Product overview

RICOH ProcessDirector is a print manufacturing system architecture that lets you manage all aspects of your printing processes. Whether your printing environment is small, with a single printer, or large, with many printers, RICOH ProcessDirector can grow as your business needs grow.

The modular design of RICOH ProcessDirector provides flexibility, while the comprehensive user interface provides consistency in how you manage all aspects of your printing environment:

  • The open framework of RICOH ProcessDirector lets you make the most of your existing software investment. You can use third-party programs, or create your own command-line programs and incorporate them in your RICOH ProcessDirector processing tasks.
  • RICOH ProcessDirector provides seamless connections to your sources of data. You can copy or move files into hot folders and configure RICOH ProcessDirector so that it continually monitors those directories, then automatically creates and processes jobs. You can submit jobs using the LPD protocol from anywhere in your network, and have RICOH ProcessDirector automatically process those jobs. If you have the AFP Support feature installed, you can send jobs from a z/OS host using Download for z/OS or AFP Download Plus.
  • RICOH ProcessDirector accepts jobs in various data streams and can send them to a wide variety of printers from different vendors.
  • The extensive RICOH ProcessDirector database includes detailed audit information about your printing workload and tasks, and lets you manage your business more efficiently. RICOH ProcessDirector uses IBM DB2 technology for database management. You can use the incorporated version of DB2 or your own version of DB2 on the primary computer or on a different computer.

RICOH ProcessDirector runs as a Web application, so you can access it from a browser running on any Microsoft Windows or Linux computer on your network. You do not need to install RICOH ProcessDirector on those computers, only on the primary computer.

In this section:

  1. System objects
    A RICOH ProcessDirector system is made up of several objects.
  2. Input file formats
    You can submit several types of input files to RICOH ProcessDirector to process and print.
  3. Output formats
    RICOH ProcessDirector can send jobs to Ricoh TotalFlow printers, Ricoh PDF printers, Custom PDF printers, and to any printer that can receive jobs submitted using the LPD protocol. With the AFP Support feature installed, it can also send jobs to IPDS printers. It can copy print jobs to the hot folders that some printers, such as the InfoPrint 5000 printer, use to receive non-IPDS jobs.
  4. Job submission methods
    You can submit jobs to RICOH ProcessDirector from other systems using FTP, web services, other file copying methods, or a command that uses the LPD protocol. If you have the AFP Support feature installed, you can submit jobs to RICOH ProcessDirector from host systems using Download for z/OS and AFP Download Plus.
  5. Jobs with JDF job tickets
    When you submit a job to an input device, you can submit a JDF job ticket with it. RICOH ProcessDirector can set many job properties from values in the job ticket. Jobs with JDF tickets work best when configured with Ricoh PDF printers.
  6. Jobs with XML files
    RICOH ProcessDirector can process jobs submitted as XML files. You can submit XML files to a hot folder input device or place an XML file at a location from which the RICOH ProcessDirector server retrieves it.
  7. Jobs with JSON files
    RICOH ProcessDirector can process jobs submitted as JSON files. You can submit JSON files to an input device or place a JSON file at a location from which the RICOH ProcessDirector server retrieves it. You can use REST web service input device to retrieve JSON files that become jobs.
  8. Processing jobs with encrypted PDF files
    RICOH ProcessDirector can receive encrypted PDF files, but must decrypt the files to process the jobs.
  9. Workflow phases
    RICOH ProcessDirector has several distinct workflow phases. These phases help to organize the path that jobs take through the system. Jobs can flow through all the phases or through a few of the phases. The addition of features to the base RICOH ProcessDirector product might add additional phases to the workflow. The default phase names can be changed to better match the functions that you perform in that phase.
  10. Document properties file
    The document properties file (DPF) can contain properties of documents in a job. The file is stored in the spool directory for the job.
  11. Document database
    The document database is an internally managed database that stores and manages the properties of individual documents in the system. You do not do actions directly on the document database, but on the documents that it contains.
  12. Document properties configuration file
    The document properties configuration file defines custom document properties to use with document processing features. The file is named docCustomDefinitions.xml.
  13. Document properties names file
    The document properties names file is an optional file that defines caption information for custom document properties for display in the user interface. The file is named docCustomDefinitions.properties. It is associated with custom document properties that you define in the docCustomDefinitions.xml file.
  14. Document properties template file
    The document properties template file determines which properties go into the document properties file for a job. The template file lets you control the number of document properties to be used, as well as the order of the columns in the document properties file.
  15. Properties
    RICOH ProcessDirector uses properties to define the characteristics of all its objects, such as input devices, workflows, and jobs. It stores the properties and their corresponding values in DB2 database tables.
  16. Input device, job and printer event notifications
    You can configure the system to send an email when certain input device, job or printer events happen. The emails can go to one or more people, or to all the members of a group.
  17. Media
    RICOH ProcessDirector uses media objects to represent physical media. Like printer objects, media objects are representations of physical objects outside of the system. Each media object represents a type of paper, envelope or other material that your printers can print on.
  18. Web services in RICOH ProcessDirector
    RICOH ProcessDirector provides Web services that use Representational State Transfer (REST) software architecture principles so you can access its functions from other applications.
  19. Features
    RICOH ProcessDirector features provide more functions or let you add devices like inserters to the system. The modular design of RICOH ProcessDirector lets you add features to the base product as your business needs change. Most features are integrated seamlessly into the user interface.
  20. Extended features
    RICOH ProcessDirector extended features are custom software components that you can purchase from your Ricoh support representative. The Ricoh support representative installs the extended features on the existing RICOH ProcessDirector primary computer.
Parent topic: Overview