)&$#@^*&* Collation Marks!!!

[Joe]

Thanks for your help. I won't be to work until 3:30 pm Central time so I won't be able to test before then. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Ear]

Oh, gotcha! So you aren't able to even look at that template I posted yet. I'll be here until 5, pacific...

[Joe]

No I haven't looked at it yet. Don't have Preps at home. LOL

I posted this on the GUA forums also hoping maybe I could get someone from Creodak to comment on it.

[Ear]

Sweet! Yeah, crack that template when you get to work. I'd be interested to see what the GUA forums had to say in case there's a better way than what I did.

[Joe]

Okay E, I've opened your template and it confirms my worst fears. It looks like you are having to position this mark manually from the edge of the plate and I think I would have to manually place them differently for all differing trim size templates and I have a s shit-load of templates of varying trim sizes for different presses. I really do appreciate your help and I, begrudgingly, will be using the static mark but man that really sucks.

[Ear]

Yikes! doing a lot of perfect bound eh? I only have a couple dozen perfect bound templates so it hasn't killed me yet. If you find another way i'd love to hear it. You're right, smart marks would be way better. The only problem with "smart" technology is when it tries to out-smart an expert operator. I'm sure the first thing a pro racecar driver does when he gets into a new Corvette is turn off the auto traction control. LOL

[Joe]

Oh SHIT...this is tedious. Someone shoot me now please. Only 468 more to go.

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[Joe]

Not quite as bas as I had envisioned. I've found you can mix the static marks with the smartmarks so I only have to use the static mark on the 2 up templates. Also I can copy and paste the static ones for each trim size so I only have to create them once for each different trim size. I got about half of them done last night and will have to finish them up next week.

[Joe]

Yikes! doing a lot of perfect bound eh? I only have a couple dozen perfect bound templates so it hasn't killed me yet. If you find another way i'd love to hear it. You're right, smart marks would be way better. The only problem with "smart" technology is when it tries to out-smart an expert operator. I'm sure the first thing a pro racecar driver does when he gets into a new Corvette is turn off the auto traction control. LOL

Hey, I do believe I've figured it out. I made a smart mark collection by creating a new folder in the smartmarks folder and then created two separate smartmarks like the two shots below in that folder. Preps will then see it as a collection and add them both into the template. The only difference in them is the offset number. In the 3rd pic you'll see I have one section on the top half of the plate and then a duplicate on the bottom half. Using one smartmark it always placed it on the bottom sig. I don't know why but it did. Anyway, our bindery wants the collation mark 7 1/16 from the head trim (don't ask) so for the bottom mark I put 7.0625 for the offset. Now it still puts the top mark in relation to the head trim of the bottom Pg. 1 but I changed the offset number to 29.8125 which places it 7 1/16 from the head trim of the top sig. These marks work on any trim size because if we change the trim size we also have to change the spacing between the two sigs to maintain a distance of 22.75 for the press cutoff so these smartmark collation collections work for all sizes of trim for 2-up templates. I just end up with one smartmark for 1 up sigs and a smartmark collection containing 2 smartmarks for the 2 up sigs. If I had a four up I could create another smartmark collection for it. We only do 2 ups though so I'm good to go...until the bindery changes their mind again! :shocked: