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Citation Software Inc.
Specialists in variable-data publishing since 1986
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www.CitationSoftware.com info@CitationSoftware.com 508-436-2543
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Solution Finder
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variable-data printing & publishing (a.k.a. personalization, 1:1 communications, mailmerge) — includes transactional documents
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These are the products that we offer for this Solution Finder
category. Click on the product that you want, or scroll down the
page to read about all the products. If you're not sure which
product you need, call us!
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Citation Software offers several
variable-data printing & publishing (VDP) solutions.
Scroll down this
page to learn about the various solutions — or
read more here first to get a general overview.
Pricing starts at $879.00 USD.
Some of these solutions are simple "mail-merge" solutions;
others offer a comprehensive set of features for
handling complex typography, variable graphics,
conditional processing, data-driven charts & graphs,
output formats for a variety
of printing devices, and much more.
Some are desktop solutions that
are used interactively; others
are developers' tools and libraries
that can be used to build an automated,
hands-off variable-data-publishing system.
If you need help identifying a solution
that is appropriate for your needs and budget,
we can help! We've been working with
variable-data-printing/publishing technology
since 1986. We offer a FREE consulting service
to help you identify the right software for
your technical requirements and budget. Contact us via e-mail at
info@CitationSoftware.com,
or give us a call at 508-436-2543.
Note that we offer other
variable-data-printing products in addition to the products listed on
this page.
We offer free trial versions of most of the software products that we sell.
You can install the free trial software on your computer and experiment with
it to make sure it does what you want before you buy it.
For most of our products, we can also set up a free on-line meeting during
which one of our representatives will use our Web-based demonstration system to
show you how the software works. To participate
in one of our on-line meetings, all you need is a telephone, a
computer with a Web browser, and an Internet connection. If you'd
like to schedule a free on-line meeting, please send e-mail to
info@CitationSoftware.com (in your e-mail
message, tell us which product you're interested in) — or you can call us
at 508-436-2543.
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DesignMerge™ Pro
Variable-Data Software for QuarkXPress™ and Adobe® InDesign®
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If you are a QuarkXPress user or Adobe InDesign user, and if you need to do
variable-data printing, then DesignMerge Pro is for you!
DesignMerge Pro is a bundle of QuarkXPress™ XTensions™
or Adobe® InDesign® Plug-Ins
that provide sophisticated features for
variable-data-printing and database-publishing.
To put it another way: DesignMerge Pro makes it possible to
design and produce variable-data documents from within
Quark or InDesign.
This award-winning software
is available for both
Macintosh & Windows computers. It works well with printing
equipment and RIPs from most of the
major manufacturers, including
Xerox, Xeikon, Canon, Creo, EFI, and others.
DesignMerge Pro is affordable — pricing starts at $595.00 USD.
Our financing program makes it possible
to acquire some versions of DesignMerge Pro
for less than $200.00 USD per month.
(Pricing is subject to change without notice.)
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Menu-driven, easy to use
Every aspect of the DesignMerge Pro interface is menu-driven.
To set up your document, use the DesignMerge Pro floating palette
to identify variable-text or variable-picture information in your
QuarkXPress/InDesign document. Then, you select the
database file you wish to use and start the DesignMerge Pro session.
After you've set up your document, DesignMerge Pro quickly
cycles through each record
of the database, populates the variable fields
in your document, and prints the merged results.
If you like, you can do a "preflight"
to check for problems before printing.
You also have the option of saving the merged
documents in a number of different file formats.
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Features include:
- support for variable text (including "text on an angle" and "text on a curve")
- support for variable graphics (images)
- support for copyfitting (automatic management of oversets)
- support for conditional logic
- support for most commonly used bar codes
- support for n-up printing (imposition)
- support for duplex printing
- support for industry-standard print-optimization technologies
- much more.
What are the advantages of using plug-ins for variable-data printing?
There are several advantages to plug-in
technology in the variable-data-printing space. The most
important advantage is that the software can utilize the
two most powerful and popular composition engines in the
world: QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign. All of the composition
features that you have grown accustomed to are fully
supported by DesignMerge Pro. Every aspect of the composition process,
including kerning and letterspacing, hyphenation and justification,
runarounds, multi-page composition, styling, tables, etc.
are all available for you to use. You just take an existing document
and use DesignMerge Pro to "make it variable."
Your variable output will look just like you clicked
File > Print for each individual data record.
Another important advantage to a plug-in approach for
variable-data printing is the ramp-up and production time.
Because the user is allowed to remain in the QuarkXPress or InDesign
application the entire time, there is very little training required.
The user doesn't need to learn a brand-new page-layout tool.
Rather, using the DesignMerge Pro interface, the user can very easily
identify variable elements in an existing document,
start the merge session, and produce variable-data output,
all without having to leave the QuarkXPress or InDesign environment.
This also makes it very easy to effect edits to the document, as
the user can make them immediately — just like he or she is
editing a "normal" QuarkXPress or InDesign document — because
that is exactly what the user is doing!
How to purchase DesignMerge Pro
If you'd like to purchase DesignMerge Pro, call us
at 508-436-2543.
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DirectSmile
Image-personalization software
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The DirectSmile software lets you do "image personalization."
What is image personalization?
Image personalization is
the ability to add variable text to images, dynamically.
For example: you can write people's names in the sand,
spell people's names with cookies or berries, and emboss
people's names on poker chips! This allows for the design
and production of outstanding direct-mail pieces that
capture the attention of recipients through a combination
of individualization and emotion.
Use DirectSmile with any variable-data-printing software
Special versions of DirectSmile are available for use with
the PrintShop Mail
variable-data-printing software and the
Adobe InDesign page-layout software — but you can
use DirectSmile with virtually
any variable-data-printing
software. For example, if you own the
DesignMerge Pro variable-data-printing software,
the documents that you create with DesignMerge Pro can include
personalized images created by the DirectSmile software.
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Features
- You can build image-personalization fonts from your own images.
- You can add light, shadow or motion to make it look real.
- You can use random effects for a truly realistic look.
- You can adapt text to any perspective — it's simple!
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Pricing; free trial versions
Several different DirectSmile packages are available. Below are descriptions
of the most-popular, least-expensive packages, along with buttons that let you download
free trial versions of some of them.
DirectSmile Creator Pro-Universal
DirectSmile Creator Pro-Universal lets you design your own personalized-image templates
(also called "sets"),
generate batches of personalized images based on the sets,
and generate a data file that will allow you to incorporate
the personalized images into documents that you create
with your own variable-data-printing software.
For example, you can use DirectSmile Creator Pro-Universal in
conjunction with the DesignMerge Pro
variable-data-printing software.
DirectSmile Creator Pro-Universal outputs the personalized images as
JPEG, TIFF, or EPS files; it exports
the data file in .txt, .xls (Microsoft Excel), or
XML format.
Pricing: DirectSmile Creator Pro-Universal
costs $6,295.00 USD. This product gives you unlimited use of
the software; that is, you don't need to pay fees for the
personalized images that you generate.
(Pricing is subject to change without notice.)
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DirectSmile VDP Studio
DirectSmile VDP Studio is a variable-data-printing solution that not only lets
you design templates ("sets") for personalized images;
it also lets you use Adobe InDesign to design templates for the variable-data documents
into which the personalized images are to be incorporated.
Features include text personalization, layering, imposition, more.
When purchasing DirectSmile VDP Studio, you'll choose whether you want
to generate PDF output,
PPML output, or
JLYT output.
You need Adobe InDesign in
order to use DirectSmile VDP Studio.
Pricing: A license for unlimited use
costs $9,500.00 USD. Also available: a Smily License, which
costs $4,795.00. If you buy the Smily License
instead of buying the license for unlimited use, you then pay for
batches of personalized images (see the Smily Pricing Chart below).
(Pricing is subject to change without notice.)
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DirectSmile VDP Studio Production Edition
Like DirectSmile VDP Studio, above, DirectSmile VDP Studio Production Edition lets you
design templates ("sets") for personalized images and
also lets you use Adobe InDesign to design templates for the
variable-data documents into which the personalized images
will be incorporated. DirectSmile VDP Studio Production Edition
offers all of the features offered in DirectSmile VDP Studio,
and in addition
DirectSmile VDP Studio Production Edition
offers support for VB scripting; support for job automation;
a "Set Scaler" feature for easy resolution scaling;
two Production Rendering Licenses (allows the software to
run on two additional CPU cores); two WorkStation Designer
Licenses; a load-balancing feature that
manages image and document rendering across CPUs and cores;
and built-in support for
PDF output,
PPML output, and
JLYT output.
You need Adobe InDesign in order to
use DirectSmile VDP Studio Production Edition.
Pricing:
A license for unlimited use
costs $33,995.00 USD. A Smily License is also available
for $14,200.00. If you buy the Smily License
instead of buying the license for unlimited use, you then pay for
batches of personalized images (see the Smily Pricing Chart below).
(Pricing is subject to change without notice.)
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DirectSmile Plug-In for PrintShop Mail
The DirectSmile Plug-In for PrintShop Mail
makes it easy to use DirectSmile Creator Pro in conjunction with
the PrintShop Mail variable-data-printing software. You use
DirectSmile Creator Pro to design templates ("sets") for
personalized images; then you use the drag-and-drop DirectSmile Plug-In interface
from within PrintShop Mail to incorporate the personalized images
generated by DirectSmile Creator Pro into documents created in PrintShop Mail.
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Pricing:
A license for unlimited use costs $4,795.00. A "starter" version
is also available for $879.00; it allows you to generate
5,000 personalized images.
(Pricing is subject to change without notice.)
Pricing for Smilys
If you purchase the Smily License for the DirectSmile VDP Studio package,
or if you purchase the Smily License for the DirectSmile VDP Studio Production Edition package,
you'll purchase Smilys as you need them. The chart below
gives the pricing.
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Smily Pricing Chart
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1,000 Smilys
5,000 Smilys
10,000 Smilys
20,000 Smilys
50,000 Smilys
100,000 Smilys
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$99.00
$449.00
$790.00
$1,390.00
$2,990.00
$4,990.00
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The DirectSmile packages described above are designed to be used from
the desktop. Several server-based DirectSmile packages are also
available. The server-based DirectSmile packages are geared for
high-volume production workflows. Call for details.
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System requirements
The DirectSmile software runs on Windows computers. Contact us for
details about specific Windows platforms.
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PrintShop Mail
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PrintShop Mail is a powerful variable-data-printing application
that runs on Windows computers and Macintosh computers. It
is one of the least expensive full-featured variable-data-printing
solutions available today (pricing starts at $879.00 USD).
PrintShop Mail is extremely easy to use! It supports many
different database formats, and it generates special
kinds of code that allow your variable-data documents to
print at or near rated speed on most PostScript printers.
Click here
to learn about the challenges of achieving
acceptable print speed when printing
variable-data documents.
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When you use PrintShop Mail, virtually
any word-processing
application or page-layout application can be
used to
create the master document
(the static text & graphics) for your variable-data print run.
That's because PrintShop Mail lets you use
a PDF file
as a master document. Whatever application you use
— Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign or
QuarkXPress or Microsoft Publisher or even
Microsoft Word — all you have to do is
convert the document to a PDF file, and you're
ready to start laying out your variable-data
document in PrintShop Mail.
This is a real time-saver if
you receive master documents from
sources outside your company — for example,
from customers — because you don't have to
re-create the documents in-house.
Using a separate application to create master documents is not a
requirement, however. If you like, you can use PrintShop Mail itself to
create the static text & graphics for your documents, because PrintShop Mail's
WYSIWYG graphical user interface (GUI) functions as an easy-to-use design tool.
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How PrintShop Mail works with your data
You can use almost any database format with
PrintShop Mail. PrintShop Mail
also provides ODBC support, so you can connect directly to your database
if you want to.
PrintShop Mail displays the structure of your database
on the screen for you, right next to a representation
of the document that you are creating. You use
PrintShop Mail's
drag-and-drop interface
to create links between your database
fields and your document. This is a quick and easy process.
You can use the data from your database as-is
in your documents; or you can use PrintShop Mail's
conditional-processing features, data-parsing
features, data-formatting features,
and mathematical-calculation features
to instruct PrintShop Mail to make on-the-fly
decisions about what to include in each unique document.
Database formats
PrintShop Mail supports the following database formats
for your name-and-address list:
- dBase (.dbf)
- Microsoft FoxPro (.dbf)
- Paradox (.db)
- Microsoft Excel (.xls)
- delimited ASCII (.csv, .txt)
- XML-based formats
As mentioned above, PrintShop Mail also provides ODBC support for direct connection
to a database.
Graphics support
For static and variable images, PrintShop Mail supports these
formats:
- BMP
- EPS
- GIF
- ICO
- JPEG
- PDF
- TIFF
Printer support
PrintShop Mail can print directly to a printer that understands the PostScript language.
When you buy PrintShop Mail, your license is not tied to the printer or printers
that you're using.
In other words, once you purchase PrintShop Mail,
you don't need to pay extra money if you want to
use several different printers to print the documents that you create with PrintShop Mail.
PrintShop Mail supports the following output formats:
These formats are compatible with various kinds of PostScript printers and RIPs.
You can also use PrintShop Mail to generate output in PDF format. This allows
you to use a non-PostScript printer (for example, an HP printer
that understands PCL) to print
the documents that you create with PrintShop Mail. You'll need PDF-creation
software such as Adobe Distiller to generate PDF files from
PrintShop Mail.
Bar Codes
PrintShop Mail has built-in support for many different kinds of
one-dimensional bar codes:
UPC/EAN, Code 128, Interleaved 2 of 5, POSTNET,
Intelligent Mail (also known as "OneCode" or "4 state"),
and more. In addition, the free PrintShop Mail Bar Code
Plug-In for Windows lets you print the following types of 2D (two-dimensional)
symbols:
(These are also known as two-dimensional bar codes.)
To download the free PrintShop Mail Bar Code Plug-In for Windows.
scroll down and click the appropriate button.
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FEATURES:
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Easy drag-and-drop interface
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Supports PDF format and EPS format for master document
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Supports most common data formats for
name-and-address data
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Supports most common graphic formats for static
and variable graphics
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Supports rotation of text & graphics at
any angle
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Supports Open Prepress Interface (OPI)
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Supports ODBC
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Supports dynamic word-wrapping for variable text
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Supports industry-standard print-optimization technologies,
which allow for FAST printing on both B&W and color printers and digital presses
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Supports duplex printing
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Built-in language for if/then processing, string parsing,
mathematical calculations, more
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Supports industry-standard scripting languages;
this provides for customization possibilities
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Supports conditional printing of text, graphics,
and even entire pages
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Can re-size text automatically to fit designated area (copyfitting)
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Can flow text automatically from one area
to another area (from one text box to another text box)
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Lets you align text and graphics easily
with the "Snap content to frame" and
"Snap frame to content" features
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Lets you control linespacing (leading)
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Supports subset finishing — i.e.,
stapling, folding, etc. (depending on printer/RIP)
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Supports paper-tray selection (depending on printer/RIP)
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Supports most common one-dimensional bar codes: USPS POSTNET,
USPS Intelligent Mail, Code 3 of 9, Code 128, UPC, others
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Supports Datamatrix, MaxiCode, and PDF417 two-dimensional
bar codes/symbols
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Supports serialization
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Supports layout repetition (n-up) with optional stack sorting
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Supports "object anchoring" (positioning
a variable-text object or variable-graphic object
relative to the position of another variable-text object
or variable-graphic object)
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Supports spot colors
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Optional DirectSmile
plug-in lets you do image personalization
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Supports English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, Arabic
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Foreign languages
PrintShop Mail supports English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, and Arabic.
System requirements
Macintosh:
- Power Macintosh G3, 350 MHz or higher
- OS/X 10.4 or higher
Windows:
- Pentium II, 300 MHz or higher
- Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server, or Windows Vista
Pricing
Quite a few different PrintShop Mail packages are available.
Our pricing for the most-popular packages is shown below.
(Pricing is subject to change without notice.)
If the package that you're interested in is not listed,
call us at 508-436-2543 for a price quote.
And be aware of our "Lowest-Price Promise."
We are committed to offering the best prices on software!
If you get a lower price quote from another company, we
will beat that quote.
We can provide financing for some versions of PrintShop Mail.
For information about our financing program, click here.
PrintShop Mail Starter Package
This PrintShop Mail package has a lifetime limit of
100,000 documents.
This package allows you to use PrintShop Mail on both
Macintosh and Windows computers.
When you use up your 100,000-document allotment,
you'll get a $500.00 USD credit if you
upgrade to the PrintShop Mail Production Package.
This package costs $879.00 USD.
PrintShop Mail Production Package
(This package was formerly known as the "PrintShop Mail Unlimited Package.")
This package
allows you to
print as many documents as you want, forever.
This package allows you to use PrintShop Mail on both
Macintosh and Windows computers.
You can purchase this package for $4,795.00 USD — or, sign up for our financing program and get this package for less than $200.00 USD per month!
PrintShop Mail Multi-User Packages
These packages allow more two or more people to use the
PrintShop Mail software on Windows computers that
are part of a network.
Call us for a price quote. You might want to consider
our financing program
if you buy one of these packages.
Upgrades
Various kinds of upgrades are available. Call us to get a price
quote for the type of upgrade that you need.
We offer financing!
As mentioned above,
we can provide financing for some versions of PrintShop Mail.
To learn about our financing program, click here,
or call us at 508-436-2543.
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PlanetPress
PlanetPress is a powerful variable-data-printing
solution that works with virtually any PostScript printer. It's great for
creating "transactional documents" such as invoices
and statements. You can also use it to generate promotional
documents such as customized brochures and direct-mail pieces.
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The PlanetPress Design Tool is an integral part of the PlanetPress solution.
The PlanetPress Design Tool runs on a Windows computer and provides a
point-and-click Graphical User Interface (GUI)
for laying out your documents and specifying how the data in your database is to
be used in your documents.
PlanetPress provides an easy way to incorporate data-driven charts and graphs
into your documents. This feature allows you to create documents that
include bar charts, pie charts, and
line graphs that represent data in your database.
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PlanetPress works differently than most other variable-data-printing
solutions in that — with PlanetPress — all of the work of merging
data with templates happens inside your printer or RIP.
Because of this, PlanetPress can print documents faster than some other
variable-data-printing solutions, in many cases.
Features
Here is a partial list of the features that PlanetPress supports:
- Allows for printing anywhere on the corporate network.
- Application data remains separate from formatting information, eliminating the need to do
conversions for legacy applications.
- PC-based WYSIWYG design tool with conventional desktop-publishing
capabilities makes it easy to design documents.
- Creates multiple copies of data to be placed on multi-part forms
and allows you to apply different
formats to each part.
- Provides extensive support for bar codes.
- Supports scanned images for logos, signatures, and other graphics.
- Provides on-screen preview.
- Offers optional image capability for output — the data stream
can be converted to an industry-standard
image format and can be indexed to facilitate retrieval.
- Offers optional fax-output capability.
- Offers optional e-mail-output capability.
- Prints multiple logical pages of data on one physical page (n-up printing).
- Prints multiple collated copies (requires hard disk on printer).
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Printer support
To print the documents that you create with PlanetPress, you can use any printer that
understands the PostScript language.
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Pricing
Pricing for PlanetPress depends upon your specific needs. Contact us for a price quote.
We can provide financing for some versions of PlanetPress.
To learn about our financing program, click here,
or call us at 508-436-2543.
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MAILERS+4 Professional
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MAILERS+4 Professional is a full-fledged postal-automation and data-quality
solution (bulk-mailing solution) with very basic variable-data-printing capabilities.
MAILERS+4 Professional runs on Windows computers and
is designed to be used interactively from the desktop.
Find out more by clicking the
"Get detailed information about MAILERS+4 Professional" button below.
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NEWLEAF
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NEWLEAF is easy-to-use, WYSIWYG variable-data-printing
software. It is suitable
for producing graphic-intensive, personalized/customized
documents such as
direct-marketing postcards and brochures, etc.; and
it also works well for text-intensive documents such
as fund-raising letters and collection letters.
Designed to provide a working environment familiar to
Microsoft Office users, NEWLEAF enables your
staff to generate professional-quality variable-data
documents quickly and easily.
Text, graphics, tables, bar codes, and hyperlinks can be
inserted and placed anywhere in the document, at any
orientation. All objects can depend on a condition and
database variable (conditional processing).
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NEWLEAF has two features that set it apart from
most similarly priced variable-data-printing solutions:
- It has a "chart wizard" that makes it
easy to create pie charts, line graphs, etc. that
represent data in your database.
- It is designed to do high-speed production
on many different kinds of printers, including
printers used in graphic-arts environments as
well as printers typically not found in graphic-arts
environments. The list of supported printer types includes
PostScript printers,
PCL printers,
AFPDS printers,
IJPDS printers,
and more. (Click here for a complete list of
supported output formats.)
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NEWLEAF's easy-to-use Data Source Wizard lets you
attach dynamic data using regular data files (e.g., CSV files),
ODBC sources, XML sources, and universal data links. Data
fields can then be inserted with a simple mouse click.
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Features
- Insert document text and format it using standard
formatting tools (similar to Microsoft Office formatting tools).
- Define conditions to determine the content of variable
data in the document (programming skills are not required).
- Import and size any number of graphics.
- Create tables containing dynamic cells.
- Define and insert bar codes using a data field for
dynamic values.
- Save elements of the document in standard blocks
for re-use in other documents.
- Suppress unwanted whitespace in a situation
where a data field is empty.
- Filter records to print only certain documents.
- Use backgrounds (e.g. scanned documents) to help
position text & graphics on pre-printed forms.
- Import RTF files.
- Create transactional documents based on multiple records.
- Insert textblocks from databases.
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Supported print functions
NEWLEAF supports these print functions:
- n-up
- duplex
- tray control
- OMR (post-processing)
Supported output formats
NEWLEAF supports these output formats:
- AFPDS
- ePOST
- Fiery FreeForm
- GDI
- IJPDS
- Intellicash
- IPDS (via TCP/IP, SCSI or channel port)
- PCL
- PDF
- PostScript
- PPML
- VDX (PPML/VDX)
- VPS
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Output to fax and e-mail
In addition to generating the output formats listed above,
NEWLEAF can also output to fax and e-mail.
Pricing
Pricing for NEWLEAF depends upon specific requirements.
Contact us for a price quote.
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Didn't find exactly what you need? Not sure exactly what you need?
Contact us by phone at 508-436-2543, or send e-mail to
info@CitationSoftware.com.
We can help you find appropriate software for your requirements.
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Copyright © 2009 Citation Software Inc.
info@CitationSoftware.com
508-436-2543
www.CitationSoftware.com
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