These devices work with Caldera's Trim-o-Matik, a cut option found on the Page Setup > Marks > Trimmers:
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Warning
At the moment CalderaRIP only supports the Neolt X DTF trimmer. More models will be supported soon.
You might want to read:
- What is Trim-O-Matik ?
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How to activate the Trim-O-Matik feature? This includes information about the options to add color or white under the marks and improve their detection of non-white materials.
Color and/or white under the marks options are exclusive to CalderaCare subscribers.
Configuration (Edit... button)
This tab allows you to choose the location of the marks, the algorithm used, and the mark adjustment.
Enable marks
This window part allows you to set the cut marks around the image.
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Top/Left/Bottom/Right Mark. Depending on whether Step&Repeat or Nest-O-Matik are de/activated, their interpretations are different. The image at the top of the window is a symbolic reflection of the current setting.
- Single-mode: In normal mode (one image per page), this option determines which marks are present around the printed image. The selected marks will be printed, and the deselected ones will not.
- With Step&Repeat or Nest-O-Matik: When Step&Repeat or Nest-O-Matik is activated, this function then defines the marks to be printed (or not) on the border of the group of nested images, provided the corresponding mark is located almost at the edge of the media.
This is because some cutters automatically detect the image's outline if it is located only a few centimeters from the media’s edge. Thus, this setting can deactivate such marks.
- The marks located between images and the ones that are placed on the outline (but far from the edge of the media) will always be printed independently from this setting.
- Disable horizontal marks: This trimmer allows cutting only vertically (no horizontal cutting and therefore no horizontal marks), improving cutting speed and directly rewinding smaller rolls.
- End of order: You can add, at the end of the job, an “end of order" mark. It will indicate the end of the job.
Layout Algorithm
This part normally allows you to switch among different automated nesting algorithms, but for these devices, you can only stay on X/Y.
X/Y layout
The X/Y algorithm is only meant for X/Y wide roll cutters. Not only are these equipped with a mobile blade identical to the one in the Digitrim devices, but they also have fixed blades able to cut the media vertically, in places that are defined exactly.
The layout is designed in such a way that all the images are entirely cut in a single pass. For this very reason, this nesting algorithm is much more restrictive when it comes to the dimensions of the printed images. Therefore, it yields the best results when used with Step&Repeat.
The X/Y tab allows you to view and modify these algorithm parameters.
Example of an X/Y layout with Step&Repeat
Standard layout
The Standard algorithm allows you to perform a Step&Repeat, or a standard nesting, by surrounding the block with X/Y marks.
Example of a Standard layout with Step&Repeat
One-Time-Cut
This function allows you to print several jobs consecutively to cut them all at once as if they were but a single task. It works according to the following principle: the physical margins of the printer are taken into account in the X/Y marks.
Activating One-Time Cut implies the cancellation of one of the horizontal marks: either the top mark or the bottom one, but never both at once. This is the reason why this mode can only be used with the Shared type of marks (see the X/Y Tab).
Please also note that, by default, the bottom mark is kept.
One-Time-Cut enabled, the top-mark is automatically deactivated
The algorithm automatically integrates the top and bottom margins, defined in the Page Setup (in the case of the Legacy CopyRIP, these are the minimal margins defined for the printer). This margin is integrated in a smart way into the white parts of the X/Y marks.
The Margin Adjustment value is a correction to apply when the actual margin of the printer does not exactly correspond to the defined page margins.
The moment One-Time Cut is activated, the size of the marks is checked, and the user may be offered to see a correction applied.
To allow the use of One-Time Cut, the following criteria must be verified:
- The sum of the top and bottom margins of the printer and the adjustment value of the page must not be low enough to be encompassed in the bottom or the top white part of the X/Y mark.
- This must of course remain within the limits of the maximum thickness of the mark defined for the current cutter. If the margins are too wide, it will be impossible to use the One-Time-Cut function.
When you choose the X/Y layout algorithm in the Print tab, the X/Y tab then becomes available.
It gathers all settings meant to control the behavior of the nesting application for the X/Y wide roll cutters.
The image located in the top part of the window is a symbolic representation of these various parameters.
How does the X/Y nesting algorithm work?
Before the first print, the configuration of the vertical blades is free. Their placing is determined by the nesting algorithm, depending on the images and the maximum amount of blades on the machine.
Once the first print is completed, the configuration of the vertical blades is then kept until the user explicitly asks for it to be reset. This allows you to obtain the configuration (for the vertical blades) that is the most adapted to the printed images. It also gets rid of the need to continuously move the blades on the cutter between prints.
If an image cannot be nested, due to its dimensions being incompatible with the configuration of the vertical blades, the user will be warned, and resetting said configuration will be possible.
The following events trigger the fixing of the blades:
- Printing/printing in a file/computing the reprint of an image in simple copy or multi-copies.
- Printing/printing in a file/computing the reprint of an image in Step&Repeat mode.
- Finalizing an Autonest job in Nest-O-Matik.
The X/Y cutters often allow the use of two types of vertical blades: simple blades (single edge) or double blades, which are two simple blades placed at a fixed distance from each other (usually, this distance is 8 mm). The width of the double blades is defined in the Cutter tab.
The current nesting algorithm does not yet allow the use of single and double blades at the same time in the same nesting job.
Adjust
This option allows you to choose the edge for the adjusting of the images. When this is possible (taking into account the placing of the sensor on the cutter), the algorithm attempts to paste the images along the selected edge.
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Adjust Left |
Adjust Right |
Horizontal marks
- Type. This option allows you to choose between shared and exclusive horizontal marks. In shared marks mode, only one mark is common to the different rows of images. In exclusive marks mode, each row has its mark (two marks are then placed between the rows).
Info
Contrary to vertical marks, horizontal marks are always composed of two lines, defined in the Double Mark tab.
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Horizontal Marks Shared Type |
Horizontal Marks Exclusive Type |
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Length. This function allows you to choose between adjusted and full-page marks.
- Adjusted horizontal marks have the same length as the adjacent image.
- Full page marks are placed on the whole width of the useable media. This can be useful in some circumstances, to make the detection of the marks during the cutting easier.
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Adjusted marks |
Full page marks |
Vertical Marks
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(Vertical) Mark. On X/Y wide roll cutters, the vertical marks are often inactive, since the vertical blades must be fixed manually by a technician. This is the reason why these marks are not mandatory. They can be made up of two lines (Double), a single line (Single), or simply omitted (None):
- The double vertical marks are defined in the Double Mark tab and are identical to the horizontal marks.
- The simple vertical marks are defined in the Simple Mark tab and are completely independent of the double marks.
- You can also choose not to print marks by selecting: None.
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Double Mark |
Single Mark |
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None mark |
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Type. The spacing among the different images in a row partly depends on the vertical marks that are used.
- Shared marks. For vertical marks of the shared type, the following cases can be observed:
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- In the case of double marks, the spacing between two nearby images is identical to the width of the mark (as defined in the Double Mark tab).
- In the case of simple marks, the spacing between two nearby images is the same as the width of the mark (as defined in the Simple Mark tab).
- In the case where no vertical mark would be present, the spacing between two nearby images would then depend on the type of blades used. With simple blades, the images are placed on top of each other to allow the cutting to be performed exactly in between them. With double blades, the images are spaced out by the same width as that of the blades (normally, this width is 8 mm, but if your specific needs are different, it can be redefined in the Cutter tab).
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Info
Please note that when a vertical mark is printed, it defines the spacing of the nearby images (it is not the vertical blade that does it).
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Shared Mark Double |
Shared Mark Single |
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Shared Mark None |
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Exclusive marks. For exclusive vertical marks, the spacing between nearby images of the same row is determined by the minimum distance between two nearby vertical blades. This size is fixed by the manufacturer and can be specified in the Cutter tab.
The spacing between two images will then be equal to this minimum distance, possibly added to the width of the blades, when double blades are used.
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Exclusive Marks Double |
Exclusive Marks Single |
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Exclusive Marks None |
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Blades. The Blades settings allow you to choose the type of vertical blades that are to be used. The difference will be noticeable with None and Shared Marks. With no vertical marks, the space between the images is equal to the width of the blades:
- None for a single blade;
- And ordinary 8 mm for the double blades (but it can be specified in the Cutter tab).
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Single blades |
Double blades |
- Number. The Number field determines the maximum amount of blades to use for each nesting algorithm.
- Sensor. This option allows printing a simple, continuous line on the left or the right of the block of printed images. It is meant to be used with X/Y cutters equipped with a sensor, whose role is to adjust the vertical blades to correct the deformation of the media:
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Left sensor mark |
Right sensor mark |
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No sensor mark |
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Double Mark tab
In this tab, you can define the double horizontal mark used by the X/Y algorithm. The mark is made of two black lines and three alternated white lines. Each of these elements can have a different width. Two kinds of settings are available here: a simplified one (by default), and an advanced one.
Simplified Settings
The Simple settings make it so that the black strokes all have the same width and the external white ones have twice the width of the internal stroke.
Using the fields available in the interface, it is thus possible to set the width of the black strokes, as well as the total width of the mark. As a result, the width of the white lines is automatically determined, according to the criteria listed above.
Shift Value. The shift value set is an additional one. It allows you to throw the mark off-center by distributing the available space between the top and bottom exterior white lines.
When the shift is nil, the top and bottom white lines are exactly equal in size. If the shift is positive, the top white line is increased by the same amount, and the bottom line is decreased by the same amount as well. If the shift is negative, the contrary applies.
Advanced Settings
The advanced setting allows you to set each of the five elements composing the mark independently (the two black strokes and the three white strokes). The total width of the mark is given for your information only, under the settings part.
This tab allows you to define certain characteristics of the cutter to be used (these values are often given by the manufacturer).
Model
A list of predefined models is available. It is also possible for you to create new ones.
Choosing a cutter in the list copies the corresponding values in the other fields. When one of these values is changed manually, the model switches to Custom. The current settings can always be saved by creating a new cutter model.
Manage
The Manage button, at the right of the drop-down list containing the names of the models, opens a window in which you can remove existing models from the said list.
Settings
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Type. It indicates the type of cutter:
- Digitrim devices are equipped with a horizontal mobile blade and allow the use of the Digitrim layout algorithm. This setting is disabled when using the Neolt X DTF trimmer.
- X/Y devices also have fixed vertical blades, which can be positioned manually. They allow the use of the X/Y algorithm.
- Minimal cutting width. This corresponds to the dimensions of the smallest image that can be cut according to the sensor’s width.
- Maximal cutting width. This corresponds to the maximal size of the media that you can insert into the cutter. If you want to use a media whose size is bigger, only a part of its width will be used for the nesting, and you will need to manually cut said media to then be able to insert it into the cutter.
- Minimal black/white thickness. This is the minimum thickness that a black or white stroke composing the X/Y mark needs to have so that it can be recognized by the sensor of the machine. Usually, this width is equal to 0.5 mm.
- Maximal mark thickness. This is the maximal width of an X/Y mark so that the latter can be detected by the cutter. It is normally 2 cm. This setting plays a determining role when the One-Time-Cut function is used. The X/Y mark cannot be larger than the width fixed here.
- Minimal blade offset. This defines the minimal distance between two neighbor vertical blades. Usually, this distance is 7 cm. This is due to the way the blades are fixed. This setting is only available for X/Y cutters.
- Double Blade Width. The distance at which the two knives for the double blades are placed.
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Save as a new cutter. This button allows keeping the current settings of the Cutter tab as a new model. Clicking it displays a dialog box in which you can then type the name of the new cutter. Example:
You will find your model in the list and you can also delete it using the Manage button. Example: