This sample dialog shows what a user might encounter after successfully using BLOX Total CMS > Documents > Advertising > Create Pages... when they are logged in via a Local or Remote option.
There is a handy Select All option to speed the process of adding all pages. However, if a page is not going to be worked on remotely, the reason to check it in would be for additional disaster recovery options.
Advertising Workflow and Distributed Production
By Jon S. Winters
Product Architect
Updated
It's the same, but different!
Overall, the handling of print pages with ads is the same when the site uses Distributed Production. Specifically, the beginning and the ending processes are the same:
1st Step: Someone uses BLOX Total CMS > Documents > Advertising > Create Edition from Edition File...
Last Step: Someone uses some process to output the page for the press
The devil, as they say, is in the details. Those details are outlined below.
Check In of Pages
After the _BU Edition file is created, as before, that same user will usually be responsible for using BLOX Total CMS > Documents > Advertising > Create Pages...
After that process is complete, if the user is logged in as a Local or Remote user (see Log In Methods), they will be prompted to Check In the desired pages. Normal, non-Distributed Production, users won't have this option.
That dialog appears similar to this:
This sample dialog shows what a user might encounter after successfully using BLOX Total CMS > Documents > Advertising > Create Pages... when they are logged in via a Local or Remote option.
There is a handy Select All option to speed the process of adding all pages. However, if a page is not going to be worked on remotely, the reason to check it in would be for additional disaster recovery options.
Select the pages to Check In and click the OK button.
Note: Both the use of Create Pages and Check In require the use of BLOX Total CMS > Documents > Advertising > Enhanced Mode. Without Enhanced Mode, you can only use Split Document, and Check In would not be automated. You would have to individually open pages and check them in for Remote users to access them.
Split Document is slow and unreliable, but some sites cling to it so that they can manually apply Page Design snippets before the individual pages are created. The better choice would be to use Page Content Types and let the snippets auto place! Want to know more? File a support ticket at support.townnews.com
Once the pages are checked in, they can be accessed by both Remote and Local users.
Ad Placeholders until the Penultimate workflow process
To cut down on bandwidth requirements, increase speed and productivity, and lower total costs, PDF ads will not be automatically placed on pages until the page is assigned to the penultimate (second to last) process of the Pages workflow. This may mean that you will want to modify the Pages workflow to include extra workflow processes to accommodate this. Prior to the page reaching the penultimate workflow process, if the user has access to the drive where the ads are placed, the ads can be imported. If the page is checked in, the ads will be removed prior to the actual Check In. The ads will remain in place for the generation of the segmentation wireframes and the Page Tracker preview, however. So it will appear that they are in place. But as soon as the page is reopened, if the page hasn't reached the penultimate process, the user would only see the placeholder frames again.
In addition, one of the founding reasons for the Distributed Production's Remote log in options is because the bandwidth to support Adobe InDesign checking links of placed files is frequently frustratingly slow. So it is highly advantageous to not place links remotely. Thus, the recommended workflow is to place the ads “In Office” by a user in Local mode.
No Frame Locking
One minor change: Any ad placeholder frame, or ad, that is locked prior to using the Check In process will be unlocked. This means that you will need to use good communication if you are using non-standard sized ads or placing them in non-standard positions. Locked layers are preserved, however.
If you site's standard practice is to allow page designers to move ad frames, you are going to need to use BLOX Total CMS > Documents > Advertising > Override adinfo... or the ads are going to return to their original locations.
Recommended Workflow with Remote Users
As outlined above, let an “In Office” Local user create the edition and pages and check them in. The Remote users then build the pages to a complete stage, but with only the ad placeholders. Finally, an “In Office” Local user imports the ads and outputs the final version of the page.
