Macintosh Print Controller Team SDMay03-08Advisor Dr. James Davis Abstract The Macintosh Print Controller project attempts to solve a process productivity issue for MetalCraft, Inc. of Mason City, IA. The process flow for printing to a digital printing press is currently slowed by a label numbering and export problem. The solution for this issue will take a generic label layout, properly insert serial numbers and barcodes, and send the completed job to the press for printing. This will reduce layout time by requiring the designer to spend less time numbering and generating pages of labels. Postscript generation time will be reduced because only one generic layout page will have to be exported instead of hundreds or thousands of pages. Overall, this project will improve time from layout to production and help the company increase productivity. Acknowledgement We would like to thank John Henry of MetalCraft, Inc., Mason City, IA for all his assistance. We would also like to thank Dr. James Davis for his help and encouragement. Introduction General Background MetalCraft, Inc. manufactures a large variety of labels and nameplates used for product identification and inventory purposes. Their current system experiences substantial delays in creating and sending design files from the Macintosh design station to the Indigo Omnius digital printing press (see Figure 1). Design Requirements Design Objectives Augment QuarkXPress file to job specifications Automate numbering and barcoding of labels Maximize design station availability Minimize post-design processing time Functional Requirements The design station must be used solely for design Accept input files from QuarkXPress and CheckMate Merge QuarkXPress design template with CheckMate serial number data Output Postscript file to raster image processor on Indigo Omnius Design Constraints Network speed limitations due to equipment; long file transfer times Computer processing power Unknown compatibility of future hardware/software upgrades Availability of source code and operational information for Indigo Omnius Measurable Milestones Milestones will be measured based on four ratings: Not started (0), started but not finished/unacceptable (1), finished and sufficient (2), finished and excellent (3). Technical Approach A processing station will be introduced between the design station and the raster image processor. The function of this station will be to take the load off of the design station. This station will run customized software that integrates the QuarkXPress file, CheckMate output file, XData XTension and Postscript. An examination of the current network infrastructure may prove useful in improving performance as well. Improvements to the network connection may need to be made if it is decided that the price and performance warrant the expense. Testing Approach Stand alone components will be tested to ensure they meet respective functional requirements The final system will be tested in one piece Regular users will be trained and asked for feedback regarding problems Original system performance will be compared to the performance of modified system Budget and Personnel Effort Assumptions End product output in Postscript format Users are familiar with current system Software upgrades will be backwards compatible Limitations Design approach depends on third-party software availability Postscript data format may limit design Functions provided by Checkmate program End-Product Description The Macintosh Print Controller end-product will consist of an intermediate system for processing the finished design files into a format that is usable by the printing press (see Figure 3). The design will be completed on the Macintosh system, sent to a separate system for processing, and then forwarded to the raster image processor for final processing and printing. The system that is introduced for converting the QuarkXPress files to Postscript will perform its tasks with little or no user intervention. This will allow the design station to begin work on a new design much sooner than the current process allows. Documentation (30%) – Develop/revise project plan, design document, poster. Research for Design Approach (10%) - Gather information to make final design decision. Implement Design (35%) - Develop solution based on project design. Test (15%) - Perform testing outlined in Testing Approach. Make corrections/improvements. Delivery (10%) - Deliver final production code. Run final tests on system, configure, and train users. Budget ItemEstimated Cost Software$100 Poster/Printing$50 Phone Calls$25 Equipment & Parts (Desktop Computer)$500 Total$675 MemberEstimated Effort (in hours) Luke Bodeen165 David Legge140 Curt Melchert150 Ryan Sinnwell145 Total600 Hours Client MeltalCraft, Inc Mason City, IA Figure 2 – Current Data Flow for MetalCraft Printing Process Figure 3 – Proposed Data Flow for MetalCraft Printing Process Table 1 – Project Budget Table 2 – Personnel Effort Figure 1 – Indigo Omnius printing press Intended Uses Reduce manual input Increase productivity Intended Users Label design employees Printing press employees Technical Problem In the current system (see Figure 2), each label is merged with serial numbers generated by CheckMate, converted to Postscript, sent to the press and prepared for output. Currently the Macintosh design platform must remain idle as the pages are converted to Postscript. The solution will require the inputs of a single page from QuarkXPress as well as the list of serial numbers from CheckMate. Using these two files, the numbering and linking of barcodes, as well as the Postscript generation will be done on a separate machine to allow another project to begin design on the Macintosh system. The processing computer will output a single Postscript file which can then be placed in the queue of the printing press to be processed. The approach chosen will depend on the availability and cost of the software and associated applications that are needed. Operating Environment Normal office operating environment. No special design considerations due to environment. Luke Bodeen David Legge Curt Melchert Ryan Sinnwell