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Datalogics updates its DL-100 and DL-1000 VDP solutions with support for Acrobat 6.0, InDesign 2.0, VIPP output, and JavaScript-based rules creation
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JAN 8, 2004 — Datalogics, Inc. has released new
versions of its DL-100 and DL-1000 variable-data-publishing solutions.
DL-100 provides an Adobe Acrobat plug-in that lets you use Adobe Acrobat to
create electronic templates for variable-data documents (i.e., customized documents)
by associating
data in a database with different sections of the documents and by
defining rules that can govern automated decision-making processes
or invoke ancillary processes at the time that the customized documents are generated.
To create the basic layout for a document, you can use virtually any page-layout application,
word-processing application, or illustration application. Users of Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress
enjoy added advantages when using DL-100, because DL-100 includes an InDesign plug-in
and a Quark XTension that facilitates the process of converting a static document into
an electronic template when working with DL-100 from within Adobe Acrobat.
Once you've used DL-100 to create an electronic template,
you can generate your customized documents (in paper format or electronic format)
by using DL-100 on your desktop; you can also use its companion product, DL-1000, to set up
a hands-off, server-based, high-speed workflow to batch-produce the customized documents.
DL-1000 is ideal for a Web-based
document-production system.
This software is available for Macintosh computers and Windows computers; the
release described here runs on Windows.
New features
Support for Adobe Acrobat 6.0
This new version of the software is compatible with Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Standard and
Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional — as well as Adobe Acrobat 5.05, which
was supported by previous versions of the software.
Support for Adobe InDesign 2.0
Also new with Version 1.5 is the support of Adobe InDesign 2.0 as an initial
layout-definition tool. The DL-100 software can automatically export
static elements (including bleeds, color and paragraph styles,
and background elements) from InDesign to Acrobat; the user then
works from within Acrobat to complete the process of laying out
variable elements, mapping database fields to various areas in
the document, and defining any rules that are needed (see "Advanced rules processing, JavaScript support," below).
Like previous versions, the current version of DL-100 offers similar
support for QuarkXPress Versions 4.1 and 5.0.
Advanced rules processing, JavaScript support
With DL-100 and DL-1000 you can define rules for "if-then" decisions that
will happen at production time; you can also define other kinds of rules that invoke
processes that accomplish various tasks outside of DL-100/DL-1000 at production time.
Version 1.5 has a redesigned user interface that simplifies rules creation,
and it allows power uses to write complex rules
in the industry-standard JavaScript language. A rule-creation wizard provides step-by-step
instructions for simple rules (for example, basic "if-then" decisions),
and a number of pre-built common rules are provided.
Helper functions to create standard bar codes, format dates and currency,
and perform mathematical calculations are accessible from a "building-blocks"
toolbar just a click away. Simple user-written JavaScript rules can validate records,
adjust letter salutations based on age and gender, or choose which highly formatted,
personalized letter should appear.
Those with programming experience can use the rules-processing features to
connect DL-100/DL-1000
to an asset repository to retrieve the latest versions of images,
to cleanse the input data by processing it with CASS-certified postal-automation
software, and to do various other tasks.
VIPP output
Another new feature in DL-100/DL-1000 Version 1.5 is support for VIPP
output for the Xerox DocuSP RIP. The VIPP output format is supported in addition to
the output formats already supported in previous DL-100/DL-1000 releases: generic PostScript, PPML, VPS,
PPML/VDX, PDF, and PostScript optimized for the Heidelberg Digimaster printer/RIP.
Pricing
DL-100 is priced at $3,300.00 USD.
DL-1000 is priced at $30,000.00 USD.
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