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PrintVis Integration with Kodak Dynamic Print Planning - DPP

Introduction

PrintVis provides a smooth integration with Kodak's Dynamic Print Planning ("DPP") software.  If certain components of a PrintVis case/order can be ganged with components of other orders, the integration is to automate and optimize the PrintVis Sheet ganging functionality.  See article "Sheet Ganging in PrintVis."

This can be useful for a production where different book covers could be better combined on one sheet, or different business cards with low quantities must be combined for a more efficient production.

Kodak DPP provides automation for ganging and print planning in offset and digital printing.  It enables ganging, sheet optimization, and how print jobs are produced on which device at the same time.  Please find more details in the documentation from Kodak.  All Copyrights for DPP are owned by the Eastman Kodak Company.

Required setup

The setup must be made in the sequence of the following topics!

Setup for Sheet Ganging in PrintVis

See article "Sheet Ganging in PrintVis."

Workspace Setup in Kodak DPP

A workspace in DPP is required to transfer data between PrintVis and DPP.  For every Business Central/PrintVis company, 1 DPP workspace can be handled.

Login to the DPP Console and click the "Pen" sign next to the selected Workspace.

Create a new workspace or remember the ID of the existing one that should be connected to PrintVis

Kodak DPP

For more details, please refer to the Kodak Workflow Documentation of DPP.

Connection Setup in Business Central/PrintVis

Search for "Service Connections" and click the link "Dynamic Print Planning - Kodak".

Kodak DPP

  • Enter the API URL, Tenant, and Workspace ID above.

  • Enter the Username and Password for the Tenant.  These are the same credentials when logging on to DPP directly.

  • Set Enabled = TRUE (Switched on)

  • Select (and create before!) a BC number series.  The number is being used for every Layout Task that is sent to DPP.  Do not use spaces or underscore characters!

Kodak DPP

Click "Verify Connection" to see if the connection is established:

Kodak DPP

Default URLs for the Kodak DPP services are:

Resources Setup in Kodak DPP

DPP is able to choose the optimal paper and printing machine for the ganged sheet from the components that have been sent from PrintVis.

For more details about the Resources setup, please refer to the Kodak Workflow Documentation of DPP.

The following must be set up:

Presses

Enter a Label, choose the Method and press model, and set up the parameters for format and weight.

For a cost-specific optimization, it is possible to set up further details on the tabs "Performance and Cost" and "Working Styles and Layout".

Kodak DPP

Please note: The "Label" must be equal to the List of Units that can be selected on the Sheet/Job Item in PrintVis.

Kodak DPP

Paper Stock

Typically, the "house papers" should be setup in DPP.  DPP is only able to handle the given paper stock setup and is returning an internal Id to PrintVis that must match with the item setup in PrintVis.  For that is required after the paper stock setup to add the DPP Id to the PrintVis paper item.

Kodak DPP

Mapping of fields in DPP and PrintVis

Field on DP Paper Stock setup PrintVis Item field
Label PrintVis Quality Code
Weight PrintVis Weight
Width and Height Format 1/2
Grain Direction PrintVis Grain Direction

Item list in PrintVis equivalent to the paper stock in DPP for GLOSSY:

Kodak DPP

DPP Paper Id to be mapped with PV Paper Item

The DDP system creates an internal Id for every paper item.  If it is desired in PrintVis for the ganged order to get a specific paper item no. assigned to the new ganged order, it is required after the Paper Stock creation in DPP, to add the DPP paper Id to the specific paper item in BC/PrintVis.

Kodak DPP

For that, just copy and paste the Id from DPP into the paper item card by using the following steps:

  • To open/edit the paper stock in DPP, double click the format you want to map.  The "Edit format" window opens (See above).

  • Triple click the value in the field "Id" to mark the full value from first to last character.

  • Press CTRL+C to copy the value to the clipboard.

  • Open the related paper item in BC/PV with the same quality code and weight.

  • Set the cursor into the Additional (Integrated User Field) field 1 and press CTRL+V to paste the value from the clipboard to the item card field.
    Kodak DPP

To create/enable the Integrated User Field (Shown as Additional field on the item card):

  • Search for "PrintVis Integrated User Fields"

  • Select "Item"

  • In the first line enter an appropriate name

  • Close the setup and press CTRL+F5 to reload the browser.  The field with the given name will appear in the item card.

Kodak DPP

Create a ganged order from the PrintVis Sheet Match Maker

Open the sheet match maker page.  Detailed descriptions about all fields and functions can be found in the article "Sheet Ganging in PrintVis".

Select the desired filters on the Sheet Match Maker page (these values will be also requested back from the DPP) and Choose the lines that should be ganged.

Please note: It is possible to choose more sheets than possible for 1 ganged order.  All sheets will be sent and the DPP system tries to gang them in the best way and sends back more than one response, which means the chosen sheets could end up in more than 1 ganged order - 1 sheet will not be part of more than 1 ganged order.

Kodak DPP

Create a layout task in DPP

When hitting the action "Create Layout Task", the chosen sheet will pick-up a DPP no. from the no. series set up and will be displayed in field Layout Task Id (just for internal use) and send the data to DPP.

Kodak DPP

If the data was successfully transferred to the DPP system, the following message appears.  This does not mean that DPP has successfully created the ganged sheet already!  This only means the send-process was successful.

Kodak DPP

Creating the ganged PrintVis production case

To create the new ganged order(s) for the selected sheets, choose the action "New DPP Ganged Production Case".

Kodak DPP

PrintVis is requesting a response with that action.  To get a successful response:

  • DPP needs a little time to optimize the ganged sheets

  • The data that is requested (Paper stock, printing machine, and mounting in DPP) must be properly set up and mapped between PrintVis and DPP.  See Setup chapter above!

Successful Ganged order creation

PrintVis is requesting a response by that action

The result could look like the following:

New ganged order:

Case Card

Kodak DPP

Job Card

Kodak DPP

How to process can be found

Ganged order creations fails - Trouble shooting

If paper and press cannot be found, or the paper is not mounted on a given machine DPP will return a message like this:

Kodak DPP

In this case, please check the selected paper and the press if existing and mapped (mounted) in DPP.

There is a logging of all files that are transferred if you cannot figure out the problem the XML sent/received could help

  • Search for "Service Connection" and click on "Dynamic Print Planning - Kodak"

  • Click on Actions -> Activity Log

The Action "Activity Log" shows the list of log entries with the XML file attached that has been exchanged to

  • Create Layout Task

    • These are the components sent to DPP

  • Read Layout Task Response

    • This is the response from DPP that includes the new ganged sheet information

If you click on "View Details", the XML file is being downloaded from your browser and can be reviewed.  This can be necessary if there are problems with the new ganged order or error messages when processing the files.

Kodak DPP

Content of the file:

Kodak DPP

Tips for usage and handling

Avoid the usage of "_" and " " characters

DPP is creating internal code combinations by using "_" (underscore).  If this character is being used, unexpected errors could be provoked.

Example for code combination of DPP

Kodak DPP

Settings that will impact the processing in DPP

Respect grain direction

Impact of field "Placement of Job Item"

Kodak DPP

  • Width Drection

    • This will request to DPP to respect the grain direction and not turn the job items (or just some ups of the same job item to fill up the sheet)

  • Max. No. on Sheet

    • DPP will try to fill up the sheet as good as possible, also by turning some ups of the same job item to fill up the sheet

    • The result could look like this
      Kodak DPP

Request certain paper settings and printing machine from Sheet Match Maker page

Kodak DPP

The following impact will be provoked by the setting when creating the Layout Task (sending sheets to DPP)

If

  • "Same Weight" is set

    • DPP will be requested to use the same paper weight / GSM that is used in the sheet that is sent

  • "Same Paper Quality"

    • DPP will be requested to use the same paper quality that is used in the sheet that is sent

    • It is recommended to set "Same Weight" and "Same Paper Quality"

      • It is unusual to ask DPP just to choose the cheapest paper (lowest quality and weight)

  • "Same Item No."

    • DPP will be requested to use the paper item no. that is used in the sheet that is sent

      • Same paper item no. means same quality, weight, and size

  • Same machine

    • DPP will be requested to use the press that was used in the sheet that is sent