By Tami stodghill

The Enfocus Switch product line-up is second to none in my book. Enfocus guides the entire PDF-creation process, works with all major design software, offers in-application support that clearly explains errors and fixes, and automatically corrects errors during preflight.

Just the automation alone offers our company immeasurable savings, but add in the money and time saved on output that excludes errors and I liken the product range to finding an undiscovered country — one where you can actually get your job done on time and on budget.

The life of a publishing professional is filled with repetitive tasks that get in the way of your real job. Automating these tedious tasks reclaims your time and cuts down significantly on the amount of errors. The Switch product line is designed to solve those errors.

Companies who have made the Switch find themselves with a virtually error-free workflow that lets them set up once and return their focus to marketing, customer service, or whatever they most need to focus on to increase throughput and profitability. That means, Switch offers them the opportunity to not only save time but to dedicate that time to growing their business. I found myself wanting to hear exactly how other companies have integrated Switch into their workflows and how they have benefited from that integration. I didn’t have to look far.

Enfocus has also created the concept of Crossroads solutions. Crossroads is an Switch-driven community that brings together vendors, integrators, and users around the Switch automation platform. Crossroads provides a platform of third-party softwares that can easily be linked together, providing advanced automation capabilities for a variety of publishing workflows. Popular developers who offer products for Switch workflows include axaio, callas, Alwan, Elpical, Global Graphics, Quite Software, Ultimate Technologies, and many more. These key partners offer solutions that let users feel instantly comfortable within the Switch environment. Users who are interested in finding out more about these solutions can download a free PDF of the X-PDF 9 & Crossroads Workflow Solutions Guide that offers product details and specifications and explains how these developer solutions add value and customization to Switch workflows.

UK/Europe users may click here to download the X-PDF

North American users may click here to download the X-PDF

The Switch product family consists of three products: LightSwitch, FullSwitch, and PowerSwitch. Handily, users can pick the Switch product that matches their current needs with the assurance that it is easy to upgrade if their requirements grow. Enfocus doesn’t penalize you when you find you need a more powerful version of Switch. Simply pay the difference between the version you own and the one you require. What could be simpler?

Switch offers an easy-to-use visual interface where users automate their processes using simple drag-and-drop functionality. They can easily automate receiving and sorting files and Switch allows users to continue to use those applications upon which they already rely. Switch makes it possible to automate PDF creation, PDF preflight, color corrections, or proof output as needed. Users can quickly and easily integrate Adobe® Acrobat® Distiller, Enfocus PitStop Server, QuarkXPress®, InDesign®, and many other key publishing applications into their flows. They will find they instantly improve efficiency and, most importantly to me, reduce frustration.

The entry-level product, LightSwitch, automates repetitive tasks associated with receiving and sorting files. LightSwitch automatically downloads files from one or more FTP servers, receives them as email attachments, or monitors hot folders. In a very flexible way, files can then be sorted into different folders so that they are ready for processing. Whenever needed, notification emails can be sent to the user’s customer service representatives or even directly back to the customers. LightSwitch can even deliver files via email, FTP, or hot folders to the next step in the workflow.

All this functionality is driven by the visual-flow editor that is the core of all Switch products. The Flow Wizard makes the task of creating flows as easy as answering a number of uncomplicated questions, while the full power of the visual editor can be used after the Flow Wizard has built the foundation of your flow to make adjustments or expand the flow’s functionality.

Throughout LightSwitch, variables referring to different properties of a job and its embedded metadata can be used to dynamically customize how jobs are sorted and how tools act on them. That makes it possible to customize the subject of a sent email so that the name of the job is added exactly where needed or to sort a job based on an embedded XMP field.

FullSwitch is ideally placed to help users reclaim their time to be creative and help their customers. Like the entry-level LightSwitch product, FullSwitch offers file reception through FTP and email, sorting of files based on file type and naming conventions, and automatic email notifications to customers. In addition, FullSwitch introduces configurators that allow third-party applications to be easily integrated in any flow. Set up and automation of those applications is fully controlled from within FullSwitch. Automated applications include preflight and correction, color management, proofing, repurposing tools, and more.

All this functionality is driven by the visual-flow editor and supported by the robust automation tools that are at the core of all Switch products. The visual editor makes it as easy to work with configurators as it is to work with built-in tools. FullSwitch also offers professional activity logging and job processing statistics to help you locate critical points of the workflow.

PowerSwitch is the workhorse of the Switch product family and includes all the functionality built into LightSwitch and FullSwitch. Using its comprehensive scripting and metadata tools, users can build a smarter and more advanced workflow that integrates seamlessly with other third-party technologies. The workgroup client bundled with PowerSwitch allows team members to submit and track jobs from their own workstations.

In any publishing workflow there comes a time when the standard tools fall short and more advanced customization is in order. That is when you call on the scripting capabilities of PowerSwitch. You can create your own custom tools to control third-party applications that aren't supported out of the box, to integrate with a DAM or MIS system, or to interact with a proprietary solution you have running in your company.

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