Manual Prepare Tool

Manual Prepare offloads an already pre‑press processed job from  an automated workflow into Layout so an operator can continue the job in the manual application. Think of it as “output for manual prepare”: the step pauses automation, copies the job out to a shared folder, and makes it easy for Layout (manual app) to pick it up and continue.

Overview

When a workflow reaches Manual Prepare, the complete job (PDF, thumbnails, job XML/metadata) is copied to a folder you choose. A _BOM_.xml (bill‑of‑materials) file is maintained in each target folder to list the jobs exported there. A Layout workflow (or operator using the Layout app) can then import these prepared jobs and continue—nesting, imposing, or batching them as needed.

Before You Start

• Choose a shared output location (server/NAS) that the Layout workstation can access.
• Decide if you want to organize jobs into subfolders (e.g., by customer, project, or campaign).

Opening the Tool

1. Open the Workflow Editor in PrintFactory.
2. Add or select the Manual Prepare step.
3. Click Configure to open the setup dialog.

Manual Prepare Setup Dialog

• Output Folder — Folder where Manual Prepare writes the job. Click the folder icon to browse or enter a full path.
• Group By — (Optional) Text or variable used to create a subfolder per value under the output folder (e.g., “CustomerName” ⇒ .../ACME/). If empty, jobs go to _Ungrouped_.

How It Works

1. The job’s full working folder is copied to <Output Folder>/<Group>/.
2. A _BOM_.xml file in that group folder is created/updated with the job ID, name, and timestamp.
3. File locking is used while updating _BOM_.xml so several workflows can write safely to the same location.
4. The automated workflow ends or moves on (per your design). The job is now ready for Layout (manual app) to continue.

Re‑Importing into Layout (Manual App)

• In your Layout workflow (or Layout UI), select the option to Import Manual Prepare Jobs.
• Point it at the parent folder; Layout reads each group’s _BOM_.xml, loads the listed jobs, and continues automatically (nesting, tiling, imposition, etc.).

Variables

Tips & Best Practices

• Use a network path accessible to all Layout operators.
• Define a consistent “Group By” rule (Customer / Project / Campaign) so Layout imports are tidy.
• Check that _BOM_.xml is being updated—Layout relies on it to import jobs.
• Avoid temporary local disks for the output; use resilient shared storage.

Summary

Manual Prepare = Output for manual prepare. It cleanly hands an automated, pre‑press’d job off to the Layout manual app: copies the job to a shared folder, tracks it in _BOM_.xml, and makes it straightforward for Layout to import and continue.