Print partners

You can connect your export profiles to a print partner, which allows your users to order documents directly from any of the predefined print partner. By combining user groups and print partners in the export settings, you can make sure that every user can only order documents from the print partner that is best for the user.

On the print partner page in the Layouts extension (in the admin console), you can configure a print partner. This print partner can then be connected to a specific export profile.

To set up a print partner, follow these steps

• Go to your Admin Console
• Click on the Layouts extension
• Go to the "Print partners" page
• Click on the "New print partner" button on the top right
• Give it a name and continue

The detailed configuration is divided into a few steps.

FTP server settings

Since the exported pdf, together with a job description xml, will be send to the printer via FTP, it is required to set up an ftp connection. You can ask your print partner for the required information.

In the file path section, you can add the folder name in which the files will be dropped on the printers' FTP server.

Job description variables

You will want to create an order form that your users can use to place an order. Kadanza offers a flexible toolkit that allows admins to create virtually any order form, containing all the information that your printer requires to complete the order.

Click "Add new" to add a new attribute. It will be added at the bottom of the list, but with the drag handles next to the attribute you can move it up or down in the list.

The available xml attributes are:

• Title: to create sections with titles in your order form
• Help text: to add some explanatory text in the order form
• Divider: to create sections divided by... a divider
• Text: a regular text input field
• Textarea: a text input field for long text
• Integer: a regular input field for numbers only
• Email: a field for email addresses
• Dropdown: can contain different options, for example if a user can only choose from predefined numbers or options
• Checkbox: a checkbox that can be used for extra options in the order
• Date: a date selector

With these attributes, admins can create a custom order form containing whatever information is needed for the printer. Make sure to check "User entry" if the attribute needs to be completed by the user, and use "Required field" if fields should be required. As long as no value is entered in a required field, the user won't be able to proceed to the next step.

Job XML template

Now we get to the technical part... And that is why we leave this rather vague, as the amount of possibilities are endless. Your template development partner, or your print partner can assist on setting up the perfect order xml.

Depending on how your printer would like to receive the order information, you can use the data from the job description variables and draft an XML template. This is especially convenient when your printer uses automated workflows, in which XML files should have a very specific structure.

To create the job XML template, we use Twig. In the xml, it is possible to capture data from variables in the CHILI document. Make sure to discuss the options with your print partner or your template development partner in order to create the order xml.