Integrating Personalised Images With Variable Data

XMPie's Uimage, which is distributed in the UK by Positive Focus, has been unveiled at Print '05 in Chicago (USA).

XMPie's Uimage, which is distributed in the UK by Positive Focus, has been unveiled at Print '05 in Chicago (USA).

Uimage integrates image personalisation effects, produced in Adobe Photoshop CS2, with variable data publishing.

It is said to automatically merge variable image and text data with Photoshop templates to compose personalised images that are then automatically integrated back in to VDP production.

Photoshop users can now produce personalised images and graphics and merge them in to XMPie variable productions, in print and on-line.

Uimage features automatic image and text fitting that can be applied automatically to personalised images and dynamic text.

It is claimed to allow user-defined scripts to automate Photoshop design tasks as part of the automatic image personalisation process.

The software also produces personalised images for print, e-mail, and web.

The user can instruct Photoshop to create two versions of each image file - one high resolution for digital printing and one low resolution for the web.

As a complementary product to XMPie's VDP software, Uimage can automatically integrate personalised images directly in to the total VDP project print stream, in real-time, in batches or on-demand.

Use of variable logic allows automatic selection of entirely different image personalisation templates for specified recipients, all within the same print stream, added the company.

Uimage ties together the agility and user-friendliness of Photoshop CS2 with the personalisation capabilities of XMPie's VDP software, increasing the creative possibilities over existing picture in picture products, added Positive Focus.

Uimage is a £1,500 add-in for Udirect Professional and is also available for the server-based, cross media Personaleffect suite.

Udirect is XMPie's single workstation software for variable data printing.

A plug-in for Adobe Indesign CS, it produces output in PDF and a choice of Postscript or one of the popular VI formats, VPS, VIPP, PPML or VDX.

Udirect Professional is claimed to provide the logic and data handling required for Uimage projects.

The product is expected to start being despatched in late October.

At Print 05, XMPie also unveiled Personaleffect v2.5, with creative capabilities for variable data publishing, including X-Dot technology.

XMPie dynamic object transparency technology is said to produce efficient print streams, in all supported variable formats, that preserve the transparency and drop shadow effects from Adobe Indesign, whilst using variable settings per recipient.

It includes dynamic object styles.

A creative feature that allows Adobe Indesign CS2 users to dynamically change, per recipient, the styles applied to any image or text object in a document (for example -fill, stroke and corner, feathering and paragraph style, for instance).

Table of content and index capabilities qre also said to enabling variable booklet production.

XMpie's product range, including Udirect, Personaleffect, Uchart and Ustore, as well as Uimage, will also be on show for the first time in the UK at Digital Print World, on stand 410.

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