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Document Production
Fundamentals |
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for the next generation of transaction documents specialists· Syllabus
This two-day course will introduce you to the fundamental concepts, technologies, and workflow of today’s automated transaction document production. The classes will take you from Data to Doorstep. At the end of the course, you will understand key terminology within document production and be able to connect process steps conceptually. Who should attend: Document Production Operations Management, Document Application Developers and Sales/Support Personnel within industry suppliers. The course will be of most benefit to those who are new to the document production and distribution industry. Date/Time: Monday,
October 6 - Tuesday, Oct 7 Fees:
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What Makes a Great Transaction DocumentWhat are transaction documents? Why are
they produced? What makes them of value to both the recipient and the issuer?
Why should you want to improve the informational value of the document and
optimize the production process? During this class, we will deconstruct a
best-of-breed customer statement to identify the layout, data, and production
requirements based upon our white paper - Great Statements. We will use the
identified business requirements and at the end of this class, you will have
a better understanding of what requirements have to be satisfied to produce
state-of-the-art transactional documents. Data and Document ObjectsThe first step to producing a transaction document is to get the right data. The class begins with the fundamental classifications of data, different data structures, data extraction and normalization. At the end, you will be more familiar with the terminology associated with extracted data and have an appreciation for how this process works. The second half of the hour will focus on production documents that contain numerous document objects and their structures. These include: text objects, fonts, images, graphics and style sheets. At the end of the class, you will become more familiar with the types of document objects employed, how to develop, review and promote them into production, and why they are significantly different than data. Typography and Design EtiquetteTypography plays a major role in making information readable and conveying the professionalism of the sender. The first half of this class will introduce you to the different styles, faces and media characteristics of different type and the different types of numeral styles available. You will also learn the fundamentals of typography, including the structure, the terminology and how they actually work. The second half of this class the presenter will focus on design etiquette. Only COBOL programmers and tombstone cutters can read upper-case. Unfortunately, your clients may suffer from this CAPS fetish. Find out why. Review the many fundamental concepts in document layout that, when used, create a more civilized document. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with most of the variables that affect the readability of a document and will have a better appreciation for the art of information design. CompositionComposition systems play an extremely important role in producing a transactional document. By the end of the class, you will be familiar with how these systems convert data and document objects into documents and mail-pieces. You will also be introduced to the concepts of: mail-piece hierarchy, layout fundamentals, conditional processing, and postal preparation. Print Streams, Manipulation and TransformsThe topic of Print Streams will be presented during the first 30 minutes of this class. The print stream describes the document and carries the document contents to whatever media it will be presented on (paper or display). At the conclusion of this class you will be more familiar with their origins and will be aware of the major print streams. The second half of this class discusses print stream manipulation and transforms. Print stream tools allow you apply final fixes prior to production that can’t be easily done within the composition system. At the conclusion you will be more familiar with how to: intermingle multiple print applications, resort mail-pieces, apply barcodes, and other quick fixes. In addition you should understand the fundamentals of transforming a print stream into another one or into a tag-based format. Electronic Presentation and ArchivingThe first portion of the class will concentrate on in-stream archiving. We are producing external correspondence and should be keeping a “carbon copy” for future reference. Yet many organizations are not, which makes it harder to respond to: call centre queries, requests for additional copies or court orders. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with: the business reason to archive, how to place system generated correspondence into an archive, and the type of metadata that should be provided. The second half of the class the presenter will focus on electronic presentation. Transaction mail production should now also includes the creation of electronic statements. By the end of this portion of the class, you will be more familiar with the general principles of electronic transaction mail. You should also understand the options available and when to use them. Print Distribution, Server Management, Stenography and Other Document MetadataPrint management systems optimize the production workflow, provide breakdowns of production costs and ensure that all documents were printed. The first part of the hour you will be presented with: print queue management, error recovery and reconciliation principals. You will also hear about some cute print-server tricks. If you think that a paper document is not intelligence, think again. Many system generated documents carry machine readable information, some of it virtually invisible to the naked eye. The second half of this class will focus on: machine-based finger-printing, stealth characters, digital watermarking within images, and glyphs, barcodes, OMR, OCR and MICR. Laser Printing TechnologyAlmost all transaction mail is today produced on xerographic printers, affectionately called lasers. This class presents a review of the electro-photographic process, the differences between continuous and cut sheet, and the nuances of resolution versus perceived quality. Understanding ColorOrganizations are beginning to produce their transaction documents in color on blank stock. This class will give you the opportunity to become more familiar with the fundamentals of color management, the differences between CMYK and RGB, and cultural and accessibility issues associated with different colors. You will also gain an appreciation for the varying levels of color printer quality available. Ink Jet Printing TechnologyInk jet production printers are becoming a major alternative to xerography, especially for process color onto blank stock. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with the ink-jet process, including the fundamentals of paper and ink. You will also be introduced to the different types of production ink jet technologies. Operational Environment and Paper SpecificationsThe first portion of this class will focus on the operating environment. Production printers and inserters require special environments to ensure sustained production, optimal print quality and reliable inserting. They also require preventative maintenance before they fail. Even the best design and manufactured device will quickly deteriorate without proper conditions and pre-emptive care. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with ambient production environments, critical operator tasks, and supplier maintenance planning. The second half of the class will share some insights into the statement - paper’s not just paper. There are over 50 different types of business paper available, almost all of which would be disastrous if used on a production printer or inserter. There are also numerous weights and sizes to choose from. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with the different types of paper available, the only ones appropriate for high volume document production, the difference between xerographic and ink jet paper and how to properly condition paper for production. Inserting Technologies and Postal Preparation and RequirementsThe first portion of this class will focus on inserting technology. All seasoned document production people know that most problems happen at the time of inserting. This step is the most mechanical; the least automated, and subject to operator error or malice. Every document that jams on the inserter has to be reprinted. Every document that sticks to someone else’s document could cause extensive litigation and tarnish to the organization’s brand. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with the sub-components of a production inserter, use of barcodes to manage the process, software-based document control, and envelope ink-jet printing. The second part of the class will focus on postal preparation, requirements, and delivery-tracking. The Post Office is a unique entity under law. It is neither a courier nor internal mail. It has processes and regulations that give it unique power in the business world, regardless of which country you operate. Through the Universal Postal Union, it can provide services on behalf of other post offices, even in hostile nations. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with postal history, treaties, regulations and processes. You will also learn how to optimize the cost of postage by minimizing the post office’s workload. We will be paying special attention to various programs to implement four-state barcode to track mail-pieces within the postal environment. We will primarily focus on the USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode, but will also discuss other postal authority implementations. Document Production Best Practices and Certificate of Completion ExamWe will be address poor, acceptable and best practices during each class of this course. The final class will focus on reviewing, summarizing, and looking for synergies in all of the best practices. We will also review the Automated
Document Factory concept and how it exploits individual best practices to
ensure best-of-breed document quality and time-to-doorstep with minimal
compliance risk. We will also discuss what reasonable service levels are for:
time to post office and “mean-time between mis-packaged
mail-pieces. By the end of the class, you will be more familiar with the
Automated Document Factory concepts, best practices by production step and
key measurements for an ExaminationThe last portion of the course will include an open-book multiple choose exam. Students must receive a score of 85% on the examination to be awarded a Certificate of Completion. |