PrintProof - Overview

Included in all CalderaRIP annual subscriptions and in perpetual licenses with CalderaCare since November 2025. For more information, partners and resellers should consult the Partners Portal; end users can find details on our website.

Incorporate CalderaRIP directly into your approval workflow to streamline proofing processes. With PrintProof, you can export color-managed TIFF proofs after ripping them, offering a clean image with no logos, just the final ripped content.

Proofs are available on demand and can be applied across all projects, with the flexibility of an optional PrintProof-only workflow tailored to specific project needs.

You can enable it per printer server by going to the Print Module > Colors > PrintProof tab:

How does it work?

The PrintProof generated TIFF shows:

• Cut marks (see considerations and limitations)
• Bleed data
• Trimmer marks
• Color modification

Global settings

• Behavior:
  • Prompt for each Job: An additional window will appear after each Print Module Action, in which you can configure each PrintProof on the fly. Learn more.
    By default, "Prompt for each job" will be enabled. You can disable it by selecting the other option (the software will keep your last selection in the next Print Module action).

  • Apply to all jobs: You won't need to configure PrintProof for each job, so the global settings will apply to all of them.

      Warning

    "Apply to all jobs" is mandatory for Workflow module users. 

• Bitmap size (Mb): Maximum size of the bitmap data generated before compression and encapsulation in TIFF (from 1 to 100 megabytes).

    Info

  Depending on the compression, the final TIFF file can be larger than 1 Mb and smaller than 100 Mb.

• Output folder: Select the location where you want to save the PrintProof.
• Multipage Jobs:
  • Process first page only: Select this option for a smaller, better-quality PrintProof.
  • Process all pages: If you process all pages of a huge multipage job and want to have enough quality, you should increase the bitmap size.
• Color Space:
  • ICC (CMYK or RGB): Will generate color-managed CMYK or RGB data.

  • Device (NColor, if needed): Data in real device mode.

      Info

    The NColor and RGBWorkflow with a CMYK output will result in a non-color-managed TIFF file (there will be no multichannel profile included in the TIFF).

• Spot Channels (White, Varnish, ...):
  • Preserve: This will appear as a separate channel in the TIFF file.
  • Flatten: Will be blended with the other ink channel.
  • Discard: Remove the channel from the TIFF file

Settings per job

When PrintProof + Prompt for each job is enabled, the following window will appear on each action from the Print Module interface (Print, RIP, RIP then Print, or Nest):

Proof Only

If you select Proof Only, only the TIFF file will be generated. This means that no RIP files are generated, so it will not be possible to print them later. However, you can still use the Spooler's reopen function to generate them.

Considerations and limitations

• For some Grand drivers (swissQprint, Inca X connect, etc.), a temporary folder (/home/tmp/RasterProofTmp) may grow over time but should be cleaned at each restart of the software or the RIP station.
• If you note that your disk space is decreasing too fast, you can use CalderaDock to clean temporary files or restart services.
• Certain drivers require a connection to a real printer to be used, even in RIP-Only mode (HP recent drivers, for example), and it’s still the case here. In this sense, the "Proof only" option does not mean that interactions with the printer are completely disabled.
• The name of the PrintProof file is not configurable, so RIPping multiple times the same job filename will overwrite the previous PrintProof.
• If the bitmap size is too small, fine lines may not appear, as the PrintProof is the result of the downsampling of the ripped data:
  • It can be the case specifically for cut marks.
  • And textual information that can be unreadable.
• If you need to see Annotations while using PrintProof, the job must be at least 330mm wide to display these.
• Color limitations: 
  • For drivers allowing an optimized S&R (Step and Repeat), only the base pattern is proofed, on top. The rest is white.
  • Color bars are not rendered.
  • Light inks are not part of the PrintProof.
  • A part of the Color Corrections is not proofed.
  • Fillups inks are not proofed.
  • DTG (Direct To Garment) separations are not proofed.
• There is a known issue where submitting one job (i.e., clicking the “Print” button) causes multiple jobs to appear in the Spooler. This can occur in the following cases: multi-layer jobs, multi-resolution jobs, multi-page and multi-driver jobs, multi-quality jobs (i.e., gloss and matte), possibly in Dual Side Page jobs, etc.
  In all these cases, PrintProof will work, but the proof file may be the same for all sub-jobs (i.e., the last one will always delete the previous one).