Velocity

Velocity 2

Compose's VDP solution

At Compose, we understand Variable Data Printing is part of our life. It has been around us for so long that we almost take it for granted. Like getting bank statements from our local bank, the hanging labels used in department stores or Airline baggage tags stick on our bags when checking in. They are all examples of variable data products in our daily life.
Velocity is also a design tool, allowing operators to design a layout with variable data formats, reducing the cost of getting another layout application to serve this purpose.
With Velocity, you can use your layout design together with its associated database in a wide variety of formats, such as Excel, Oracle, SQL, DBF with ODBC. It is highly suitable for commercial documents, invitation cards, or marketing materials for the industries such as finance, insurance, automobile, telecom, etc.

Velocity Features

For a better way to organize the print result, the variable data records can arrange in a cut & stack matter, either from top to bottom or bottom to top
Start at
For all types of impositions, rolls, or sheets, the user can specify the first record to start at the top-left corner of the sheet or roll, top-right corner, bottom-left corner, or bottom-right corner.
Direction
The direction on how a series of sequential records can arrange is made easy in Velocity. It can go from left to right (or right to left) row by row, or top to bottom (or bottom to top) column by columns or zigzag direction that is from left to right, then right to left, and so on.

Cut and Stack

Cut and Stack example

Simple and Easy to use

Velocity is easy to use and simple to understand. It follows the industry’s practice when preparing the layout with the application tools. Anyone with a bit of Coral Draw or Illustrator experience can pick it up in no time at all.

Velocity is a layout tool at its core but supports the end product either in a single-sided or double-sided format or even a multiple-page document. Users can use it as a background from a previous design for positioning. It helps to shorten the setup time.

Die lines can be used together with the job, allowing users to make a die at the end of the imposition process.

Text, color, and images

Line justification is dynamic, so are the Typefaces and point sizes changes. You can do this instantly to see the result.

Users can choose any static color in any part of the layout. Velocity has a color swatch book allowing the designer to define his preferred color on the same layout design.

Images can be placed and automatically re-sized to fit into a designated area, it can fit into any vertical or horizontal direction depending on the requirement.

Bar codes and QR codes are also supported. You can stretch the dimension of the box to suit any design requirement.

The most powerful feature of Velocity is using Boolean logic to create a new variable data condition for any given field. That sets a new dimension on designing Hang Tag and promotional materials. It bases on Scripts, which Compose also provides a library to pre-defined a list of regular Scripts. All the designers have to do is call the function and re-configure the layout.

Advanced Imposition for Variable Data Layout design

In addition to specifying the number of rows and columns, margins and gutters, etc., the Advanced Imposition Option can provide complete control on the imposition layout, including:

the position of the first record,
• the flow direction for subsequent records,
• the relative orientation of adjacent records.

In addition, users can add marks for each record or layout, including trim and registration marks, eye marks, custom marks, label text.

Color Swatch Library

Document, Application and Standard Libraries
Velocity provides one swatch color library where all colors are stored, regardless of whether they are for specific projects or for general usage. Designers can use spot color libraries such as the Pantone color books as well.

When creating a new swatch, whether normal (static) or variable color swatches, the user can specify that the swatch is created for one particular document.

Document swatch is stored with the document and is only active when the document is opened. This will ensure you have the right color swatches when you open a document and reduce cluttering your swatch libraries.

If a swatch is for general usage, the user can specify that in the Application library. Application swatches are loaded with the application and used with any opened documents.

It is possible to add a document swatch to an application library, and vice versa.

Pantone Swatch Libraries
In addition, Velocity allows the import of Pantone color libraries from Harlequin RIP v11 or above. The imported Pantone colors are saved in the device independent CIE-L*a*b* color space. The imported libraries can be displayed in the Swatch panel and users can enter the Pantone number or partial Pantone number to find the required Pantone color.

Object Management with Layers

Velocity comes with a LAYERS panel providing full support for element placement on layers.
Users can create layers as needed and place elements on the layer.
Existing layers can be visible or hidden to make it easier when editing a complex layout. It is possible to print or not print on any layers. Specific layers can be made visible with all other layers made invisible with an ALT-click on the visibility icon.
Users can lock a Layer to prevent further editing. However, he can unlock a layer while the other layers are locked by using a simple keyboard command.
Order of layers can be re-arranged easily by drag and drop or by selecting a layer, then clicking the appropriate buttons to move to the top, move up one layer, move down one layer, or move to the bottom.

Support Multiple Databases

Velocity now supports more than one database per job. You can have as many databases as you like. You will be able to use the data from multiple databases within the same Velocity job in regular variable fields or in scripts!

Other reasons for choosing Velocity

Velocity supports many more delimiters
• If the delimiter you are using is not in our list, don’t worry because you can also customize the delimiter you need
• The text qualifier can also be customized.
• If your database contains Unicode characters, but the database file doesn’t specify any encoding format, you can also manually choose the encoding method so Velocity can understand your database file correctly.

Automate Velocity with Channels

If you are processing the same variable data repeatedly with just a different set of data, you now have a much easier and faster way to process these jobs by using Channels.

Create a channel with your job template, set an input folder for the database files, and an output folder for the output PDF. Start the channel and save the database file in the input folder. Velocity will automatically fetch the template and the database, merge and generate the output PDF files.