# Prompt Improvement Guide — Factronics USA

Correction layer for Factronics USA image-generation prompts and copy.
Read after the brand guide (`02_brand_kit/Factronics_brand_guide.html`) and the rules in `01_knowledge_base/rules/`, and before writing any slide prompt or content piece.
These rules derive from brand guide v1.0, the naming and compliance rules (Jovan Gutic directive, June 2026), and what was validated in the approved 2026-09_SEP cycle. Where the material does not document something, it is marked `(undocumented)`.

**Purpose:** a checklist every carousel prompt must pass before reaching image generation. Used manually today; once `prompt-improvement-filter` exists it will read this file automatically — this file does not change when that happens.

---

## 1. Slide count — The shortest message that works

The format validated in the 2026-09_SEP cycle is the **3-slide carousel: Hook + Info + CTA**. Do not stretch a simple message to fill a format.

| Format | Slides | When to use | Validated example |
|---|---|---|---|
| **2 slides** | Hook + CTA | Simple announcement, a single benefit | `(undocumented in prior cycles; allowed if the message fits in one sentence)` |
| **3 slides** | Hook + Info + CTA | One key message with a supporting data point | Carousels 1-5 of the 2026-09 cycle (teaser, countdown, reveal, robot) |
| **4+ slides** | — | `(undocumented)` | No validated case. Justify before using |

**Rule of thumb:** if the value is explained in one sentence, 2 slides. If you need a proof point (a number, a "how"), 3. The 2026-09 cycle never needed more than 3 in any case, including product launches.

**Error corrected from the generic template:** the system's generic defaults offered long carousels; the team approved 3 slides with a single headline per slide. That is the brand standard.

---

## 2. Linx Lead-In — Every CTA names a real product

**Rule (CEO directive, June 2026):** every CTA, closing paragraph, or final content section must name a real Linx product by its full name, never a generic category like "coding systems" or "inspection equipment".

**Where the name goes:** in the **second half of the content**, after the pain point. Never in the opening hook.

```
1. Pain point / risk (no product name)
2. Why it happens (no product name)
3. What the right equipment does, NAMING the specific Linx product
4. Button or CTA link
```

**Persona → product mapping (do not default to the same product every time):**

| Persona / angle | Default product(s) |
|---|---|
| QA Manager / audit trail / documentation | Linx 9800 Series + Linx Iris |
| VP Operations / line uptime | Linx 9800 Series + Linx PrinterNet |
| FSMA 204 / traceability (CTE/KDE) | Linx 9800 Series (GS1 Data Matrix) + Linx Iris |
| Pharma / serialization | Linx 9800 Series (GS1 Data Matrix, sNDC) — 9830/9840 |
| SKU change / changeover | Linx 9800 Series + Linx QuickSwitch |
| Maintenance / uptime | Linx SureClean + Linx PureFlow |

**Valid names** (these only, do not invent specs): Linx 9800 Series (9810, 9820, 9830, 9840, 9840 Spectrum), Linx 9000 Series, Linx Iris, Linx PrinterNet, Linx QuickSwitch, Linx Message Studio, Linx SureClean, Linx PureFlow, Linx Vortex.

**On-image copy:** the cycle validated that the product name appears in the on-image copy only on slide 2 or 3, with the generic category on slide 1. Example: slide 1 "Your CIJ printer still needs daily cleaning." → slide 3 "Linx SureClean and Linx Iris. Every code verified."

**Self-check before closing any CTA:**
- [ ] Does the closing section name a real Linx product?
- [ ] Does the product match the persona/pain point in the table?
- [ ] Does it appear after the problem, not before?
- [ ] Are the product specs verifiable against the Linx PDFs in `01_knowledge_base/source_materials/`?

---

## 3. Compliance language — The equipment enables, Factronics does not do compliance

**Rule (CEO directive, June 2026):** Factronics sells and supports industrial equipment. It does NOT do regulatory work, audits, or consulting. All content must communicate that **the equipment enables compliance**, not that Factronics *does* compliance.

| Allowed ✅ | Not allowed ❌ |
|---|---|
| "Our equipment helps you pass FDA audits" | "We help you pass FDA audits" |
| "IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included with every installation" | "We handle your compliance documentation" |
| "The Linx 9800 Series prints GS1 Data Matrix codes required by DSCSA" | "We ensure DSCSA compliance" |
| "Free line audit identifies equipment gaps" | "Our pre-audit identifies compliance gaps" |

**Prohibited phrases (never):**
- "Your compliance is our liability"
- "We ensure compliance"
- "Compliance guarantee"
- "We handle your compliance"
- "Pre-audit compliance assessment" → use "equipment readiness assessment"
- "Compliance readiness assessment" → use "equipment gap analysis"

**Positioning (use verbatim when describing Factronics's role):**

> "Factronics sells and supports industrial equipment that helps manufacturers meet regulatory requirements. We do not perform compliance audits or consulting. Every piece of equipment we install includes documentation about that equipment, which your team can use as part of your overall compliance program."

**On image:** regulatory mentions (FSMA, DSCSA, GS1) go as an **equipment feature** ("prints Data Matrix codes required by DSCSA"), never as a service. This was validated in the 2026-09 cycle: the DSCSA reference lives in the caption and in the 9830 spec, not as a Factronics claim.

**Frequency note:** unlike other brands, there is no documented cap on regulatory mentions. The regulatory vocabulary (FSMA, DSCSA, IQ/OQ/PQ, GS1, EPCIS, 21 CFR) is approved for regular use, always subject to the equipment/service distinction above. `(undocumented: specific frequency cap)`

---

## 4. Faces and expressions — No faces in frame

**Rule validated in the 2026-09 cycle:** in social carousels, **no portraits and no faces in frame**. Only hands, forearms with heads out of frame, or scenes with no people.

**In prompts, describe actions, never emotions.** Documentary-photographer style: what the camera sees (position, light, action), not what the subject feels.

| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| "operator with a frustrated expression" | "an operator in gloves scrubbing the printhead of an older inkjet printer, only hands and forearms in frame, no face" |
| "relieved plant manager smiling" | "the manager walking out of the plant toward the parking lot at the end of a day shift, phone in hand showing no alerts" |

**Documented exception:** the client-profile design sheets (`01_client_profiles/`) DO build characters with consistent faces across panels (RA, CD, SF, PM). Those sheets are campaign pre-production assets, not social carousels. See conflict noted in `## Gaps`.

---

## 5. Real plant photography — No studio, no cinema

**Rule:** every image must read as a genuine phone photo taken inside a real plant or lab. Never a studio shoot or an advertisement.

The pattern validated in the 2026-09 cycle (use as the base of every prompt):

> Realistic phone-camera photography, warm natural light, slightly off-center framing, no retouching.

**Style requirements (derived from the design sheets and approved briefs):**
- Preserve natural skin texture, pores, subtle sheen (when hands/forearms appear)
- No perfect cinematic lighting or exaggerated shadows
- Real camera imperfections: slight tilts, off-center framing, cropped edges
- No dramatic HDR, no posterization, no AI "enhancements" that make it look like a poster
- Equipment rendered as normal industrial machinery, not a futuristic gadget (cycle rule: the Standard Bots robotic arm is composed "matter-of-fact, not futuristic")

---

## 6. On-image copy — One headline per slide, nothing more

**Rule validated in the 2026-09 cycle:** each slide carries **a single headline** over the navy band. No kicker, no supporting text, no price, no specs in-image. The detail lives in the caption and the blog.

**Structure per slide:**

| Slide | Role | On-image copy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hook | Problem or curiosity headline. No product name. |
| 2 | Info | Headline with the proof point (a number or verifiable claim). |
| 3 | CTA / close | Headline with the Linx product name and the action. Logo composited in n8n. |

**Validated example (Carousel 3, 2026-09 cycle):**
- Slide 1: "Your CIJ printer still needs daily cleaning."
- Slide 2: "The Linx 9800 Series cleans itself in under 5 minutes."
- Slide 3: "Linx SureClean and Linx Iris. Every code verified."

**Every generator prompt ends with:** "Do not add any other text, no logos, no labels, no color codes in the image."

---

## 7. Typographic hierarchy — Poppins headline, Inter body, Mono numbers

**Rule (brand guide v1.0, extracted from the live site):**

| Use | Font | Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Headlines (h1-h5, slide headlines) | **Poppins** 500/700/800 | Sentence case, white, letter-spacing -0.02em |
| Body / labels / meta | **Inter** 400/600/700 | Body 16px, line-height 1.65 |
| Spec numbers, labels, badges | **JetBrains Mono** 600 | 0.7rem, uppercase, tracking 0.14em |

**In validated slides:** headline in Poppins bold, sentence case, white over a semi-transparent navy band at the bottom strip. A single weight per headline (unlike systems with multiple weights per slide): hierarchy comes from slide order, not from mixed weights within a slide.

**Conflict with the Brand Kit:** the Brand Kit (.md) lists Sarala as secondary; the site brand guide lists Poppins + JetBrains Mono. **Poppins** is used because the brand guide v1.0 is the design system extracted from the live site and is what the 2026-09 cycle validated in practice. Conflict noted in `## Gaps`.

---

## 8. Palette and technical format

**Validated format:** each slide is **4:5 vertical, 1080 x 1350 px**, generated with Nano Banana 2 Lite (n8n pipeline).

**Palette (brand guide v1.0):**

| Color | Hex | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Blue | `#0D70CC` | Primary brand color |
| Navy | `#00337A` | Dark accent / text / headline band |
| Lime Green | `#C7D759` | Accent / highlight / accent rule (post-production) |
| White | `#FFFFFF` | Backgrounds / headline over navy |
| Light Grey (surface) | `#F0F5FA` | Surface / panels |
| Border Grey | `#D1D5DB` | Borders |
| Slate 800 | `#1e293b` | Headings / dark backgrounds |
| Amber | `#F59E0B` | **Urgency bars and alerts only. Never primary CTA.** |

**Gradients:** `.industrial-gradient` for heroes and the final CTA. `.gradient-soft` for subtle transitions. `theme-pharma` variant (deep forest green + lime accent) only for the Pharma Manufacturing page.

**Validated composition rules:**
- **The logo is never requested in the prompt.** It is composited in n8n onto the closing slide of each carousel. Same with the lime accent rule.
- Clean photographic background + navy text band. The eyebrow with lime rule and the grid/dot patterns from the brand guide are web resources, not carousel resources: in carousels they go into post-production if used.
- Logo clear space: 20px on all sides. Blue/navy wordmark on light backgrounds, white wordmark on the industrial gradient.

**Light Grey conflict:** the Brand Kit says `#EDEDED`, the site brand guide says `#F0F5FA`. `#F0F5FA` is used (live site). Noted in `## Gaps`.

---

## 9. Copy tone — Hormozi direct, no jargon, no em dashes

**Rule (brand guide + AGENT.md):**

- **Voice:** short. Direct. Practical. 5th-grade reading level. One idea per sentence.
- **No em dashes or en dashes in any copy.** Use periods, commas, or "and".
- **No technical jargon without context.** The average SME buyer does not know what CIJ, TTO, or REST API means until the copy explains it. Education before specs.
- **Bilingual by default** for the Miami cluster: on-image copy in English; bilingual captions where the plan calls for them ("¿Quieres verlo en español? Pasa por el booth 1471.").

**Prohibited words (meaningless to a plant manager):**
"best-in-class," "cutting-edge," "revolutionary," "game-changer," "synergy," "world-class."

**Approved vocabulary** (use naturally): FSMA, DSCSA, FDA 21 CFR, IQ/OQ/PQ, Form 483, traceability, serialization, GS1 Data Matrix, EPCIS, contaminant detection, washdown, IP55.

**Copy pattern validated in the 2026-09 cycle blogs:** numbers first, prose after. Every number tied to a downtime it eliminates ($3,000-$8,000 per 4-hour stop, 5-minute cleaning, 48% less ink, 42% less solvent, 3-minute battery, 24 months between services).

---

## 10. Product treatment — The equipment as working machinery

**Rule:** the equipment is shown **installed and operating on a real line**, printing on real product (snack bags, pharma cartons, sauce bottles). Never on a white catalog background or in a floating hero composition.

**Validated in the 2026-09 cycle:**
- CIJ printer on a stainless-steel conveyor printing a date code on a bag in motion
- Printhead in an automatic wash cycle with visible jets, no operator touching it
- 2D code printed on a carton being verified by the camera, macro clarity
- Robotics composed "matter-of-fact": the arm takes the place of a person, green status light, not sci-fi

**Specs in copy:** only specs verifiable against the Linx PDFs in `01_knowledge_base/source_materials/`. If it is not in the brochure, it does not go in the prompt. Do not invent names or features.

**Partner/supplier logos:** only approved ecosystem brands (Linx, Anritsu, MarkinBOX, Patmark, EBS, ITW Dynatec, Kooltrak, AlTech, JMK, Standard Bots). Do not use competitor logos (Videojet, Markem-Imaje, Multivac) in any material, not even in visual comparisons.

---

## Summary — Quick Reference Card

| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| **Slides** | 3 by default (Hook + Info + CTA). 2 if the message fits in one sentence. 4+ requires justification. |
| **Linx Lead-In** | Every CTA names a real Linx product, in the second half of the content, matched to the persona. |
| **Compliance** | The equipment enables compliance. Factronics does not do compliance. Never "we ensure compliance". |
| **Faces** | No faces in carousels. Describe actions, not emotions. |
| **Photography** | Realistic phone-camera, natural light, no retouching, no staging. Equipment as normal machinery. |
| **On-image copy** | One headline per slide. Detail in caption. No logo in prompt (n8n). |
| **Typography** | Poppins white headline over navy band. Inter body. JetBrains Mono for numbers. |
| **Format** | 4:5 vertical, 1080x1350. Amber only for urgency bars. |
| **Tone** | Hormozi direct, 5th grade, no em dashes, no jargon without context, no empty words. |
| **Product** | On a real line, printing on real product. Specs verifiable against brochures. |

---

## Gaps

**Conflicts between files (resolved with judgment, pending client ratification):**

1. **Secondary typography:** the Brand Kit (.md) lists Sarala as secondary; brand guide v1.0 (extracted from the live site) lists Poppins + JetBrains Mono. **Poppins** is used because it is the design system of the production site and was what the 2026-09 cycle validated. The client-profile design sheets still reference "Sarala style" in campaign titles: they need regeneration or ratification of which font applies to campaign material vs. web.
2. **Light Grey:** the Brand Kit says `#EDEDED`, the brand guide says `#F0F5FA`. `#F0F5FA` is used (live site). Confirm with the client which is canonical.
3. **Faces:** the client-profile design sheets build characters with consistent faces across panels; the 2026-09 carousel briefs establish "no portraits, no faces in frame". "No faces" is adopted for social carousels (approved practice), but an explicit rule is needed for when each mode applies (campaign pre-production sheets vs. social content).
4. **Em dashes:** the rule says "no em dashes in copy", but the Marketing Brain, the Message Block Library, and examples in the brand guide itself use em dashes extensively (they were written before the directive). New copy must comply with the rule; pre-existing material was not corrected and should not be copied verbatim without cleaning.
5. **Suppliers:** the Brand Kit lists MarxeBOX / Patmark / EBS as suppliers; the site brand guide lists Linx, Anritsu, **MarkinBOX**, Patmark, EBS, ITW Dynatec, Kooltrak, AlTech, JMK. Discrepancy in spelling (MarxeBOX vs. MarkinBOX) and list scope. Confirm canonical spelling and list.

**Undocumented (not invented in this guide):**

- Cap on regulatory mention frequency (no documented equivalent; FSMA/DSCSA/FDA vocabulary is approved without an explicit limit)
- 2-slide and 4+ slide carousel formats (the cycle only validated 3; the table in section 1 extrapolates from the "shortest message that works" principle, with no approved case)
- Monthly deliverable counts (the 2026-09 cycle used 5 carousels / 5 blogs / 4 newsletters / 2 infographics, but there is no documented count rule)
- Per-platform social specs (`Factronics_social_media_specs.md` not created, flagged as a gap in CONTEXT.md)
- Photo guide and asset design sheets (`design_sheets/00_MAIN/` and `02_graphic_assets/` empty, pending `SOP_Brand_Diagnostic`)
- Marketing hub URL (TBD stub in `Factronics_marketing_hub_url.txt`)
- Supplier-image treatment rule (per-supplier images live in `source_materials/supplier-images/` but there is no documented guidance on when to use them vs. generation)