Feature · Production Workflow

Track every ad from sold to press-ready

Job jackets, materials, approvals, revisions, closing dates — visible to sales, designers, production, and the client. The deadline alerts fire automatically. The advertiser approvals are tracked. Nothing falls through the cracks because nothing has to be remembered.

Native job jackets  ·  Closing-date alerts  ·  33,000+ media products
M Production Production Board Job Jackets Issues Approvals Press Production Board — Summer 2026 Issue Closing date: May 15, 2026 · 18 days away · 24 ads in flight Closing in 18 days AWAITING MATERIALS 8 Acme Corp Full Page · 4-Color ⚠ No materials yet 5 days overdue Horizon Health 2-Page Spread Materials due in 2 days Auto-reminder sent Valley Motors Quarter Page · 4-Color Due May 6 · 9 days Designer assigned + 5 more DESIGNER REVIEW 5 Northgate Legal Quarter Page · B&W Materials in · v1 PDF Designer: Maya · 1 day Westwind Realty Half Page · 4-Color Bleed missing 0.125″ Revision requested TechWeekly Half Page · B&W Materials in · v3 PDF Designer: James + 2 more AWAITING APPROVAL 4 Summit Realty Back Cover · Premium ★ Awaiting client approval Sent 3 days ago · 1 reminder Coastal Restaurants Quarter Page · 4-Color Sent today · viewed 2× Edit comments pending + 2 more PRESS-READY 7 Blue Ridge Financial Half Page · B&W ✓ Approved · sent to press Position: page 14 FreshFarms Co-op Full Page · 4-Color ✓ Approved · pre-flighted Position: page 22 Riverside Health Inside Front Cover ✓ Approved · IFC premium Position: locked + 4 more
What’s Included

Production isn’t a separate system — it’s the same record

When sales books an ad, production knows about it the same minute. When materials come in, the rep sees it on the deal record. When approvals are pending, the right person gets the alert — without anyone forwarding emails or updating spreadsheets.

Production Board

Every ad in flight, organized by issue and stage — visible at a glance

Job Jackets

One record per ad with specs, materials, versions, approvals, and notes

Closing-Date Alerts

Automated reminders fire at 30, 14, 7, 3, and 1 day before close — per role

Advertiser Approvals

Send proofs, capture signed approvals, track revisions — no email back-and-forth

Sales Runsheets

Layout-ready production reports showing every ad’s spec and position by issue

Pre-flight & Press Handoff

Final files validated for bleed, color, and resolution — ready for the printer

Job Jackets

One record per ad. Everyone sees the same thing.

The job jacket is where every detail of an ad lives — size, color, position, materials, version history, approvals, designer notes, advertiser feedback. Sales sees it on the deal. Production sees it on the board. Designers see it in their queue. The advertiser sees the approval link. Same record, four perspectives.

  • Spec sheet auto-populated from the order: size, color, position, bleed
  • Materials versioning — v1, v2, v3 PDFs all stored on the jacket
  • Approval history with timestamps, viewers, and signatures
  • Designer notes and advertiser feedback threaded inline
  • One-click access from the deal record, the production board, or the advertiser
  • Tied to the closing date so urgency is always visible
Job Jacket — JJ-2026-0287 — Acme Corp Full Page ⚠ Materials due May 6 A Acme Corp · Summer 2026 Issue Coastal Living · Full Page · 4-Color · Right-hand Read AWAITING MATERIALS Closing date May 15, 2026 18 days · materials in 9 SPEC SHEET Trim size 8.375″ × 10.875″ Bleed 0.125″ all sides Safe area 7.875″ × 10.375″ Color CMYK · 300 DPI Format PDF/X-1a Position Right-hand Read ★ Frequency 3× contract View spec sheet PDF → MATERIAL VERSIONS v0 No materials uploaded yet Reminder sent to advertiser May 1 Drop file or paste link Auto-validates: bleed, color, resolution Send Upload Link ACTIVITY ON THIS JACKET Auto-reminder sent: materials due in 5 days Today · system · sent to rachel.martinez@acme.com Designer assigned: Maya Chen Yesterday · auto-routed by ad type & size Job jacket created from deal closure 3 days ago · auto-generated from deal #2026-0428
Anatomy of a Job Jacket

The publishing-specific record generic project tools can’t replicate

A job jacket isn’t a task. It’s a structured record with specs, version history, approvals, and tight links to the deal, the advertiser, the issue, and the press handoff. Here’s what’s on every one.

Specs (auto-populated from deal)
Materials & versions
Approvals & sign-offs
JJ-2026-0287 — Acme Corp Summer Issue Linked to Deal #2026-0428 · Coastal Living · Closing May 15 IN DESIGN SPECS · AUTO FROM DEAL Trim & bleed 8.375 × 10.875″ Color & format CMYK · PDF/X-1a Position Right-hand Read Frequency 3× contract Designer assigned Maya Chen · auto-routed by ad type MATERIALS & VERSION HISTORY v3 Acme_FullPg_v3_FINAL.pdf ✓ Pre-flight passed · uploaded today View v2 Acme_FullPg_v2.pdf 2 days ago · bleed adjustment requested v1 Acme_FullPg_v1.pdf 5 days ago · initial upload APPROVALS & SIGN-OFFS DESIGNER REVIEW Approved by Maya Chen Today 10:42 AM · v3 final ADVERTISER APPROVAL Sent to Rachel Martinez Awaiting · viewed 2× today PRODUCTION SIGN-OFF Pending advertiser approval Auto-unlock when above is signed LINKED RECORDS · always in sync Deal #2026-0428 · Advertiser: Acme Corp · Issue: Summer 2026 · Invoice INV-2026-0287 Any change here updates everywhere · no copy-paste, no reconciliation Specs auto-populated from the closed deal All versions stored no email-attachment hunt Sequential approvals designer → advertiser → press
Closing Date Cascade

The deadline alerts that fire automatically — to the right person, at the right time

A single closing date triggers a chain of alerts to different roles. Sales gets reminded to book their pipeline. Advertisers get reminded to send materials. Designers get queued. Production sees what’s stuck.

One closing date · five automated alerts

Same closing date, different audiences. Nobody has to remember.

T−30 days5 weeks before close

“Get your booking in” alert to sales

Reps get a digest of every advertiser who ran in the last issue but hasn’t booked the upcoming one. Pipeline gets primed before the closing-date crunch.

Sales repsSales managers
T−14 days2 weeks out

Materials request to advertisers & agencies

Branded email goes out from the rep’s address with the spec sheet, upload link, and exact deadline. Tracked — you can see who’s opened it.

Advertiser primary contactAgency creative
T−7 days1 week out

Designer queue assembled

The production board lights up with everything materials-received and ready for review. Designers see their queue. Production sees what’s stuck.

DesignersProduction manager
T−3 daysfinal stretch

Approval-overdue escalation

Any ad still awaiting advertiser approval triggers an urgent reminder — to the advertiser, to the rep, and to the production manager.

AdvertisersRepsProduction manager
T−1 dayfinal day

“Final call” notification across roles

Everyone with an unresolved item on the issue gets a personalized list of what’s still on their plate. The publisher walks into Friday already knowing the gaps.

Everyone with open items
T = 0closing date

Issue closes · production handoff & tearsheet auto-flow

Press-ready PDFs ship to the printer. Tearsheets queue for advertisers. Invoices generate. The next issue’s T−30 alerts fire on the next cycle. The wheel keeps turning — without anyone setting reminders.

ProductionBillingSales (next cycle)
Connected to the Rest of the Platform

Where Production Workflow fits in the lifecycle

Production sits between billing and tearsheets. It pulls every spec from the deal, flows materials through approvals, and hands press-ready files to the printer — without anyone re-keying anything.

Lifecycle of an ad sale — with production at center stage

Each step automatically feeds the next. Zero re-entry. Zero reconciliation.

CRM
Creative contact & agency relationship already on file
Pipeline
Deal closes with size, color, position, frequency locked
Billing
Invoice generated · production gets the green light
Production
Job jacket created, materials tracked, approvals captured
Tearsheet
Auto-sent on issue close from the press-ready file
Renewal
Past materials & specs available for the next issue
Sub-Capabilities

Everything Production Workflow handles

Six pieces of a publishing-aware production system — built natively, not bolted onto a project management tool.

Production Board

Every ad in flight, organized by issue and stage. Awaiting Materials → In Design → Approval → Press-Ready, all visible at a glance.

Job Jackets

One record per ad with specs, materials, version history, approvals, and notes. Linked to the deal, advertiser, issue, and invoice.

Closing-Date Alerts

Automated reminders fire at 30, 14, 7, 3, and 1 day before close. Different alerts to advertisers, designers, reps, and production.

Advertiser Approval

Send proofs from the platform. Capture signed approvals with timestamps. Auto-reminders if approval overdue. No back-and-forth email chase.

Sales Runsheets

Layout-ready production reports showing every ad’s spec, position, and notes for the issue. Adjust columns, export to layout software.

Pre-flight & Press Handoff

Final files validated for bleed, color, resolution, and format on upload. Press-ready package delivered to the printer in one click.

Verified Capterra Review

From a 15+ year production manager

“Based on the revisions and upgrades I’ve seen implemented over the years, the development team at Magazine Manager are clearly thinking constantly about how to make the software better. As an admin, the regularly presented online training seminars have been invaluable in giving me insights to share with the team on how to maximize their own efficiency.”

GS
Glenn S. · Production Manager
Publishing (11–50 employees) · 15+ year customer
★★★★★
Verified Capterra review
No More Missed Closing Dates

See your production board running on Magazine Manager

Book a 30-minute demo. We’ll set up a sample issue with your real ad sizes, closing dates, and roles — so your designers, sales team, and production manager can all see the same picture.