Multilayer in CalderaRIP - Overview

Multilayer printing is available for compatible printer drivers and may require a specific license. Check your printer's technical documentation for supported capabilities, or contact sales for licensing information.

This article outlines the multilayer printing feature in CalderaRIP and its controls in the Print Module. You can build a job by assigning images to individual layers or open a standard multilayer PDF file. The workflow and available settings depend on your CalderaRIP version and printer driver.

Multilayer feature history

• CalderaRIP V20:
  • When manually opening a standard multilayer PDF without embedded job settings, you can select a layer arrangement compatible with the file's number of layers and your printer. Valid embedded configurations that already exist in CalderaRIP continue to be applied automatically.
  • In "Page Setup", standard multilayer files support "Image size and position" in the "Main" tab and all left-panel actions except "Mirror". All layers remain aligned and in the same orientation.
• CalderaRIP V19.2:

  • Introduced the Layers arrangement workflow for supported printer drivers, simplifying multilayer job configuration with fewer clicks while retaining the existing multilayer manager’s capabilities.

      Warning

    This workflow is not yet available for all multilayer drivers.

• CalderaRIP V19:
  • Introduced automatic processing of multilayer files prepared in PrimeCenter with embedded configurations. You can select multilayer configurations by right-clicking a multilayer file and using "Send to...", similarly to Workflows.
  • Added dedicated multilayer drivers for some SwissQprint and Epson printers. See Driver compatibility below.

  • Automatically disabled incompatible "Page Setup" options for multilayer files.

      Warning

    As of v20, some of these options are now available for standard multilayer files; see Page Setup availability below.

Driver compatibility

Dedicated multilayer drivers for the following SwissQprint and Epson printers were introduced in CalderaRIP V19:

Also in V19, previously restricted multilayer drivers became publicly available, and all drivers listed below were updated to support that version’s multilayer improvements:

Multilayer in the Print Module

The multilayer controls are located at the bottom of the Print Module:

• Drop-down menu: Select a layer.
• Trash button: Delete all layers.
• Ellipsis button: Open the layer manager.

Layers Manager

Click the ellipsis button to open the layer manager. Use its tabs to add layers, manage saved configurations, and adjust the multilayer settings.

Layers tab Configurations tab Settings tab

The "Layers" tab contains two areas: the current configuration and "Add layers":

 

Current Configuration

The current layer configuration appears on the left. Use the buttons on the right to edit, delete, reorder, or save its layers:

	Edit: Rename the selected layer or change its repetition count
	Delete one: Delete the selected layer
	Delete all: Delete all layers
	Up: Move the selected layer up in the list
	Down: Move the selected layer down in the list
	Save: Save the current layer configuration

 

Add Layers

In "Add layers", you can add single layers or predefined configurations.

You can add multiple configurations or add the same configuration more than once.

  Info

If an image is already loaded in the Print Module, it is assigned to all layers when you add a layer or saved configuration. Otherwise, assign an image to each layer manually. See how to print the same image in multilayer.

 

Add a Single layer 
(Only available for printers that support media rewinding)

Select "Single", then click "Add" to open the layer settings:

Enter the layer name to display in the interface. To repeat the layer, set "layer Count".

 

Add a Configuration

  Warning

The "Configuration" field is initially disabled. Add single layers, then save the configuration to make it available.

Select "Configuration" to enable the drop-down menu, then choose a saved configuration:

Click "Add" to import the selected configuration's layers. You cannot set a name or count during this operation.

A preview of the selected configuration appears below the drop-down menu.

  Info

The configuration's layers are added to the existing layers.

The "Configurations" tab lists saved configurations and displays a preview of the selected configuration:

Use the following buttons to manage the saved configurations:

	Edit: Rename the selected layer configuration
	Delete: Delete the selected layer configuration
	Export: Export the selected layer configuration to a file
	Import: Import a layer configuration from a file
	Up: Move the selected layer configuration up in the list
	Down: Move the selected layer configuration down in the list

The preview area shows the selected configuration.

The "Settings" tab contains three options:

• Bottom layer first in the list: Reverse the display order of the layers. "Layer 1" still prints first.
• Set image to all layers on drop: Use the same image on all layers. When disabled, you can assign a different image to each layer.

• Reload layer print configurations: When enabled, the print settings or presets are reset to their original state if another layer has already been selected in the Print Module.

    Warning

  Combining presets with multilayer printing has several limitations and is not fully recommended. Read more.

Monitor multilayer jobs in the Spooler

Send the job to print from the Print Module, then open the Spooler to monitor processing and printing.

During printing, you can see the layer currently being printed: 

Once the job is printed, use the Layer line and navigation arrows to review the details of its layers. Each layer has its own ID:

Related multilayer workflows

Use these guides to learn about multilayer printing and configure your workflow:

• What is multilayer printing?
• Configure and save a layer arrangement
• Print the same image in multilayer
• Print different images in multilayer
• Configure multilayers for sandwich printing

Files prepared in PrimeCenter

PrimeCenter is one option for preparing multilayer files. For its version-specific preparation and transfer workflow, see:

• Multi-layer in PrimeCenter
• How to import a multilayer-ready file from PrimeCenter to CalderaRIP?

Files with valid embedded configurations continue to use those configurations automatically in CalderaRIP. 

For standard multilayer PDFs without embedded job settings, use the manual opening workflow described above for CalderaRIP V20.

Limitations and precautions

Page Setup availability

In CalderaRIP V19, the following "Page Setup" options were automatically disabled for multilayer files:

• Left-panel actions
• "Main" tab: "Image size and position", "Double-Sided Printing", and "Multi-Page"
• "Marks" and "S&R" tab sections, and most "Cutting" tab sections

From V20, standard multilayer files support "Image size and position" and all left-panel actions except "Mirror".

Job requirements

• Layer count and configurations: Check your printer's technical documentation for the supported number of layers and configurations.
• Images: Each layer requires an image, and all images must have the same dimensions (with 1px accuracy). If an image is missing, CalderaRIP displays a warning when you click "Print".
• FileMan cropping: When manually transferring multilayer files from PrimeCenter, avoid Automatic Cropping of the Inked Area. Cropping white margins changes the file metadata and can prevent multilayer recognition. Files without white margins are not affected.
• Presets:
  • Start multilayer jobs using presets manually and directly in the Print Module.
  • To retain the multilayer configuration when switching presets, save both the preset and the multilayer configuration in each case. Changes may still not be saved correctly when the print server stops.
  • If dropped images do not load, check that "Set image to all layers on drop" is enabled and configured correctly.
• Step&Repeat and Nest-O-Matik: Not supported for multilayer printing.
• Multipage files: Pages are not automatically split into layers. You can assign only one page to each layer.

• Cutting: Supported through VisualCut, except for instant cut.

    Warning

  Enable only one CutContour per multilayer job. If multiple layers contain enabled CutContours, CalderaRIP displays an error when you click "Print":