Atomyx Portal is a new ‘out of the box’ PDF job submission portal system from Belgian developer Four Pees.
It’s intended to streamline PDF file submission with built-in quality control and correction, gathers required job information (metadata) and provides immediate client feedback.
The software is based on the Drupal open source content management system, with preflight and correction technology from callas software. Using Drupal makes customisation, extension and custom branding easier where needed. ‘But our goal was to create something that works out of the box,’ said David van Driessche, Four Pees’ chief technology officer. ‘Customisation is important, but our number one concern was to make sure this product could be deployed easily and quickly.’
In use, customers choose a product in the portal and upload their files using any web browser. The embedded callas pdfToolbox preflighting system gives immediate feedback on the quality of the uploaded files; if problems are found they are highlighted to the clients so that files can be corrected and re-submitted. Low res previews can optionally be generated and displayed to customers.
At the receiving end the preflighted and approved jobs are delivered in a structured way; each product can be delivered to a different output folder if needed. All metadata for the submitted jobs is available in an XML file next to the job, ready for further processing either manually or automatically.
Although Atomyx Portal is a standalone solution, it can also be a starting point for further automating a company’s workflow, Four Pees said. Information in the XML metadata can be used for integration with an MIS system or workflow system. Four Pees has its own system, Atomyx Automation. ‘While our goal was to create something that works out of the box, customisation is important,’ said Mr van Driessche.
The price is 5000 Euros (currently about £4028), plus a maintenance contract priced at 20% per year (about £800). Alternatively it can be rented for about @200 per month including all updates and upgrades.
Contact: www.atomyx.net
