You are correct, the INI method does require each record to have the same number of pages.
If there's a variable number of pages then you will need either a PDF per record if you will need to define the print ticketing within PDF/vt metadata (see the FFPS Press SDK for more information).
The second option may not be something that the composition tool can enable as it requires specific constructs in the PDF/vt file.
What if each record had a different number of pages? How would you be able to tell the printer when a new record starts? That method only works for exact page count per record.
JavierM,
Thanks for the quick reply! I'll share your responses with our team here and see if we can use any to get what we need to get. We are new to Core so we are learning as we go.
Thanks!
Tom
That depends on the number of tickets that you are doing and on whether you must retain the sequence.
The simplest thing would be to save each record as a PDF and then define the default ticketing at the printer preset.
use the perf stock as the main stock and then add a stock exception for the first page.
However, this may be problematic... as there's significantly more overhead to having a record per file.
In that case, you have to look at other options.
If the exception is every N pages and if you are using FFPS then you can use an ini file with the FFPS queue to define a "cyclical exception" which supports and unlimited number of exceptions in a job (as long as they are every n pages). In this case I would submit the job as one large file to FFC and have a dedicated queue in FFPS.
Another alternative may be to generate the PDF in chunks (or have FFC split the PDF into chunks) and then use scripting to associated a predefined print ticket with N exceptions. The exceptions (and the chunk size) would be based on DFE limit. I believe the limit for FFPS is 1,000 exceptions in a job. Not sure about the Fiery.
There may be other options but the above are the reasonably straight forward alteratives.
We are doing tickets for the university's basketball team. Doing all the variable through XMPie and then having Core do the imposition. The covers have a score and the tickets have perfs. What's the easiest way to have the cover pull from tray one and the rest of the tickets from tray two?
Basically page 1 from tray one and then page 2 through 15 from tray two, then page 16 tray 1 and 17 through 30 tray 2.
Thanks!
Tom