The vjoon K4™ Cross-Media Publishing Platform is a versatile, powerful system that lets you deliver your content to any output channel — print, online, iPad, iPhone and other digital formats.

Cross-Media Input and Output.

Integral support for all types of content and for publishing
to multiple channels — print, Web, tablet, mobile and more.

Enhanced Workflow.

Efficient, configurable task-based workflows with a new
graphical workflow design editor.

Flexible Connectivity.

New capabilities for remote contributors working via the Web.

Enterprise Technology.

Modern multi-tier database architecture with an intuitive
Web-based administration interface.

Whether you produce magazines, books, newspapers, sales materials or brochures or annual reports, K4 provides the tools that allow your operation to publish anywhere while running smoothly and efficiently — saving time and cost, and at the same time allowing you to expand your capabilities to increase revenue.

With K4 as the standard platform humming in the background, word people, designers and managers focus on their own parts of the publishing process without getting in each others’ way, allowing writing, layout, photo editing and editorial review to proceed simultaneously and collaboratively.

Built-in automations streamline complex processes, including XML generation for the Web and other outlets and .folio production for the iPad and other tablets.

At the same time, K4 combines distant locations into a single office, allowing off-site contributors, freelancers and vendors to log into the system over the Internet using the included browser-based K4 Web Portal™. Administrators manage the system through an intuitive, browser-based K4 Admin™ that features a new graphical interface to set up explicit, granular workflows.

K4 provides a level of transparency in the workflow that lets everyone see what everyone else is working on, with database querying and automatic notifications that keep users up to speed about changes that affect what they’re doing. At the same time, content protection, versioning and permission controls ensure stability and security.

ANY CONTENT, ANY CHANNEL

With the vjoon K4™ Cross-Media Publishing Platform, you can manage all your content, regardless of its source or eventual destination, securely and transparently. The system is capable of managing virtually any file type in addition to Adobe InDesign layouts and Adobe InCopy articles, including HTML, Word documents, images, rich media, PDFs, XML files, Excel files or PowerPoint presentations, as well as their templates.

Then, K4 allows content to be directed to as many output channels as needed, such as print, Web, tablet, mobile, e-reader, social network, syndication or multiple languages. The K4 XML Exporter™, for exporting individual articles or complete issues to XML directly from the K4 database, and DPS Connector, integrated with Adobe's Digital Publishing Suite for industry-leading tablet publishing, are two specialized K4 enhancements supporting multi-channel output.

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TASK-BASED WORKFLOW

K4 version 6 introduces a task-based user workflow that provides both simplicity and as much detail as needed for complex multi-channel enterprises. At each stage of a project, users see specific and explicit object-related tasks that are assigned to them. With a simple double-click on the task, K4 automatically presents users with what they need to do the job, such as a text file to edit, metadata fields to fill in or image links to complete. Numerous tasks can be completed simultaneously: One editor can be writing a caption in one text block while someone else inserts a pull-quote in another text block, for example.

Once a task is completed, the user marks it finished, opening a dialog that presents the available next steps for the object. K4 automatically advances the file in the workflow, routing it to the appropriate person or team as defined in the workflow, with the correct additonal or alternative tasks assigned. With emergency or control tasks, K4 also makes it easy to diverge from the assigned workflow if necessary.

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WORKING REMOTELY

In addition to working with InDesign and InCopy desktop applications, K4 includes the K4 Web Portal™ for working via a Web browser.

Web Portal plug-ins allow off-site users to edit InCopy articles and HTML snippets. And the K4 File Manager™ plug-in enables Web management of a wide variety of other content types, allowing them to be placed in the K4 workflow and edited in their native applications.

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UNDER THE HOOD

A graphical workflow editor gives K4 administrators a visual
tool to build and modify workflows for any kind of object. K4 version 6 is a multi-tier solution that supports Oracle, Microsoft SQL and MySQL database platforms and runs on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and SUN Solaris operating systems.

One K4 database server can handle multiple titles and workgroups, or several K4 servers can be configured to manage all publications across an enterprise.

K4 version 6 also includes numerous updated tools for administrators. An intuitive, browser-based K4 Admin™ tool provides access to system and user settings and features new, easy-to-use wizards for many key tasks such as adding groups and categories and setting up new users.

Unique to version 6 is a graphical workflow editor that allows administrators to set up, edit and duplicate the simple or complex parallel cross-media workflows that make K4 such a rich publishing environment.

CROSS-MEDIA PUBLISHING  SUPPORT Manages any input or output within the secure, flexible vjoon K4™ Cross-Media Publishing Platform database system.	Integrates cross-media workflows, with an unlimited number of output channels possible to suit any publishing need, including print, Web, mobile, tablet, e-reader, syndication and translation.
	Seamlessly links K4 with Web CMS, such as Drupal; electronically generates HTML, XML and other electronic formats conforming to specific CMS requirements.
	Unique workflows can be defined for each output channel, and can include one or more channels for each file type.
	DPS Connector helps automate creation of tablet publications with InDesign and the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite.
	Publishers can use their own terms for labeling publication segments and structures.
	Layouts, text files, images of all types, ads, audio/video, Word manuscripts, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint files — virtually any kind of file — can be managed and versioned within the K4 system.
	Integral K4 Web Portal™ enables remote browser access to database and editing tools. Plug-ins work with a variety of file types in their native applications, including ICML (InCopy) and HTML.
CONTENT CREATION AND COLLABORATIVE WORKFLOW Combines Adobe publishing tools with sophisticated, task-based workflow options.	InCopy and InDesign fully integrated in a relational database system. Parallel, collaborative workflow provided for writers and editors in InCopy and designers in InDesign.
	Task-based workflow controls explicitly tell each user what to do at each step. All tasks presented in a convenient hierarchical list view.
	Simultaneous assignment of individual text objects and metadata fields. Multiple users can edit content and metadata simultaneously.
	Configurable dependencies between objects: For example, a layout workflow could prevent pages from moving to final status until all their contents are complete.
	Unlimited number of custom workflows to support different task and status requirements based on the type of content: For example, the workflow for a feature story could be different from the workflow for a news item.
	Powerful, easy-to-use database querying tools let users find what they need when they need it.
	Write and edit text to fit in Adobe InCopy or K4 InCopy Web Editor™ with exact copyfitting; galley, full text or WYSIWYG editing mode in InCopy; red lining and edit tracking; in-line notes; notes management.
	Automatic notification for users when layout, text or images have changed.
	Automatic version control and history of files and metadata.
	Multi-links support placement of objects multiple times.
PRODUCTION SUPPORT Provides powerful, intuitive tools for system administration and editorial review.	Browser-based graphical workflow editor for creation and management of detailed custom workflows, with printable workflow charts.
	Template management for any file type.
	Browser-based production tracking with K4 Overview™.
	Easy connection for remote users with K4 Web Portal.
	Built-in Adobe InDesign Server takes load off system for automatic generation of page previews, PDFs for review, high-resolution output and custom InDesign and InCopy automations.
	Web-based administration of multiple publications with single login; rights-based access to administration areas to support different admin roles.
	Multi-level wizards to create issues, users and permission categories as well as to define workflows and tasks; customizable terminology for publication structures to support workflows for any kind of output.
TECHNOLOGY Offers power and flexibility for a wide array of publishing outlets.	Modern, multi-tier architecture supports Oracle, Microsoft SQL and MySQL database platforms and runs on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and SUN Solaris operating systems.
	Scalable for workgroups smaller than 15 users to those with several hundred.
	Support for Mac OS X and Windows clients in mixed-platform environments
	Secure user login and logout; user permissions control access to files, metadata and tasks.
	AppleScript, JavaScript and Visual Basic support for automating site-specific processes.
	Seamless integration of applications or other enterprise solutions using open APIs and a comprehensive K4 Software Development Kit (SDK).

InPorter
A server-side utility, MEI’s InPorter can automatically ingest any kind of file that can be handled by K4 ­— including InCopy, InDesign, images and Word files ­— as well as XML and XMP. It then “inports” the content, with its metadata, to the desired location in the K4 workflow. Learn More.

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K4 File Manager™
Manage pictures, ads, multimedia and other non-InCopy, non-InDesign files with this plug-in for the K4 Web Portal. K4 File Manager allows remote users to initiate workflows and accept and finish tasks. Files open in their native formats for editing, and revised versions are saved to the K4 database.

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K4 Web Editor ICML™
K4 Web Editor ICML lets remote users work with InCopy files from the K4 database via the K4 Web Portal without needing K4 client plug-ins or InCopy on their local workstations. In addition to editing tools and a WYSIWYG view, Web Editor provides the ability to add and review inline notes. Revised versions are saved to the K4 database.

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K4 Web Editor HTML™
The Web Editor HTML plug-in for the K4 Web Portal allows users to capture and edit native content as HTML Snippets. Users can edit the HTML files, as well as uploading text, images and video from K4 to a website for online publishing.

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vjoon Notes Manager™
Manage Adobe inline notes within your K4 layouts and articles with this panel, which shows all notes for the open layout. Expanded functionality includes sorting and filtering capabilities for note attributes such as author and time of insertion, and easy navigation between panel and text.

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vjoon Overset Manager™
See at a glance if a layout contains overset; review the overset copy in its own dynamic frame from InCopy or InDesign; include overset frames in printed proof; and get a warning if there is still overset before the document is uploaded to the database. View a panel that lists and locates overset frames and displays information such as length and number of lines.

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K4 Overview™
Review K4 pages from any Web browser. A password-protected Web interface displays high-resolution JPEG views of InDesign layouts, searchable by query or issue, complete with color cues that signal where they are in the K4 workflow. It's perfect for supervisors and others who aren't K4 users but want to browse stories and layouts and keep track of where things stand. Customers can opt for K4 Overview Advanced™, with additional features, including “Prediction Mode,” which shows the pages with all objects updated, even if the designers haven't saved final versions of their InDesign files.

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K4 XML Exporter™
Whether it’s for publishing to the Web, archiving, syndication or transfer to a digital asset management system, the K4 XML Exporter provides a cost-effective and standards-compliant means for organizing and exporting individual articles or complete issues to XML directly from the K4 database.

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MadeToPrint
An integrated solution from axaio, MadeToPrint uses status changes as triggers to automate the output of InDesign pages from the K4 system. This allows preflighting, packaging, proofing and PDF generation directly from K4.

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