prepare the document for printing. For FreeForm, you do not need a dedicated variable data print application.

•Print device

The print device is the output device that turns digital files into hardcopy documents. This can be any printer, copier, or digital press that supports variable data printing.

The following diagram shows the variable data printing components.

1

6

2

3

5

4

		OVERVIEW	10

Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 variable data printing

The Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 combines variable data printing languages, third-party variable data printing applications, and Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 core features to integrate into many existing workflows. For more information about variable data printing workflows, see

Workflow Examples.

Compatible variable data printing languages

The Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 is compatible with the following variable data printing languages:

•FreeForm and FreeForm 2

FreeForm and FreeForm 2 are used with EFI variable data solutions. FreeForm technology reusable data is RIPped only once, enabling the digital press to run faster.

FreeForm supports the creation of master elements and variable data from any desktop application or computer platform. Within the application, the master page is assigned a number from 1 to 100. FreeForm options are found in the Fiery driver, job management tools, and EFI Hot Folders. For more information about FreeForm, see “Printing variable data documents” on page 15.

FreeForm 2 expands FreeForm technology by allowing you to determine page conditions and rules for printing a job containing multiple master pages. It also allows you to define boundaries of each record in the data stream. This means defining the start and end of each record. Unlike FreeForm, FreeForm 2 requires a variable data printing application (for example, PrintShop Mail-Fiery Version) that specifically supports FreeForm 2. For more information about FreeForm 2, see “Printing variable data documents” on page 15.

•Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML) version 2.1

PPML, an XML-based language developed by PODi, is considered an industry standard. PPML allows the digital press to store text elements and graphic elements and reuse them as needed, making variable data jobs print faster.

The Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 accepts zipped and non-zipped PPML jobs. To print documents in PPML format, use a third-party software application that is compatible with PPML format, such as Pageflex Persona-Fiery Version. Send the PPML job to the Fiery EXP6000/EXP5000 or download the PPML file using Command WorkStation or Hot Folders.