Digital products in NeoPackProfessional
Applies to: NeoPack Version 4.6 and above
A long standing feature of the Timestone Software Internet Ordering System (IOS) is the ability to offer digital products to online customers. These products need not only be the subject image but in fact may be any product such as composites, memory mates, calendars and bookmarks.
It is imperative the reader be familiar with digital products. To this end the following document should be consulted before continuing.
Defining products for digital download
Prior to Version 4.6 of NeoPack only IOS orders downloaded to Fulfill could be handled as digital orders. With Version 4.6 support was added to handle online orders downloaded into Orders Mode (pre-orders) as well as Paper Orders (orders entered by barcode, text file or keyboard).
Key Points
- Any order may be handled as a digital order regardless of whether they are paper orders or have been downloaded from IOS
- Does NOT require the Timestone Software Internet Ordering System (IOS)
- Customer or subject receives an email with links to download the digital products in their order
- For IOS orders, email is sent to the customer
- For paper orders, email is sent to address entered in the subject's email field
- Available for all product types - image, portrait, composite and group - including subtypes and versions
- Filters in Queue Mode allow for batching digital products before uploading
Defining the digital products
Digital products handled in NeoPack are defined in the same manner as those offered in IOS and processed with Fulfill. They are described in this document.
Defining products for digital download
IOS pre-orders
IOS pre-orders are orders from IOS that are downloaded into Orders Mode. Prior to Version 4.6 it was not possible to handle digital IOS pre-orders. In fact the user was prevented even uploading a job with digital products if the orders were to be downloaded as pre-orders rather than processed in Fulfill. With the advent of Version 4.6, these orders can be now processed in NeoPack. The customer receives an email with links to download their digital products.
For digital products originating from an IOS pre-order, the IOS customer receives an email once the products are 'printed' in NeoPack.
Paper orders
Any paper order may contain digital products as defined in the document above
Since paper orders are subject specific (as opposed to online orders which belong to a customer) it is the subject who receives an email with links to download their digital products. It is therefore necessary for the subject to have an email address entered into a global email subject field.
Figure 1: A global subject email field available for all seasons, all workspaces and all accounts
For digital products originating from paper orders the subject receives an email at the address entered into the subject's email field once the products are 'printed' in NeoPack.
Composites and Groups
Composites (from NeoComposite and CompositeBuilder) and named groups (from NeoGroup and GroupBuilder) may also be offered as digital products in IOS pre-orders and paper orders however these products must be handled through NeoPack. It is not possible to upload these products from within NeoComposite and NeoGroup.
Filtering the queue for digital products
A filter in Queue Mode allows the digital products in the queue to be isolated and hence 'printed' as a batch.
Figure 2: Queue Mode with the output filter set to 'Digital' (highlighted)
Printing the digital products
Upon 'printing' the digital products they are sent to the Timestone Software Fulfill application for processing and uploading. Digital products are processed via the Timestone Software Fulfill application.
The procedure for uploading digital products can be summarised as follows
- In Queue Mode select the digital products
- 'Print' the products to bitmap or use the upload the icon on the toolbar
- The digital products willl be sent to Fulfill for processing
- Fullfill renders the products, uploads them to the cloud server and sends an email to the subject or customer as appropriate
Users of the Timestone Software Internet Ordering System (IOS) use their normal connection and login credentials when launching Fulfill. Users without IOS will be given connection and log-in credentials specific to their location.
Figure 3: Fulfill processing digital orders coming from NeoPack's Queue Mode
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