How to set up and use an HP cutter with CalderaRIP?

This article explains how to set up an HP Latex cutter in CalderaRIP and configure an HP Latex Print and Cut workflow. The steps below use the "HP Latex cutter" driver.

Install the Cutter Driver

1. On the Settings tab, click the wrench icon   (Config). Click "New" and select "Cutter" as the application type. Enter a name for the cutter and click "Configure":
   
2. In the next window, click "New" to create a configuration:
   
3. Select "HP Latex cutter" from the model menu:
   
4. Click "Queue" to create a queue folder for the cutter. In the next window, click the public folder button (1) to open Caldera's public folder. Click "New" (2), enter a folder name, and click "Open":
   
5. Enter a name for the cutter configuration. For a CutServer running on the same computer, use "localhost" as the hostname. For a remote CutServer, enter the IP address of the computer running it, not the cutter's IP address. Click "Ok" to save the configuration:
   
6. Click "Ok" again to confirm the configuration:
   
   
   
7. The new cutter application appears with the name you entered. Click "Restart" to restart the Caldera services:
   
8. The cutter icon appears in the application window:
   

Set Up the Print and Cut Workflow

1. Select an image with properly configured cutting paths from the ImageBar and drag it onto the printer icon in the ApplicationBar (1). Click Page Setup (2) to configure the print layout:
   
2. In the Page Setup window, open the Cutting tab and select "Enable Cutting Contour" (1). Select the cutter you configured above (2), then click "Tools" next to the cutter menu:
   
3. Disable all Edge marks, which the HP cutter does not use. These are separate from the "Edge registration marks" option in the next step:
   
4. Keep the "Edge registration marks" option enabled:
   
5. Configure the Step&Repeat tab as needed for your job. Adjust the remaining layout settings, such as marks and bleed, then print the job:
   
6. Open the Spooler module and click "Cut" to open VisualCut:
   

Configure the Cutter Connection and Settings

1. In VisualCut, configure the network connection to the cutter (1). Select "RawIP" from the Type menu and enter the cutter's IP address. If you do not know this address, check the HP user guide for your cutter.

2. For a single sheet, select "Single with marks" and use the remaining settings shown below (2). Jobs with multiple pieces may require different settings:
   

Prepare the Cutter and Load the Media

1. Calibrate the sensor for the material you are using. See: Good practices and calibration for HP Print and Cut

     Warning

   If the sensor is not calibrated for the material, the cutter may fail to detect the barcode or registration marks.

2. Load the printed sheet onto the cutter in the correct orientation. Use the cutter's control panel to identify the printed barcode.
3. When the cutter is ready, return to VisualCut and click "Cut".

Multilayer Sandwich Print and Cut: Limitations

When combining cutting with multilayer sandwich printing, check your printer driver and CalderaRIP version. The size constraint described below does not apply to all drivers and versions.

Enable cutting on one layer only

Enable cutting on only one layer of the job. Enabling it on multiple layers can produce an error such as: Multiple layers have cut enabled 

Size constraint removed in CalderaRIP 18.2.0

Starting with CalderaRIP 18.2.0, the following printer drivers no longer require Side A and Side B to have the same job size:

This change removes the Side A/Side B size constraint for these printer drivers. Cutting must still be enabled on only one layer.

Workflows still affected by the size constraint

For the five drivers listed above before CalderaRIP 18.2.0, and for other printer drivers still subject to this limitation, Side A and Side B must have exactly the same job size, down to the pixel.

Even when cutting is enabled on only one layer, differences in job size can produce the following error: Incompatible sizes between side A and side B. Both sides must have the same job sizes

Combining multilayer sandwich printing with cutting in these affected workflows is not recommended, because matching the sizes and alignment requires precise configuration.

If you need to use an affected workflow:

• Ensure that all layers have exactly the same job size, down to the pixel. Check the margins as well as the image dimensions.
• Keep cutting enabled on only one layer. Cutting without marks or added margins may be an alternative, depending on the job.
• Adjust the margins around the images, including those used for crop marks, as needed to match the job sizes and obtain the correct alignment.