Open Connect Settings
You can access these settings:
•When creating (see
“Managing Parameter Sets”). Here, you will see a ‘Lock in Production Plan’ check box (selected by default). If this check box is selected, the settings will be initially locked in the Settings pane. If this check box is deselected, the settings can be edited in the Settings pane.
•In the Settings pane, in the Plan tab of the Job Manager and the Ticket Editor. The settings may be initially locked, as indicated by the Lock icon. If you edit the job, you can unlock them as described in
“Settings Pane (Ticket Editor)”.
Most Open Connect settings describe the structure and the meaning of the input files. Consequently, a single instance of an Open Connect Hot Folder in a plan can accept files from a single workflow only.
Name
The name of the Parameter Set as it will appear in the Production Plan. When you create a Parameter Set, you should specify a Parameter Set name. You can always change this name later by editing the job, choosing the Parameter Set from the Task Processor in the Plan tab, and unlocking the settings in the Settings pane.
Hot Folder
This option is identical to that of the Hot Folder Task Processor: It allows you to enter or select a Hot Folder name.
Data Format
Defines the expected format of the input files, and allows the Task Processor to correctly process it. Note that the available formats depend on the license. Formats that require an extra license are shown in italics:
•TIFF: 1-bit or 8-bit TIFF; , or Grey color space; Pre-separated or composite 1 -bit, 8-bit DCS DCS-1 (multiple file) and DCS-2 (single/multiple file) (1-bit).
•Barco TIFF: Barco TIFF (1-bit)
•Harlequin TIFF: Harlequin TIFF (1-bit)
•PrintDrive Backup Data: PrintDrive Backup Data raster files with software compression (1-bit).
•Agfa PDFRIP TIFF: TIFF files created by the PDF RIP
•Plate Assembler TIFF: TIFF files as input for a Plate Assembler job (1-bit).
Polling time
Defines a polling time for this input channel.
Combining Files
Deliver combined files after receiving nothing for <n> seconds
Defines the amount of time (in seconds) that Apogee will wait for the next file, after receiving a file. After this period has expired, Apogee treats the group of previously received files as complete, and delivers them as a group. This feature is used to group separations into pages (or flats), and to group pages (or flats) into a job.
Automatically close job’s document input after last page
If you select this option, Apogee closes document input for the receiving job. This allows the job to finish properly.
Tag Input
By default Apogee uses and interprets the file tags (this option is deselected). However, if you select the Tag Input check box, you can ‘tag’ the input by telling the system how the input should be treated. Basically, these Tag settings are a limited set of the Image settings from an Output Task Processor.
Reading
Right/Wrong
Polarity
Positive/Negative
Rotate
0, 90, 180, 270
Flats/Pages
This section determines whether the input represents pages or flats. The choice not only sets the display mode of the Results tab and defines the terminology of message and log events, but it also influences the other format-dependent options.
Input represents
Pages:
Each input file (or set of files) is a single page. The Production Plan can have a Run List and an Imposition Task Processor to assemble the pages into flats. The pages can be placed in the Run List manually or automatically.
Flats
Each input file (or set of files) is a side of a flat. The Production Plan should not have a Run List or Imposition Task Processor, although it is not forbidden. The results tab displays flats. Note that you cannot select the pages on the flats.
Workstyle
These options are only enabled if you select Flats. You can then choose the orientation of the two sides of the sheet.
•Sheetwise: A sheet has different content on front and back sides. The sheets are turned, keeping the at the same side.
•Work And Turn: Both sides have the same content. The sheets are turned, keeping the gripper edge at the same side.
•Work And Tumble: Both sides have the same content. Sheets are turned in such a way that the gripper edge is on the opposite side.
•: A sheet has different content on front and back sides. Sheets are turned in such a way that the gripper edge is on the opposite side.
•Single Sided: There is only one side per sheet.
•From filename: Extracts the workstyle from the filename (or directory structure). The filename template must contain <WORKSTYLE>.
Filename Conventions
Use Script
Select this check box to execute scripts (e.g. for file renaming). The text field indicates the location of the selected script. Use the Browse button to select your script.
Filename template
Describes the folder structure and the file name conventions that are expected. The list offers a number of presets which may vary, depending on the selected format. For example:
•<JOB>
•<JOB>\<DOCPAGE>\<SEPARATION>
•<JOB>\<SIGNATURE>\<SIDE>\<SEPARATION>
•<JOB>\<SIGNATURE>\<WEB>\<SIDE>\<SEPARATION>
•<JOB>\<WORKSTYLE>\<SIGNATURE>\<WEB>\<SIDE>\<SEPARATION>
•<JOB>\<PRODUCTNAME>\<CUT>\<SEPARATION>
Filename convention strings
Filename conventions for <SIDE>
These fields define which strings in the filename define the side (front or back). You can enter multiple strings, separated by commas, for each side. Apogee tries to match the position of <SIDE> in the filename template with any of the specified strings, and identifies the input as front or back when it matches a string. If there is no match, Apogee treats the input as a front.
NOTE: These fields are completely ignored if the filename template does not contain <SIDE>.
Filename conventions for <SEPARATION>
These fields define which strings should be recognized as process colors. Apogee tries to match the position of <SEPARATION> in the filename template with any of the specified strings, and identifies the input as the associated process color when it matches a string. If there is no match, Apogee assumes it is a spot color.
NOTE: All string matches, for both <SIDE> and <SEPARATION>, are case insensitive.
Filename conventions for <CUT>
These fields define which strings should be recognized as contour files and masks. Apogee tries to match the position of <CUT> in the filename template with any of the specified strings, and identifies the input as the associated when it matches a string. When it matches any of the contour strings, the file is used as a contour; when it matches any of the mask strings, the file is used as a mask.
Recombine mode
This option is only displayed when you select the Harlequin TIFF Data Format (see above).
1-C, 1-M, 1-Y, 1-K...
Recombine mode is ON (check box selected). Each TIFF file is named according to the following file naming convention:
(page_number)(job_name)(color).tif’
For example, ‘2MyJobM00.tif’ means the Magenta Separation of Page 2 of “MyJob”.
1-C, 2-M, 3-Y, 4-K...
Recombine mode is OFF (check box selected). Each TIFF file is named according to the following file naming convention:
(separation_number)(job_name)(color).tif’
For example, ‘2MyJobM00.tif’ means the second sequential separation of “MyJob” whose color is Magenta.
When the Force recombine option is selected (default) recombination of files will take place and rely on the dragging order.
Separations (combining and delivering)
This section is only required for input formats that deliver separations as separate files. It describes when Apogee considers all separations of a page or flat to be available at the input, and consequently, when it can deliver this page or flat to the resulting job (where it appears in the Page Store).
This is important especially when the page or flat has to be proofed; it is not important when they only have to be printed on an imagesetter or platesetter: the different separations can be printed independently.
NOTE: This is independent of the ‘Collect for output’ action.
The client will correctly show all separations of a page or flat, regardless of the order of input. However, a proof cannot be made until all separations are present. Also, when the Open Connect has to deliver PDF, it needs to know the separations for each page or flat.
Open Connect will combine and deliver separations after the specified combining time has elapsed, or when receiving:
First separation of next flat/page
The current page is considered to be complete when an input file is found that contains a separation for a different page or flat (as indicated by its file name). This option is displayed when you select the TIFF Data Format (see above).
<n> separations of the same flat/page
The current page is considered to be complete when the specified number of separations are available. This option is displayed when you select the TIFF Data Format (see above).