Printflo was originally developed in 2000/2001 to drive the press4print system. Originally, it was intended to deliver print ready pdf files to remote printing locations as part of an integrated print on demand workflow.

Since then, things have moved on a bit.

Printflo is a set of programs and scripts which are capable of manipulating intelligent documents on a Linux server and sending the results to a web browser. Document description files (ddf files - basically an object list for a document) are stored on the server and, when requested, printflo can read one of these files and construct the default version of the document from it. It can then present the document for user interaction via a web browser either as an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file (the browser will require the Adobe Acrobat plug in) or using its own java client software (which is automatically downloaded to the users browser as required).

Once presented to the client user, the user may interact with the document (eg change textual content, select from a range of images, change font, type size, justification etc) to produce a version of the document as required. One of the strengths and unique features of printflo is the extent to which the document creator (i.e. the creator of the ddf file) can control which aspects of the document may be edited. For example, you may allow the user to change the colour and text of a field, but not allow them to alter the font of type size. A document may be entirely editable or may have no editable fields at all. Through careful document design, printflo may be used to control brands very effectively by preventing the naive user doing anything horrible, whilst allowing different users sufficient flexibility to customize and order the documents they want.

When the document is edited as the user wants, it may be ordered by the user. Like all other aspects of the document, allowable order quantities are also tightly controlled and a flexible order authorization and tracking system is in place to take control of the order from the point at which it is placed by the user.

Once an order is placed, it may be output by the system in a variety of ways and locations. Output may be specified (again by the document designer) as entirely automatic, or it may specify that the production process is to be controlled manually. In either case, the software can output orders as high res. pdf or PostScript files with either rgb or cmyk colour spaces (or even both in the same doc.) and with or without embedded fonts. It can produce these output files either on a central web server for download by a participating output center (opc), or remotely on a satellite printflo server equipped with an internet connection and the appropriate printflo software remote server software. In order to do this, it can download imagery and any other required data to the remote server which is cached at the remote server for next time a document requiring this imagery is required. This means that although it may take some time to produce a variant of particular business card, brochure or report etc for the first time, next time a variant of this document is ordered all that will need to be sent will be the changes made rather than all the data again.

What next?

For a detailed and flexible demo, you might want to play with our printflo demo site at http://demo.press4print.com/.

Setting up a printflo system for your organisation is very simple.

1. We set up your web site on one of our printflo web servers.
2. One or more designated members of your organisation are set up as administrators; they can reconfigure the organisation, add and remove documents and access the MIS as required.
3. Printflo's documentation tells you how to integrate printflo services into your existing web site or redesign the site we host to your own requirements. This job can be done by any web designer.
4. We work with you to design the intelligent documents you need. Typically, we would take an existing document (brochure, stationery, etc) and work with your designers and brand specifications to produce an interactive version of it. Again, printflo's documentation tells you how to do this job in-house if you want to. If not, it's a job we're happy to do for you.
5. You decide how orders are to be charged (internal charge codes, credit cards and etc).
6. You decide how orders are are to be printed. Printflo can deliver print-ready RGB or CMYK PDF files for large format plotters, digital presses or more conventional litho prepress systems. We can supply the print ourselves or configure printflo to send PDFs to your chosen printers. Print-ready PDF files can be automatically directed to multiple output centres around the world depending upon the rules you specify - for example, delivery address.
7. We charge you a simple small transaction fee for every job processed.

For more information, Contact us.