Configure a Print Campaign: Message

Unlike most other channels in Cheetah Digital, the Message sub-section is not used to define the creative content of your marketing message. Your print piece must be created in some other software tool, such as Pageflex Studio. Instead, this sub-section is used to define the Campaign's output that will get sent to the print shop vendor.

The features and options available from the Message sub-section are described below. 

Configure Output

Define FTP Destination

The Message section allows you to define where the Campaign output file (or files) should be transferred. You can optionally define multiple destinations; for example, you might need to send one copy of the file to the print shop, and one to your internal auditing department.

Note: An FTP Destination consists of an FTP Profile along with a few additional parameters. FTP Profiles are reusable assets that are defined on the FTP Profiles screen. The FTP Destination, however, is not a reusable asset, and must be defined within each Campaign.

To define an FTP Destination:

  1. Click the new button (plus-sign icon). The "Create New FTP Destination" pop-up window is displayed.

  2. From the FTP Profile drop-down menu, select an FTP Profile.

  3. In the File Path field, enter the file path to the destination folder where the output file should be dropped, along with the output file name.

  4. Optionally, if using PGP encryption, place a check mark in the PGP Key check box, then enter the PGP encryption key.

  5. Optionally, if you want to compress the output file, place a check mark in the ZIP file check box.

  6. Optionally, the system allows you to append a variable to the file name, such as a datetime stamp or other Metadata value. From the Select a Merge Symbol drop-down menu, select the field that you want to append to the file name. The Merge Symbol text field is then populated with the Merge Symbol for this field (a Merge Symbol is a textual representation of the field value, such as "{(yyyy-MM-dd)}" for a datetime stamp, for example). You can modify this Merge Symbol, if necessary.

  7. When finished, click save ftp destination. The "Create New FTP Destination" window is closed, and your new destination appears within the Message section.

  8. To view or edit the FTP Destination, click on its name. To remove an FTP Destination from the Campaign, click the X icon to the right of its name.  

  9. Optionally, repeat the above steps as needed to define additional FTP Destinations.  

Define the Output File

The Message section allows you to define the Print Campaign's output file that gets sent to the print shop vendor.

The platform provides several different options for defining this output file. You can create a custom layout right from within the Campaign screen, or you can assign an existing layout in the form of a Data File Template or a Dynamic Data File Template. If you're using Pageflex Studio to build your print piece, you can output a PDF file (or other format) that contains the Pageflex document. To use the Pageflex integration feature, you must define the Pageflex document within Cheetah Digital as a Print Template.

Custom Layout

To define a custom layout:

  1. In the "Content" section click change. The "Choose Content Source" pop-up window is displayed.

  2. Click provide data file layout (this option is selected by default when you create a new Campaign).

  3. If you want your output file to contain a header row, place a check mark in the "Header" check box. If not, then uncheck this check box (the "Header" check box is checked by default).

  4. From the Delimiter drop-down menu, select a file delimiter character. Or select Fixed Width if you don't want a delimited file.

  5. From the Text Qualifier drop-down menu, select Single Quote or Double Quote if your file uses text qualifiers to enclose values. If not, select None.

  6. The next step is to define the columns that make up your output layout. Cheetah Digital offers two methods for defining these columns: add one column at a time, or add multiple columns. Both of these options are described below.

To add one column at a time:

  1. Click add new column. The "Data File Column" pop-up window is displayed.

  2. The "Data Source" drop-down menu is populated with all of the fields on the source table for this Campaign. From this menu, select a field.

  3. By default, the Header field is populated with the name of the selected field. This value will appear within the header row for this column. Optionally, you can override this value and enter a different Header value.

  4. Optionally, enter a default value in the "Default" field.

  5. Optionally, select a formatting mask from the Formatter drop-down menu. The formatting mask is used to control the appearance of the value in this field. For example, you can format date fields as "mm/dd/yyyy." The system includes formatting masks for dollar amounts, dates, numbers, and URLs. You can also use a formatting mask to truncate or encode the field value.

  6. Click save column. The system closes the "Data File Column" pop-up window. The new field is added to the end of the layout.

To add multiple columns:

  1. Click add multiple column. The Add Multiple Data File Columns pop-up window is displayed.

  2. The Select Fields list box is populated with all of the fields on the source table for this Data File Template. From this list box, select one or more fields (use Shift + Click or Control + Click to select multiple fields).

  3. Click add columns. The system closes the Add Multiple Data File Columns pop-up window. The new fields are added to the end of the layout.

    1. Note: When you use the "Add Multiple Columns" feature, the system applies certain default settings to each new field. The system will automatically use the field name as the header, the "default" value will be blank, and the system will not apply a formatting option. If you need to modify any of these settings for a specific field, click the edit button (pen icon) for that field.

  1. By default, new fields are added at the end of the layout. If you need to rearrange the field sequence, click on the grey section to the left of the field, and drag it to its new location. You can also reorder the fields using the "Col #" text field. Next to the desired field, type in a new column position. The system highlights this column in green to indicate that its position has been modified. Repeat this process as needed, then click Edit > Actions > Save in the Tool Ribbon to apply the changes.  

  2. If you need to remove a field, click the remove button ("X" icon). The field is grayed-out to indicate that it's been marked for deletion. To complete the removal, click Edit > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

  3. If you need to edit the properties for a field, click the edit button (pen icon). The "Data File Column" pop-up window is displayed. Make any necessary changes, then click save column.

  4. When finished, click Edit > Save in the Tool Ribbon.

Data File Template

To select a Data File Template:

  1. In the Content section click change. The "Choose Content Source" pop-up window is displayed.

  2. Click data file template. A Browse Data File Templates pop-up window is displayed.

  3. From the Browse Data File Templates pop-up window, you can click on a folder in the directory structure to see a list of all the Data File Templates stored within that Folder. Or, if you want to search across the entire system, click the double-left arrow icon near the top of the directory structure; the system collapses the directory structure and shows every Data File Template in the system. This pop-up window also allows you to search based on Tags, or by Data File Template name. When you find the desired Data File Template, click on its name.

Note: Data File Templates have to be created using the same source table as the Campaign in order for them to be available as a selection. See Data File Templates for more details. 

  1. The Content section is refreshed to show the name of the selected Data File Template.

Dynamic Data File Template

To select a Dynamic Data File Template:

  1. In the "Content" section click change. The "Choose Content Source" pop-up window is displayed.

  2. Click dynamic data file. A Browse Dynamic Data Files pop-up window is displayed.

  3. From the Browse Dynamic Data Files pop-up window, you can click on a folder in the directory structure to see a list of all the Dynamic  Data Files stored within that Folder. Or, if you want to search across the entire system, click the double-left arrow icon near the top of the directory structure; the system collapses the directory structure and shows every Dynamic Data Files in the system. This pop-up window also allows you to search based on Tags, or by Dynamic Data File name. When you find the desired Dynamic Data File, click on its name.

Note: Dynamic Data Files have to be created using the same source table as the Campaign in order for them to be available as a selection. See Dynamic Data Files for more details. 

  1. The Content section is refreshed to show the name of the selected Dynamic Data File.

Print Template

To select a Print Template:

  1. In the Content section click change. The Choose Content Source pop-up window is displayed.

  2. Click variable digital print. A Browse Print Templates pop-up window is displayed.

  3. From the Browse Print Templates pop-up window, you can click on a folder in the directory structure to see a list of all the Print Templates stored within that Folder. Or, if you want to search across the entire system, click the double-left arrow icon near the top of the directory structure; the system collapses the directory structure and shows every Print Template in the system. This pop-up window also allows you to search based on Tags, or by Print Templates name. When you find the desired Print Templates, click on its name.

Note: Print Templates have to be created using the same source table as the Campaign in order for them to be available as a selection. See Print Templates for more details. 

  1. The Content section is refreshed to show the name of the selected Print Templates.

  2. In the Tool Ribbon, click Edit > Save.

  3. The Production Job drop-down menu is populated with all of the Jobs Setups that were defined in the Pageflex project file (you must save the Campaign first, in order to get this menu to populate). The Job Setup  controls various aspects of the output file, such as output format, marks, sizes, and imposition. Select the desired Job Setup from this drop-down menu.

  4. If using Optical Mark Recognition, the "OMR Page #" field is used to indicate how many pages represent a single record. The system will put an OMR mark at the page interval that you enter here.

Configure PURL Options

A Personalized URL (PURL) is a website address that contains one or more personalized elements, such as the consumer's first name and last name, for example.

Before you can use a PURL in your Campaign, you must complete the following setup steps:

  • Create a PURL Field

  • Bind that PURL Field to a PURL Domain

  • Assign the PURL Domain to a Web Form

After you've completed all those steps, you can bind the Web Form to your Campaign. When you bind the Web Form to the Campaign, the platform will automatically generate the values for the PURL Field.

To bind the Web Form to your Campaign:

  1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Options > Add PURL Options. Within the Message section of the Campaign screen, the system adds a new PURL Setup section.

  2. The PURL field is used to select the Web Form. Either begin typing in the form name, or click the search button (magnifying glass icon) to search for it.

  3. From the URL Type drop-down menu, select either Prefix or Suffix to control where you want the personalization fields inserted into the URL.

For more information on setting up Personalized URLs, see the PURL Domains topic.

Configure Postal Processing Options

Cheetah Digital allows you to assign various assets to Print and Data File Extract Campaigns that control postal processing options. These assets include a Postal Pre-Sort and a Print Piece.

Postal Pre-Sort

A Postal Pre-Sort process is designed to sort the mail pieces into "delivery sequence order" prior to sending them to the postal processing facility. When you pre-sort your mailing, you're arranging the mail pieces into the order that the mail carrier will use when he or she actually delivers the mail. The U.S. Post Office offers significant postage discounts to mailers who pre-sort their mailings, because the process results in less work for them.

To add a Postal Pre-Sort process to a Campaign:

  1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Options > Add Postal Processing. Within the "Message" section of the Campaign screen, the system adds a new "Postal Processing" section.

  2. From the Postal Pre-Sort drop-down menu, select the desired Postal Pre-Sort process.

For more information on setting up Postal Pre-Sorts, see the Postal Pre-Sorts topic.

Print Piece

If your print shop vendor requires specific criteria about the piece that is being printed (such as its size and weight dimensions, delivery schemas, etc.), you can define that information within a Print Piece. The system will sent a file containing the Print Piece parameters, along with the Campaign output file, to the print shop vendor.

To add a Print Piece to a Campaign:

  1. If you haven't previously added Postal Processing options to this Campaign, click Options > Add Postal Processing in the Tool Ribbon. Within the "Message" section of the Campaign screen, the system adds a new "Postal Processing" section.

  2. The Print Piece field allows you to search for an existing Print Piece. Either begin typing in the Print Piece name, or click the browse button (magnifying glass icon) to browse for and select it. To view the details of the select Print Piece, click the jump-to button (green up-arrow icon). The system opens the Print Piece within a new tab in the Top Navigation Pane.

For more information on setting up Print Pieces, see the Print Pieces topic.

Other Parameters

The Postal Processing section allows you to define additional parameters about your Print Campaign.

  1. If you haven't previously added Postal Processing options to this Campaign, click Options > Add Postal Processing in the Tool Ribbon. Within the "Message" section of the Campaign screen, the system adds a new "Postal Processing" section.

  2. In the Estimated Drop Date field, enter the date when you expect your mail piece to be delivered to the Post Office.

  3. In the CASS / NCOA Date field, enter the date when you will process your audience addresses through CASS / NCOA.

Preview

The Preview window allows you to verify the contents of the output file. 

Preview Output File

Data File Output

If the Content Source for your Campaign is a data file, then the Preview feature will show you a spreadsheet-style view of the fields in your file.

To preview the layout of your Campaign output file:

  1. Click preview. The system displays a grid showing each column that you added to the Data File Template.

  2. The Dynamic Panel on the right-hand side of the screen lists all of the fields. To test how a value appears within a field, enter a value in the field within the Dynamic Panel, then click Preview Content > Refresh in the Tool Ribbon. The system refreshes the preview screen, and populates that field with your test value.

  3. When finished, click Preview Content > Close Preview to return to the main edit screen.

Variable Digital Print

If the Content Source for your Campaign is a Variable Digital Print file, then the Preview feature will show a mockup of your print content, along with any personalization fields.

To preview the content of your Campaign output file:

  1. Click preview. The system displays a mockup of your print content.

  2. The Dynamic Panel on the right-hand side of the screen lists all of the personalization fields used in this message. To test how a value appears within the message, enter a value in the field within the Dynamic Panel, then click Preview Content > Refresh in the Tool Ribbon. The system refreshes the preview screen, and populates that field with your test value.

  3. When finished, click Preview Content > Close Preview to return to the main edit screen.