Working with corrugated jobs

TIFF Assembler Plus enables you to plan and execute a corrugated job—a job of data that is spread out on a large area (such as a refrigerator carton). Instead of outputting the entire job as-is and wasting valuable flexo plate area, you can create slugs around the data and arrange only these slugs on a layout for output. After you expose the layout of the slugs, use the die file that TIFF Assembler Plus enables you to print, to guide you in arranging the slugs on the carrier. TIFF Assembler Plus calculates the cost of the job using slugs and the cost of outputting the job as-is and lets you view the cost of both alternatives.

When planning and executing a corrugated job, you will be working in Job Planning mode. In this mode, you will have additional information and options available in the display window and in the Inventory palette.

To plan and execute a corrugated job:

1. In Edit > Preferences > Job Planning, ensure that the Enable job planning mode check box is selected and then set up any other relevant preferences.
   If the Enable job planning mode check box is not selected, you will not be able to select Switch to Job Planning from the Modify menu.
2. Create a job planning setup preset.
3. Plan a job:
   1. Click Open .

   2. In the Open dialog box, select the files for the job and click Open.

   3. From the Modify menu, select Switch to Job Planning.

   4. The job planning setup preset selected for this job is the preset that was set as the default preset. To change to a different preset, from the File menu, select Job Planning Setup, select the preset from the list, and click OK. 

4. Add registration marks.
5. Create slugs and arrange them on a layout.
   To make sure the slugs you created include all of the data in the job, from the Inventory palette, on the View tab, clear the Slugs check box. In the display window, the data included in the slugs disappears. Any data that still appears is not included in a slug.
6. View the cost of the planned job.
   You can find the cost parameters on the Cost tab of the Inventory palette.
7. To save the job plan (.pln), from the File menu, select Save As, type a name for the job plan, and click Save.
   All files, slugs, marks, and parameters associated with the job are saved.
8. Print a draft file.
9. Output the die.
10. Perform one of these actions:
    • Output the slugs to files.
    • Arrange the slugs on a layout and output the layout.