This rough layout is exactly mimicked onto the Quark or InDesign page. So the designer is given the correct text, correctly formatted, the correct images and logos and an approximate idea of how the buyer or product manager would like the page to look.

It also means that the buyer is forced to think about the amount of product on the page instead of lumbering the designer with too much or too little content. The decision of how much prominence to give a particular product on the page can be based on nothing more complicated than aesthetics, but quite often a product manager or buyer will want to make the decision based on financial performance. The system can link to back end systems and provide previous and projected sales figures for each product by simply clicking an image or some text belonging to that product.

Page Space

Every time a page is worked on, the Matrix CMS records how much room each product has taken on the page. When coupled with data from a back-end sales system this can provide powerful page-space analysis, allowing a buyer to decide quickly which products should have most emphasis this time based on prior performance.

Although you may think that allowing buyers or product managers to have any input to the design process is "not for you", many of our customers keep a rigid main catalogue and then allow both the designers and product managers more time to play with product placement in smaller, more frequent publications such as mailers and leaflets.

Previews

At every stage of production, from page mock-up to working in Quark or InDesign, the system takes snapshots of the page. These previews are then viewable in a grid, which allows you to see at a glance a plan view of what the catalogue will look like.

Double-clicking a page preview takes you straight to the page and you can have multiple pages open at once. If you decide to swap product between pages, simply click the products on either the running order or mock-up, cut, and paste it onto the other page, chosen images, logos and related copy moves too! If you're not happy with the ordering of the pages, repagination is as simple as dragging a page preview to the position you want and dropping it. The system automatically re-orders the pages, renames the Quark files and renumbers the pages.

Because the Matrix CMS is the system of your dreams, you can finally end those planning nightmares!