Document Migration & Modernization

Proform Designer is the ideal tool for forms designers who will utilize document design for multi-platform high-end printing. It provides a powerful form compiler for forms designed for Postscript, PCL, XES, FDL, and AFP printer platforms. Supporting forms platform migration to deliver everything you need to create, edit, and migrate documents from an LPS environment to Xerox VIPP PostScript. "Recompiles" LPS, .FRMS back to .FSL to compile them into PostScript, PCL, LPS, or XES.
Proform Designer allows the design Xerox VIPP variable documents and static forms in an intuitive Windows GUI interface. Handy drag-drop design method allows the user to focus on the look and content of the variable document, without worrying about data programming coordinates. Simply saving the form outputs all VIPP resources.

At this point there are two options. If the job is to remain in LPS or AFP formats, simply output the newly updated form into LPS or AFP for integration into the customers legacy print environment. If the user is looking to MIGRATE to PostScript/VIPP, the data needs to be integrated.

Proform Designer accepts raw line data (just like you would send to an LPS printer) and database (delimited data from any database) into the designer. In the case of line data, the design screen is split into two: with the form shown on the left and the raw data on the right. Data can be selectively chosen and dragged on the form. As shown in the graphic below (note that the data contains legacy elements $DJDE$, etc. this data can be simply ignored so that the application program emitting the data need not be modified):

The data is integrated into the design.
The user can customize the data with any TrueType or printer font (including LPS & AFP fonts), center the data within elements in the design, incorporate data right into text blocks and much more. Proform Designer then outputs the form in PostScript and creates a data template in VIPP. These files are transmitted to the printer’s hard disk (usually via FTP) and the data is sent to the printer (with DJDEs and all) and composed via VIPP into the modernized design.

Let’s walk through a customer application:
The application is a personalized letter. The letter needs revising. A new logo needs to be added, and the area code has been changed for the corporate office. They also would like to place the customer number in the header in both readable and bar code format. With a conversion methodology they run into several immediate obstacles.

First the text revisions. They need to locate their legacy files (FDL, OGL).
They remember Xerox coded this form for them and they don't have the form source to modify. If only they could read in the FRM, which they have on their printer. Perhaps they have an Elixir system that they use. They can go back to this product to modify the text, but they are restricted to all of the legacy restrictions they faced before: very limited font formats, no rounded corner boxes, no color support, etc. Next the logo. They have a BMP. The conversion program they are using requires an LPS LGO be integrated into the legacy design. Now they have to pay someone to convert the BMP to a LGO. Oh, forget it, I'll redesign in Word! But in Word I can't integrate the data, since the data is in line data format. The only way is to use the old legacy technology and convert.

Back to my conversion problems...
Now the customer needs to duplicate the customer number, once in a readable font and again with a barcode font. The customer number only appears once in the data stream. A programming request needs to be submitted to the IT department to duplicate the customer number in the correct location in the data file and a font flag needs to be inserted so that the metacode converter can be programmed to accept the font change. A new barcode font needs to be created. But it needs to be created in FNT format, because that's what the converter accepts. Again, they need to go out of house to do this conversion

Finally, everything is in place: new data file, new logo, new bar code font.
The application is composed for an LPS printer and run through a converter to convert it to PostScript. This process is rarely (if ever) seamless. As the application has been modified, the converter as well will require some "tweaking" to get the desired results

Proform Designer would allow a single step import of the original letter.
Select any element, change its size add color (highlight or full color palette). Import of the new logo direct from BMP (or PCX, GIF, TIFF, JPEG, etc) onto the letter. Any text changes made in an on screen editor. Or import new text from any word processor in RTF or ASCII format. Import of the raw data directly, as originally created for the LPS printer (only a few records need to be opened in Proform Designer for design purposes). Select the appropriate information (ignore the DJDEs or non-pertinent information) place on the form in any font (including bar codes) or duplicate and place anywhere on the page. Output the form to VIPP, load form and data template to the printer. Send the data file directly to the VIPP enabled printer and let the printer compose the
documents.

Input:

• Xerox FSL (form source FDL)
• Xerox FRM (form object)
• Xerox FNT (font files)
• Xerox LGO (logo files)
• Xerox IMG (image files)
• EPS
• PDF
• Image (JPEG, TIF, BMP, GIF

Output:

• PS form files
• Xerox VIPP JDTs
• Xerox VIPP DBMs
  
• PostScript Type 3 fonts
• PCL fonts
• PCL form macros
• Xerox FRM (LPS form object)
• Xerox FNT (LPS font files)
• Xerox LGO (LPS logo files)
• Xerox IMG (LPS image files)