Flows can be configured in the Define Flows section. Each flow carries a name and contains one or more Processing Rules. Similar to configurations, Flows can be created with or without a Queue and managed in the same way.

In the Overview, Flows are identified by a dedicated orange flow icon. For better distinction, configurations have their own blue icon.

Define Flows

Existing Flows can be selected from the drop-down menu. The sorting order of the menu items can be changed with the icon next to the menu:

• Sort Order: Default – sorts the list of Flows by its IDs from lowest to highest number. Therefore, the Default sorting is not necessarily only sorting by creation date.
• Sort Order: Name (A-Z) – sorts the list of Flows alphanumerically with numbers on top followed by the alphabets.
• Sort Order: Modification Date – the last modified or created Flows are on top of the list.

Create, Rename, Delete and Save Flows

New: Creates a new Flow.

Rename: Can be used to change the name of an existing Flow.

Delete: Deletes the selected Flow.

Save: Saves the selected Flow.

Processing Rules form the core of all Flows. A processing rule can include one or more Conditions. If a condition is met, a Procedure can be defined, which will then be executed. The next step after that can be defined as well. If a condition is not met, an alternative procedure and an alternative next step can both be defined.

New: Opens the Edit Processing Rule dialog that allows defining a new rule with  Conditions and Procedures for the selected Flow.

Edit: Allows processing rules to be modified as needed. Rules can also be edited by double-clicking on them.

Delete: Removes the selected processing rule from the Flow.

Edit Processing Rule

Name: The name of the processing rule must be entered here. Without a dedicated name a processing rule cannot be saved.

Conditions

One or multiple conditions can be defined per rule. All specified conditions must be met for the rule to be applied. If multiple conditions are defined, the Filter Logic must be considered; see the section on Filter Logic below.

Select the Condition(s) that must be met for the filter rule to be applied:

1. Select the Condition Type from the first drop-down menu
   If Output Intent is selected, the More Options button becomes available. Click this button to select the appropriate ICC profile.
2. Select the Comparison Option from the second drop-down menu. Only applicable comparison options are available
3. Specify the Comparison Criteria: In the text field, enter the value or text that the condition will be compared against

The following Conditions are available:

Always: No conditions need to be met; the selected Procedure is always carried out.

File Name: Enter the name of the file. The file name does not have to be entered exactly and is not case sensitive. Wildcards can also be used for file names:

• The * wildcard stands for any number of characters.
  Example: CL*.pdf finds all files whose name begins with “CL” and ends with “.pdf” – e.g. CL_report.pdf or CL123.pdf.
• The ? wildcard refers to exactly one character.
  Example: CL testpage V?.pdf would find CL testpage V5.pdf or CL testpage V9.pdf, but not CL testpage V11.pdf, as “11” contains two characters. To cover two characters, either use ?? or *.

Note: For wildcards to function correctly, the comparison option matches expressions with wildcards must be selected rather than equal to.
If several names are to be accepted, enter each one using wildcards and separate them with a semicolon (without spaces).
Example: CL*;ColorLogic*

If a search term contains a semicolon and should not be interpreted as a separator, enclose the entire term in quotation marks.
Example: “CL;must be”

File Size: Enter the file size using one of the following units: B, KB, MB, GB, or TB. The input is not case-sensitive, and spaces between the number and unit are optional.

If no unit is specified, bytes (B) are assumed by default.

Note: If the comparison criterion in range is selected, a unit can also be specified for the range.
Example: 10MB-20MB refers to a size between 10 and 20 megabytes.

Note: While some systems use 1000 as the conversion factor, the Flows tool uses 1024 (e.g., 1 KB = 1024 B, 1 MB = 1024 KB, 1 GB = 1024 MB, 1 TB = 1024 GB).

File Type: The following file types are supported: PDF, TIFF, PSD, PSB, JPEG.
Note: If multiple file types are to be accepted, use the comparison option is one of and list all file types separated by a semicolon (without spaces).
Example: TIF;JPG;PSD

Output Intent: Once the option Output Intent is selected from the Conditions drop-down menu, the More Options icon becomes available. Click this button to select the desired ICC profile.

Note: Select the equal to comparison option if the profile name should match exactly or use the is equivalent to comparison option if profiles that are similar to the selected profile should be treated as equivalent.
ZePrA contains an internal list of almost all known standard profiles. Many of these standard profiles are available in several naming variants which are also included in the list. These variants are the equivalent profiles recognized by ZePrA.

Equivalent profiles are for example: ISOcoated V2.icc, ISO coated V2 (300).icc, CoatedFOGRA39.icc, ISOcoated V2 (bas).icc

Note: If the text field of the comparison criterion is left empty, it is checked whether the PDF files have no output intent. This can be helpful for sorting out PDF files without an output intent.

Number of Pages: Enter the number of pages in the following formats:

• Single page: 5 (refers only to page 5)
• Page range: 2-6 (refers to pages 2 through 6)
• Multiple single pages: 5,7 (refers to pages 5 and 7 but not 6)
  Note: If the in range comparison option is selected, the comparison criteria must be specified as a comma-separated list of ranges or numbers.
  Example: 1-3,6-7 (refers to the pages 1,2,3,6,7).

Width: Refers to the width of either a pixel file (such as TIFF, JPEG, PSD or PSB) or the width of the media box of a PDF file.

Height: Refers to the height of either a pixel file (such as TIFF, JPEG, PSD or PSB) or the height of the media box of a PDF file.
Note: Units should be specified for Width and Height. The input is not case-sensitive, and spaces between the number and unit are optional.
Example: 5 cm, 5INCH – both are valid and represent 5 centimeters and 5 inches, respectively.
If no unit is provided, the value is interpreted as pixels by default.
When the comparison criterion in range is selected, ranges can also have units. Example: 10cm-20cm refers to a range between 10 and 20 centimeters.

More Options icon (button with dots): If applicable, a dialog box opens where the desired item can be selected.

+/- buttons: Add or remove a Condition

Filter Logic: Only applicable if there is more than one condition.

• or: Only one of the listed conditions is sufficient to initiate the respective Procedure
• and: All of the listed conditions must be met to initiate the respective Procedure

The operations which are to be carried out when the conditions are met can be defined in this section.

The following Operations are available:

None: No operation is performed.

Apply Configuration: The data is converted and processed according to the settings in the configuration. Use the More Options icon to select the desired Configuration.

Apply Flow: An existing Flow can be used and implemented as a self-contained step. Use the More Options icon to select the desired Flow.

External Command: After conversion, a file can be processed further by an application or a script file (e.g. a batch file under Windows or a shell script under macOS) which is to be used to open the converted file. This is equivalent to a drag-and-drop operation of the converted file onto the selected application or script.
For example, a script can be used to rename the file or add a number.

Path to Executable: Use the More Options icon to select a batch file or a Java Script file, whereby the path to the file is automatically specified. Example for a batch file: C:\CL\Temp\example.bat, example for a Java Script: C:\CL\Temp\example.js

Note: To use Java scripts, a Java Script runtime environment like Node.js must be installed.
Please make sure that the correct permissions are assigned to the script file, otherwise execution of the script will fail. This can be done via the console (terminal) with the command “chmod 755 /path/to/scriptfile.sh”.

Arguments: Specifies the command line arguments which are passed to the executable.

Time limit: Enter the time limit in seconds. If the script cannot be completed within the specified time, a timeout error is triggered.

Spot Color Report: Automatically creates a Spot Color Report. Click on the More Options icon to open the Spot Color Report dialog.

Select one or more configurations from the list which contain all settings for the conversion. Only Configurations which have the option Convert Spot Colors enabled are displayed in the list.
Note: Configurations that use PantoneLive spot color libraries are not listed here, as X-Rite/Pantone does not allow the export or embedding of the original PantoneLive spectral data.

Sort order: Sorts the spot colors in the list according to various criteria. When sorting by Delta E, spot colors with the lowest deltaE are listed at the top, and the highest deltaE at the bottom.

Format: The Spot Color Report can be saved in various formats:

• PDF
• HTML
• Text
• CGATS
• CxF
• JSON
• XML

Note: Saving as CGATS text and Color Exchange Format (CxF) allows the file to be opened in external tools such as ColorAnt. This way, the device values (DCS) after optimization by ZePrA and the resulting Lab values can be examined. The Lab values of the spot colors in this file reflect the actual achievable Lab values resulting from the conversion via ZePrA and may differ from the original Lab values (due to out-of-gamut or other limitations).

The two file formats JSON and XML of the list are optimized for machine reading and are best for use by external systems to extract data for reports.

Note: The original PDF or image files with spot colors to be checked will be copied to the Output folder with the job ID added to the file name (provided that hot folders are assigned to the flow).
If the original PDF or image files are to be optionally converted using the best suitable configuration according to the results of the spot color report, a second processing rule must be defined with an Appy Configuration procedure that uses the %BestConfiguration placeholder. This placeholder can either be entered manually or selected via the More options button from the Configuration drop-down menu.

Embed CxF/X-4 Data in PDF: Embeds spectral measurement data of spot colors (CxF/X-4 compliant) into a PDF/X file so that other CxF/X-4 compliant tools can extract or use this data. Embedding complies with the PDF 2.0 and CxF/X-4 specifications if corresponding measurement data is provided in the spot color libraries.
Note: CxF/X-4 data can only be embedded in PDF/X-compliant files – embedding in normal PDF files is not possible.
Embedding also allows the addition of measurement data containing only full tone spectral data, even if these are not CxF/X-4b compatible. (CxF/X-4b requires both full tone data and paper white data).

Only spot color libraries that contain spectral data are displayed in the list. PantoneLive libraries are not listed here, as X-Rite/Pantone does not allow exporting or embedding the original PantoneLive spectral data. Use the checkboxes to select one or more spot color libraries. The order of the libraries is relevant as ZePrA checks the list from top to bottom for matching spot color names and only uses those spot colors which names are identical to the names in the PDF/X- file. To change the order of the libraries, use the buttons on the right.

There are two drop-down menus in the dialog to specify what to do with existing CxF/X-4 data and what to do if a spot color name does not exist in a selected spot color library:

Handling existing CxF/X-4 data: Select from the drop-down menu how existing spectral spot color data should be handled.

• Always overwrite: Replaces any existing CxF/X-4 data with the data from the selected spot color library or libraries.
• Don’t overwrite: Keeps the existing data unchanged; no overwriting occurs.
• Overwrite if CxF/X-4 compliance is improved: Replaces the existing data only if the new data includes overprint information and improves compliance with the CxF/X-4 standard.

Undefined Spot Colors: If the name of a spot color cannot be found in a PDF/X file, there are three ways to handle this: Ignore it, Generate a Job Warning or Generate a Job Error.

Generate Job Error: This option displays a job error. Enter the message to be displayed in the text field. Error messages are displayed in the Overview > Processed Jobs list.

Generate Job Warning: This option displays a job warning. Enter the message to be displayed in the text field. The job warning will be displayed in the Overview > Processed Jobs list.

Add Information to Job Report: Enter the information to be added to the Job Report in the text field.

Copy File(s): Copies the processed file(s) to the folder specified here. Click on the More Options icon to select the folder.
If the text field remains empty, i.e. no folder is selected via More Options, the Output folder of the flow is automatically used.
Note: Only the resulting file(s) are copied, not the original one(s).

The next step after an operation has been completed must be defined. If a condition is not met, an alternative operation and an alternative next step can both be defined.

and continue with / and continue here: The drop-down menu contains all steps of the current Flow, along with an End and a Next Step option.

• Next Step: The processing sequence continues with the next defined rule in the Flows table. This is the default setting.
  Note: If a continue with/here sections step is set to Next Step, make sure that this is still OK if a change of steps has been done for the flow.
• Step 1, Step 2, …etc.: Sets one of the existing rules as the next processing step and ensures that a specific rule is applied next. This allows precise control over the flow’s progression.
  Note: When changing the order of steps in the Flows table, the continue with/here sections in the rule are changed accordingly if a dedicated step was selected. Only if a step has been deleted and that step was selected in a processing rule the continue with/here sections will change to End.
• End: This option stops further processing and should be selected if the current rule is to be the last processing step for the file. By default, files are processed sequentially through all steps from top to bottom.

The created processing rules are added to the table sequentially. The order of the rules is important, as the files are processed from top to bottom based on their order. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to move rules from one position to another or to place new rules between existing rules when adding them.

The position of rules can be changed by drag-and-drop. Alternatively, right-click on a rule and use the context menu to move it. The context menu also offers additional options such as Duplicate, Delete, Cut, Copy, and Paste. Cut, Copy, and Paste can be used to transfer or copy rules from one flow to another.

Active rules are displayed with a marked checkbox. Removing the check mark deactivates the rule so it is skipped during processing.

To import PantoneLIVE spot colors from the cloud into ZePrA, proceed as follows:

1. Select Spot Color Libraries from the sidebar and click on PantoneLIVE.
   
   
2. In the Login section you can either login using the User Name registered with Pantone or your e-mail address and your Password.
   
   Note: The login requires an active Internet connection and an activated PantoneLIVE license for ZePrA.
3. If your company uses a proxy server you can enter the required proxy settings under Proxy before logging in.
   
   

   Setting proxy server for PantoneLIVE

4. Your libraries will be displayed after successfully logging in.
5. Select the libraries to import and use in ZePrA by enabling the corresponding check boxes. Then click Update. The spot colors will be downloaded from the cloud while the progress is shown in the lower part of the window under Status. Imported libraries are marked as up to date while libraries which have not been imported are marked as not used.
   Note: Depending on the number of selected spot colors and the speed of your internet connection this may take some time. The dialog cannot be closed during download.
6. Once the selected libraries have been downloaded, you can close the dialog. Your PantoneLIVE libraries are now displayed under Libraries in the Manage Spot Color Libraries dialog and can easily be distinguished from other libraries by the Pantone icon.

• PantoneLIVE libraries can only be used in ZePrA while you are logged into PantoneLIVE. Once logged out, the libraries can no longer be used.
• As long as ZePrA is connected to the internet and you are logged into PantoneLIVE, imported PantoneLIVE libraries can be used without limitation.
• If you have not logged off from PantoneLIVE but the internet connection is interrupted, already imported PantoneLIVE libraries can be used until the expiration date. Typically, this is for one month. The remaining days are shown in the Information column. However, it is recommended to log in again as soon as possible to be informed about potential color updates or to prevent error messages because the libraries are not available.
• The revision number of PantoneLIVE libraries is displayed in the column Revision of the PantoneLIVE dialog and for already imported libraries in the column Information of the Manage Spot Color Libraries dialog. Additionally, the PantoneLIVE dialog indicates the Brand Owner and the column Dependent Standard Code shows a letter combination. This Code provides further information, among others the printing process and the paper of the selected library.
• When the revision number changes, or when spot colors have been updated in the cloud, the Status of the affected libraries will change in the PantoneLIVE dialog from up to date to needs update. In this case, click on Update and the libraries will be updated in ZePrA.
• Standard libraries can be edited in ZePrA, which means that spot colors can be copied, modified, deleted, or exported from one library to another, and Lab values can be edited. This is not the intention of PantoneLIVE libraries and are prevented by ZePrA.
• The Lab values of PantoneLIVE spot colors are displayed as rounded numbers in ZePrA; however, internally ZePrA calculates the spectral measurement values with full accuracy.
• To aid recognition of PantoneLIVE libraries, these libraries are marked with a PL: in the drop-down menus of the sub-dialogs under Configuration and in the Spot Color Report.

ZePrA allows direct access to PantoneLIVE®. A ZePrA spot color module license and an active PantoneLIVE® Production license from X-Rite are required. PantoneLIVE® libraries will then be available for use in ZePrA.

PantoneLIVE licenses are computer-bound and may even be application bound. If the computer (and ZePrA) is not enabled, you will receive the following error message in ZePrA (see screenshot):

To activate a PantoneLIVE license, open the page My PantoneLIVE of your My X-Rite account. The list with available licenses is found at the bottom of the page. If an Unused license is present, click Edit. This opens the dialog for this license, and you have two options to activate it:

1. Activate the license by selecting Use this activation yourself and click on Done. In ZePrA, you can close the error message with Cancel and login again. Since the activation has already been done on the My X-Rite website, entering the activation code is not required.
2. Do not change anything on the My PantoneLIVE website, simply copy the Activation Code and paste it into the error message in ZePrA. Then close the dialog box with OK. In this case, ZePrA completes the activation. The activation may be visible only after re-logining in on the My PantoneLIVE page.

Please check this YouTube video for the licensing procedure.

In case of problems with licensing please contact the X-Rite support.