Prepress Process Control: Taking your RIP to the Next Level
February 07, 2025
Are there times when you need more from your RIP when it comes to managing your workflow across multiple devices? A good RIP can manage the printer queue. But if you run a large print shop with more complex demands, it might be time to consider a prepress program to organize jobs before they reach the RIP.
What is prepress workflow software and what will it do for me?
Prepress workflow software is a program that centralizes the prepress stages of incoming jobs before they reach the RIP. The obvious advantage is the prevention of bottlenecks at the RIP, as the prepress elements can all be completed before each job is sent to the printer. By allowing for additional control at the prepress stage, jobs can be effectively prioritized, while your printers and cutters can be used more efficiently, with more throughput.
To put it more simply, it doesn’t matter how fast your printer is if it spends a portion of its time sitting idle waiting for jobs to arrive. Prepress process control software enables users to prepare jobs more quickly and even automate them using presets, ensuring a continuous workflow. This approach significantly boosts human productivity. By automating common tasks, operators can concentrate on more complex challenges and accomplish more with their time. The prepress software can also act as a bridge between your Ecommerce platform and the RIP, bringing a further level of automation to your workflow.
The ideal solution for large printshops
Large print service providers must centralize workflow tasks before allocating jobs to printers and queuing them into the RIP. This approach ensures a consistent stream of jobs flows through the printers without downtime or the bottlenecks that occur when the RIP handles tasks meant for prepress. This is the way to keep your printers printing, so you can reap the greatest return on investment from your fleet.
While some RIPs can drive multiple printers, in the current capital constrained environment most businesses need to squeeze every drop out of existing assets, and using prepress process control is the way to do this cost efficiently. It allows for greater productivity from your existing printers, while at the same time offering enhanced capabilities over and above just using RIP software – so expanding your offering to clients at the same time as saving you money and increasing productivity.
Caldera PrimeCenter: faster and smarter file preparation
Caldera developed PrimeCenter with automation at the forefront to enable users to streamline the workflow, simplify the prepress processes and enhance the productivity of both printers and operators. Whatever the size of your print operation, PrimeCenter can reduce repetitive manual tasks, speeding up production and reducing media costs by eliminating errors.
We’ve included preset recipes in the software, and you can also create your own for your most common tasks. If you’re a small operator doing it all yourself, you could save hours of manual file preparation with some basic automation. For large-volume users, our advanced automation features will allow you to manage large volumes across tight deadlines without compromising on quality goals. It’s up to you to pick your level – Basic, Pro or Max – to suit your needs.
PrimeCenter is a one-stop solution to a range of prepress challenges, including automated true-shape nesting, automated file edition. The files PrimeCenter generates are compatible with any RIP software on the market. It will seamlessly integrate with your existing workflow to deliver unmatched efficiency and flexibility.
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