tFLOW Documentation - 11. Proof Approval

 
Proof Approval
 

Overview

Online proof approval is one of the main features of tFLOW. All artwork that is uploaded to the system is processed (preflighted and finished), along with proof creation. This capability removes the inefficiencies caused by the large number of emails generated when emailing multiple proofs, revisions, and feedback to multiple users. In tFLOW, proofs, comments and annotations, activity, and job characteristics are all stored in one centralized location where everyone can access and view the same data.

Proof Window

To access the Proof window, double-click on any Job, or click on the Open Job button.

 

Upon opening a job, the job’s proof will appear in the main window:

 

The proof window is divided into three main sections:

Top bar – The job number and current job state are displayed on the left. In the center are the most common commands available for the job given its current state and your user permissions. In the example above, the job is awaiting approval, so the two available options are Approve and Reject. On the right of the top bar is the Proof/Production File toggle button.  Users (all site owners by default) which have permission to view the production file can use this button to toggle back and forth between the proof and production files. Users who do not have the permission (non-site owners by default) will only see the “Proof” label, but it will not serve as a button. The button with the three dots to the far right opens the drop-down menu with all job options the current user has available. See the section Order and Job Management for an explanation of Job options.

Approving and Rejecting – The options to Approve or Reject will only be available if the status of the Job is set to Awaiting Approval, Awaiting First Approval, or Awaiting Final Approval. Both options of Approving or Rejecting will allow you to add a note along with your approval or rejection, which will be added as a comment to the conversation of that Job. If there are several revisions on the Job, the approval or rejection will happen on the latest version only. Scrolling to a previous version that is not the latest and clicking approve or reject does not take action on that item. Only on the latest revision.

If a particular artwork runs into a Preflight Error or Warning, instead of Approve or Reject, you'll see the options of "Approve Anyway" or "Reject". The job status when this displays is "On Hold" since technically, the file did not pass the Preflight script configuration. There are two choices here if you would like to proceed. You can Approve Anyway, with the error in place, or you can adjust the script settings to allow the file to bypass any default requirements.

For example, if your preflight script requires a minimum resolution of 300 dpi, but the file you received is 150 dpi, the Job will go into an "On Hold" status. The options of Approve Anyway or Reject will display. You can click Approve Anyway, OR you can change your Job product settings > Preflight Script and either turn off the resolution check, or reduce the value to 150 dpi so that once you save and it reprocesses, it passes preflight.

Preview window – The area below the top bar is the preview window, which displays the proof by default and can also display the production file for users with sufficient permissions. The proof layout, fields, and design are determined by the Product that was selected in the Order and Job setup. See section Product for more information on defining the proof layout. You may adjust the proof visualization using the toolbar below. The revision selector allows you to move between revisions (if there are more than one); the zoom button allows you to zoom in and out as well as fit to screen, and the page selected allows you to move between pages of the proof (if there are more than one).

Comparing revisions – if there is more than one revision, you can make an overlay comparison by selecting the Compare proof (or also compare production file with the necessary permission) using the Proof button. The preview will display all unchanged elements in grey and all changes in pink.

 

 

Select Proof using the same button to return to the normal proof view.

Disclaimer – at the bottom of the page there is a disclaimer. You can turn this on and off as well as set the message and color in System settings: General.

Toolbar – to the right is the job toolbar. See section Order and Job Management for more information on the options available in the toolbar. Note: There is one feature which is available only in the proof view which pertains to messaging: Annotations.

Annotations – you may mark up the proof with circles, squares, post its, and pin drops, and this functionality is very useful when communicating within the team as well as with customers. To access annotations, open the messaging tool from the top on the right. Add any message by entering text at the button, and the annotation button will activate. Select the annotation tool you want to add to the proof and it will appear in the upper left. You can reposition and resize as needed - once placed correctly, click the send button to post the message and annotation.

 

 

Messages with annotations work the same as other messages, including email notifications, ability to reply, edit, choose between public and private, etc. For more information on messages, see the section Order and Job Management.

Job Selection – If you want to move on to another job within the order once you have reviewed the current job, you can use the job selector from the toolbar at the right.

 

 

To leave the job completely, you can navigate back to the Orders or Jobs screens by clicking the left navigation bar, or by clicking on the back arrow next to the job name to move up on level back to the parent order.