MarkStein Publishing-Server

Server application for automated layout processing

The MarkStein Publishing Server (MPS) is a server-based module for automated layout editing in web-based system environments. It enables the granular creation and editing of layout documents with web technologies. The result is PDF files that can be used directly for printing or digital distribution. Alternatively, the resulting documents can also be refined and output with the MarkStein Publisher.

The MarkStein Publishing Server is based on the proven rendering technology of MarkStein Software GmbH, Darmstadt. This technology has been used for quite some time in the well-known multichannel publishing system tango and the DTP program MarkStein Publisher. The server module thus provides a tried and tested, stable and robust layout and output engine. With the integrated IDML filter, the MarkStein Publishing Server can also be used as a cost-effective alternative for InDesign Server.

Environment and Usage

The MarkStein Publishing Server is used as an editing module for layout documents and for data output together with web applications in a publishing environment.

  • Web-based software solutions for editorial production
  • Portals for advertisement design by the customer
  • Creation of personalized marketing documents
  • Creation of business reports
  • Creation of newsletters, brochures, flyers
  • Catalogue production
  • Database Publishing
  • Publishing On Demand
  • Technical Documentation
  • All types of Web2Print applications

API with 300 Functions

The open, documented programming interface (API) provides more than 300 functions for editing and outputting layout documents. Layout data can be controlled via predefined templates or individually generated and modified from the web system via the API. Texts from standard programs such as Microsoft Word and images can be placed and edited.

Exchange Formats

An IDML import filter is available for importing documents from Adobe InDesign. In addition to the conventional print data output as PostScript file or PDF, the MarkStein Publishing Server also has advanced functions for publishing data according to IDML (InDesign exchange format), EPUB, HTML, XML. Using a REST-API, additional contributions can be played directly on a website. The MarkStein Publishing Server is scalable within wide limits. Depending on the license, it can run in single instance or multi-instance mode.

Page Design with Web Technologies

Whenever layout documents are to be server-based and automatically edited, the MarkStein Publishing Server comes into play. The templates are created with MarkStein Publisher or InDesign. The MarkStein Publishing Server is therefore ideally suited for all web-based publishing applications in the areas of Web2Print, editorial systems, database publishing, catalogue production and the personalization of sophisticated printed matter.

Technical description

API Overview

  • Document (create, open, close, navigate, modify properties)
  • Pages (Create, Delete, Move)
  • Frame (create, delete, modify properties, concatenate / unlink, assign text)
  • Images (place, position in frame)
  • Group (create, remove, modify properties)
  • Moving frames (creation, removal, modification of properties)
  • Layers (creating, removing, modifying properties)
  • Guide lines (creation, removal, modification of properties)
  • Colors (create, remove, modify properties)
  • Undo
  • Page Templates (Assign)
  • Import / Export (Document, Text)

Integrated Components

Adobe PDF Library and PDF Converter (PDF processing), Duden Proof Factory (spell checking), Dieckmann hyphenation (German / English), Duden hyphenation (French / Spanish / Italian)

Support of other languages on request.

Interfaces

  • Telnet protocol via TCP

  • SOAP
  • REST

Supported Data Formats

Document

MarkStein Publisher Document, tango XML, InDesign IDML

Text

MarkStein Publisher, tango, InDesign-Tagged-Text, XPress Tags, Word, Excel, RTF, HTML, XML

Image

EPS, PDF, AI, PSD, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP

Ouput

PostScript, PDF, IDML, EPS, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPUB

Command Examples (Telnet/TCP)

  • Opening an existing document in IDML format: open_document (c:\layout\test.idml)
  • Goto page 1: goto_page (1)
  • Draw new frame on page 1 (coordinates in DTP-Point): new_box (110,45,250,500)
  • Insert text in InDesign tagged text format into frame: textbox_set_tagged_text ( Text Text Text … )
  • Create PDF of page: pdf_of_page (c:\layout\test.idml)

Single-Instance-Mode vs. Multi-Instance-Mode

Single-Instance Mode

In single instance mode, a started instance of the MarkStein Publishing Server can be addressed by several external applications. The requests are processed sequentially.

Multi-Instance Mode

In multi-instance operation, each external client is assigned a separate instance of the MarkStein Publishing Server by a dispatcher module. Required instances are loaded as needed. In this case, requests from different clients can be processed in parallel.

System Requirements

Server

  • Server with current processor and at least 4 cores or corresponding virtual server
  • Microsoft Windows-Server 2012 R2 (64-bit) or higher
  • 16 GB RAM, approx. 2 GB per instance

  • TrueColor graphics card

Supported Browsers

  • Current browser Chrome, Firefox or Edge with Windows or macOS
  • Current Safari browser on macOS
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