Working with continuous sleeve jobs

Image wrapping converts a staggered (step-and-repeat) layout into a rectangle that can be exposed on a continuous sleeve. TIFF Assembler Plus receives a stepped and repeated image in 1-bit TIFF format from a workflow system. It then crops and rearranges sections of the “protruding” one-up artwork to output a rectangular image that has a height equal to the repeat length of the media sleeve and will image without a seam on a continuous sleeve. Note that if there are halftone screens that must image across the seam, the files were output with "seamless" screening from the workflow system to ensure that there will be no artifacts where halftone dots meet at the seam.

To plan (wrap) and view seamless screened files for imaging or engraving on continuous (seamless) cylinders:

1. In Edit > Preferences > Sleeve Planning, select Enable sleeve planning mode, if you have not already done so.
   When this preference is enabled, the Switch to Sleeve Planning tool  appears in the toolbar.
2. If desired, change the Sleeve Planning preferences to suit the types of plate-on-sleeve jobs that you frequently create.
3. Click Open.
4. In the Open dialog box, select the files for the sleeve job, and click Open.
5. Click Switch to Sleeve Planning.
6. From the Wrap palette, define the following settings:
   1. In the Repeat length box, type the circumference of the drum/cylinder (around-the-drum size).
      In the display window, the top purple line and bottom red line enclose the repeat length.
      Note: If you want to save the circumference value for future jobs, add it to the Repeat length list by clicking .
   2. In the Crop area, in the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right boxes, type the values of the tightest crop around the image.
      Note: To fine-tune the Crop values, in the display window, drag any of the four purple lines that define the crop.
   3. Use the following tools to check whether the wrapping was done correctly:
      • View Unwrapped Image : Click to view the image before wrapping.
      • View Wrapped Image : Click to view the image after wrapping.
      • View Seam : Click to see the seam of the image as it would appear on the sleeve.
        To see the seam more clearly, zoom in and hide the crop and repeat length lines by clearing the Show wrap geometry check box.
7. Click Output.