Examination printing in practice
Due to the secure character the implemented Océ solutions in examination printing, the below image contains an anonymous version of an actual solution. If you are interested in more information please contact Océ Direct Export.
Description
In figure 8 the production phase of the examination process is visualized. On the left side the originals enter the production phase from creation. This can be either digital or in hardcopy form, where the information needs to be digitized with a scanner.
The next step is the preparation of the examination paper document. Before a digital file can be printed the file needs to be interpreted so the printer understands where to place toner dots and what to do. This is the Raster Image Processing or RIP. Besides the interpretation of the digital file the pages need to be arranged correctly prior to printing. This is impositioning and is different for an A4 document printed on A3 sheets that are folded and saddle stitched compared to A4 sheets. In this stage it can be decided to create multiple print files for every school as opposed to one single print file used for the entire run. In this stage additional information, such as barcodes can be added to the file as well. Barcodes can be placed on every exam or on additional cover pages per bundle.
In the figure the encrypted document database and production manager are two different entities, however in practice these two functions can be combined. For instance Océ PRISMAproduction can perform both tasks and the same holds for Océ PRISMAspool. For the document preparation step there are more possibilities. One way to add barcodes is with a programming script, another way to prepare is with document composition software such as Océ PRISMAprepare or Océ Document Designer Advanced (ODDA). As if this is not enough choice, there is also choice in the way of printing the document. This choice is between continuous feed systems that use rolls of paper as input and cutsheet systems that use pre cut paper as input. Both have their advantages compared to the other.
The finishing and wrapping can be arranged to the exact needs and requirements of the examination. For finishing a booklet can be chosen, a stitch in the corner or many other forms. For wrapping clear and non-clear shrink-wrap can be chosen.
Important to recognize is the flexibility and scalibilty of a digital production process.
