PlanetPress Suite 6.2 Update Summary

PlanetPress Suite 6.1

PlanetPress Suite 6.2 is now available! You will find below a summary of the features included in this maintenance version as well as the notable fixes.

Notable Fixes

A number of fixes were implemented in this new version. For a complete list, please click here.

New features:

Enhanced Business Graphics using Microsoft Excel

In addition to its already existing wide range of business graphics, PlanetPress Design now includes the option to dynamically generate and integrate business graphics created with Microsoft Excel. Users now have the possibility to display quality business graphics that are as pleasing to the eye as they are complex.

Note: this new feature is available for the followings printing methods:

• Optimized PostScript using PlanetPress Watch on licensed printers;
• Optimized PostScript and Windows printing using PlanetPress Server on any printers;

Clipping capabilities for text and images

Users of PlanetPress Design will now be able to create cool effects when designing a document using its new clipping functionality, restraining any visual output to a clipping path. Printing only the elements inside the path and ignoring everything outside of it, this new trend in graphic design is especially popular for designing catalogs, flyers, brochures and other promotional and transpromotional documents. Combined with the use of variable data, clipping brings personalization to a whole new level!

Additions of 2D barcodes such as Data Matrix, MaxiCode and QR Code to the barcode library

Because of the constant addition of several plugins, the PlanetPress Watch and PlanetPress Server Plugin Manager have been entirely revised. All plugins have been pre-sorted in specific categories but users have the flexibility to create, modify or delete the various default categories to their preferences.

Improvements to the user experience

The PlanetPress Design barcode library now includes 10 new barcodes, including Data Matrix, MaxiCode and QR Code. A very efficient two-dimensional (2D) barcode which can store from 1 to about 2,000 characters, Data Matrix uses a small area of square modules with a unique perimeter pattern, which helps the barcode scanner determine cell locations and decode the symbol. MaxiCode is a barcode that is currently used by UPS (United Parcel Service) on packing slips for package sortation and addressing world-wide. Suitable for tracking and managing the shipment of packages, MaxiCode uses dots arranged in a hexagonal grid instead of bars. Widely used in Japan due to its Kanji character encoding, the QR Code barcode was used initially for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing but are now used in a much broader context spanning both commercial tracking applications as well as convenience-oriented applications.

Aside from Data Matrix, MaxiCode and QR Code, the following barcodes have also been added to PlanetPress Design’s barcode library:

• Aztec
• Codablock F
• Code 16k
• Code 49
• GS1-Databar (RSS)
• MicroPDF
• Micro QR

Note: these new barcodes are currently available for the followings printing methods:

• Optimized PostScript using PlanetPress Watch on licensed printers;
• Optimized PostScript and Windows printing using PlanetPress Server on any printers;

Unlimited custom variables

PlanetPress Suite end-users now have the possibility to define, set and use an unlimited number of custom variables for use in PlanetPress Watch and/or PlanetPress Server processes, increasing workflow efficiency and flexibility. Users can create process-wide (aka Local Variables) custom variables that can be reused across all branches of a single process, and configuration-wide (aka Global Variables) custom variables allowing information to be carried across processes, making inter-process communication possible.

Creo Variable Print Specification (VPS) Certification

PlanetPress Suite Version 6 has been tested and certified as ready to work with CREO digital color servers for personalized printing. Creo VPS is a VDP format specifically developed for color production presses driven by Spire servers, and is based on PostScript. VPS is known for its efficient data transfer, ability to identify repeatable vs. unique elements, and efficient processing and caching.

Automatic Database conversion

In addition to its own existing database format, PlanetPress Watch and PlanetPress Server's database plugin now has the option to save the resulting data file in XML, CSV or fixed-length mode. This will make things easier for end-users who are not familiar with database structure and who'd rather use any of the above mentioned formats. It will also reduce the number of steps in many PlanetPress Watch processes since the conversion happens on the fly and does not need to occur through an additional transformation plugin.

Default Startup process

With PlanetPress Watch and PlanetPress Server running as a service, it sometimes needs preliminary tasks to be performed before any of the configured processes can run properly. By adding a single Startup process that gets executed once, each time the PlanetPress Watch or PlanetPress Server service is launched, end-users can initialize their systems adequately before any other process attempts to run.