iWEB sTemplate files

trainingFP Jan2013

Products and templates

There are 3 kind of products, in imaxel IPS platform which requiere different kindof template files

1. Still prints (prints): which have no design, do not need rendering, and do not need template file

2. One page products (so called compositions and gifts): need single page template files ( file extension xxx.imaxel-tf ) which are created with the composer template editor software. Examples are: posters, gifts, one page calendars.

3. Multi page products (so called albums): need multi-page template files (fileextension xxx.imaxel-af) which are created with the album template editorsoftware. Examples are: albums and multipage calendars.

A product may have only one template file

A template file may be used only for one product

2 template editor app tools

For any product with more than one pagefor any product with one page

imageComposereditor

imageAlbumeditor

What is in a template file?

Template files are used by the render engine and include more than just designs. The information bundled in a template include:

1. Print area properties: like sizes, dpis, number of pages, etc.

2. Sheet layout design

3. Graphic elements like backgrounds, colors, logos, etc that will be used to render the printable file.

4. Look and feel: thumbnails

5. Editing options: which actions, like modifying the layout, replacing backgrounds, automatic album creation, are allowed to the consumer.

6. Product variants, that do not affect the price. Consumer will be asked to select their preferences

1. product options, such colors of an album cover, T-shirt size,…. Do not affect the rendering, but are needed at the production/finishing.

2. design options, such us the background. Do not affect the production, just are content options.

Layout layers

• The layout file bundles together different kind of objects such frames, backgrounds and cliparts.

• To ensure consistency, these objects in the template are organized in layers which follow a hierarchy when being rendered.

• Layer hierarchy from top (most visible) to down (background) is:

o Clipart image

o Text frame

o Frame (= picture on top of background)

o Backgrounds (which may have transparencies)

o Frame bellow backgrond (= picture)

o backgrounds with transparency areas (alpha channel) can be included to create special effects. The transparency will let see the frame bellow its transparency area.

Template file creation process

1

• Define product properties

• Commercial settings: name, description, images…

• Production settings: size, dpis, finishing,..

2

• Prepare graphic resources

• Product icons/photos

• Temaplate backgrounds

3

• Use template editor software to create the template file• set product settings and designs

• load external resources

• composition templates are used for all non multipage (so all except albums and multipage calendars).

• there are 3 types of composition templates depending on the product.

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1. Templates with full printable background, like cards, posters, one page albums etc. are compositions that render and print together photo and background

2. Templates with non printable background (information background)like personalized gifts (t-shirts, mugs,…) are compositions in which the background is to support the creation process. Only the photo is rendered and printed while the background is discarded.

3. Templates with partially printable background

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rWill use a Collage Poster to describe a basic composition product with only one printing background

Template properties: template summary

Product code have to be:• Unique, no other template can have the same code• Match the product code number in Remote Manager• Numeric only (no letter or characters)• 9 digits maximum• Cannot start by “0” (12345 is OK, 012345 is KO)

Use any name that you can easily identify whenlater creating the associated product

Assign an attractive thumbnail that helps to identify and purchase that product.

Best thumbnails are transparent PNG files of 256x256 pixels

Template properties: template thumbnail

Template properties: sheet setup

Actual size of the area to be printed. Not the paper size nor the finished product size

Template properties: work options

Want to let the consumer to edit each photo in each frame independently

The printed file will include both, consumer photos and template background

In case there were more than one background, we let the client to select between them

Album frame options menu

o Add Frame: creates a picture frame on top of the background.

o Add a Text Frame: creates a text box. Font, size, color and text alignment can be defined

o Add frame below background: creates a picture frame that can only be seen trough a background transparency.

o Add Clipping region: selects an area of the template that will be crop and converted into the printable file. Used when the output file has to have the photo and only a limited area of the background

o Add Clipart image: adds an image (e.g. a logo) on top of all the other objects.

o Set frames order: establish the order used to fill the frames when the consumer selects that the product is filled automatically

Sheet layout propoerties select the previously created background file: a .PNG file of the exact size at the exact dpi resolution which 3 transparency areas created from photothop

Place a transparent frame below each transparent area so consumers can put their photos.

Block the background to avoid any consumer deletes it when editing the software.

Block editing to avoid any consumer add text frame or clipart on top of the background. “Allow editing” it if prefer consumer can add text or cliparts (photoframes can never be added in compositions instead)

Save template

• Each template is a file, that has tohave a name.

• Use a descriptive name similar to theproduct.

• Do not use accents or any specialcharacter (.,+/”..)

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Will use a “folded Christmas card” to describe a composition product that has several optional printing backgrounds

Template properties: template thumbnail

This thumbnail is different from the background design.

Best thumbnails are transparent PNG files of 256x256 pixels

Sheet layoutThere are additional backgrounds included in the template

Each option needs its own background file.

Each option has its own name and product thumbnail

How templates with design options are seen in iweb

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Will use a t-shirt template to describe a composition product with non printable background

Template properties: sheet setup

size of the background used in the design.Not the final printable size, which will be defined in the Remote Manager Backoffice.

Template properties: work options

Want to let the consumer to edit each photo independently

Printed file will include ONLY consumer photos, template background is just for information

In case there us more than one background, we let the client to select between them

Product optionsThere is one PRODUCT CATEGORY which is desribedto the consumer as “size”. There could be more like colour, shape, material..

Any category needs at least one item (PRODDUCT OPTIONS). Consumer will have to select one when ordering.

A category code is created to organise production

Each item needs a thumbnail, title, code and description to let consumer select and to organise the production

templates with product options

• The category defines a property which is not linked to the content, design nor included in the printed output of the product.

• E.g. the t-shirt size does not affect the actual printable file but is a data needed to finish the product.

• Similar product options are grouped into categories (e.g. t-shirt size or book cover color). Options (items) within a category are considered equivalent choices, do not have individual extra prices and therefore will not change the final price of the finished product.

Product option examples:

category: color of the album cover options: blue, red , green....

category: material of the album cover options: hard stock, soft cover,..

category: color a photo frame options: wood, steel, stone,....

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eWill use a Table Game to describe a composition product with “partially printed background” combined with “information background”

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eWill use a Table Game to describe a composition product with “printing background” combined with “information background”

Template properties: work options

Printed file will be the area (photos and background) included inside the clipping region

Want to let the consumer to edit each photo independently

In case there is more than one background, we let the client to select between them

Printing + information background

Clipping region

Template Printable file

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teDifferences between the three ways to do CANVAS. The main difference is the design possibilities to offer to the customer.

• PRINTS– Same icon for every format– No possibility to add text boxes, neither frames– Only possibility to add an image – Possibility to select Adjustments methods like fill or fit or Paper finishing

• ALBUM– Possibility thumbnail product customization– You can create an album product with only 1 page. It is OK– Possibility to add text boxes, frames and clip arts– Possibility to edit & move the image inside the space to print– Risk of customer claims due to this edition out of the printing area

• COMPOSITION– Possibility thumbnail product customization– You can create multi design product with only 1 page. – Possibility to add text boxes, frames and clip arts– Possibility to edit & move the image inside the space to print– No risk of customer claims because you can show to customers clearly, which

finished product will receive. You can add into the template a png background with some specifications.

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te“album template editor” is used for products with more than one sheet. It could be “Photo books”, but also any other product with more than 1 page (like 1 month view Calendars -12 pages-).

Template editors are similar but not equal

Composer editor

album editor

Start by defining your book

Album properties: Album summary

Product code have to be:• Unique, no other template can have the same code• Match the product code number• Numeric only (no letter or characters)• 9 digits maximum• Cannot start by “0” (12345 is OK, 012345 is KO)

Use any name that you can easily identify whenlater creating the associated product

Album properties: Album thumbnail

Assign an attractive thumbnail that helps to identify and purchase that product.

Best thumbnails are transparent PNG files of 256x256 pixels

can also be a JPG, BMP, TIF or GIF. No more than 600x800 pixels

Album properties: Album sheets sizes

Define printable area size. Not paper or finish product size

Define 1 or 2 pages per sheet. This is how consumers would see it

Define the different types of pages and its printable area size

Define the cut margins to shadow and area and advise consumers not to place photos or text close to the border

Other parameters: crop margin, design margin and variable spine are normally not needed

In this case no cover is needed

1 or 2 pages per sheet

2 pages per sheet. This is how consumers would see it, both left and right pages.

1 page per sheet. This is how consumers would see it, only left or right page.

Album properties: Album sheets range

Fixed number of sheets(only 22)

Variable range of sheets(min:22/max 42).

Several fixed number of sheets(only 22 or 32 or 42)

Sheets number refers ONLY to normal pages. Cover and other special pages are not included.Don´t leave this configuration empty.

How fixed number of sheets selecction is seen in IWEB?

Album properties: work options

Choose “only manual mode” for IWEB albums

Use “fit” or “fill” to insert photos into theframes, depending on the album design and preferences

Allow the consumer to change the page design

Default sheet options

Allow to change the background to let consumers change background

Allow to edit the layout to let consumer add new photos or text frames on top of the background.

Not used in iWEB

Do not print always this sheet. To avoid claims, only sheets whit any content (photo or text) will be printed

Design menu

Design menu includes a set of intuitive tools to ease the process to handle the frames to design specific new page layouts.

Arrange objects is used to set the levels top-to-bottom between objects of the same type within their own layer. It does not change the order between layers.

Album sheet options menu

o Page setup: to add title information to the page

o Add blank sheet: to insert a new empty page

o Add and copy sheets: to insert one or more pages duplicating already exisiting pages

o Organize sheets: to rearrange the order in which the pages will be shown in the frontend.

o Delete sheets

o Scale sheets: to redesign the album to a new size. This option is normally being used to create a new template using an existing one as the basis. If the aspect ratio of the page changes, all the frames will be rescaled and its ratio will be modified. Background will also be rescaled to the new dimension, but if needed it will be cropped to keep original aspect ratio.

Album frame options menu

o Add Frame: creates a picture frame on top of the background.

o Add a Text Frame: creates a text box. Font, size, color and text alignment can be defined

o Add frame below background: creates a picture frame that can only be seen trough a background transparency.

o Add Clipart image: adds an image (e.g. a logo) on top of all the other objects.

o Set frames ratio: allows to force the ratio of a frame to ease the design.

o Default frame properties: allows to input data frame data in a form rather than using graphic editor

o Set frames order: establish the order used to fill the frames when the consumer selects that the product is filled automatically

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ar• Will use a 13 pages “month-view calendar” to

describe an album product template for calendars

Album properties: Album sheets sizes

This photocalendar has 1 cover page

And 12 additional normal pages. In total 13 pageswill be printed

Album properties: work option

Choose “only manual mode”.

Use “fit” or “fill” to inser photos into de frames, depending on the album design and preferences

Disable the template selection menu so consumers cannot modify the pages (an avoidthey can repeat a monthly sheet)

Layout design: set calendar clipart as background

The grid formed by the dates is in .PNG format with transparency area and is added as a “clipart image” which is always on top layer

Each month is actually a sheet which needs its calendar grid clipart.

Allow to change the background to let consumers change background

Allow to edit the layout to let consumer add new photos or text frames on top of the background.

Print always this sheet. Even if a client leaves one page empty (one month) the sheet will be printed with no photos or texts. If not selected the consumer is obliged to put photos or text in all pages

Layout design: sheet properties

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ar• Will use a 60 layouts and 13 pages “month-view

calendar” to describe an album product template for rolling calendar

Album properties: work options

Choose “rolling calendar”.

Use “fit” or “fill” to inser photos into de frames, depending on the album design and preferences

Disable the template selection menu so consumers cannot modify the pages (an avoidthey can repeat any monthly sheets)

Layout design: asign every page a year/month name

Up to 60 frames (=5years * 12months) to createa 5 years rolling calendar

Each monthlayout is named page title 1= year and page title 2= month