Specifications
6.7 Smart Preflight
Overview
Smart Preflight is a new functionality that enables PitStop Server customers to improve the quality
of their PDF preflight and correction, reduce the amount of Preflight Profiles they require and
increase the efficiency of their PitStop Server installation by improved automation.
Smart Preflight does this by allowing preflight settings to be driven from an XML/JDF job ticket.
This means job specific settings and corrections such as page trim size, inks, output intent or
others can be automatically set on a job-by-job basis. In addition, conditional variables can be
defined allowing more complex decision making to be applied to settings making PitStop Server
a truly smart preflight solution.
Following are a couple examples of how Smart Preflight can be used within PitStop Server:
1. Trim Page Size: Trim page size (height and width) checks can be automatically adjusted to
match the current job specifications from the XML/JDF job ticket.
2. Conditional changes based on job type: Output intent, such as "offset", or "digital" printing can
be used to determine the number of colors allowed for a job, and/or adjust total ink coverage
as needed.
Conceptual Overview of Smart preflight
PitStop Server provides "hands off" automation for preflight checks and corrections. With Smart
Preflight within PitStop Server the goal is to be able to adjust the preflight and correction settings
on a job-by-job basis by using job tickets to drive Preflight and Action list values and settings.
To process Smart Preflight jobs, a PDF file requires a matching XML/JDF job ticket, both these
files need to be present in a PitStop Server Hot Folder for a PDF file to be processed. PitStop
Server then uses the values within the job ticket within the preflight and action list settings.
Note: Because a job ticket based Preflight Profile requires both a matching job ticket and PDF
file, these Hot Folders are dedicated to job ticket based jobs. If a single PDF file is put into one of
these Hot Folders, it will wait for the user specified time for a matching job ticket and once the
timeout has been reached the PDF will error into the designated error folder.
What you need to be successful with Smart Preflight in PitStop Server
1. A lead system that can generate a properly formatted XML/JDF file.
2. A properly formatted XML/JDF Job ticket for each PDF job.
3. A properly named XML/JDF Job ticket that associates to the PDF job file.
4. An understanding of PitStop Server and setting up workflows.
Getting started with Smart Preflight
To begin Smart Preflight you need to start by defining your variables. These are saved within a
Variable Set which is selected with the Hot Folder preferences of your Preflight configuration.
Variables within the Variable Set can then be used in your Preflight Profiles or Action Lists and
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