Traditional FreeForm technology lets you use print options to define master documents and assign them to variable data jobs sent to the Fiery server.

When you print a variable data job with traditional FreeForm, you create a master document, then create a variable document, and finally use traditional FreeForm to combine the master and variable files.

Traditional FreeForm VDP sends the master element data for the job to the Fiery server and rasterizes it separately from the variable-element data. The master‑element data resides on the Fiery server in rasterized form as a FreeForm master, and you can use the data as required, with multiple sets of variable-element data. Because the FreeForm master job is preprocessed and stored on the Fiery server, only the variable-element data requires processing thus reducing the total processing time for the job.

You can use FreeForm masters for any fixed-element data you combine with different data from day to day. For example, you can store a letterhead template as a FreeForm master and use it for different letter content (the variable-element data).

Traditional FreeForm lets you create the master and variable documents using many applications, such as Adobe InDesign or Microsoft Word. The master document should contain the reusable content that remains static among records. The variable document should contain all of the unique content for each record, such as names and addresses. You can use a word processing application with a mail merge feature, a page layout application that supports scripting, or a database application to create the variable document pages.

The Create Master and Use Master print options let you control traditional FreeForm functions. You set these options in the printer driver when you send a job, or instruct the operator to set them with job overrides from Command WorkStation. The processed master document appears in VDP Resources in the Device Center of Command WorkStation. Command WorkStation also lets you monitor and manage all the FreeForm masters stored on the Fiery server.