Welcome to PrimeCenter! This article will provide you with useful vocabulary through an overview of the main interface, and then the first steps to use PrimeCenter autonomously.
Good to know
- Since PrimeCenter V3.0, a new home page provides access to in-app tutorials to help you handle the software and create recipes. Just click on !
- Since PrimeCenter V3.2 a new tab named File Editor | Tiling introduces the new Tiling feature. The main interface is still accessible from the Layout Creator tab.
Let's focus on the PrimeCenter’s main interface in the Layout Creator tab. It is split into 5 main areas:
Screenshot of PrimeCenter V3.2
File manager & properties
File manager
The File manager is where the incoming files that you want to process are loaded. Files can have different formats supported by PrimeCenter. There is one File manager per recipe.
Import files manually
You can manually import images simply with the Open button. For more details about the different abilities of the File manager and the other manual ways of loading image files, please refer to the following articles:
Import files automatically
You can also automatically import images by setting up an input folder where the files will be directly picked up, and processed by PrimeCenter. You can set up an input folder per recipe:
And also has a global hotfolder as a unique entry point:
Properties
Click on an image in the File manager and edit the properties of the image such as its size or the number of copies. You can also add metadata like a customer ID to automatically group some jobs. For more information:
Recipes
A recipe is a combination of settings used to automate repetitive manual tasks such as nesting, adding print bleed, cut marks, and more. It is possible to work with several recipes at the same time.
For example, you can have a recipe that processes the jobs to apply a true shape nesting and add cut marks and QR codes, and another recipe that processes the jobs to apply a rectangular nesting, add a bleed, and generate a verso image for double-sided printing.
You can browse your recipes and make some actions in the recipes navigation bar at the top of the interface. One tab corresponds to one recipe. And the different settings that you can access are sorted by module.
Modules
At the bottom of the interface, you access different settings which are sorted by modules. These modules can be considered as steps of your recipe.
List of modules
- On the left, it begins with the configuration of the page and some modules to apply actions on the input files.
| Pages - More info | |
| Dictionary: list of cut contour names - More info | |
| Input: actions to perform when loading files - More info | |
| Input check/fix profile - More info | |
| Print bleed - More info |
- In the middle, there are more modules related to actions to apply to your composition.
| Double-sided printing - More info | |
| Trimbox - More info | |
| Annotations - More info | |
| Mirror - More info | |
| Nesting - More info | |
| Cutter options - More info |
- On the right, it ends with the output file settings.
| Export - More info | |
| Print file options - More info | |
| Print output check/fix profile - More info | |
| Cut file options - More info | |
| Cut output check/fix profile - More info |
Status
When a parameter is activated, the module in which it is located is highlighted so you can see at a glance which modules are active in your recipe. This makes verification and troubleshooting easier.
| Inactive module in the recipe | |
| Active module in the recipe | |
| Missing parameter or incorrect parameter |
Display options
There are also 2 display options:
| Displays the modules in another window for a dual-screen interface | |
| Opens the modules panel |
Layouts
The application of a recipe results in 1 or several layouts. A layout is composed of different input files processed with the parameters you have selected through the modules. It is the last step before generating print and cut files manually by clicking the Print & Cut button (or just the Print button, or Cut button depending on your need), or automatically.
Studio
The Studio allows visualizing the layouts. When you click on a layout, you see the result of the applied recipe here. You can also manipulate the images if you unlock the layout by clicking in the list of layouts.
Workflows
Manual workflow
1. Load an image file into the File Manager with the Open button.
2. Drag and drop it into the Studio, or enter a quantity in Properties and use the Insert button.
3. Set up the recipe by going through the modules according to your needs.
3. Apply the current recipe with the Apply button.
4. Export the generated layout with the Print & Cut button to export both, print and cut files.
For more information about exporting, see this article.
Automatic workflow
From the Pro package, you can start to run a semi-automatic workflow:
- Pick up files from a folder automatically
- Apply recipes automatically
The generation of print files and cut files remains manual.
With the Max package, you can have a fully automatic workflow:
- Pick up files from a folder automatically
- Apply recipes automatically
- Generate print and cut files automatically
For more details, we invite you to check our Automation section.