Web-to-Print and Pre-flighting System for XL Displays
- Online proofing and pre-flighting system enables customers to proof their own artwork.
- Simple integration with the existing website eliminates the need for an extensive rebuild.
- Print rules and fixes applied via Enfocus Pitstop.
The ambition
XL Displays is the UK’s leading exhibition and events stand provider. Its customer base ranges from household brands such as John Lewis, Toni & Guy and Unilever to SMEs.
Each stand requires at least one piece of large format artwork, and more complex stands often require multiple artwork files.
The previous eCommerce website relied on a team of in-house designers to manually proof and amend customer-uploaded artwork. This was a time-consuming and labour-intensive process that added time and cost to each order. This limited the number of orders that could be managed, and took the design team away from more valuable creative work.
XL Displays approached us to streamline this process and provide customers with an efficient way of proofing and pre-flighting their own artwork.
What we did
After conducting an in-depth analysis, we collaborated with XL's web and design team to identify the technical and commercial requirements of the project. Our objective was to create a flexible solution that would enhance the speed and efficiency of proofing and pre-flighting artwork, which would enable customers to upload their artwork through a simple web browser interface. Once uploaded, the artwork would be proofed against the specific requirements of the product they were purchasing.
XL can manage the proofing criteria on a product-by-product basis, which makes it easy to add new products quickly. The proofed and pre-flighted artwork is stored securely in an online Artwork Store, which is accessible to the production team for future use.
![Artwork upload]()
Artwork Upload and Proofing Requirements
The Web-to-Print Platform's Artwork Upload and Proofing feature was tailored to meet XL Displays' specific requirements, taking into account the following considerations:
- Some products require multiple artworks – e.g. front and back or a product comprising an exhibition stand with an associated plinth. The uploader guides the customer using visual prompts to the artwork needed at each step.
- All products require large-format printing - the artwork files are often large and processor-intensive. A purpose-designed hosting solution and integrated process balancing allow the system to manage this load smoothly.
- Some products have guides which help customers visualise which parts of the artwork will be on the edges or curves of the stand - the customer can toggle these on and off during the preview step.
- Some products require overlays to be added to artwork to assist with production (e.g. cut marks). These can be defined on a product-by-product basis and added to the artwork during the pre-flighting step automatically.
We developed a purpose-designed UX treatment and back-end processing system.
Automated Pre-flight Fixes
The Online Studio Service integrates with Enfocus Pitstop for standard proofing and pre-flighting, providing a wide range of checks such as:
- page size with the option to automatically scale to the correct size within a predefined tolerance
- remove bleed, crop and trim marks ready for printing
- automatically add printing cutter guides
- colour conversion to CMYK
- identification of low-resolution images
- correct overprint and transparencies
- embed fonts
- remove any hidden objects in the file
Where appropriate, fixes can be auto-applied to the artwork. In other circumstances, such as low image resolution, these can be flagged to the customer so that they can choose how to progress. The customer can also request the XL Displays design team’s help fixing the artwork at any point.
![automated preflight image]()
![artwork store]()
Artwork Store
The finalised artwork that has been proofed and pre-flighted, along with the source artwork files, is securely stored in the Artwork Store for easy access by the production team.
The Artwork Store generates previews of the proofed artwork automatically to present to the customer. Upon request, XL Displays can also generate 3D renders of the finished exhibition stand, providing the customer with extra peace of mind about the final product's appearance.
In cases where the customer has been unable to fully proof and pre-flight the artwork, the source artwork is stored in the Artwork Store, and the order is flagged for review by the design team.
Integration with the existing website
The Online Studio Service has been designed to be conveniently integrated into XL Display's current website.
By simply adding a call to the service on any page of the website, users can easily access and use the Studio Service.
This light integration approach eliminated a complete redevelopment of XL's existing website and eCommerce system. This helps to avoid incurring additional costs and business disruptions.
![integrations image banner]()
API Development
An API was created to allow the website - as well as other systems such as CRM and production systems - to access artwork, previews, statuses, and other data directly from the Studio Service. This approach simplifies integration and enables updating of data within the system as needed.
The results
The Online Studio Service provides a highly effective solution for XL Displays to streamline the process of proofing and pre-flighting artwork for their exhibition stands.
It allows customers to proof and pre-flight their artwork, while the in-house version of the system speeds up the routine proofing and pre-flighting work done by the design team. Overall, this service significantly improves the speed and efficiency of the entire artwork upload and proofing process.
This delivers significant business impact, resulting in the following benefits:
- reduced lead times
- increased capacity/business scalability
- reduced human error
- increased customer buying confidence
- and lowering the cost per sale
The simple integration with their existing website meant XL Displays benefits from the above without having to redevelop the entire website and ordering systems. Furthermore, they can effortlessly add new products to their website and utilise this functionality. This means that the solution is future-proof and can be scaled to meet the changing needs of the business.
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