This article explains how to use the Automation Module within Caldera Direct-to-X RIP to streamline your printing workflows. The module provides automated file loading and job processing capabilities, reducing manual intervention and improving efficiency.
Overview
The Automation Module is located within the Caldera Direct-to-X RIP Settings area. Upon opening the module, you'll find two primary sections, "Auto Load" and "Auto Print":
Info
Only one of these sections can be active at a time.
Auto Load: Automating File Loading
Auto Load automatically imports files from a designated folder into your RIP software. This helps streamline file handling and automate your workflow.
Configure Auto Load
- Enable Auto Load: Toggle the "Auto Load" switch to the "On" position.
-
Specify folder:
- Manual Entry: Enter the full path to the desired folder in the "Path" field.
-
Folder Selection: Click the folder icon to open a file explorer window and select the folder.
Good to know
The input folder you select will function as a hot folder, a designated directory that automatically triggers a specific process whenever new files are added to it.
A status message confirms when Automation is Running.
Considerations
- Auto Load supports the same raster and vector file formats as the software.
- The input folder must remain accessible to Caldera Direct-to-X RIP at all times. Use caution when selecting removable drives or network-mounted folders as hot folder locations, and ensure the path remains consistently available.
Auto Print: Automating Job Processing
This feature is available to "Pro" and "Max" subscribers.
Auto Print automatically processes files placed in a designated folder and sends them directly to the selected printer. It helps reduce manual steps by eliminating the need to click Print for each job.
Prerequisites
- The printer must be powered on and correctly configured in Caldera Direct-to-X RIP before enabling Auto Print. See also:
- Files must be production-ready for automated workflows. When printing files that contain spot colors, such as white ink, make sure the selected printer preset is configured correctly. See also:
Configure Auto Print
- Enable Auto Print: Set the Auto Print switch to On.
- Select Input Folder: Use the same folder configuration as Auto Load.
- Print Configuration: Select the printer, media type, and print preset to use for automatically processed jobs.
-
Choose what happens after processing: Define the action to apply after a job has been processed, whether successfully or with an error:
- Ignore: No action is taken.
- Delete: The job file is deleted from the input folder.
- Move To: The job file is moved to a specified folder. Enter the destination folder path in the field provided.
-
Run or Stop Buttons:
- Click Run to start automation after selecting the folder and printer.
- Click Stop to disable automation, for example when changes are needed.
A status message confirms when Automation is Running.
Warning
Changes to the selected preset or to global software settings, such as output file naming, require a restart of the automation process to take effect.
Considerations
- Auto Print supports the same raster and vector file formats as the software and can detect and map Spot Color Favorites.
- Image Adjustment settings, such as knockout, color boost, and other software-based adjustments, as well as Auto Alignment settings (DTF only), are not supported in automated workflows, as they are applied only during manual, real-time processing. Files are printed as imported.
- Some print preparation options are not available in Auto Print. For example, in DTG workflows, pallet selection cannot be defined during automation. Files must therefore be prepared and positioned correctly before being placed in the input folder.
XML Job Tickets
This feature is available to "Max" subscribers.
To help you quickly review what happened during automated production, you can enable automatic generation of an XML job ticket for each automated job.
The XML file is named after the input file and is created for both successful and failed jobs when the configured action moves the processed job to another folder:
Info
Job tickets are not generated for jobs configured to be ignored or deleted.
XML Job Ticket Elements
Root
- ticket
- version – Ticket format version
- lastEvent – Timestamp of the last event
Job
- job
- creationTime – Job creation timestamp
Source File
- filespec – Path to the input file
- pages – Number of pages
- copies – Number of copies
Print Settings
- device – Output device
- preset – Print preset used
Media
- formatName – Media format name
- width – Media width (unit attribute defines the unit)
- height – Media height (unit attribute defines the unit)
Margins
- top – Top margin (unit attribute)
- bottom – Bottom margin (unit attribute)
- left – Left margin (unit attribute)
- right – Right margin (unit attribute)
Layout
- layout
- name – Layout name
- lastEvent – Timestamp of the last layout event
Layout Information
- mediaName – Media used for the layout
- unit – Measurement unit
- width – Layout width
- height – Layout height
- copies – Number of copies
Output
- output – Path to the generated output file
- timeStamp – Time the output was generated
Contents
- job
- id – Job identifier
- items – Number of placed items
- item
- x – Horizontal position
- y – Vertical position
- w – Item width
- h – Item height
Troubleshooting
- Job Not Processing: Verify the printer is online and configured correctly. Double-check the hotfolder path for accuracy and accessibility.