System Overview

When you look at the modules of PlanSystem3 that are used on a daily basis, you can see that it consists of three tiers: Edition Planning, Production Control, and Workflow. These modules are used to create and maintain the edition plan, keep track of the production and offer workflow to all the users.

PlanSystem3 also has tools running in the background for administration, automation and connections to other systems.

PlanSystem Services are the heart of the system, and make sure that users can easily use the system to its fullest potential.

Used Daily

Production Control Module

PlanControl
Senior management production monitoring and control

PlanControl presents authorized users complete access to every aspect of the production workflow. Graphic displays provide the necessary information to reassign work, investigate layout inconsistencies and view the entire system’s work-in-progress. PlanControl also lists jobs per group or user, assignment of jobs, and offers various status details and the ability to run deadline reports.

Edition Planning Module

PlanMaker
Builds the edition plan of a publication

PlanMaker is the application to create the edition plan (also called flat plan or mock-up) of a publication.

PlanMaker shows the production progress in real-time by displaying status information and thumbnails of the pages as they move through the production cycle.

When used in either a creative or production-driven environment, PlanMaker provides significant management control of all aspects of the publication process. Within PlanMaker, managers can assign stories or products to planned pages, designers refine layouts and production staff refine content and finalize design. As production proceeds, the plan is automatically updated with page thumbnails and complete status information on every page and planned entity.

PlanMaker users can make a direct link to the production environment. Template documents can be dragged into the edition plan for automatic creation of layout, text or image files. Jobs that are created previously can be assigned to the edition plan by simply dragging them onto the edition plan. Of course, PlanMaker maintains a link between the page numbers as used in production and in the edition plan.
Graphic displays and control of signatures and inserts, real-time space allocation ratios and the ability to import data from advertising databases are some of the other cross-department features.

PlanView
Displays the edition plan of a publication via the Internet

PlanView allows staff worldwide to see the production progress from any Internet connection. Publication staff can review the status of their page process via the Web using a Web browser. This view shows element and page status, including page thumbnails. Perfect for out-of-office personnel, offsite prepress houses and anyone who needs secure, read-only access to production progress information.

PlanView offers three view modes, which are “Read Only”: An item mode (edition planning), a thumbnail mode and a status-view mode.

Workflow Module

PlanJob
Displays the user’s personal workflow

PlanJob offers everyone working for your publication the possibility to check-out and check-in jobs from any place in the world that connects to the Web. PlanSystem3 tracks the tangible and the intangible – a job doesn’t need a file. JobBags™ allow a single item or an entire section to be managed as a unit.

PlanJob offers:

PlanSystem3 Plug-Ins & XTensions
PlanSystem3's unprecedented flexibility allows you to leverage current functionality, in addition to experience and knowledge of point applications, through a direct connection via the PlanSystem3 palette within your page layout and copyediting applications. Plug-Ins & XTensions allow you to:

Running in the Background

PlanAction
A powerful tool that enables any manual task within the system to be automated via scripting capabilities

PlanAdmin
A system administrative module used to create settings within the PlanSystem Server

PlanConnect
Customized, bi-directional connection to third-party systems, including ad systems, digital asset management, and MIS systems

PlanSystem Services
The heart of PlanSystem3, managing and controlling the system

The PlanSystem Server takes care of the connection to the database and the file storage, to make sure that the users can access the jobs they have permissions for. The clients connect to the PlanSystem Server, so they don’t need direct access to the file storage and database.

PlanSystem WebServer
The basis of PlanView

PlanSystem File Transaction Module
An optional module that gives more flexibility in installations with remote sites

The PlanSystem Server reads from the database if there is a File Transaction Module available (in any remote site) that can handle this request to retrieve a file, and if so, where it resides. The PlanSystem Server connects the specific File Transaction Module and returns a reference to this module to the client. The client now gets the requested file directly from the (local) File Transaction Module. The file transfer happens only on the LAN.

The File Transaction Module does not need much configuration. It will run on Microsoft® Windows® NT/2000/2003 and MacOS X as a faceless service. It will wait and respond to requests from the PlanSystem Server.

PlanSystem Preview Module
This module creates previews of all jobs that have files of the following file types: PDF, PCX, PNG, PPM, PSD | PBM | PGM, TGA, TIFF, JPEG, GIF*, IFF | ILBM, RAS, EPS, ICO, MNG | JNG, WMF | EMF | APM, PSP, JP2 | JPC (JPEG 2000), YUV, CUT. These previews are readily available in all the job lists and on the edition plan.

System Requirements

PlanSystem3 is developed to be used on Macintosh® and Microsoft® Windows® platforms.

To use PlanSystem3, your system must meet the following hardware and software requirements:

PlanSystem Services

PlanSystem Clients

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