Online Template Builder Overview

Online Template Builder provides web based variable data capabilities for your customers with an intuitive interface, and a viewable graphic proof, displayed side-by-side. Tools included with your Online Template Builder service will offer your customer the advantage of personalization for the products that you provide. The benefit that Online Template Builder offers you, is an print ready PDF file.

There are two versions of Online Template Builder to fit your specific needs:

1) The Forms Based Designer

2) The Interactive Designer.

While the two versions share many great features, there are some things that make each unique and that help you decide which version is best for each particular project.

Form-Based: Form-based templates are often used with B2B (private, corporate) storefronts where the client wants branding protection with users being limited to entering text and images. Placement of text and images is fixed and unmovable. Text and images cannot be added outside the preset fields. Font family, size, color, alignment, and layering are predetermined and built into the template rules. Form-based templates are also capable of sophisticated variable data merging, number sequencing, barcode generation, automatic text case reformatting, automatic phone number reformatting, and auto-population of fields based on a selection from a pull-down menu. The proof is updated by clicking a button.

Some of the things that make the Forms Based version, also referred to as The Standard Online Template Builder unique:

• Pre-fill template from a dropdown choice or from a user's profile
 
• Force-fit text
 
• Reformat user entry to ensure brand consistency
 
• QR Code and Barcode Support
 
• Numeric Sequencing
 
• Database File Merge
 
• PDF or PPML output
 
• HTML and VB Scripting

Interactive Designer: Interactive Design templates are often used with B2C (retail) storefront. They allow the customer the freedom to move graphics and text, rotate them, change font family, size, colour, alignment, and layering. Text and images can be added anywhere. Auto-population of a field based on a selection from a pull-down menu is supported. The proof updates automatically. Data merging, number sequencing, barcode generation, automatic text case reformatting, automatic phone number reformatting are not supported.

Some of the things that make the Interactive Designer unique:

• Developed in HTML5
 
• Ability to move, delete, rotate, add, scale, crop images and text.
 
• Designed to perform on both desktops and tablets
 
• Easily import photos from Facebook, Fotolia Stock Photography site or Server
 
• Image resolution check

Getting Started:

The manual is designed to be used in conjunction with online video tutorials that may be accessed here in the support portal, or under the support tab of your Online Template Builder website. You will also find valuable information and answers to common questions in the Support Portal Knowledge Base. You may submit a ticket for any questions not covered by this material.

Template development for Online Template Builder may be summarized as three stages:

First, a Master PDF must be built that includes all static elements (items that stay the same every time your template is used) plus variable fields (items that are customizable by the end user). The fields can be marked out by adding Text Form Fields to the PDF using Adobe Acrobat Professional. (You will need to use Adobe Acrobat Professional or Nitro Pro in addition to whatever desktop publishing program you use for graphic design.)

The second stage includes uploading additional assets like graphics and fonts, formatting and defining the variable field properties, and applying a press imposition.

Finally, the product must be tested and linked to a product catalog where the customer will access it.

Next Chapter: Chapter 02 - Minimum Browser Requirements