Variable Tickets with a special inserts

[kklansky]

Hello All - I am trying to figure out a way to run a variable ticket job with special inserts. The variable tickets are fairly straight forward... (tickets are 2x5") with some basic numbering...let's say 1-1000. The tickets are imposed onto 8.5x11 sheets...but not necessarily imposed as a cut and stack. Here's the special part...I'd like the first 8 sheets (set) with tickets 1-125, the second 8 sheets (set) with ticket numbers 126-250, third set of 8 sheets with ticket numbers 250-375 and so on. In between each set, I'd like to pull an insert sheet and put on the insert sheet the ticket numbers in the set. So, for the first set, pull an insert sheet and on the sheet write "tickets 1-125" (or something of that nature...it could just be "1-125"), then print the first 8 sheets of tickets 1-125. Then pull another insert sheet and on it write, "tickets 125-250" and then print the sheets of tickets 125-250 etc. Does this make sense? The variable tickets I can do...it's pulling inserts and then on those inserts writing the ticket numbers on them....that's the tricky part I am having trouble figuring out. Would anyone know how I might write a javascript or something to do this sort of job? Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Dan Korn]

You can add an Unused Body page and set it up as a Slip Sheet on the Imposition tab of the Composition Settings dialog. Add a text frame to the Slip Sheet page and include a simple rule which sets the ticket numbers for the range.

[kklansky]

Hi Dan - thank you so much for your reply. As you suggested, I added an unused body page and invoked it as a slip sheet from the Imposition tab in the Composition Settings. I created the text box on that page...but still not sure how to create that rule which sets the ticket numbers for the range. Would you be able to give me an example of how to create that simple rule? Would that be an empty rule with a javascript? Or a drag and drop rule? I am new to FP and am trying to get the hang of putting the rules in place. Thanks so much for your help.

[Dan Korn]

If I understand the requirements correctly, you're outputting the slip sheets at regular intervals (every 125 tickets), so you don't actually need a JavaScript rule to define the ranges. If you're not doing stacked imposition, then on the Imposition tab of the Composition Settings dialog, under "Slip Sheet", you can simply set the drop-down list to "Beginning of every # sheets" and set whatever number you want. If you are doing stacked imposition, then you want to set that drop-down to "Beginning of a stack," and then in FP Imposer, you can just set the stack depth (count) to however many sheets you want in a stack.

 

This assumes that you already have a basic ticketing-type job set up, with an Input Source of "None" and a text frame calling out the $inputrecordnumber variable, where you're setting the overall Record Range on the Input tab of the Composition Settings dialog.

 

Where you do need a rule is for the range to display on the slip sheet itself. FusionPro knows the record number you're on, so you can just add the number of records overall in the range, something like this:

return FusionPro.Composition.inputRecordNumber + " to " + (125 + FusionPro.Composition.inputRecordNumber);

Just insert the name of that rule into a text frame on the slip sheet page.