Progress updates

You can use the SendEmail step template or a notification object to send updates about the progress of jobs as they move through their workflows.

If you configure the system settings so the primary server can connect with an SMTP server, you can add the SendEmail step to workflows or create a notification object and configure it to send an email to one or more email addresses. When the job reaches that step or a specific job or printer event occurs, an email is sent to the specified email addresses.

When you add the step to a workflow, you can specify the subject line and the message text to include in the email. You can use symbol formulas in both the title and the message, so you can include job property values specific to the job in those fields.

For example, you can add the SendEmail step immediately after the PrintJobs step and send an email to the supervisor of the finishing line or bindery, so they know that the job is ready for them.

If you have service level agreements (SLAs) with your customers, you can add several SendEmail steps to a workflow for a particular customer. Each step can email the customer so they know when the job was ready to print, when it finished printing, and when it finished inserting.

When you add a notification object, you can specify the subject line, the message text to include in the email, the event that causes the system to send the notification, and the conditions that determine when the notification email is sent.

For example, you can set up one notification object to monitor when a printer enters the Needs attention state and send a notification email to one group if the printer problem occurs between 8:00 and 12:00. You can define a different notification object to send the same email to a different user if the printer problem occurs after 12:00.

    Note:
  • The SendEmail step only sends an email when the job reaches the step. If the job stops processing because of an error, notifications are not sent.
  • A notification object only sends an email when a specific event occurs and any conditions defined for the notification are met.
  • You can use an alternate SMTP server if the Alternate SMTP properties are set and the SMTP server type property is set to Alternate for the SendEmail step. All notifications, however, are sent through the default SMTP server.