XMPie Products

Note: For an overview of Variable Data Products (VDP) in MarketDirect StoreFront, see Variable Data Products - VDP.

The XMPie software enables you to create variable document templates using Adobe InDesign and the XMPie uDirect plug-in. After creating the templates and exporting them as a CPKG flat file (single table), you will then import the templates to the system following the steps described below. Your variable data templates will contain both static elements (such as background images or clipart) and dynamic elements (placeholders or areas on the template where variable data, such as the customer’s name entered on the interface, will print).

Note: The system can export users in CSV format, which enables you to export existing users in the system to create a campaign in XMPie, for example, for a sales promotion.

Note: Detailed step-by-step instructions for creating templates with XMPie that you can then import into the system and configure as XMPie variable data products (VDPs) are on the XMPie CD that you received after purchasing your license for XMPie.

Importing XMPie Templates into MarketDirect StoreFront

After you create your templates in XMPie and export them in .cpkg format (cpkg stands for campaign package), you are ready to import them into the system during the process of creating an XMPie variable data product.

Quick Reference: Setting Up XMPie Products that will Print on Pre-Printed Shells

Often your XMPie products will impose buyers' personalized data on a pre-printed shell (background). Follow the steps below to set up these products so that buyers can see a preview of the product that includes the pre-printed shell (background) instead of just seeing the personalized data they enter on a white background. The image of the pre-printed shell will not be included in the production PDF that MarketDirect StoreFront generates (i.e., to avoid overprinting the pre-printed shell).

1. In the template data source, include a field that will contain the rule required to dynamically remove the layer in the template that contains the pre-printed content (in the example below, it is the "Background" column with a control set either "On" or "Off").
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2. In the InDesign template, create two layers. One layer will contain the objects that are included on the pre-printed shell (e.g., "Background" below). The second layer will contain the objects that should be included in the production PDF when it is generated (e.g., "Main" below).

3. Complete the template by placing the appropriate objects on their corresponding layers.

4. In the uDirect pallet, right-click on the content object designated to control the pre-printed shell layer and select Edit Rule.

5. Change the content object's Type to Visibility.

6. Select the checkbox next to Campaign Dial.

7. Edit the rule so that if the rule equates to true, the desired preview action occurs.

Note: For example, if you want the layer to which the content object is being applied to be visible when the buyer previews the template, create a rule syntax that would always equate to true. One approach to accomplish this is to select a field in your template that you are going to make a required field (which means it will always have a value) and then write the rule to state that if the length of the selected field is greater than zero (0) then the layer is visible. Since the field selected will never be empty, validating that the length of the field content is greater than zero (0) would always equate to true.

8. Click OK to save the revised rule.

9. In the Layer pallet, single-click to highlight the layer that contains the pre-printed shell content. Once the layer is highlighted, double-click on the content object edit above in the uDirect pallet to assign the visibility rule to the layer. When the Dynamic Visibility dialog box appears, click Assign.

10. Once the design is completed, export the design using the XMPie Exchange Export to generate the campaign package (.CKPG).

11. In MarketDirect StoreFront, create a product as Type "XMPie VDP" (following the steps listed in this Topic).

12. On the XMPie Web Form tab, upload the campaign file.

13. Since the Campaign Dial checkbox was selected in the rule editor during template creation, there will be two form fields for the visibility layer content object, the CSVFIELD and the DIAL. Verify that the checkbox next to Single Mode for the CSVFIELD is not selected and that the checkbox next to Single Mode and Batch Mode for the DIAL is not selected.

14. Expand the DIAL content object to show its properties. Set Production Value to Off.

15. Make any additional updates to the XMPie Web Form as necessary, then save and publish the product. During order entry when the web form is completed and the preview is updated, the content on both of the layers will be displayed so that they can visualize the complete product. However, when the production PDF is generated, the layer containing the pre-printed shell content will be turned off and not included on the output file.

The procedure for importing a group of template-based products into the system is similar to that of adding any other product (document) to your online catalog (see Importing Products).

To create an XMPie product in MarketDirect StoreFront

On the Progress

Information | “Information” page:

1. Product Name—Name of the product for administrative purposes. It can be the same as the displayed name. This is the only field required to make a product. The product name can include up to 50 characters.

2. Display As—Can be a more buyer-friendly name of the product that will appear to buyers on the product pages on the storefront.

3. Product ID—Product code or SKU. The product name can include up to 50 characters.

4. Item Template—(MIS only) Enter the name of the MIS template, if applicable, to link new print products with a particular estimate. This field is for associating a print product with a particular estimate in the MIS so the MIS knows which specifications should be used to produce the print job. This field is intended for print products. Note that the system populates the Product ID field for fulfillment products sent from the MIS.

Note: This field will be displayed when MarketDirect StoreFront is integrated with an MIS.

Note: For PrintSmith Vision and Classic integrations, Product ID will be used to link all products.

5. Description Footer—Enter any additional information about the product. The footer will be shown on the storefront and in the product details.

6. Direct Product Link—A direct "deep link" to the product (the field will be visible only after you have entered a Product ID and saved the product).

Note: This is a "deep link" to the product file that links to a specific page where the product file is located. A deep link is a link that bypasses the site navigation and takes the buyer directly to a specific product page in MarketDirect StoreFront. The purpose of such a deep link to the product is to ensure that the product remains accessible. For instance, if you copied the link to a product from the browser’s address field the link could not be expected to remain valid because such links are typically encrypted and cannot be guaranteed to remain functional from one version of MarketDirect StoreFront to the next. Direct product links prevent this problem by making certain links (to categories and products) both permanent and short.

IMPORTANT NOTE for cloud (EFI-hosted) customers: You will not see a link in the Deep Product Link field. For direct product linking to work you will need to:
(1) Make sure that a unique Product ID (SKU) is applied to the product (in the previous step).
(2) Use the following format to create the URL for the deep link to the product:http://[MyPrintSite]/DSF/PRODUCTS/SKU/[productSKU].aspx

TIP: If you are printing collateral for your business that includes QR (quick response) codes, you can use QR codes to promote your own content including StoreFront promotions to drive online sales? By combining the “Deep Linking” feature of MarketDirect StoreFront with a QR code, you can promote many different types of content, including an online product promotion, customer-facing tips on creating VDP collateral, your booth location at an upcoming tradeshow, etc. Leveraging QR Codes and Deep Links to share content and drive promotions on your storefront can help grow your business.

Using Deep Links in Customer Communications (such as in email or Web links)
Appending ?cmd=begin to a deep link to a product will take the buyer to the product ticketing page for a product (i.e., eliminating the need for the buyer to click Begin to begin ordering the product). For example, if your deep link to the product is

http://[MyPrintSite]/DSF/PRODUCTS/SKU/[productnameorSKU].aspx

you could append ?cmd=begin to it as shown below

http://[MyPrintSite]/DSF/PRODUCTS/SKU/[productnameorSKU].aspx?cmd=begin

to take a prospective buyer directly to the product ticketing page for a Visual Product Builder (i.e., for products that use the Flex ticket) product (so the buyer can begin selecting options for the product).

This is a great way to link to a product your are promoting in your marketing materials, Web sites, the footer of an email message (for information on how to add a custom footer to email see To customize the header and footer for site-level email notifications), etc.

Note on Deep Links with Login Bypass: To navigate to the product ticketing page with login bypass, append the following code to the deep link after ?cmd=begin: ssotok= (followed by the user's single sign on token) and &ssotokpwd= (followed by that user's password). Thus, the deep link will be in this format:

http://[MyPrintSite]/DSF/PRODUCTS/SKU/[productnameorSKU].aspx?cmd=begin&ssotok=[User Profile Single Sign On Token]&ssotokpwd=[User Password]

8. Brief Description—Enter descriptive text for the product that will be displayed to buyers on the storefront. This brief product description is augmented by a longer description that is displayed on an entire page when user click for more information on a product.

Note: HTML text characters add up quickly, so when possible keep formatting simple.

Note: Most of the controls on the text editor will be familiar to users of word processing packages such as Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect. A few of the controls that might not be so familiar are:

9. Product Icon—The Product Icon is the large version of the product image that will be shown to buyers on the storefront.

● None: Click this radio button if you want no product image to appear on the storefront.

● Stock Icon Library: Click this radio button if you want to select an image from the stock icon library, which includes icons for nearly 30 product categories (e.g., binders, business cards, brochures, calendars).

● Click Browse... and on the Choose File dialog navigate to the image file you want to display, select it, then click Open.

● Automatic thumbnail: Click this radio button to have the system generate a product image automatically from the first page of the document.

Note: This option causes the system to generate both a small and a large image from the first page of the document. If you want a different icon to display on the product details page, you must select a different custom icon in the Product Details Image section below. Note that you will not be able to preview the automatic image until after you save the product.

On the Progress Information | “Details” page:

1. Long Description—Enter a detailed product description that will be displayed to buyers on the product details section on the storefront. There is a 4,000-character limit for HTML text.

2. Product Icon—You can upload a small version of the product image that will be shown to buyers on the storefront when they click for more information about the product.

● None: Click this radio button if you want no product image to appear on the storefront.

● Click Browse... and on the Choose File dialog navigate to the image file you want to display, select it, then click Open.

● Automatic thumbnail: Click this radio button to have the system generate a product image automatically from the first page of the document.

3. Product Details Image—You can upload a version of the product image that will be shown to buyers on the storefront at the top of the page when they are viewing details about the product.

● None: Click this radio button if you want no product image to appear on the storefront.

● Click Browse... and on the Choose File dialog navigate to the image file you want to display, select it, then click Open.

● Automatic thumbnail: Click this radio button to have the system generate a product image automatically from the first page of the document.

Note: Note that you will not be able to preview the product details image until after you save the product.

On the Progress Information | “Settings” page:

1. Display Priority—Select a priority for the product from the pull-down list.

Note: This will specify the order from top to bottom in which the product will be displayed on the storefront; the higher the priority (lower number) will cause the product to display higher on the storefront product page. If two or more products have the same display priority, they will be sorted alphabetically.

Note: PPML is available only in batch mode. MarketDirect StoreFront supports output of XMPie products in PPML format. PPML is short for Personalized Print Markup Language, an XML-based printer language for variable data printing. PPML is for jobs with very large record sets. PPML files can be sent through the Remote Print Center (RPC) to a Fiery JDF or Fiery XF output device.

● Active: No/Yes—Specifies whether the product status is active (available now or, for instance, is created now to be made active at a later time, such as when a sales promotion begins).

● Start Date: Use the calendar tool

to specify the date on which the product should start being displayed on the buyer storefront.

● End Date: Use the calendar tool

to specify the date on which the product should no longer be displayed on the buyer storefront.

● Select Never if you do not want the product display to expire on a specified date.

3. Turn Around Time—If you want to specify a turn-around time for the product (when it will be prepared and ready for pick-up or delivery), type a number and time interval, else select None.

Note: The Print Shop turnaround time will override any product turnaround time specified.

Note: These settings are available for all product types (except Kits). For Kit products, the configuration of the items the kit contains will govern taxes and shipping exemptions.

● Exempt Shipping Charges—No shipping calculations will be made on the product.

● Supported Print Shops: If you want to restrict availability of the product to a specified Print Shop(s), click Add Supported Print Shops and then select the Print Shops that will support the product on the Assign/Edit Print Shops window.

● Single Mode—This option is for XMPie products that use a single record (e.g., a single buyer's business card).

Note: If you select both Batch Mode and Single Mode this is a hybrid mode for VDP that enables buyers to order the product either as a single job or a batch job. Single mode will be the default on the buyer side, but buyers can select batch. Buyers will be prompted to upload a CSV file. The file’s records are viewable and a preview document (showing the user’s personalized data on the document) can be generated to spot check each record’s content. This is useful for preventing printing a job that has formatting issues, such as a name too long for the allotted space.

● Batch Mode—This option will prompt buyers to upload a multiple record data file (in comma separated value, CSV, format) or to use multi-column data sets (pre- created in the system; for more information, see Multi-Column Data Sets). For instance, if a customer wants to order business cards for all members of a department.

Note: Notes on Batch Mode: Buyers will be prompted to upload a CSV file with multiple records for their VDP product on the storefront. MarketDirect StoreFront will create a sample CSV file for the template that you can use to format the CSV you use to port data to the system. A “Sample.csv” file link will appear. Buyers will be able to open the document in a text editor such as NotePad or WordPad and save it with a name of their choice. This sample document, created on the fly, serves to show users what data and in what format it is needed for the selected variable template.

Note that the first line is the header line and is mandatory, meaning it must be the first line in the CSV file because it establishes the format for the table. An hourglass icon will indicate that the operation is in process. An exclamation point icon will indicate any errors that occurred during the mapping process. Here’s what the buyer will see on the storefront when ordering an XMPie product.

How buyers will use multi-column data sets: Buyers can also use an MCD along with an uploaded CSV data file. The buyer can select the Select Data & Create Data Source option then choose which records in the MCD should be used in the VDP job.

● PPML—This option will make use of MarketDirect StoreFront's support for output of XMPie batch mode products in PPML format.

5. Sample VDP Data: Check this box to show sample data to buyers (i.e., the sample data in the default file you upload below).

6. Default File: Click Browse... and navigate to the file with the sample data, select it, and then click Open.

8. Default DeLimiter: Select the type of delimiter (how the data fields in the sample file are separated): , | Tab ;

10. Operator View PDF Creation—This enables operators to create (from the Operator View) a PDF file of buyer orders that use this XMPie product.

Note: When batch mode is used, by default a PDF file is not generated. For batch mode XMPie products with more than 20 records, we strongly advise that you accept the default of not automatically generating a multi-record PDF production file using this option. The default is set if the Disabled option is selected. This will avoid taxing server resources. For instance, if you opt not to use the default, be aware that the system will generate the same PDF file for both preview and production. For products with a large number of records this will result in buyers having to wait for the server to generate the large PDF file and will consume server resources that will slow performance of the preview for all buyers using the system at that time.

The recommended procedure for generating a production PDF file is to select one of the options below:

(1) Use the PPML option for batch mode XMPie products with more then 20 records: This option is strongly recommend because it avoids consuming a large number of system resources and time. This PPML option is available by selecting the Batch Mode | PPML option in the Record Entry Mode section. Outputting XMPie products in PPML format sends the files directly through the Remote Print Center (RPC) to a Fiery JDF or Fiery XF output device, which provides full automation.

(2) Generate the PDF file from the PPKG file that the system generates by default (i.e., when Operator View PDF Creation is disabled): The default option generates a .ppkg file that contains both the .csv file and the template. The operator can then generate a PDF file from this .ppkg file (which will be the production file in the Operator View) in the desktop version of XMPie following the steps below:
How to Load the XMPie Proof Set PPKG File into InDesign to Print the Job
1. Open the InDesign (.indd) file that corresponds to the campaign in Adobe InDesign.
2. In the bottom left corner of the XMPie UCreate Print palette InDesign, select Proof Set from the pull-down menu.
3. Click the link icon just below the menu.
4. Import the XMPie Proof Set .ppkg file that is referenced with the job in the Operator View.
Result: All of the records uploaded on that order will be displayed and are ready for printing or for exporting to PDF.

● Disable: Selecting this option will not generate a PDF file of the product (accessible from the Operator View). Instead, a PPKG file will be generated and the operator will need to follow the steps above in the "How to Load the XMPie Proof Set PPKG File into InDesign to Print the Job" section in the note above to generate the PDF file.

● Enable if less than N Records: Selecting this option will generate a PDF file of the product (for both buyer side preview and administration side production, accessible from the Operator View) for any product document that contains fewer than the specified number of records.

Note: The best practice for this setting is to set the number to no more than 20. For products with more than 20 records it is strongly advised that you use the PPML option described in the first note above.
The default is 0, so to use this option you must enter the number of records.

This specifies the cutoff for generating a PDF file vs. a PPKG file of the product that operators can retrieve on the Operator View. So if you specify a value of 20, then all products with fewer than 20 records will have a PDF file generated and all products with more than 20 records will have a PPKG file generated.

● Bleed: Specifies the bleed offset in points for the X and Y edges of the (side and top margins) on the PDF file generated in the Operator View.

11. Dynamic Preview—Select to enable or disable a dynamic preview of the product. A dynamic preview provides buyers with a virtual display of the product based on the print and finishing options and features they select.

12. N-Up—N-up stands for Number of pages up (2-up, 3-up, 4-up, etc.) printing. N-up printing is printing multiple buyer-submitted pages onto a single physical sheet and then cutting them to a specified finished size. For example, instead of using letter paper (8 1/2 by 11-inch paper), a job can be printed with a left-side page and a right-side page on tabloid (11 by 17-inch paper) and then cut down the middle with an industrial paper cutter.

Note: N-up printing accommodates your production processes that print multiple pages on a single sheet then cut to final size (the “cut and stack” model). The savings can thus be passed on to the buyer as the MarketDirect StoreFront pricing engine will take into account the number of sheets and impressions involved in printing N-up. For example, say a buyer orders 400 copies of a 16-page document. Without N-up, the pricing would be calculated on 400 x 16 = 6400 impressions and 400 x 16 (simplex sheets per job) = 6400 sheets. But if the product is set up for 2-up printing, only 3200 impressions and 3200 sheets are used (i.e., the number of sheets and impressions is halved). The model correlates the product cost to your cost of production with N-up capabilities (e.g., where lower impression cost is passed on to the buyer).

Note: N-up outputs the N-up information via the “OrderInformation” XML file to Hagen, Logic, ePace, and the External System Connector (ESC).

Note: N-Up should only be used for products that are very well-defined, i.e., those that have only one choice of size and a known finished size.

● Enabled: Check the box to activate N-up printing for the product (catalog item). Enabling N-up pricing enables the two fields below:

● N-Up Number of Pages (required): Type a number between 2 and 9999 to specify how many buyer pages will fit onto the physical sheet.

Note: This value provides MIS & ESC systems with information to use for more accurate job planning, costing, and scheduling calculations. The default value is 1.

● N-Up Preview Size: Select a preview size from the pull-down list; can be set to None or to any of the standard final sizes as defined on the Administration | |Standard Final Width and Height page.

● Select Yes if you want the product to be shown / available to buyers accessing the storefront on a mobile device.

● Select No if you want the product to be hidden / not available to buyers accessing the storefront on a mobile device.

14. Pre-Selected Services: Show/Hide—Pre-selected services are those that have been set as non-configurable options for the product (e.g., on the ticket template associated with the product).

Note: Selecting to show pre-selected services will let buyers see all options (e.g., for features and services), including those that they cannot change.

Note: MarketDirect StoreFront provides a simple product quantity / reorder point to manage inventory of non-print-related (e.g., Non Printed, Static).

● Enabled: Enabling inventory management lets you manage non-printed and static product inventory (e.g., finished goods).

● Allow Back Order: Check this box to enable processing of products that are on back order.

Warning: If you select this option, buyers will not be notified during order placement that the whole or a partial quantity of the order is back-ordered.

● Threshold: Sets the reorder point (i.e., when inventory level reaches 10, send email notification to recipient specified below). This number must be smaller than the Inventory value you entered above.

● Notification Email ID: Specifies recipients to be notified by email when the inventory threshold is reached. You can enter multiple recipient email addresses separated by a semi-colon ( ; ).

16. Order Quantities—Specifies the quantities of the product buyers can order:

● Fixed quantities: Specifies the fixed quantities of the product that buyers must order. For example, you might offer the product only in the fixed quantities 100, 200, and 300.

● Example: If you set up the fixed quantities 100, 200, and 300, your fixed quantities will appear as follows:

● This will present the buyer with a quantity pull-down list containing the options 100, 200, and 300 on the storefront.

● Multiple: Specify the multiples in which the product must be ordered. For instance, you might only want to sell the product in sets of two, so you would set: Minimum = 2 and Multiple = 2, allowing buyers to order 2, 4, 6... of the product.

● Advanced: Enables you to specify a more complex quantity option, for instance to match a pricing structure for the product. This calls for using regular expressions, a very common standard for defining quantities. Enter the quantity pattern using regular expression (or regex) recipes.

● Example: You want to let buyers order the following quantities of the product: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 50, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000. So you want quantities for 1 to 5, then 10, 20 and 50, and finally 1000 to 4000 in steps of 1000. The Advanced quantity tool enables you to do this by entering the following rule in the entry box: 1..5-10|20|50|100-1000..4000[1000] which is a combination of three simple syntaxes.“1..5” is the Begin..End[Step] syntax, followed by “10|20|100” which is a Values syntax, followed by another Begin..End[Step] syntax.

● This will present the buyer with a quantity pull-down list containing the options on the storefront.

● Multiple Recipients (SmartStores only): This setting determines how the total quantity is handled for split orders buyers place in SmartStore storefronts.

Note: This setting will be available only if you selected one of the following order quantity options above: Fixed, Multiple, or Advanced.

● Each recipient set to a valid quantity: Choose this option if you want the minimum order quantity to apply to each recipient. For example, if the product has a minimum order quantity of 100, each recipient in a split order (one with multiple recipients) must be set to receive a minimum of 100 units of the product. Thus, this option enforces the minimum order quantity for each recipient in the order.

● Total quantity must add up to a valid quantity: Choose this option if you want to enforce the minimum order quantity only for the total order amount for a split order. For example, if the minimum order quantity for the product is 100, as long as the total units of the product shipped meets or exceeds the minimum quantity, all is well. Thus, for an order with two recipients, if recipient one receives 25 units of the product and recipient two receives 75 units of the product, the order will be acceptable because the minimum order quantity of 100 was met.

17. Production Notes—Enter any production notes for the operator who will produce the job. These notes will be displayed on the production job ticket when the product order is ready for production and on tickets sent to output devices.

18. Keywords—Enter any descriptive keywords that will help buyers searching for the product to find it.

Note: Separate keywords with a comma ( , ), spaces are not necessary, and note that your total character count for keywords cannot exceed 500.

Note: Entering the dimensions is optional; entering them will cause them to be displayed on the product detail page.

Note: To ensure that the product previews correctly, it is strongly recommended that you associate the product with ticket template that includes the Final Width and Height print service and also specify a default size in the Settings on this page. If you do not do this, the preview will likely show the document on the wrong size (e.g., a business card or postcard on a 8.5 x 11 document will have too much white space).

● Standard Final Width and Height: You can set a standard final width and height dimensions for the product by selecting a with a standard final width and height defined.

● Check the boxes for each standard final width and height option you want to offer for the product. (You do not have to offer any pre-defined sizes.)

● Default: Select the standard final width and height option to use as the default for the product.

● Allow Buyer to Enter Custom Sizes: Select if you want to enable buyers to specify custom sizes for the product.

Note: Optional Fields: Use the fields below to restrict the range of values buyers can enter when specifying custom sizes during the order process. If you do not limit the values, buyers will be able to define products of any size.

● Units: Select the units to specify width and height values for the buyer-specified custom size.

● Width (optional): Type values for Lowest, Highest, and Default for the buyer-specified custom width.

● Height (optional): Type values for Lowest, Highest, and Default for the buyer-specified custom height.

20. Weight: MarketDirect StoreFront will automatically calculate a weight estimation for the product based on the (weight, size), finished size, tabs, printed covers, finished size, etc. Check this box and enter a weight for the product if you want to override the automatically-calculated weight with a specific weight value for the product.

Note: If you do not specify a weight, the shipping cost will be determined from the weight of the but will not include the weight of any non- components (such as binding coils and cover materials) in the product, so you might want to specify a “per unit” weight to cover non- elements in the product.

21. Sub Container Dimension (for AuctionInc shipping use; for details on configuring AuctionInc see Shipping Cost Configuration Tab): Enter the dimensions of the shipping box: Width, Length, Height, and Quantity per Package.

Note: The “sub container dimension” is the package in which the product will be packed, i.e., the “sub-carton” that will hold the product within the actual shipping container. For instance, if you have a standard box in which you ship business cards in quantities from 100 to 2,000, you would enter the dimensions of the box (regardless of the amount of product from 100 to 2,000 that will actually be shipped in the box per the quantity ordered). It is best not to think of the “shipment box” as the actual shipping box (i.e., the container in which the completed order, including any other sub-cartons containing other products, will be shipped).

● Don’t combine with other item: Check this option to prevent shipping items from a multi-item order in the same “sub-carton.” For instance, you might opt not to ship light bulbs and textbooks in the same container.

Note: For instance, say you ship business cards in 7 X 3-1/2 X 2” boxes (with a capacity of 500 business cards). If you have a multi-part order with 250 business cards for “Sam” and 250 cards for “Jane,” you would check the Don’t combine with other item to prevent having all 500 cards placed in one box (even though the business card box can hold all 500 cards; you would want 250 placed in one box and 250 placed in another). Another use for this option is to prevent items of different types or shapes and sizes from being placed in the same carton (e.g., bricks and light bulbs or baseball bats and books).

● Enter the dimensions of the sub-container in which the product will be packed for shipping:

● Quantity per Package: number of items to include in each sub-container; so regardless of the actual capacity of the sub-carton, how many of the items will be placed in each sub-carton.

Warning: If you are not using a sub-container, the information should reflect the dimensions of a single piece.

On the Progress

Information | “Pricing” page:

1. From the View pull-down list, select which price sheet to apply to the product (i.e., the price sheet to associate with the product you are creating).

a. Range Unit: Set the range break points for each price point (e.g., 1 - 50 might represent the quantity in the unit system in use on the site; for more information on the unit system, see Unit System). Use the button to add a range break point.

b. Regular Price: Type the standard price for that range (e.g., 1 - 50 quantity might have a regular price of 10.00).

c. Setup Price: Type the setup price for the range; the setup price will reflect your material and handling costs.

On the Progress

Information | “Security” page:

Note: Assigning Ownership and Access Rights for the Product: In this section of the product builder you can assign an owner for the product and set permissions to restrict access to it. This enables you make the product available for editing and/or publishing by a particular user or group of users. The security option lets you assign management and publishing rights for a product:

Publish: can publish the product for buyers on the storefront (this must be used in conjunction with Manage rights; i.e., in order to publish a product, which makes it available to buyers on the storefront, the user/s must also have Manage rights).

Manage: can change a product by accessing it on the Products page and editing its specifications.

● In the first drop-down select the category of user to assign ownership of the product to: Users, Groups, Companies, or Departments.

Note: Typically, this will be a user. The search field will help you locate the group or user you are looking for, and the Show field will limit the number of items displayed.

Note: The function of “owner” is to ensure that someone can always get to the product (even if s/he does not otherwise have access rights). It exists in order to prevent a situation in which you would inadvertently configure yourself out of access to the product.

● In the first drop-down select the category of user to whom to assign access to the product: Built-in Groups, Users, Groups, Companies, or Departments.

Note: Typically, this will be a user or user group. The search field will help you locate the group or user you are looking for, and the Show field will limit the number of items displayed.

● Click the user or group to assign access to. The selected user or group will be shown on the Security page in the Access Permissions table. You can grant users the right to Publish and/or Manage (modify) the product.

Note: You can retract access permissions at any time by clicking Remove for the user, group, or company in the Access Permissions table on the Security page.

● Click Check Permissions For... and select the user, group, or company whose permissions you want to check. A new dialog will display the permissions for the selected entity.

On the Progress

XMPie Web Form page:

Note: After uploading the template, the page will display all input fields (ADORs, DIALs, and CSVFIELDs in XMPie lingo) defined on the XMPie template. When ordering an XMPie VDP product, buyers will be able to enter their own personalized data on the storefront. Note that buyers will have the option of leaving any of these fields blank unless you mark them required.

● Check Single Mode box to make the field visible to buyers ordering a single (one record) VDP product on the storefront.

● Check Batch Mode box to make the field visible to buyers ordering a batch (multiple record) VDP product on the storefront and enable buyers to enter data into the editable field.

Note: This field is only enabled for DIAL fields and some VARIABLE fields on XMPie products. This field is always disabled for fields labeled CSVFIELD or SEPARATOR.

● Display Name: The name for the field displayed to buyers. This field is view-only but can be changed on the Language Management | Customize Strings page.

Note: For more information on customizing text using Language Management tools, see Customize Strings. Note that the Custom Words and Phrases (added by me) check box should be checked before searching for the string.

● Display As—There are a number of formats in which buyers can input their own personalized data. For instance, for the item Gender you could use radio buttons Male and Female, pull-down list with the two options, a text box in which the user would type “Male” or “Female,” etc. Select the type of field/control you want buyers to interact with on the storefront from the pull-down list:

Note: Multiline Option

Selecting multiline will cause the field to be displayed to buyers as a multiline text box without scroll bars (you can specify up to a maximum of 10 lines as, e.g., for a paragraph of text). You can make any XMPie ADOR a multiline text box. Note that the width value you specify in the Enter Width field sets the line width (i.e., the smaller the width, the quicker buyer-entered text will fill up the lines and reach the line limit, i.e. which will cause the scroll bar to be displayed).

● Text Box: Provides buyers with a free entry of text, as for a name or address.

● Enter width—Enter in pixels the width of the field to display on the storefront (maximum=700 pixels).

● Drop Down List: Lets buyers select an option from a click-expandable list of options.

Note: For this list, you will have to pick a list from the data list manager (see the section Data Lists in this topic. For data lists, you will have several additional fields:
—No Default: Choose this if you do not want the field to have a default value.
—Select a Default: Choose this if you want the field to have a default value.
—Default Value: Select a default value for the field.
Lock Default Value: Choose this if you want to lock the default value (so that users cannot change it).

● List Box: Presents buyers with a list of options. For this list, you will have to pick a source of the data in the list.

● Radio Button List: Lets buyers select one option (a forced-choice list) from a list containing two or more items. For this list, you will have to pick a list from the data list manager.

● Checkbox List: Lets buyers select one or more options. For this list, you will have to pick a list from the data list manager.

● Graphic: Gives buyers the option of selecting a default image, uploading an image file, or selecting an image from a gallery.

● Multiline: Selecting multiline will cause the field to be displayed to buyers as a multiline text box without scroll bars (you can specify up to a maximum of 10 lines as, e.g., for a paragraph of text). You can make any field a multiline text box. Note that the width value you specify in the Enter Width field sets the line width (i.e., the smaller the width, the quicker buyer-entered text will fill up the lines and reach the line limit, i.e. which will cause the scroll bar to be displayed).

● User Profile Field: Select a field from the pull-down list if you want to associate this item with a field from the user profile field.

Note: Profile Mapping—Associate values in the template (such as first name, last name, address, etc.) with values in the buyer account profile. The default for each value is No Association, which does not map the template field to a value. This feature enables buyers to auto-populate template fields when personalizing variable data products with data from their buyer profile (i.e., they do not have to manually re-key information such as their name and address when creating a personalized variable data document).

● Order on page—Select the position for the field on the page (with 1 being at the topmost position) from the pull-down list.

● Show on page—Select the page on which to display this field (e.g., if you are setting the input page for this product to span more than one page).

● Enforce formatting—Enables you to force buyer input to conform to a particular format. The format can be either a known pattern (e.g., United States Phone Number) or a custom pattern (e.g., using terms in a regular expression).

● Use custom pattern: Enter the custom pattern in the Pattern text box using a regular expression (or regex) recipe. An Internet search using the search term “regex” will help you locate a glossary of regular expressions for formatting. For example: The regular expression for the U.S. phone number format (000) 000-0000 is: ^$?\s?\+?\s?\d{3}\s?$?[-]?\d{3}[ -]?\d{4}$ For more information see Quick Reference on Regular Expressions.

● Please enter the description of the format you expect: You can add a validation message that will alert buyers if they enter a format that is incorrect and advise them of the correct format for data entered in the field.

● Font Treatments—When turned on, the buyer will be able to control the fonts for the field (as defined when building the XMPie template). The buyer will be presented with a text box (if the control is configured as text box) on the storefront followed by a font selector control.

● Select Font source: Select the source list of the fonts buyers can choose when ordering this product. For instance, select Common Fonts.

Note: Only those fonts installed on the XMPie Mini-Server will be available to buyer—not those on the MarketDirect StoreFront Server.

—Stand-alone (self-hosted) customers can embed the fonts in their design, export to campaign package, define the font in a rule, add the font to MarketDirect StoreFront by adding it to a corresponding data list as a pull-down selection for the customer and place the font on their server.

—SaaS (EFI-hosted, or cloud) customers are limited to selecting the default fonts listed in the pull-down list.

● Select Font Size source: Select the source list of font sizes buyers can choose when ordering this product. For instance, select Font Standard Sizes.

● Choose Color Set: Select the source list of colors buyers can choose when ordering this product.

● Select options to show: Select which of the following style options buyers can choose: Bold, Italic, Underline.

● Choose Default Color: Select the default color for the field from the pull-down list.

● Advanced Users: ADORs DIALs VARIABLES: Advanced Users can use the controls to view or edit elements. The list of ADORs and DIALS with their Lingo expression can provide valuable information for an expert user. When this option is turned on on the “XMPie Configuration” page, these diagnostic control links are shown on this page of the product builder.

Note: For more information on ADORs, DIALs, and VARIABLES, consult your XMPie user documentation.

XMPie VDP Products: Combo Mode
A batch VDP product in MarketDirect StoreFront can have both common (single) and versioned (batch) data. The term "combo" (combination) refers to a mix of single and batch data in a VDP job. For example, a batch of postcards that a realtor distributes can combine common elements (all the postcards have the realtor's photo and address or a photo a property for sale; this is the single mode part) and versioned elements (recipient customers' names and addresses; this is the batch part). The buyer experience has the buyer entering the common/single information into form fields (i.e., the web form) and assigning a data source for the versioned/batch information.

● ADORS—ADORs (automatic dynamic object replacement) are fields/variables in the XMPie template that are populated by the data source (e.g., data from a CSV file). If the data source as 10 records, the system will make 10 versions of the document.

● DIALs—DIALs are a subset of ADORs. These fields are part of the XMPie template, but they do not get populated in MarketDirect StoreFront from a data source (such as a CSV file). Instead, buyers enter a value for these fields in a form. The buyer-entered value is used in each version of the document. Thus, these values are common to all versions.

Note: DIAL fields are those that the admin marked as DIAL in uCreate with the intent that they would be common or have special rules or logic applied. In MarketDirect StoreFront, fields are marked either DIAL or CSVFIELD.

● CSVFIELDs—CSVFIELDs are tags on the design template (such as Name, Title, Nickname, etc.) with their associated formatting type (text, text file, graphic, visibility, style) that transforms them into dynamic objects that can be used as elements in the web form.

● Variables—the values defined in the design template to accept variable data (as opposed to the static elements).

● Data Lists—a list of values that buyers can select when personalizing a variable data product. An example of a data list is a list of months that can be used to standardize elements on XMPie templates as they are appropriated in web forms. See Data Lists for more information on managing data lists.

Note: An exclamation point icon will indicate any errors that occurred during the mapping process.

On the Progress

Choose Template page:

1. Select the ticket template on which to base the product from the Ticket pull-down list.

For information on how to create and edit ticket templates, see Ticket Templates.

● On the Select Target Category dialog, select the category in which to display the product to buyers on your Web storefront.

● If you have a license for product-level punchout (to allow buyers to "punch out" to your site from a procurement site (e.g., Ariba) and want to publish the product on the procurement site, click Publish to External Catalog.

● On the PunchOut Buyers dialog, select the external (i.e., punchout) site to publish the product to.

6. Go to your buyer Storefront and review the product as it will appear to buyers. If changes need to be made, click Manage on the storefront and edit the product specifications.

To Update an Existing XMPie Product

Follow the steps below if you need to update an existing XMPie product (i.e., replace the existing .cpkg file with a new one).

3. On the Progress

Information page, click next to advance to the Progress

XMPie Web Form page.

● A new message will be displayed: "Some DIALS are not yet used in this form. We recommend you map them so the user can input the data."

8. Click the down arrow to open the pull-down list to see the list of added DIALS.

Note: Some fields (DIALS), depending on their properties, may have two entries in the pull-down list and both will need to be added. If certain fields on the template you are replacing do not exist in the new template they will be highlighted with warning icons and should be removed.

9. Select the fields (DIALS) you want to add to the Web form one at a time and click Add, or simply click Add to add all of the new fields in the .cpkg file.

Note: The new elements will now appear on the form when buyers order the product.

XMPie Configuration

The XMPie Variable Documents page provides you with two main tools for managing XMPie variable documents:

● Manage Data Lists: Data Lists can be associated with a variable data field. For example, the variable data list “months” (which contains the 12 months of the year) can be used in various web forms that use a pull-down list containing the months of the year. This provide the buyers with a list of choices via a pull-down list, for instance. Data sources are global to the system and can be used across variable data documents.

● XMPie Configuration: You can adjust the XMPie settings. However, changing these settings may affect the ability of your users to submit variable products.

To manage data lists

e. Check Sort List Automatically to have the data list items display in the logical order (alphabetical or numerical) for the type of data.

f. Click Add to add a value (e.g., an item in the data list, such as “January” in a data list of months of the year) to the data list.

g. Name: Type the name of the value you are adding to this data list in the name field.

h. Value: The value is a string that represents the data internally to the system.

Note: This “value” is what is being sent to the XMPie engine. For instance, there is a default “Yes/No” --> “True/False” that lets XMPie base its rules on “True/False” not on “Yes/No” since “Yes/No” can be localized.

i. List Order: Specifies the rank order of the value in the data list (i.e., which position will it occupy in a pull-down list).

j. Is No Value: Any data source value can be marked as Is No Value. This will require the buyer to make a selection from the available options (e.g., in a pull-down list) rather than merely accepting a default value if the field is marked as required. (The value must be either TRUE or FALSE.)

Note: Unless there is a known problem with a value, it is best to exercise extreme caution before editing it because many XMPie template design rules might be using them and will thus be affected.

Note: To add another value to the data list, click Add and repeat the steps listed above. To edit a value, select the checkbox for the data list item, then make changes as needed. Click Save when finished. To delete a value, select the checkbox for the data list item, then click Delete.

To configure XMPie

Warning: Changing your XMPie configuration settings may affect your customer’s ability to submit variable product files.

Note: For more information on setting up XMPie, see the XMPie Mini-Server Setup Guide.

3. Enable XMPie—Enables MarketDirect StoreFront to import and order XMPie products.

5. Status Report HTTP—The URL to which XMPie calls back to your system web site to report on the status of XMPie variable data product jobs. Click Default.

6. Upload Folder—The folder (shared between the web site server and the XMPie server) to which uploaded XMPie designed templates (.cpkg) are extracted after importing.

7. Job Outputs Folder—The folder (shared between the web site server and the XMPie server) to which XMPie product files are output.

8. InDesign Queue—The queue name where the Adobe InDesign files are stored. Note: You should not have to change this setting.

9. Conversion Timeout—Time in seconds a job is allowed to convert before it times out and an error is shown to the buyer.

10. Batch Chunk Size (Advanced)—When an XMPie batch is generated, the image thumbnails are generated in segments as images (called “chunks”). This field sets the number of segments to generate per XMPie job. If the chunk is set to 20, 20 images are generated per job.

11. Generate All Images At Once Limit (Advanced)—When a batch preview is generated, the system generates only a few images to save. If the number of records is small, however, it is more efficient to generate all images at once. If the number of records in your batch is less than the number specified in this field, all images will be generated.

12. Enable Diagnostic Screens—Enables administrators to view diagnostic screens (e.g., for ADORs, DIALs, Variables, and Data Lists) from the XMPie settings screen in the product builder.

13. Enable Preview of Production PDF—Enables an administrator (or operator) to see a link to the production PDF in addition to the preview PDF. The link to the production PDF will show only if the production PDF is different from the preview PDF. This is helpful for testing.

14. Enable Automatic Import of .cpkg Files—Allows XMPie campaign package (cpkg) files to be recognized as packages during file import. If unchecked, the cpkg will not be imported automatically. You can always import a package one at a time from the XMPie main screen.

15. Batch Record Limit (Advanced)—Sets the upper limit for the number of records in an XMPie product.

16. Batch Sample File—Default batch file that specifies how many sample records to display for buyers. (0 = headers only)

17. Show Field Types—Reveals the type of field in a form on the XMPie settings screen.

Control	Description
	This displays the text editor workspace in design mode, which means it will be displayed WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get”).
	This displays the text editor workspace in HTML mode, which means you can use standard HTML formatting tags to define how your text will appear (e.g., <b>Sale!</b> will cause the word “Sale!” to display in boldface on the storefront).
	This displays the text in the workspace without any formatting controls.

	Lets you enter a fixed quantity in an entry box: . After entering a fixed quantity, click Update.
	Removes the fixed quantity.
	Adds another fixed quantity. Click to add an additional fixed quantity. Edit the quantity using the quantity editor if needed.

XMPie Products

Importing XMPie Templates into MarketDirect StoreFront

Quick Reference: Setting Up XMPie Products that will Print on Pre-Printed Shells

To create an XMPie product in MarketDirect StoreFront

On the Progress Information | “Information” page:

On the Progress Information | “Details” page:

On the Progress Information | “Settings” page:

On the Progress Information | “Pricing” page:

On the Progress Information | “Security” page:

On the Progress XMPie Web Form page:

On the Progress Choose Template page:

To Update an Existing XMPie Product

XMPie Configuration

To manage data lists

To configure XMPie

See Also