Start with three everyday questions
Can a freelancer see another client's artwork? Who changed the product name yesterday? Can a review link still be opened after the job ends?
These are useful questions for anyone working with production files. You do not need to be a technical specialist to ask them.
In Paqira, a workspace is the shared area where a team works. Within it, collections keep related work together. A collection might contain content and scripts for a group of products.
Files also need a place to be stored, and production jobs need a computer running Adobe Illustrator. Knowing who can use each part makes daily work easier to follow.
Start by agreeing who needs to view the work, who needs to change it and who looks after the setup.
Give each person the access they need
A designer, a content editor and an operator may need different permissions. Permissions decide which things a person can see or do.
Paqira has four workspace roles:
- Owner: full access, including billing and deleting the workspace.
- Manager: can manage workspace data, people and workstations, and make permitted purchases. A Manager cannot change the Owner.
- Member: can create and edit day-to-day data, but cannot manage workspace settings, people or workstations.
- Guest: can view available data and run processes, but cannot edit workspace data.
Access can also be limited to selected collections, with permission to view or edit them.
For example, someone helping with one product range may only need access to that collection. An operator running prepared jobs may not need to edit the product details.
If you cannot open or change something you need, ask the person managing the workspace to check your role and collection access.
Decide where files will be kept
When a workspace is created, the team chooses where uploaded and generated files will be stored.
The options are Paqira storage or the team's own S3-compatible storage. This is a type of online file storage that an IT colleague or storage provider can help set up. A bucket is the named storage area used for those files.
You do not need to learn storage settings to prepare artwork. If the team chooses its own storage, the person setting it up must provide the connection details and access credentials. Paqira tests the connection by uploading, reading and deleting a small test file. The connection details are encrypted when stored.
The storage choice cannot be changed within the same workspace later. A different setup needs a separate workspace.
Before choosing, agree who will maintain access, how long files should be kept and how backups will be handled. If you are the operator, make sure you know whom to contact when files cannot be reached.
Know which computer runs the job
Paqira Workstation connects the workspace to a Mac or Windows computer with Adobe Illustrator installed. That is where the artwork job runs.
The computer needs to be connected and available for the relevant people and collections. It also needs the fonts, templates and other files required by the job.
Before a large run, an operator can check:
- Is the expected workstation connected?
- Is it available for this collection?
- Are the required fonts and files ready?
- Does a small test produce the expected artwork?
The person managing the computer should also control who can use it and keep its software maintained. Disconnect workstations that the team no longer uses.
This gives people a clear place to look when a job is waiting or a required font is missing.
Put someone in charge of shared files
The Library can hold resources the team reuses, including artwork, symbols, colours and fonts. Sharing these resources saves people from finding and copying them from older jobs.
It also means that a change may matter to more than one project.
Agree who can replace a logo, update a colour or change a font rule. Try an important update on a test job before using it for a larger run.
Use clear names so an operator can tell which resource a job needs. When something looks wrong, they should know who maintains it.
The same applies to scripts and workflows. A script contains instructions for changing artwork. A workflow is a saved sequence of production steps. The person editing product text may have a different job from the person maintaining those instructions.
Check the history when something changes
Paqira's Audit logs are a history of important workspace actions. People with the required access can use them to investigate changes.
The history can help answer questions such as:
- Was someone's access changed?
- Was a script or workflow updated?
- Was a public review link created or turned off?
- Which part of the workspace should we check after an unexpected result?
An activity record does not tell you whether the artwork is correct or approved. It helps the team find out what happened.
If you cannot open the logs, give the workspace manager the item name and the time you noticed the problem. That is more useful than asking them to search for an unspecified change.
Check what a review link allows
A public review link lets anyone who has the link view the preview. It can be useful when a client needs to see artwork.
Send the link only to the intended people. When it is no longer needed, revoke it — turn it off — so that URL no longer opens the preview. Comments and review history remain.
Adding, replying to or editing comments requires sign-in and workspace membership. Being able to view a public preview does not give someone all the permissions of a team member.
Before sharing, check that you selected the right artwork version. Also agree who will turn the link off when the review ends.
Leave the next person clear instructions
Keep a short note for the team: who manages access, who maintains shared files, who looks after the workstation and who handles review links.
Update access when someone leaves a project. Check that another person can look after any shared resources they maintained.
These decisions help a designer find the right files and help an operator know where to ask for help. They also give managers a clearer view of how the team handles product information and artwork.