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This chapter describes some of the special features supported by the Fiery X4 
including:

• Printing variable data documents using FreeForm

™

• Printing simulations

• Printing duplex pages

• Scanning images from the copier using Fiery Scan

Variable data printing is typically used for direct-mail advertising or other targeted 
mailings. It involves combining a set of master elements that are common across copies 
of a document with a set of variable elements that change from copy to copy. An 
example is a brochure that greets customers by name and may include other personal 
information about the customer obtained from a marketing database. Background 
elements, illustrations, and text blocks that do not change across copies of the brochure 
comprise the master elements. The customer’s name and other customer-specific 
information comprise the variable elements.

The basic premise of FreeForm variable data printing is that the master-element data 
for the job can be sent to the Fiery X4 and rasterized separately from the variable-
element data. The master-element data is stored on the Fiery X4 in prerasterized form 
as a FreeForm Master, and can be used as often as needed with multiple sets of 
variable-element data. Because the FreeForm Master job is preRIPped and stored on 
the Fiery X4, the only RIP time required for variable data print jobs is the time needed 
to RIP the variable-element data. In fact, FreeForm Masters can be used for any fixed-
element data that you might combine with different data from day to day. For 
example, a letterhead template can be stored as a FreeForm Master and used repeatedly 
as the background for different letter content (the variable-element data).

FreeForm allows you to create the master-element and variable-element documents 
using any application you wish. The two documents can be created using different 
applications, or even different computer platforms. To create the master-elements 
document, you can use a page layout or graphics application. To create the variable-
elements document, you can use a word processing application that has a mail merge 
feature, a page layout application that supports scripting, or a database application.

FreeForm functions are controlled with two print options: Create Master and Use 
Master. You can set these options in the printer driver when you send a job, or you can 
instruct the operator to set them with job overrides from the Command WorkStation, 
Fiery Spooler, or Fiery WebSpooler. 

Before you can use FreeForm, you must create a master-elements document and a 
variable-elements document. This includes creating the layout for the combined 
document as well as the elements themselves. In a page layout or graphics program, 
you arrange the master elements (text and graphics that do not change) on one or more 
pages, leaving space for the variable elements.

When you have finalized the design of the master-elements document, print it to the 
Fiery X4 and specify that a FreeForm Master is to be created from the job (see page 4-
6). 

Although the Fiery X4 can store up to 100 FreeForm Masters, the printer driver 

interface, Fiery WebSpooler, and Fiery Spooler allow you to select numbers 1 through 
15 only. To create a FreeForm Master with a number greater than 15, the operator 
must set the Create Master and Use Master options and RIP the job from the 
Command WorkStation.

You can create the variable-elements document with a word processing application that 
provides a mail merge function, a database application, or a page layout application 
that supports scripting. In all cases, information is taken from a list or database and 
merged into an existing document that is set up to accept the information. Each 
application has different controls for this function; see the application documentation 
for detailed instructions. Before the variable elements can be added to the master-
elements document, they must be formatted to conform to the layout of the master-
elements document. This is done by creating a document with the correct formatting 
and then adding the variable information in the appropriate places. 

When you have created the variable-elements document, print it to the Fiery X4 and 
specify that it should be combined with the corresponding FreeForm Master.

When you print the variable-elements document to the Fiery X4, you specify the 
FreeForm Master created from your master-elements document with the Use Master 
print option. The Fiery X4 combines the raster data of the variable-elements document 
with the preRIPped FreeForm Master, creating a new raster data file. The merged raster 
file can be soft-proofed (before it is printed) in the Thumbnail windows of the 
Command WorkStation, Fiery Spooler, or Fiery WebSpooler.