Product template for a personalized printed product incorporating workflow sequence information

A method for defining a personalized printed product that consists of a plurality of graphical components, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a data template that describes each graphical component of the personalized printed product as panel fields;
• (b) encoding, within said data template, an order field indicative of the preferred order in which each graphical compenent is to be modified;
• (c) parsing the data template to create a double-linked list,including pointers to panel fields in the data template;
• (d) finding a first panel field in the data template by parsing the doubly-linked list;
• (e) determining whether the first panel field requires input by a user of at least one of text, line art or a user image;
• (f) entering by the user at least one of the text, line art or user image;
• (g) finding the next panel field in the data template by parsing the doubly-linked list;
• (h) determining whether the next panel field requires input by the user of at least one of text, line art or a user image;
• (i) entering by the user at least one of the text, line art or user image;
• (j) repeating steps, g, h and i until no further panel fields with an order field are found;
• (k) operating on pre-defined, non-editable panel fields;
• and
• (l) printing the personalized printed product when no additonal panel fields are found.