Hi there,
My company produces advertising directories. Currently all the adverts and layouts are constructed in CorelDraw. Currently all ads are imported into single continuous pages before converting to PDF and then converted to printers' spreads in Acrobat.
We are looking for a way to streamline our workflow and I am looking for some software (online?) that can make the construction of the magazines way more efficient.
I'm kind of thinking that there 'should' be something out there that will allow us to drag and drop our adverts into pre designated pages but am struggling to find something.
Is there anyone on here that does a similar task that can shed some light on a solution please.
Any help gratefully received.
John
Each page of the magazine is exported in its entirety as a full-size including bleed PDF, correct?
If that is the case the next question that begs is, how is it then printed?
My Heidelberg workflow required an Acrobat plugin call imposition, it was part of the Meta dimension workflow. Agfa has a workflow so does XITRON, based on Global Graphics RIPs.
What you're looking for is an imposition program and they are not cheap.
What volume do you produce?
Hi David, good to hear from you.I probably need to explain our workflow in a bit more detail as an imposition solution is not what we need. We produce A5 magazines. The magazine pages are created in CorelDRAW and adverts imported into them. (See link for examples) Once we have a whole magazine in CorelDraw it's turned into a PDF and then we use Acrobat to create a 'booklet'. ie. printers spreads as I know them. (See link for examples)
These are then printed on Riso digital duplicators, on A4 sheets. We then have a booklet maker that collates and creates our magazines. We produce circa 110,000 per month.
What I'm trying to achieve is a higher degree of efficiency. The pagination process each month is long winded and very manual due to restrictions on where certain adverts have to appear in each book. I was hoping to find a 'pagination application' for want of a better description. Something that may allow us to build our books 'online' by dragging and dropping individual PDFs into pages and then exporting to PDF.
Hope this explains the process a little better.
Best wishes
https://looklocal-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/p/john/Eu06jzjYlaFGnc1WEzdUAnUBOp0dhwQGHzQSxQcD6ykHDA?e=HPWSgI
https://issuu.com/looklocal/stacks/064e653953204d6fb4fbac88969664f7
Howdy, it's early morning and 3 degrees F, I've taken out the dog and now having my Tea. Your problem is very interesting to me and I want to give it the attention that it deserves. I'm heading to my studio early afternoon, (eastern standard time ) and will download the files. That will allow a warmed up and caffeine infused brain to look into this.
We did a great dealmof this for regional advertising magazines.
My wife is watching crochet videos for a new project, so I broke free early. I looked at your PDF files and I have a coupe questions. The 110,000 per month is that printed copies of 1 completed magazine or is it multiple different magazines with 110,000 copies total?
Does your company print the final work?
Is all you work single color? If so, then a trapping solution is not required.
Is it done as a multi-page press? What I mean is are they printed 4, 6, 8 pages up? Is it run on 2 up duplicators or presses? Is there a digital print engine element to this workflow?
Does your company create the press pagination?
What RIP do you use?
The issues will require testing before a decision is made, just because am imposition software can layout the press sheets that does not mean it handles the complexity of your files.
How does the application handle the export of its completed pagination?
How is the pagination program designed to function?
Is it stand alone and simply uses a print driver or does it expect to be part of a workflow?
For example, the META workflow had a RIP, where all files were RIPPED to their proprietary PDF format, then the individual pages were trapped, and other editing features were available. The trapping module created its PDF version of the files, and they were imposed for inkjet proofing and after the proof was approved if needed it could be reimposed for the plate setter.
This software was expensive but worked nearly 100% with all files and 100% with properly created files. As I said there are several companies that produce such software.
Mek supplied a link to software that does imposition that looks like a standalone application. I would suggest since it has a download version that you see if there is a test period before you buy.
Hi David,
I much appreciate your time and effort in attempting to understand my problem and attempt to find a solution. Here's my answers to your questions.
The 110,000 per month is that printed copies of 1 completed magazine or is it multiple different magazines with 110,000 copies total?
The 110,000 is split between 23 geographical editions each month. Each one unique. I( did supply a link to an online version of them in my last reply). The vary between 16 pages and 44 pages depending on monthly sales in each edition.
Yes, on the Riso digital duplicators in house. It affords the most flexibility for our requirements, not necessarily the finest quality though! It's quite Heath Robinson in its application but does mean we can take orders right up until to an individual page is printed.
We are a greyscale publication so not trapping is required.
We have 8 duplicators, and print 2 x A5 pages up on a an A4 sheet. The sheets are then turned over and printed again on the other side. The only digital aspect is that we print directly from a PDF! (See file name PRINT that I linked to) Once all pages are printed they are then loaded into the bins on our booklet maker to be collated into finished magazines.
Yes, this is a very manual process and takes place before we create each book. I wouldn't call it press pagination, as it's just positioning each advert in the correct position in the particular edition. We rotate our adverts month by month in every book so that no customer receives specialist positions. We don't sell specific spaces in our books to keep them as fresh as possible.
The Riso's have a built in RIP. We print to them just like any networked printer.
Imposition software is not required
The completed pages are loaded in our booklet maker and the magazines are collated and stapled.
The pagination program would hopefully replace the importing of ads into CorelDraw to create the individual pages. Having investigated this further I think that the best we can expect is to 'digitise' the pagination of the pages using online software such as 'blinkplan'. We'd still have to manually construct the artwork in CorelDraw thereafter.
In an ideal world, it would be the start of the workflow and we could export a 'print ready' PDF at the end of the process but I think I'm asking too much in hindsight and the best scenario is as mentioned in the comment above.
Thanks again
Cool, at one time I was the largest label distributer on the East coast. I developed a program for manufactures to buy preprinted labels in color and imprint their particulars in black and white using the RISO graph! Small world. Being a consultant 10 years later I had them move to scanner read bar codes.
Ok I'm having extreme issues with the Corel forum today, maybe they put a tariff on Canadian communication, so this may be in multiple parts or take a few days.
In my opinion I think that your best scenario is using Draw to assemble the ads and the individual pages since your people and company have the expertise. Try some applications like the one Mek linked, importing the individual pages into the application for making up a book layout and printing the press sheets. I believe something like this may solve much of your issues.
My reasoning for this is as far as my experience goes what you want to do can be done however the last time I looked at a package that cand do all you list is was in the $65,000 + U.S. dollar range. I believe today that you cannot even purchase these applications but are forced to pay monthly fees. The last time I looked Rampage was $2,500 a month for one server and 3 licenses.
If I was doing this, I would create save and archive CorelDRAW paginated booklet templates on a server in a safe place. I would set up the number of CorelDRAW workstations needed to do the work all running the same version of Draw on the same version of Windows. After the ads are created and the single pages are created, I'd simply open a template for however many pages are required and the individual page files and copy and paste into the template file and create the output PDF from the template file.
My reasoning for this is that when I was running multiple CorelDRAW systems the stability and the ability to open files from one system using Draw to another worked flawlessly You may have to consider repairing some old CD files if you try this.
Morning David,
It appears we are singing from the same hymn sheet. The workflow you have outlined is pretty much exactly what we do currently.
We tend to work in 4 pages 'blocks' to keep file size manageable and avoid losing too much data when an inevitable crash occurs. We then 'stich' these blocks together in Acrobat before printing as a booklet to create our printer's spreads on A4.
As 90% of our adverts are pre-booked from one month to another we only have to 'churn' a few adverts so are trying to save and re-use existing pages for use month after month.
I've started experimenting with Blinkplan with a view to 'digitising' our magazine planning so, fingers crossed, this can help with efficiencies.
As ever, I'm indebted to you for the level or help you've provided. Stay warm!
Many thanks