Find in this article the settings specific to the HosonSoft driver.
To learn more about creating and editing printers, read this article.
To learn more about creating and editing presets, read this article.
Specifications
Output method
| Supported | File: print files are generated in a folder. |
| Supported | TCP/IP: print files are directly sent to the controller. |
Print file format
Generated print files are in PRN format.
Driver history
Driver 2023.9.2 |
|
Improved
|
New support of pretreatment coat inks, including white and primer. This enhancement allows for the processing of spot colors assigned to these coat inks and allows users to utilize the software's automatic color strategies, while also providing the flexibility to make custom adjustments. |
Driver 2023.7.1-beta |
|
Fixed
|
When placing an image that goes beyond the layout, the image was not cropped in the preview, but it was cropped in the print. The preview now correctly reflects the print. |
Driver 2023.5.0-beta |
|
Fixed
|
The preview orientation was reversed when used on the controller. It is now in the correct direction. |
Driver 2023.3.4-beta |
|
New
|
The software is compatible with HosonSoft controllers. |
Peripherals configuration
Printer peripheral with a file output method
Output folder
Click on to open the file explorer and select the folder where you want to generate the print files.
Preview format
In addition to the print file used by the printer, you can also create a preview file. This is useful so that you can preview the printed image and the controller can display a thumbnail of the image. Disable it if you don't need it, or select the format you want.
You can choose between:
- BMP
- PNG
- TIFF
Width/Height max size
Define the maximum size of the preview file in pixels. It is the width or height depending on the larger side.
Printer peripheral with TCP/IP output method
Hostname or IP address
Enter the hostname or IP address (recommended) of the workstation where the printer controller is located.
Data port
Enter the data port of the workstation where the printer controller is located. The default is 9100, but it can be changed from the workstation.
Inkset peripheral
CustomInkset
The driver is configured with a default inkset which is the minimum configuration of the printer.
If included in your license, you can customize the default inkset by adding, deleting, or moving inks from one channel to another to create your own.
Main settings
At the preset level.
Resolution X/Y
Specify the width and height resolution in DPI of the output print file.
Colors
Depending on the inkset defined at the device level, different modes are available here.
Color separation
If you are using extra inks, this setting defines the ink distribution strategy between standard and extra inks. No need to define a color profile (see info below).
Select a strategy that combines ink distribution with black distribution.
Ink distribution
- Standard separation v4.1: Standard distribution
Black distribution
- GCR1 (Gray Color Replacement): For gray colors, if the black ink rate is less than 20%, it is replaced with a combination of cyan, magenta, and yellow ink. Often used with a printer that does not contain gray ink.
- Black only: Neutral colors are made up of black ink only. Used with a printer that contains black ink with a nice density and very neutral.
Info
The Color Separation Strategy activates a generic DeviceLink profile that is only compatible in the following cases:
- There is no output ICC profile.
- There is an NColor configuration (inkset beyond the 4-colors traditional printing, like with Orange, Red, Blue, ...).
Bits per plane
In relation to the number of drops, set the color depth of the output print file. The higher the number, the deeper the colors. This parameter is linked to the Tone type, some combinations are not compatible.
Tone type
Depending on the specification of your printer, you can choose between:
- Halftone: The RIP converts images from contone to halftone. This is mandatory if your printer cannot do this.
- Contone: Your printer converts images from contone to halftone instead of the RIP.
Info
The HosonSoft controller is not compatible with contone mode.
Bidirection
- On: Printing is done in both directions. It is faster, but may be less accurate.
- Off: Printing in one direction, it is more accurate but slower.
Passes
The number of times the nozzle must run to complete printing of a series of images. The greater the number of passes, the higher the quality of the graph, but the longer it takes.
Warning
The value entered here is ignored by the controller. It calculates the number of passes in relation to the entered Resolution.
Speed
It is recommended to leave this value at 1, which is one time the normal speed of the printer. The higher this value is set, the less accurate the printing will be.
Other settings
See: Configure a preset
Tips & Tricks
On the HosonSoft controller, there is no Print mode associated to the print file
Each controller allows you to define a "valid" list of resolutions and overwrites the number of passes according to it.
-
On the HosonSoft controller, go to Advance > Rip Print to display the list of accepted resolutions.
- In parallel, on Caldera's software, go to the HosonSoft printer driver and open the preset you are using.
- Check if the defined resolution exists in the list of accepted resolutions on the controller.
- The HosonSoft controller does not accept Contone mode: also check that you have specified a halftone Tone type and an appropriate number of Bits per plane. 2 bits is the usual.
On the HosonSoft controller, the preview is incorrect
If you try to open a job in the HosonSoft controller before it is completely generated, the preview will be overwritten by the controller and will mostly be incorrect.
Wait for a job to be completely generated before opening it in HosonSoft to avoid blank, incomplete, or badly scaled previews.