Hi All

The company I am currently working for is in the process of looking at variable data. We are all quite new to this and as a result, all scratching our heads, looking for ideas, methods, software and so on. At the moment I havent got an idea as to how much capital they are willing to put into the project. But what I do know is what they are looking to offer. The main selling point they are going for is personilasion of words written in sand, clouds, wood, etc. 1 idea for this is to do the variable images in photoshop, export it to pdf and "hey presto"...2 problems with this a) How would we get the best possible effect for our text and b. If it was a postcard say for example and it needed a reverse address to match the name on the picture, how would we merge the 2. "Question - What software or methods would you recommend...and why".

Thanks in advance for any help on this subject.

Kind Regards

Carl

Hey Carl,

There are lots of good alternatives for variable print in the market today. However, to get the effect you are looking for the obvious choice is from XMPIE. You should start your research at www.xmpie.com. They have a suite of products that can create the effects you seek but the tools are a bit pricey. Ive attached a product spec.

For simple stuff without the image effects you could use printables fusionpro which is a plug-in to Adobe Acrobat.

Hope this helps.

X

Hi RacerX

Thanks for the reply. I have had a look at Xmpie & realise this would be the obvious choice. Though I am not sure if this would be within our budget. This is why I am interested in any other programs or methods used for the same result of Xmpie. Sorry, should have mentioned this before.

Regards

Carl

You might also want to check out Direct Smile for the image personalisation.

Or Directype which competes with DirectSmile.

Both are decent programs but cumbersome to generate many names and very pricy for the automation.

Also, Kodak's Darwin now has some basic photoshop text layer options, but I don't think it will do what you are looking for.

Darwin indeed will do what he is looking for.

Darwin can't do font glyph patterning like directype or DirectSmile can. It can only automate what you can do with a text layer in photoshop. So no aligning pebbles or rocks to spell a name, just text effects.

So, if you can do what you want in photoshop and don't know how to script photoshop with actions, then darwin will do it for you for 4,000 bucks. Not its core function, and I highly won't recommend it solely for graphic manipulation.

The good news is there is a free demo download of darwin to test with along with directSmile and directype.

Patrick, all you have to do is go back and read Archer's post.

I stand by my statement: Darwin indeed will do what he is looking for, contrary to your assertion that "Also, Kodak's Darwin now has some basic photoshop text layer options, but I don't think it will do what you are looking for."

Then you come back with a bunch of things Darwin can't do--but Patrick, he didn't ask to do any of those things. This thread was all about Archer's original question, not your spewing of crap to take the thread in another direction to try to hide the fact that you don't pay attention to what people write (and don't really care, either).

Why do you behave the way you do, Patrick? What value does your behavior add to this forum?

Elmo3, if you want to be constructive, be, otherwise leave. You have no way to assure the poster that darwin will do everything he is looking for. You offer nothing constructive.

You seem to just want to pick a fight. Don't you end up looking really bad.

Let the poster decide, not you, if Darwin can do what he/she is looking for. Darwin, just like everything, has limits and I was trying to illustrate what it can and can't do.

Also, he/she stated XMpie was out of their budget, which would put Darwin in the same category...

Elmo3,

It seems you do not understand the purpose of a discussion group. The idea is to discuss any aspects of a question and to share ideas, thoughts and considerations about that post.

From what I have read, archer is asking about various variable print applications that might be able to accomplish some of the work he described. It seems Patrick suggested another application, actually multiple and elaborated on what he thought might be a limitation or two about one of his suggestions based on what Archer described he is trying to accomplish.

If Archer were only looking for the positive capabilities of a single application and did not want peoples thoughts about other programs and there pros and cons, he would probably be talking to the manufacturer of a single application and no one else, but instead he posted here.

From what I have read in this post and others, it is you with some sort of attitude regarding Patrick. Please continue to participate in the forums, provide constructive feedback and criticism or take a hike.

Archer, if I has mis-interpreted your perspective or objective, please correct me; however, I believe this type of discussion from Patrick and others is exactly what you are looking for.

Cheers,
John

Hi John

You are 100% correct in believing that this is the type of discussion I am looking for. As I said in my 2nd post, I am interested in any other programs & methods to achieve the result. Unfortunately at the moment, there seems to be no cost cutting answer to the power of Xmpie. Thanks for all the replies guys.

Much appreciated

Carl

I have experience with XMpie and several other VDP workflow tools. I've written many web-to-print systems, PDF proofing systems, embedded PostScript code, etc. I currently work for Objectif Lune, which makes PlanetPress, and PrintShop Mail. If you need a high-volume image server, don't use a product that relies on Photoshop, which is not a server-grade product. I have worked with DirecType, and it's an excellent product. Any VDP tool should be able to work with the images it produces.

In short: pick the best tools for the job. Don't pick a VDP solution that might be a poor fit "just because" it has a bit of Photoshop scripting thrown in. On the other hand, if PostScript scripting is all you need, then why not just do PhotoShop scripting? You don't need a separate product to write imaging ActionScripts within PostScript.

I would enthusiastically argue the point that XMPie has no alternatives, or that it necessarily represents the most "powerful" product on the market. In fact, it delegates most of the heavy lifting to PhotoShop, InDesign, FrontPage, IIS, and so on. So not only to you have to pay their outrageous price, you also have to buy licenses for all the "real" applications, for everyone needing to use them.

Yes, I work for a competitor, but I had to use XMPie at a large financial printer prior to that, and hated it. Please look at the market. PlanetPress may not be a good fit for you, either, but I wouldn't charactertize XMPie as more powerful. Have you looked at Prism? At PageFlex? There are plenty of alternatives to XMPie that deliver the goods without breaking the bank.

Hi tgreer

Thanks for the post. Have submited a request for a demo of pageflex. Will try it out and post my thoughts asap. I am unable to find any usefull info on prism. If you have a link could you kindly post it here.

Kind Regards

Carl

Prism's site: http://prism-software.com/index.php

If you're interested in exploring PlanetPress, then I personally can provide a demo or connect you with a reseller in your area. For variable imaging, I'll restate my preference for DirecType.

As I see it, you have two challenges: 1. Find the best imaging tool for "writing names in the sand". 2. Find the best VDP tool for your market and/or workflow. Those aren't necessarily the same products. A VDP tool doesn't need to have built-in variable imaging, and those that do usually use PhotoShop. The fact is, any VDP tool should be able to accept any image into its workflow, regardless of how that image was created.

I've used Xerox VIPP, XMPie Personal Effect, Extream Dialogue, Atlas PrintShop Mail, and then began coding my own systems in PostScript, moved on to Web-to-Print site development, and then recently accepted a multi-faceted position with Objectif Lune. As a programmer in the printing industry for nearly 20 years now, I've also written general planet management systems, scheduling, estimating, etc. I'm not trying to post my resume, but simply give some authority to my next statement: using software that smoothly integrates into your current workflow is the most important aspect. If you have to jump through hoops to get your data into an application, or get data OUT of your application for archival, invoicing, and so on, - then it just isn't worth it.