Introduction
A managed print environment that involves a range of devices with different print speeds, duty cycles and output capabilities demand software to manage workflow, balance loads on each device, maximize productivity and to monitor and control costs.
doc-Q-manager and its various modules have been developed by Advanced |
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Technologies International
(ATI) from its long experience in the business of production printing to meet such needs of the managed
print function.
What is doc-Q-manager?
doc-Q-manager is print queue management software that gives print centre operators full control over the
printing process allowing them to rank jobs and balance the workload across print devices to optimize
output and meet deadlines. It is a simple to install and easy to use “open” system which works with any
Windows supported printer.
doc-Q-manager is suitable for use in Data Centre print-rooms and Central Reprographics Departments
(CRDs) , as well as large corporate departments and workgroups requiring a managed print function.
It can be used for both production document printing as well as transactional data printing, whether from
networked Windows environments or from mainframe platforms such as IBM iSeries (AS/400) and other
systems.
It can also be used as a common spooling device for central print management in mixed network
environments that combine, say, Windows, Unix, and Novell.
doc-Q-manager together with its related product family modules: doc-q-view, doc-Q-ticket, doc-Q-split,
doc-Q-forms and doc-Q-route provides an enterprise solution for controlling print workflow and document
printing costs in an organization. The suite of products brings productivity gains to the CRD/print room
environment and contributes to capturing volume throughput and thus Return on Investment of such print
centres.
Features
Features of doc-Q-manager and its related modules include:
Print queue management
doc-Q-manager allows operators to manage print jobs across a range of printer queues to optimize
productivity and maximise throughput. With a user-interface readily configurable to meet operational
needs, print room operators can visually monitor and control all print queues and print jobs. To copy,
move or reprint jobs, operators simply drag and drop files to the relevant print queue.
Job previews
Using the preview function, doc-Q-manager operators can preview print jobs on screen. Operators can
browse a print file, view thumbnails of each page and zoom in to check individual page details. This
reduces errors by allowing operators to verify jobs before printing them.
Reprint - any page or part of a job
The preview function can also be used to identify pages within a print job that need to be reprinted. Any
page, or range of pages, can be viewed and reprinted, without reverting to the original application. The
base doc-Q-manager product supports preview of EMF and ASCII data streams; while the optional add-on
doc-Q-view PCL and doc-Q-view Postscript modules provide similar support for print data streams that are
already PCL or PostScript encoded.
Cluster printing
Cluster printing involves splitting print jobs across multiple devices. Large print jobs are split into smaller
components and sent to the clustered devices — each device producing one part of the overall job.
Devices located within a print-room or elsewhere on the network can be grouped into clusters by doc-Qmanager.
Such cluster printing gives e enhanced print room performance, flexibility and resilience. Print jobs can
be completed in less time, enabling print windows and deadlines to be met. In a department a group of
low speed devices can be used to handle jobs that would normally require a high speed device.
Automated print workflow
doc-Q-manager has a powerful scripting tool as a standard feature. This scripting component may used to
apply actions on print job workflow based on a wide range of a print job parameters. doc-Q-manager
scripting is also able to call and execute external programs to give even more advanced functionality.
Print job administration and housekeeping
To facilitate control over the aggregation of print jobs in a busy print room doc-Q-manager may be
configured to automatically archive printed jobs for later retrieval and reprint on demand, but then
automatically deleted after a user specified period of time.
Job ticketing
doc-Q-ticket is the add on module option to doc-Q-manager which enables jobs to be remotely submitted
together with an electronic job ticket to the print room. When client users/customers on the network want
to submit a print job to the print room, the online job ticket form is presented so that users can specify all
specific job requirements, e.g. number of copies, paper size, finishing options, etc. and any other special
requirements.
The server component of doc-Q-ticket resides with doc-Q-manager on the CRD print server. The client
component installs as a local print queue to which users print jobs which they wish to be ticketed and
processed by the CRD. A separate web service module enables ticketed jobs to be sent across the internet
Client users can preview their job on the job ticket queue before submission. When ready, the job with
ticket attached is submitted across the network to the print room together with all fonts required for the
job. What the user sees on his local job ticket print queue is what the print room operator receives and
sees on the CRD print server. No page re-flow arises.
In the print room the operator refers to the job ticket to receive his instructions and ensure the job is
carried out correctly. The discipline of the ticket minimizes errors and increases productivity.
For administrative control clients receive a unique numbered job ticket receipt when the job arrives in the
CRD and can print this locally for reference. This numbered ticket can also be printed with the job in the
CRD.
Job ticket design tool
doc-Q-ticket is supplied with a simple to use HTML ticket design tool. The design tool provides for text,
data entry options, calendars, radio buttons, check boxes, list boxes, and drop down lists. This allows the
online job ticket form to be customized to fully match operational needs. The form may be readily tailored
to be always up to date with the latest capabilities of available print room devices and field entries may be
made mandatory where required. Client users/customers can easily identify the available options and
select job settings accordingly.
The ticket design may be additionally enhanced to include programmed components, e.g. to provide a job
cost estimation calculator. Uniquely, it also has the capability to interface with Equitrac’s print accounting
software. Client billing codes may allocated within the ticket and the job cost automatically charged to the
billing database when printed in the print room. Additionally, other relevant costs such as associated offline
print room finishing costs may similarly be incorporated within the ticket design and automatically
charged into the billing database.
Colour split
The doc-Q-split module automatically splits a print job into pages with colour and pages with no colour
and routes them to the appropriate print queue. This capability enhances print room efficiency and
reduces costs by allowing the print room to print the non colour pages on a fast, cheaper to run
monochrome printer, while outputting the colour pages to a colour device
With Adobe Acrobat 8.0 certain document pages, which in version 7.0 and earlier would have been defined
as monochrome, are now identified as colour, yet to the user they are no more than “black” and may
happily be printed on a monochrome printer. To resolve this issue doc-Q-split has an adjustable sensitivity
control which allows the colour threshold to be defined by the user - thereby avoiding the potentially
unnecessary and costly colour printer click charge.
With certain manufacturers’ post-printing interposers, automated job re-assembly may be achieved.
Where such interposer is not available there are two methods of recompilation: (i) an instruction sheet
that is printed out with the non-colour pages which details how the colour pages are to be combined with
the non-colour pages, or (ii) stand-in sheets, where a particular cassette on the non-colour printer can
have a tray nominated to output separator sheets to denote where the colour printed pages are to be reinserted.
Activity logging and accounting
doc-Q-manager has the facility to log all print job profiles and activity and present this data as a csv file
for import to a spreadsheet or third party accounting system. Through doc-q-ticket, by using data
included within the configurable job ticket, even off-line finishing costs may be accounted for and charged
to users, clients or departments.
Variable data forms printing
doc-q-forms is a variable data forms solution providing automated print job output from flat host
data with forms being created using the simplicity of Microsoft® Word©. Enhancing legacy data
output without host reprogramming could not be simpler.
doc-Q-forms utilises flat ASCII data from any host source. As the data is received, the job is recognised
and automatically merged with the appropriate pre-designed form stored on the server.
Formats are created simply using Microsoft® Word©. Relevant variable data fields are then simply
dragged & dropped into the form. Nothing could be easier. No lengthy and costly specialist training and
re-training is required.
Signatures, logos, graphics, etc. can be included in the documents and called by information within the
data. In this way conditional forms can be created to match the various business needs of different
departments.
Rules based network printing
Many organizations suffer from the cost of users printing documents on the wrong device. doc-Q-route is a
Windows print server-based solution for rules based policing of printing on a network. Rules may be
defined, for example, to restrict the size of print jobs to any particular device, or the use of colour, or
what to do in the event of a printer fault, by automatic routing or deleting of such jobs. For larger organizations with print rooms, doc-Q-route working in conjunction with doc-Q-ticket can
perform an important role for capturing and enforcing print volume down to the print room.
If you would like to find out further information, please contact us.
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