The Grouping dialog offers all the functionality to group multiple pages and identify these as documents, group multiple documents for the same receipient into sets (mail pieces), sort the documents in each set, and sort all sets in the required order.
Each section describes one of these steps:
A document break is a delimiter that marks the end of one document and the beginning of another, and can be defined based on a fixed number of pages, data contained on a page, or data changing between pages.
You start defining a document break by selecting one of the break types from the Break Type listbox:
This inserts a document break after a certain number of pages. To set the number of pages, click in the Break value field and type in the number of pages.
This inserts a document break when the value of the datasource you select in the Datasource listbox changes.
For example, you might create a document area datasource around the region in an invoice that contains the invoice number so that every time the invoice number changes, a document break is inserted.
There are two additional options that determine the behaviour:
This inserts a document break when the value of the datasource you select in the Datasource listbox equals the value you type into the Break value box.
For example, you might create a document area datasource around the region in an invoice that contains the total amount due for an account. In this way, when the total amount due appears in the invoice, you insert a document break.
For both break types, Datasource contents changes and Datasource contents equals, you may specify whether this is the first or last page of the document in the Break Meaning box.
The mail piece size limits area of the dialog enables you to specify the maximum number of pages that can go in an envelope. This depends on the inserter you are using, and is often also dependent on the processing options you have selected for your job (e.g. fold type).
You may create up to two groups: Normal mail piece sizes and - optionally - medium mail piece sizes. The program automatically always creates an additional group with so called Overcount items containing mail pieces that have more pages than the maximum specified.
When you have selected a scancode, the program normally knows the inserter you are using and the settings you have made. Usually, the program will then show the setting as recommended by the manufacturer. However, you may disregard these recommendations and enter your own size limits.
Set grouping enables you to group documents for the same receipient into a single mail item (set). The overcount splitting feature allows you to control what is done when the total number of pages of all documents for a single receipient is larger than the maximum for a mail piece.
The Set Grouping dialog allows you to specify the datasource you want to use for grouping and the type of set grouping you want to carry out:
Using this option the documents are processed as single documents and no attempt is made to group documents into sets.
Using this option, documents for the same receipient are grouped into sets, keeping the documents in their original order (the order in the file(s) they are in).
This is done by first grouping the documents on the datasource you have specified to be used for set grouping. Multiple documents for a recipient remain in the order they were in the linked file(s). The documents are then merged together into sets. This is done by taking the first document and then go through the additional documents sequentially and adding them to the set as long as the maximum number of pages is not reached. If the maximum number of pages is reached, an additional set is made if overcount splitting is enabled. When overcount splitting is not enabled, the set will be treated as overcount group.
Using this option, documents for the same receiver are grouped into sets in such a way that a minimum number of sets is created.
This is done by first grouping the documents on the datasource you have specified to be used for set grouping. Then the number of pages in each of the documents for the same receipient is compared. The documents are then moved around the sets so that an optimum best fit is made in relation to the size of the sets and maximum number of pages in the sets as defined.
This option should be strongly considered if the file being processed contained multiple initial documents that are all going to the same recipient as it can result in substantial postal savings through reduced envelope usage and postage costs.
Please note that multiple sets will only be made is Overcount splitting is enabled. Otherwise the set will be treated as overcount group.
The program has the ability to identify any mail pieces that have too many pages for automatic processing and print them separately for manual processing. These are Overcount items.
The set grouping feature of the program identifies documents intended for the same recipient and groups them together in one envelope (if the total number of pages is less than or equal to the maximum for automatic processing). However, if the total is over the limit, by default the whole set is put in the Overcount group.
The Overcount group splitting feature allows you to split overcount items with multiple documents for the same recipient into multiple sets in order to minimize the number of envelopes that must be processed manually.
When you enable this option, you are able to set a limit on the size of a group to be split. This prevents a very large group from being split into dozens of envelopes.
You may specify the order of the documents and the sets within the file.
The document order determines the order of the documents within the Normal group, optionally the Medium group, and the Overcount group as long as you have not made sets using the set grouping feature of the program. When you have made sets, the document order determines the order of the documents within each set and you can set the set order seperately (see below).
You set the document order by selecting a sort order in the Sorting Order listbox and a datasource you want to sort on.
The set order determines the order of the sets within the Normal group, optionally the Medium group and the Overcount group. You can for example sort on a datasource with the postcode or on a datasource with the Receipients names.
You set the document order by selecting a sort order in the Sorting Order listbox and a datasource you want to sort on.
Please note that you can only specify a set order after sets are made with the set grouping feature of the program. Otherwise the boxes will be disabled.
The job splitting feature allows you to split the output of your project in multiple groups. This can be useful if you have certain documents that you do not want to print or when you want to split the output based on the number of pages in each set. The groups you create can also be used to make selections for printing and when using multiple printers.
When making documents and sets, FlexStream will devide the sets in two default groups: the Normal group, with documents that have a maximum number that can handled by the insterter, and an Overcount group with sets with too many pages to process on the inserter. With Job splitting you can define additional groups into which the Normal group will be split.
You define additional groups by entering an name in the Name column of the box. Then click the Edit button to define a condition that the sets must meet in order to be selected in that group. You may define as many additional groups as you need.
The rules for the groups are evaluated from top to bottom. A set is added to the first group for which a condition is met. You can arrange the order of the groups with the Move up and Move down buttons. All sets that do not meet any of the rules that are defined for the groups will stay in the default Normal group.
You can evaluate the result of the job splitting on the Datsheet on which the groups are displayed.