Create a job

In a PATCHPLANNER context, a job is one file that is divided into patches.

To create a job, open PATCHPLANNER in CLOUDFLOW and follow these steps:

1. Create a new job

  1. Select New....
  2. Select Job.
  3. Enter a job name and select Create.

2. Upload a PDF file

  1. Select Upload.
  2. Select Browse files... and select the file(s) you want to upload.
  3. Select the Mounting method. Options:
    • Automatic (MOM): select this option in case the patches will be mounted automatically on the carrier in the mounting machine. A MOM XML file that contains the coordinates of the patches will be exported .
    • Mirror: select this option in case the mounting of the patches will be done by mirror mount. A mirror proof PDF will be exported. This file is printed and taped onto the proofing drum of the mounting machine. It will display through a mirror and the marks allow for the patched job to be positioned exactly.
    • Drill Mount: select this option in case the mounting of the patches will be done by drill mount.
    • Mirror and Automatic (MOM): select this option if you want to combine the two options above.
  4. Select Close

3. Change the job settings

The jobs are previewed in the left hand panel and contain two red badges. The left badge indicated that there are no cylinder marks applied and the right badge indicates that distortions have not been set.

To change the job settings, select the Info button next to the preview.

  • Review File: this will open the file in PROOFSCOPE and allows you to perform a quality check before creating the patches.
  • Slug Line
    • Base name: depending on the output method, the Slug Line Base name has a different functionality:
      • When you selected Mirror during file upload, the Slug Line Base name will be the name of the MOM XML file.
      • When you selected Automatic (MOM) during file upload, the Slug Line Base name will be the name of the mirror proof file output. The output is a PDF file containing the specified die line, which separation is set under the Mirror Mounting Job setting.
      Note: The Slug Line Base name is not the job name.
  • General
    • Distortion: here you can set the distortion that will be applied on the output.
      Note: Artwork is sent to PATCHPLANNER undistorted. Therefore, distortions must be applied in PATCHPLANNER to send appropriate coordinates to the mounting machine.
  • Mirror Mounting (only available when you selected Mirror during file upload):
    • Separation: here you can select the separation of the die line which will be added to the mirror proof file output.
    • Distortion: here you can set a distortion in order to adjust the patch marks to the proof cylinder compensating for the difference between the mirror mount cylinder and the printing cylinder.
  • Drill Mount settings (only available when you selected Drill Mount during file upload):
    • Die: here you can specify the die separation.
    • Carrier box: here you can specify the predefined PDF box.
  • Cylinder (only available when you selected Automatic (MOM) during file upload): here you can enter information about the cylinder circumference and width for faster job creation.
  • Thickness (only available when you selected Automatic (MOM) during file upload): here you can enter the thickness of the plate, mylar, paper and tape. This information is sent to the mounting machine to adjust the pressure for proofing, mounting and between the rollers.
  • Marks: here you can select patch marks. You can select default or custom marks that were uploaded to PATCHPLANNER.
    To upload marks, follow these steps:
    1. Close the job settings window in case it's open.
    2. Select Settings... in the job window.
    3. Select Browse files... in the Upload window.
    4. Select the marks file.
    5. Select Save.

    The newly uploaded marks are now added to the list in the job settings.

  • Patch Margins: here you can select margins to set to the patches.
  • Cylinder Marks (only available when you selected Automatic (MOM) during file upload): here you can set cylinder marks which allow you to set coordinates that are not in the artwork to relay to the mounter.

    Use case: in many cases corrugated plate manufacturers use press registration marks that were imaged on scrap material. Indicating cylinder marks is a way to relay those coordinates to the mounter to apply these loose marks in perfect register. The advantage is that this takes less plate material and fewer mark shavings after mounting.

    To set cylinder marks, follow these steps:
    1. Select Set Cylinder Marks...
    2. Select the + icon to add the marks.
    3. Click on the location where you want to position the marks.
    4. If needed, drag the marks to the correct position.

    To delete the cylinder marks, select them and select .

When you close the job settings the job is ready to be patched.

4. Patch the file

  1. Double click on the job preview icon to launch the patching mode.
  2. Select Detect Patches. PATCHPLANNER uses an algorithm that automatically detects patches. It analyzes all the colors of the document and creates patch areas for least plate usage.

    There are two different patch colors:

    1. Blue patches mean everything is OK to mount.
    2. Red patches can mean one of the following things:
      • The patch is too small to mount with both cameras.
      • One or more patches intersect with another patch.
      • The patch clips artwork (although this should never occur after applying Detect Patches).
      You can adjust these patches with the patch tools:
      • Smart Patch Selection (): when you draw a selection rectangle around a part of a patch, this tool will detect and select a complete patch.
      • Select Patches (): with this tool you can select a patch by drawing a selection rectangle around it. When a patch is selected, you can:
        • Make it bigger or smaller by positioning the cursor on one of the four sides and move the arrow in the desired direction.
        • Delete it by selecting the X in he upper right corner.
      • Merge Patches (): with this tool you can merge several patches by drawing a selection rectangle around them.
    Note: The Smart patch tools remain inactive (grayed) until all of the patch data has been loaded.
  3. After patching, select Close. This will position all patches on a layout sheet.

5. If needed, edit the patch marks

In this stage you can add, reposition or delete patch marks. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Select the patch you want to change the marks for.
  2. Select the Edit patch marks icon ().
    • To reposition the marks, select one of the marks and drag it to the desired position.
    • To delete the marks, select one and select the delete icon ().
    • To add marks, select one of the add marks icons:
      • Add marks (): select this option if you want to add marks that will just help you positioning the plate.
      • Add main marks (): select this option if you want to add main marks. Main marks are used during automatic positioning on the carrier. Their coordinates are added to the MOM XML file. Main marks contain a number which tells the operator when to put the patch on the mounting machine.
Note: You can preview the patch both in Separated and Composite mode.
Note: In case of drill mounting, each mark can be positioned independently of each other without the restriction to position them at the same height or width.

6. Commit Job Patching

To complete the job patching process, select COMMIT JOB PATCHING. Your job is now ready to assign to a sheet.