Adobe InDesign + LAGO Layout for Efficient Marketing Production
The LAGO Adobe InDesign plugin lets you integrate your graphics department fully in your multichannel production process. LAGO Layout is seamlessly integrated into Adobe InDesign and supports designers in their daily work with extensive and intuitive functions. The plugin supports the entire bandwidth of production, from absolute creative freedom to a fully automatic layout.
At its core, LAGO is a PIM, DAM, and Marketing Production solution with an integrated checkpoint-based collaborative workflow, versioning optimisation, and proofing system.
With our exclusive InDesign plugin, Comosoft LAGO enables visibility into assets (DAM) and data (PIM), as well as the proofing and workflow modules – all without leaving InDesign. LAGO’s advanced, logic driven templates also help to automate page building and ensure consistent branding. LAGO helps design and production personnel focus on design and production, instead of the hunting and gathering of assets and data.
Comosoft LAGO is also integrated with Photoshop (via plug-in) to provide a seamless asset management solution. With this integration, we’re able to offer direct image check-in/out as well as automated import and export. Combined with its powerful workflow engine, LAGO enables seamless asset production and management.
Comosoft LAGO utilises Adobe InDesign Server to create previews, proofs, and final output throughout the production workflow. The creation of these assets can be triggered manually or automatically by workflow status.
What is LAGO?
LAGO automates and optimises multichannel marketing activities, significantly cutting production time and costs. LAGO has been a reliable multichannel marketing solution for over 25 years for Retail, Grocery, Agencies, and more.
At its core, LAGO is a PIM, DAM, and Marketing Production solution with an integrated checkpoint-based collaborative workflow, versioning optimisation, and proofing system.
Automated Catalog and Circular Ad Production With Adobe InDesign and LAGO
Core functions
- Print Production: Enable production teams to create compelling, data-intensive print catalogs and retail circulars on vast scale, but at a controlled cost.
- Digital Production: Manage and output content (including XML file) for the publication of online interactive digital circulars and digital catalogs.
- Proofing & Approval: Web-based system, powered by Adobe InDesign Server, provides user-friendly commenting tools and intuitive task lists for an all-inclusive proofing process.
- Versioning: Eliminate manual intervention from designers with automatic versioning for national, regional, market or customers specific variants.
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Data + Design = Productivity
Print Production
Your graphic artist can log on to the LAGO database via the InDesign plugin (LAGO Layout) and access all content. The integration is bidirectional, meaning that all adaptations entered by a graphic designer are automatically fed by the plugin and then automatically to the database. In addition, the direct link with the LAGO database means access at any time to the latest information from LAGO PIM and DAM systems. Prices, for example, can be updated on a page automatically within seconds.
Digital Production
A dedicated palette in Adobe InDesign enables users to create, manage and modify hotspot overlay coordinates directly on the layout. Gallery assets (images, videos, logos) and text for each product offer get automatically exported along with the resulting JPEG/PDF and XML file. The LAGO Digital Output module fully automates the creation of hotspot overlay coordinates and the assignment of gallery assets.
For publications with sophisticated graphics whose look and feel are determined by the work of a graphic artist, the LAGO Layout InDesign Plugin has an option for an entirely free layout. Graphic designers have access to product and asset data for placement on a page using drag & drop and arrange the page layout without creative limitations.
The LAGO Layout print plugin has a vast set of automation tools for every publication that must conform to a certain standard. For example, for faster page building, layout templates like price labels or product text elements can be placed onto a page using a drag & drop feature. After adding layout templates, the template’s placeholders automatically fill with the values of the selected product.
Product templates are available to the graphic designer to plan an entire product on one page with a campaign. These templates are composed of a combination of layout templates. This way, products can be placed in different designs and sizes on one page.
All publications, from flexible design to fully automatic, can be produced in versions. A separate InDesign document is reserved for each version, and the LAGO Layout plugin synchronizes the content between the versions. Creating versions makes it possible to cover the different version types required (region-specific, market-specific, or personalized for customers). However, specific adjustments may be necessary for each version. For example, rules are set up so that a German version of a catalog uses the “€” for pricing, and the “$” symbol appears in the American version.
Page templates are also configured and managed with the LAGO Print Plugin in a separate administration section. The page template is generated entirely in Adobe InDesign using its functions. Information from LAGO can link with the template, for example, to automatically insert headlines into a page. In addition, layout and product templates are created in the context of a page template. Placeholders can easily be integrated into a template using drag & drop. Administration of the LAGO templates is processed entirely via a GUI so that no programming knowledge is required.
Print Production Features
- Fully bidirectional integration in InDesign
- Supports Free & Template-Based Layouts
- Access to all product and asset data in LAGO
- Direct access to product-specific data within the product context
- Check in / out of assets for direct processing in Photoshop
- Placeholders for direct use of all PIM data in a page context
- Auto updating of placeholder & layout content in the document
- Automatic pre-placement of product layouts based on templates
- Administration and editing of page templates directly in InDesign
- Administration of style templates using page templates
- Retrieval of pages using workflow orders
- Direct displaying of correction marks in document as part of a correction and release workflow
- Work with language or regional versions
- Manual synchronization of layouts between different versions
Digital Production Features
- Automatic and/or manual creation of hotspot overlay coordinates
- Automatic generation of XML and JPEG/PDF for the selected page based on workflow status with the following info:
- Project data fields/properties
- Project variant data fields/properties
- Document details and product/offer assignment
- Hotspot overlay coordinates with product/offer association
- Product/Offer information with attributes, prices, and asset assignments
- Automatic and manual assignment of gallery assets and component text associated with products/offers
- Configurable export definition (which data fields should be part of Digital Output’s XML
- Supports versioned and LAGO compressed pages
- Output store codes associated to project variants for downstream mapping
- Dedicated palette in InDesign for overlay, gallery asset, and main text management
Industries that already use LAGO
Browser Based Proofing
As InDesign documents save in LAGO, a proof of the page is automatically generated for all users to mark up and review in our new browser-based HTML5 LAGO Proof solution. Proofs are accessible through the LAGO jobs list or standard document list. They are a part of the integrated LAGO workflow with permission-based control for accessibility and task allocation. In addition, when proofs open in the proofing area, a set of easy-to-use commentary tools are made available for each user to mark up changes directly to the proof.
When corrections are marked-up and saved on a LAGO proof, the corrections are automatically linked in position and made visible to the layout page in InDesign page. This allows the layout artist and copywriters access to the corrections made during a round of proofing without having to leave their layout application. Additionally, there are a set of correction tools available in InDesign giving the layout artist and copywriters the ability to create corrections and manage corrections within the layout application. When corrections are set to done or edited, these changes are automatically made visible in the browser based LAGO Proof solution, thus allowing for complete bi-directional communication for efficient collaboration and transparent communication.
When certified documents or snapshots of the page are generated via the workflow they become accessible in LAGO Proof for historical comparison when viewing a proof. This allows users the ability to compare corrections based on how that page looked like prior to changes being made, making it much easier to verify whether something was done correctly and for overall visual comparison.
When a correction is created using LAGO Proof commentary tools, LAGO automatically timestamps the corrections with the username of the owner of the correction, the date/time of when the correction was made, and the document status step of the document at the time of when the correction was made. Additionally, when the correction is modified or set to done, username and date/time information are also tracked giving all users complete transparency as to who created, who last modified, and who resolved the correction.
To make it easier to filter through a list of corrections, LAGO offers the ability to filter corrections based on corrections you have created, corrections that are processed and unprocessed, corrections created by all users, corrections created on a specified document status, and corrections created by a specific primary working group. It is also possible to filter corrections based on a combination of the filtering examples, listed above. Filtered correction results can be downloaded to XLSX format for external usage and archiving.
Workflow Management
LAGO’s Workflow Management enables your marketing production process to run efficiently and smoothly, even with large data sets and complex versioning. Our workflow module offers automated task management combined with highly configurable user & group rights.
The easy creation and configuration of parallel workflows for different channels (print or digital) provide the means to produce marketing materials while respecting each channel’s nuances.
LAGO’s Workflow Engine automatically assigns jobs to teams (or individuals) and monitors their progress through completion. Reporting tools let you keep an eye on production and immediately identify possible bottlenecks. Because of its modular nature, LAGO can produce multichannel marketing materials from planning to output.
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Production Features & Benefits
- Browser based solution & HTML5 framework
- Support multi-proof selection for proofing more than 1 page
- Easy to use commentary tools
- Integration into the workflow with task lists for selection and management of tasks
- Dedicated “Correction Supervisor” permission
- Access to certified documents for history comparison of proofs
- Print out correction document and corrections list
- Bi-directional communication with InDesign page
- Corrections list downloadable to XLSX format for archiving and external usage
- Filter corrections based on document status, primary working group, processed or not processed
- Zoom in/out capabilities
- Corrections timestamp with username, date/time, and document status from when the correction was made
- Auto-message prompt for notifying users that an InDesign document has unfinished corrections
- Correction list and correction tools available in InDesign page