Introduced in PrimeCenter V4.4.
Multi-layer printing allows you to create prints composed of multiple ink layers. For example, white + color + varnish combinations.
You can configure as many layers as your project requires, with control of mirroring and cut marks placement. It can be used in both manual and automatic recipes.
Multi-layer printing is optimized for CalderaRIP (version 19 and later) for the most efficient and automated workflow.
Accessing Multi-layer printing settings
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In the recipe configuration panel, go to the Layout tab > Layout and editing tools.
PrimeCenter V4.4
- Click to open the tool list.
- Select Double-sided & Multi-layer to open the tool configuration.
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Select the Multi-layer mode.
PrimeCenter V4.4
- Configure settings and click Back to add the tool to your recipe.
CalderaRIP layer configuration
For CalderaRIP V19+ users, you can enter a CalderaRIP multi-layer configuration name.
When defined, the matching configuration is automatically applied when importing print files into the RIP. If the field is empty or no matching configuration exists in CalderaRIP, no configuration is automatically applied.
For more information about how multi-layer configuration is automatically applied in CalderaRIP, refer to this section.
You may also be interested in reading: How to import a multilayer-ready file from PrimeCenter to CalderaRIP?
Generation methods
Choose how PrimeCenter will generate and distribute pages across layers.
📌 One page per layer
- The number of pages in a multipage file must match (or be a multiple of) the number of layers configured.
- Single-page files are automatically duplicated across all layers.
- If the number of pages is not a multiple of the number of configured layers, an error is triggered and the file will not be placed in the layout. Other files that meet the number of pages will continue to be processed normally.
Manual mode behavior
If you import a 3-page file for a 3-layer setup:
- Insert only the first page of the file to correctly generate the multi-layer job.
- If you insert multiple pages, PrimeCenter will produce multiple copies of each page across all layers.
Example
If you insert Page 1 and Page 2:
- Layout 1 > Layer 1: 2 copies of Page 1
- Layout 2 > Layer 2: 2 copies of Page 2
- Layout 3 > Layer 3: 2 copies of Page 3
📌 Duplicate pages on all layers
- All pages are placed on Layer 1, and PrimeCenter automatically duplicates them to other layers.
- This method works with both single-page and multipage files.
📌 Recommendations to avoid misalignment issues
- Ensure all pages in the multipage PDF are the same size.
- Elements should have the same contours and size on all pages.
Tips & tricks
- You can filter files by odd/even pages in the File manager.
- Starting with PrimeCenter V4.5, an alert is triggered when there is a misalignment between layers to help you detect potential issues and reduce errors. However, due to a current limitation, no alert is triggered if the nesting rotation is set to 0°, 90°, 180°, or -90°/270°, even when the content dimensions don’t match. A visual check is still recommended before sending your job to production.
Layer configuration
Default setup
By default, PrimeCenter creates 2 layers:
- Layer 1: Contains printed elements and cut marks.
- Layer 2: Contains printed elements.
- No mirroring applied.
All parameters can be customized.
Number of layers
You can configure as many layers as your project requires.
- Click to add layers.
- Click the trash icon to remove layers.
Info
For the One page per layer method, the number of layers must be compatible with your multipage file: the number of pages must be a multiple of the number of layers.
Layer names
Each layer must have a name. They appear in the generated layout list to identify each layer. Leaving the name field empty is not allowed.
Mirror pages
You have the option of mirroring content at the layer level. Once enabled, choose the axis for mirroring:
Each element is mirrored independently without changing its position on the layout.
Cut marks
When your recipe includes Cutter options, you can select on which layers to print cut marks.
- If you want cut marks, ensure that Cutter options are configured.
- If not, this selection has no effect.
Layout generation
Generated layouts display the layer names so you can easily identify which layout corresponds to which layer.
Export settings
Warning
- In version 4.4: To avoid alignment issues, disable the Crop to data option in the Export settings. When cut marks are applied only to certain layers, the printed area of each layer differs, which changes the exported file size and can lead to misalignment during printing.
- Starting from version 4.5: The Crop to data option can be used even when cut marks are applied to only some layers. The printed area is automatically adjusted to ensure proper alignement across layers.
Print files
You can export:
- Each layer as a separate file,
- Or all layers combined in a multipage file.
Automatic mode
The export format (separate or multipage) applies automatically to all exported files.
Manual mode
- Separate files: Only the selected layouts are exported.
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Multipage file: The multipage file is exported regardless of layout selection.
Good to know
If you remove the Double-sided & Multi-layer tool from your recipe after layout generation, the multi-layer export options will disappear. In that case, each layer is exported as a separate file by default.
Cut files
No specific export options are available for cut files. In automatic mode, they are generated for layers where cut marks are placed.
File naming
You can use the layer tag in your Print/Cut file name template to identify exported layers.
- For separate files: the tag is replaced by the layer number.
- For multipage files: the tag becomes "1–[x]", where x is the total number of layers grouped in the same file.
See this article for the full list of supported metadata tags.