Previewing markup

After you add markup to a sample PDF file, you can preview markup placement. Previewing lets you verify that PDF files are going to print as expected when RICOH ProcessDirector applies the markup that you saved to a control file. Preview also lets you verify that media and finishing options are going to be applied to the intended pages.

Using preview with more than one control file

If you save more than one control file for markup, media, and finishing definitions, preview renders only the definitions contained in the loaded control file. For example, you save a barcode definition in a control file called barcodes.ctl and an image definition in images.ctl. You can have either barcodes.ctl or images.ctl loaded in RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat. If you have barcodes.ctl loaded, you preview the placement and content of the barcode, but you cannot preview the image because you do not have images.ctl loaded.

You can include page group and document property definitions in any control file. If a page group is defined in a control file that is not loaded, you cannot preview markup, media, and finishing with conditional placement rules based on page groups. If document properties are defined in a control file that is not loaded, you cannot select those document properties as content for markup. If you want to preview as much markup as possible while using multiple control files, first save page groups and document properties to a control file, for example, pagegrouping.ctl. When you are ready to define markup, load pagegrouping.ctl, add the markup, and save the result to a new control file (for example, barcodes.ctl). To define more markup and save it to a separate control file, first load pagegrouping.ctl. Add the markup (for example, images), and save the result to a new control file (for example, images.ctl). By starting your markup definitions from a control file that contains page groups and document properties, you can preview markup, media, and finishing that use conditional placement rules and document properties.

If you save all your enhancements in one control file, you can preview all markup, media, and finishing at once.

    Note:
  • You cannot edit, print, or save a preview file.
  • You must define a page group before you can preview markup. For more information, see Defining a page group.
  • The Pages to Process preference specifies the maximum number of pages that Preview processes. The greater the Pages to Process value, the longer RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat takes to preview markup added to a PDF file. For more information, see Preferences.
  • The Production Intent preference determines how RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat interprets PDF files. For more information, see Preferences.
  • The Show electronic forms preference determines whether Preview shows how sample files look when the data is combined with electronic forms defined for the media that the files use.
  • When you define markup in a PDF file, you can use the values of job and document properties as content for markup and in conditional placement rules. Preview uses values that are extracted from the PDF file. If you have markup that uses job or document properties that are not defined in the file, RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat uses a unique static numeric value for each job or document property. If conditional placement rules use properties that are not defined in the file, usually Preview always applies or never applies markup based on those rules.
  • If your markup uses an image that the plug-in cannot find (for example, an image that is not on your local machine), preview does not render the image. Instead, preview places a message that specifies the name of the missing image in the location specified for the image.
  • You cannot preview markup that is placed using a RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat rule that evaluates Stat.CurrentMedia.
To preview markup:
  1. Click Ricoh ⇒ Preview.

    RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat generates and displays a new, temporary PDF file. Your sample PDF file remains open.

    The temporary PDF file opens to the first page regardless of the page you are editing in the sample PDF file.

  2. When a page has media and finishing options, you see an annotation labeled Print Operations in the upper right corner. To see the media name and finishing option, hover the mouse pointer over Print Operations.

    As an alternative, click Comment on the Adobe Acrobat toolbar. In the Comments pane, you see a comment for each page with media and finishing options.

  3. If electronic forms are defined for media used by sample files, you can see how the files look when the data is combined with the forms.

    To see the electronic forms:

    • Make sure that you exported the RICOH ProcessDirectormedia.zip file and loaded it to the correct directory on the system where you installed RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat. For more information about loading media objects to the plug-in, see the help system or Ricoh ProcessDirector: Installing Document Processing Features.
    • For pages in your sample PDF file, select media that defines electronic forms. As an alternative, load a control file that you saved after selecting media that defines electronic forms.
    • Make sure that the Show electronic forms preference is set to Yes.

      Although Preview lets you see how files look when the data is combined with the forms, the data and forms remain separate. RICOH ProcessDirector combines the forms with the data in production PDF files when the CombinePDFWithForm step processes the files.

  4. When you have finished previewing the PDF file, you can close this temporary PDF file or leave it open.
    You can update the temporary PDF file by clicking Ricoh ⇒ Preview.
Parent topic: Using RICOH ProcessDirector Plug-in for Adobe Acrobat