Bridge the gap between ad layout and editorial with the K4 Edition of ALS Direct, a plug-in for MEI's popular ad layout systemthat creates a real-time direct database connection with the K4 Publishing System.

Get connected
With ALS Direct, the issue plan is communicated directly from advertising to the K4 database and InDesign layouts. No more manually recreating the book from paper layouts and "wall maps." And forget about mix-ups over last-minute ad changes. Updates are communicated directly to K4, alerting your editors, art directors, designers and production staff of the changes occurring in the ad department, and at the same time updating the folios and ad boxes on their layouts.

Because K4 gets its information about ad layout and status directly from ALS, everyone is literally on the same page!

Plan the whole book: ads and editorial
ALS Direct gives the ad department a real-time window into editorial, enhancing the award-winning funtionality of ALS with JPEG previews of the K4 pages. Ad layout staff can assign editorial layouts at the same time they place the ads. Once the ALS issue is saved, ads and folios are automatically transferred to K4, right into the editorial pages. Editorial layouts done in advance automatically become live pages, acquiring ads (or ad info) and page position data without laborious input by designers.

The updates keep on coming
Once the editorial layouts have been linked to the ALS issue, any updates to the ads or changes in page folios are automatically transferred to the K4 layouts. And every time a K4 user checks in a layout, its JPEG images are updated for ALS users to review as needed.

Easy to install and a cinch to use, ALS-to-K4 integration shortens the production cycle by integrating advertising and editorial departments into a single workflow off one shared system.

ALS Direct extends the functionality of both ALS and K4.

For ad layout (ALS users):

• Transfer ad reservations to K4 editorial system.
• Create blank editorial layouts, assign them to live pages, and update the K4 database.
• Use K4 templates to create editorial layouts and check them in to the K4 workflow.
• Dynamically update K4 pages with changes to ad runsheet, sizes or placement.
• Use ad-builders' preferred tools to slot ads into K4 layouts — InDesign not required.

For editorial and production (K4 users):

• Share existing layouts with advertising via JPEG previews.
• No need to manually import an ad dummy or manually create ad holes using templates.
• Folios placed and updated automatically.
• See actual ads in place on the page as soon as they are built, or, for ads that aren't yet in-house, up-to-date ad information.
• Get automatic notification of changes to ads every time a layout is checked out.

For more information about ALS Direct and to arrange to see a demonstration, fill out the form below.

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