How to manage spot inks when using Hotfolders and Workflows?

This guide will walk you through setting up CalderaRIP to manage spot ink printing in automated processes, such as Hotfolders and Workflows. 

Configure a hotfolder for spot inks printing

Setting up a hotfolder, with files that include spot colors, is similar to the regular setup, except for the way the files are imported for processing with the FileMan module (and depending on the file type).

1. Open CalderaRIP.
2. In the ApplicationBar, click on the Configuration menu.
3. Select HotFolder.
4. Open the Configuration tab and set up your Hotfolder as needed.
5. Click the FileMan Parameters... button.
6. The FileMan will open. Read on depending on the file type:
   Files with Spot Colors Raster Files with Extra Channels

   Select your file and ensure that "Auto" rasterization is selected for your spot color(s):

     Info

   While this is the default setting, it is important to verify before job processing.

   

   For these files, you need to map the extra channel to your spot ink. This is not the default setting, so it must be done manually by following step 3 in this article.

7. When you have finished configuring the processing of your images, close FileMan.
8. Continue configuring your hotfolder if necessary. Save the changes and close the interface. In the future, all spot color files detected in your hotfolder will be processed as you specified.

Configure a Workflow for spot inks printing

1. Open CalderaRIP.
2. In the ApplicationBar, click on the Configuration menu.
3. Select WorkFlow Editor.
4. Assuming you already have a workflow set up, double-click on the icon of the printer you are going to use. If you do not have a workflow configured, refer to the dedicated article.
5. Go to Page Setup:
   
6. Open the tab for your Spot Ink, which is white in this example, and click in the Enable Separation option.
7. In the "Available Sources" section, you will see the standard sources that can be used for your ink, including a Spot color labeled "White", a contour named "WhiteContour", and an extra channel designated as "White":
   
8. As for the Separation Method, you can generally leave the option on "Auto" unless it is a special case (see the next chapter for more information).
9. When you are ready, you can either click the Print button directly or close the Page Setup to return to the Print module (and continue configuring your job).

Special cases

Typically, you should allow the Print module to automatically select the appropriate separation Method based on the file contents by enabling the Auto option.

This ensures that the file is processed correctly, whether it is a raster file with an extra channel, a vector file containing a White Spot color (either named "White" or starting with "White"), or a White contour (either named "WhiteContour" or starting with "WhiteContour").

However, in certain cases, you may want to manually specify a particular method or source. For example:

• If you need to test different separation methods.
• If you have multiple devices operating through automation and consistently use the same separation method (e.g., Spot Colors) across all of them, but want to avoid having white inadvertently generated from another source.
• If some of your files with Spot Colors are incorrectly named (e.g., “MyWhite” instead of “White”).

In these cases, disable the "Auto" checkbox and select the appropriate method. If you want to enforce a specific Spot color or contour name, ensure that an image containing that name is dropped into the Print module.

Additionally, it is advisable to leave the "Generate even if empty" checkbox disabled, at the bottom of the spot ink tab, as enabling it may result in the generation of an empty white plane for files that do not require one.