introduction to portal products

Internal Support for Portal Products 3

MODULE

Introduction to Portal Products

Estimated Time

30 minutes

How This Module Will Help You

In this module you will learn about the Portal Products.

Lessons in This Module

Lesson 1: What are the Portal Products?

Module 1: Introduction to Portal Products

4 Internal Student Guide

What are the Portal Products?

Describing the Portal Products FamilyPortal Products are comprised of the following applications:

• Kodak InSite Creative Workflow (Projects) used in the creative environment for collaboration.

• Asset Library (Library) used in the creative environment to store digital assets such as master images.

• Kodak InSite Prepress Portal (Jobs) used in the production environment to submit a job and approve pages for print.

• Matchprint Virtual (licensed option) used in the creative and production environments for color contract proofing.

• Kodak PressProof (licensed option) used in the pressroom for color proofing.

The Portal Products provide a virtual connection between the printer, creative agency, and the print buyer through the use of the Internet. This collaborative online environment supports project management, content creation, job submission, proofing, digital asset management, and tracking as outlined:

• The Photographer can upload their digital images via Creative Workflow for collaboration between themselves and the agency instead of sending contract sheets.

Lesson

1How This Lesson Will Help YouThis lesson introduces you to the functions of the Portal Products, the markets where each product will be installed, and the interconnection between the products.

Topics in This LessonAfter completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the Portal Product family.

• List the Major Benefits of Portal products.

• Describe the integrated Portal Products workflow.

• Identify available documentation and training resources.



• Physically reviewing each proof and making notations before passing the proofs to the next person for review is now unnecessary. Smart Review is used to electronically approve or reject the digital proofs at a time convenient to the reviewers. If more than one person needs to review the proof, a group review can happen.

• A full resolution picture no longer needs to be scanned. A digital picture can be moved from the InSite asset library library for use.

• Once the pages are created, instead of proofing hard copies, print ready pages can be uploaded to Prepress Portal for review prior to printing.

• The printer no longer needs to send the proof back to the Print Buyer or Creative Agency for final approval. The electronic proof is now approved using Smart Review.

• Once the print buyer makes final approval, the pages are ready for Print.

A condensed comparison between steps used in a traditional and Portal Products environment is shown:

Traditional (Paper) vs. Portal Product (Digital) Steps

Traditional Portal Products

Contract proof (photography) - send out for approval

Upload using Creative Workflow and assign tasks to stakeholders

Manually look at each proof, cross off ones you do not like and pass to the next person

Approve/Reject elements using Smart Review at a convenient time

Create page, provide laser to print stakeholders

Upload final page to Prepress Portal and send out Review Request to stakeholders

Printer sends proof back to Design Agency for final approval

Approve using Smart Review

Print Buyer makes final approval - make plates

Send job to press



Kodak InSite Creative Workflow Creative Workflow offers project management for creative collaboration. It enables you to:

• Provide a collaborative (a sandbox) environment for sharing graphic elements, content, and resources using the Internet.

• Manage the review and approval cycle of elements during content creation outside the Prepress workflow.

• Multiple users can share, proof, and review elements in Smart Review at the same time.

Features

• Share and organize elements.

• Collaborate online with Smart Review.

• Create review or approval tasks for a group of elements.

• Select users to participate in an approval or review process.

• Compare tool to show pixel differences between two elements.

• Manage review and approval of elements with a task-based workflow.

• Gives instant proof approvals and immediate feedback.

• Enables multiple proof iterations that can be completed in hours rather than days or weeks.

• Reduces hard copy proofs.

• Can be configured for a standalone environment (without Prepress Portal and InSite asset library) or integrated with a Creative Workflow, InSite asset library and Prepress Portal environment.

Asset LibraryInSite asset library provides integrated asset management for content reuse. It enables you to:

• Manage digital assets locally and remotely.

• Facilitate content creation by creating For Position Only (FPO) EPS images.

• Automatically tracks use of assets in print production on an integrated system with Prinergy.

• Provide a seamless user experience when integrated in a Prinergy and Prepress Portal workflow.

Note: This product was formerly known as KODAK TEAMWORKS Software.



Features

• Search asset libraries by user-defined attributes, element name, and by production usage data (integration with Prinergy).

• Download low resolution JPG proofs for placement only (FPO) EPS versions of elements for OPI swap or originals depending on user rights.

• Provides enhanced Image Proxy Workflow due to Prinergy looking for a unique InSite asset library ID of the element instead of its filename and path.

Kodak InSite Prepress Portal Prepress Portal is a web portal to the prepress environment that lets printers and the print buyer review and approve print jobs over the Internet. It enables you to:

• Streamline job submission and job-status tracking.

• Use Smart Review to enable instant on-line collaboration with multiple users at the same time, remote proofing, and approval workflow.

Features

• Submit postscript-based files (for example, ps, pdf, and eps files) to the printer's Prepress Portal server.

• Gives instant proof approvals and immediate feedback.

• Enables multiple proof iterations that can be completed in hours rather than days or weeks.

• Reduces or eliminates hard copy proofs.

• Reduces cost of prepress approval cycle.

• Request others to review pages in Smart Review.

In Smart Review you can:

– Collaborate online in an individual or group review session

– Approve, reject pages, and request corrections

– Generate an annotation report

Note: This product was formerly known as Kodak Eyemedia Software.

Note: This product was formerly known as Kodak Insite Software.



Workflows supported by Prepress Portal

• Prinergy

• Prinergy Evo

• Brisque

• Third-party workflow

Matchprint VirtualMatchprint Virtual is a licensed option for Creative Workflow and Prepress Portal that enables color accurate monitor proofing on qualified monitor on a Mac OSX system.

Workflows that require MatchPrint Virtual for accurate proofing are:

• Creative Workflow

• Prepress Portal

• PressProof

Kodak PressProofKodak PressProof is a licensed option or standalone product that offers monitor proofing software for the pressroom. Using Kodak PressProof enables:

• Press operators to review color-accurate surfaces on qualified monitors on Mac OSX.

• Display the viewing surface in full screen mode - an inch on the monitor equals an inch on the press sheet.

• Reduce hard copy proofs in the press room.



Portal Products configurationsDifferent Portal Products configurations are available:

Prepress Portal (Jobs) standalone

Creative Workflow (Projects) and InSite asset library (Libraries)



Creative Workflow (Projects), InSite asset library (Libraries), and Prepress Portal(Jobs) integrated

Listing the Major Benefits of Portal ProductsPortal Products create a connection between the printer, production staff, and print buyer. Some advantages Portal Products provide are:

• Improved stakeholder communication

• Increased geographical reach

• Increased efficiency and reduced production cycle time

• Generates new revenue streams and creates competitive advantages

• Attract new business

• Retain customers



Describing the Integrated Portal Products WorkflowA possible workflow for users of the Portal Products who integrate Creative Workflow, InSite asset library and Prepress Portal is shown in the swimlane diagram. Please note that this example includes both a printer and an agency as separate entities. In some companies, a printer may also incorporate the activities of the agency in their environment.



Roles definedThe roles outlined in the Creative and Prepress workflow diagram are defined as follows:

Agency

The agency translates the client’s idea into a creative print project. Within the context of this course, the client is the print buyer who pays the agency, while the agency acts as the intermediary between the customer and the printer. The agency uses Creative Workflow to enable online project management for its creative projects. It also uses Eye Media to manage its digital assets such as images, graphics, and texts for its projects.

Typical roles in a creative agency that contribute to the planning, collaboration, design, and approval phases of a creative project in our workflow process involve the:

• Graphic Designer - in charge of the creative design for project elements

• Photographer - may be hired to take pictures on behalf of the customer (print buyer).

• Content Manager/Reader - in charge of approving the content for the creative project

• Site Manager - assigns work related to the project.

Printer

Within the context of this course, the printer refers to the traditional offset printer. The printer uses Prepress Portal as a web portal to its workflow system and enables online uploading of customer job files.

Typical roles in at the printer in our workflow process include the:

• Administrator (IT related): in charge of setting up and configuring Prepress Portal

• Pre-Press Manager: in charge of printer operations

• Customer Service Representative: in charge of administering customer information and coordinating all related aspects for printing a customer job file

• Prepress Operator: in charge of using the workflow system and making plates for printing

Note: In this context, the Project Manager, also acts as the agency intermediary with the printer on behalf of the customer.

Note: For our purposes, the Administrator and Pre-Press Manager roles are assumed by the same person.



These roles will be used throughout the content of the entire course.

Identifying Available Documentation and Training ResourcesThese can be accessed from the following locations.

Additional resources

• TechPlanet houses all internal documentation.

• eCentral houses documentation for customer reference.

• Online help contains function-specific steps and information.

• The accompanying Resource CD also contains the source files that to complete the exercises and activities in this training material.

Lesson SummaryAfter completing this lesson, you are now able to:

• Describe the Portal Product family.

• List the Major Benefits of Portal Products.

• Describe the integrated Portal Products workflow.

• Identify available documentation and training resources.



Module Wrap-up

This module gave you an overview of the Portal Products family and listed the major benefits associated to each of these. You also received an introduction to the creative and prepress workflow environments the Portal Products support.

Self-Assessment #1: Introduction to Portal Products


Self-Assessment #1: Introduction to Portal Products

This self-assessment activity will help you:

• Confirm your knowledge of the Portal Products Family.

• Identify areas for more practice

How well are you doing?

How do you characterize your ability to do the tasks in each lesson?

Areas where you feel you need more training and practice:

1.

2.

3.

Important: You are responsible for your own learning. If you do not understand any of the components of this course, be sure to let your instructor know. This form can serve as a tool to communicate to your instructor any issues or problems you may have.

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introduction to portal products

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