XMF Newbie Blues ....

Joe · February 16, 2010, 09:11:21 PM

Quote from: frailer on February 16, 2010, 08:39:17 PMI think it's in the pipeline soon, from what I can gather. We had a similar problem with a calendar and rotations. We, (and others), have requested they write in an 'Ignore Backup Defaults"...or similar. It was to do with numbering and rotations, where it wanted to over-ride the required backups...odd in calendar work, of course.
I shall experiment with your issue my end, but assume it's not in there yet. In Flatwork, it should be!
The workaround would be to keep it/make it Flatwork/Single sided...copy the Sheet in the thumbnail window at the bottom of the impo viewing window. Assign your page 2 to that, after Editing that sheet for a 'Rotate'. Or rotate it over on the right side in the Flip/Rotate area. @ ways to skin the cat, maybe. Shall test here.

Prinergy users may now post and tell us that 'Prinergy can do that... :tongue:'

BTW, they are doing a shedload of XMF installs here in OZ. Have to canvass the XMF header here with the new users.

Well, Preps can do that. :laugh: :tongue: :laugh: Head to Head, Foot to Foot, Head to Foot, and Foot to Head. But you knew that already didn't you? :wink:

frailer · February 16, 2010, 10:28:24 PM

Quote from: Joe on February 16, 2010, 09:11:21 PMWell, Preps can do that. :laugh: :tongue: :laugh: Head to Head, Foot to Foot, Head to Foot, and Foot to Head. But you knew that already didn't you? :wink:

Yeah, Dynastrip too, from memory. But I can see you've got your hands over your ears already. :laugh:

beermonster · February 17, 2010, 06:51:25 AM

get ya popcorn here - roll up roll up - see the master ninja take on le cap-it-ann - popcorn poppppppcorrrrn!
:tongue:

frailer · February 17, 2010, 12:17:54 PM

You're just a little too desperate for entertainment, beer. :tongue: Not gonna happen. :laugh:

impodave · February 17, 2010, 07:30:10 PM

Frailer - when, where and how do I apply the creep for a booklet? I am used to creeping in as you move toward the center. As you know, In Dyna, I was used to calculating a maximum creep amount and then applying it prior to pagination. I have one book ready to release to plate and another about to be ....

impodave · February 17, 2010, 07:31:38 PM

Oh, and hello to Monique. I'm strictly a newbie, XMF was installed two weeks ago, just NOW beginning to get the hang of it...... Later....

frailer · February 17, 2010, 07:39:56 PM

Quote from: impodave on February 17, 2010, 07:30:10 PMFrailer - when, where and how do I apply the creep for a booklet? I am used to creeping in as you move toward the center. As you know, In Dyna, I was used to calculating a maximum creep amount and then applying it prior to pagination. I have one book ready to release to plate and another about to be ....

Weird you should ask me that. We only rarely use it, and were given a very quick once-over on it. But just thinking this morning that I need to come to grips with it. I hope they build it in, but at the moment, you have to open a .xls file and fill in the input info to get the creep figure. PM me your email, or can I use the one listed? Shall send you the folder for it, zipped.

Just SendSpace'd the XMF Creep folder to you impodave. About to finish lunch and open it on other Mac here. It has Excel. My Mac's got enough crap on it as it is. Shall talk later...

frailer · February 17, 2010, 07:51:51 PM

There's a .doc in the folder that tells you what to do. Now I'm off the hook... :laugh: Well, it shouldn't be so complicated, (see the .doc of the guy's question). Seems there are way too many variables in there than necessary. Shall see. I'm not an Excel-experienced person. :undecided:

Our training had some holes...this was one. I'd never understood this until now, too busy wrestling with the basics, but seems XMF will calculate the creep value for the page count on-the-fly. Haven't worked out how to do it yet, but that's a minor detail. :laugh:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So to get accuracy fold a section drill it and measure distance between 1st and last pages to find maximum creep. Then use the formula to find the creep value. From this XMF can predict the maximum creep of any length of document in any binding style.  To get approximation just enter the paper thickness as the creep value. After a single job you will be able to check the real max creep value and fine tune XMF or workout the % of additional creep per paper thickness.   The reason we enter creep value is because once entered for a paper stock you never need to change it. you can run any page length saddlestich or perfect bound and it will calcualte the creep automatically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So-o-o...the Creep Value is a master value for the stock etc., regardless of page count. Once entered, it contrls the creep through various page counts. At least that's how I'm reading it. Right now our Fuji people are well-stretched across the Wide Brown Land. Can't easily bounce it off them. Shall fool with it tomorrow.

Please confirm you got the folder OK. Let me know if not.

impodave · February 17, 2010, 08:24:49 PM

Received your doc, but I'm headin' out for the evening. Thanx, talk to you soon.

frailer · February 17, 2010, 09:00:00 PM

Quote from: impodave on February 17, 2010, 08:24:49 PMReceived your doc, but I'm headin' out for the evening. Thanx, talk to you soon.

No worries, mate. Hope you're doing something fun-like.

Ear · September 21, 2010, 05:24:31 PM

Diggin' up an old one here but I'm falling into the "XMF noob" category these days. Loving most of the workflow but not loving the imposition so much.

I've figured out all of the problems with rotation and mixed color modes mentioned earlier in this thread but am having trouble getting the impo part to paginate anything mildly complicated. Maybe I'm just missing something. I'll try to get an example up but right now I'm just pissed and opening Preps to create another f'n JDF template...

frailer · September 21, 2010, 06:31:24 PM

Depends what you mean by 'mildly complicated'. :undecided: Are you talking Flatwork, where you're trying to back up stuff to YOUR requirement? If so, then it's a workaround, though I've flagged it to them. F'rinstance, on calendar work, I have to make a list of the actual calendar pages, and map them to the required position. So...I have a series of flatwork sheets, which I number in the same way 1,2,3,4...5,6,7,8...and so on. Then I map them, with required rotations. But there is a mapping window you can flick over to to make it easier. (See below). It currently won't let you number backups with numbers that YOU want, but it thinks are incorrect.
Toggle between the buttons top left, as arrowed in screenshot.

Otherwise, throw out your 'mildly complicated' here, and impodave or myself will try and answer.

Ear · September 22, 2010, 11:04:30 AM

i have figured out the easy way to selectively rotate a non contiguous page range for calendars and such, but this one is a weird pagination. It is a 28pg 4.25x11 rack booklet on the sheetfed... sig 1 is a 16pg, cut into 2 8pg double parallels. Sig 2 is an 8pg, 2 out work and turn and sig 3 is a 4pg, 4 out work and turn, saddle stitched. Preps makes short work of figuring out the pagination... all I do is create the sheets, add 28pages, add the sigs and it knows the pagination. I seem to have a hard time in XMF when I have a mix of sheetwise and work and turn.

Maybe I'm just missing a step but it seems like easy, flexible pagination should be at the TOP of the "shit I do well" list for an imposition program FFS. I have not thrown this at the tech yet but I have had 2 webex sessions now that ended in the tech saying, "well, I guess it won't do that but version 3 might". :angry:

Here's a screen grab of the Preps JDF template I ended up importing.

frailer · September 22, 2010, 02:20:55 PM

Ear, I've got an unusually whacky day today, (Intel Macs that shoulda came yesterday), but I'll try and have a lookie as soon as poss...may be manana. Just glancing at it, I don't see why I couldn't make up a Stripping Sheet Template from what you're showing....just copy it for the other sheets. Pages/numbers would flow.
It's just a quick look, and I may be missing something... :undecided:
Impodave may drop in and have some thoughts.

Ear · September 22, 2010, 03:05:42 PM

Thanks Cap'n, no worries. I've been playing around and think I can save the stripping templates of the individual sheets, then use them in a layout template. Still, it's a lot more work than you'd have to go through in Preps. Just got off the phone with the tech too. They're cool guys and very willing to help. We're all hoping version 3 will be a big improvement. I'm talking Sierra mind you, but it is the same program as XMF. Not sure if Fuji is cutting loose their new version at the same time or not.

Version 3 is supposed to be unveiled at Graph Expo in a few weeks. I have a friend who is going and I have given him a couple of hardcore impo scenarios to try to break it at their booth. Not like the one I posted but things the techs admit it just will not do but is supposed to be able to do in the next version. We'll see. I wish I was going to the expo. :sad:

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XMF Newbie Blues ....