In this article, you will learn
- how to transfer a Production Job to the printer,
- which options are available for sending one or multiple Production Jobs to the printer, and
- which additional parameters can be modified in the dialog Send to Printer.
1. General
The final step in print production is to transfer the print data to the printer. During this step, the document or Imposition is transferred to the integrated RIP together with all required rendering and Color Management parameters. The output of the RIP process is typically a device-specific control instruction (job ticket) for the printer as well as the corresponding print data. Both are then send to the printer via the network.
If the print data is output in the form of a PDF, the RIP process is skipped. In this case, the generated PDF files are stored in the target directory (destination) defined for PDF export or the PDF printer.
If a cutter device with an associated parameter set is additionally selected in the Production Job, the cut files for the print job are generated within the same job and transmitted to the stored IP address of the cutter device. This occurs regardless of whether the print data is output via the RIP or directly as a PDF.
Once these processes are completed, the production step for the application is finished. The status automatically changes to Sent to Printer. If the connected printing system communicates with the Workflow, the status of the Production Job may then be updated automatically according to the progress at the printer – depending on the type of integration.
2. Functionality
To send one or more Production Jobs to the printer(s) or to the target directory, different approaches can be used – depending on the operating practices within a company and how the Workflow is implemented.
2.1. In Quick Print
You can find instructions on how to create a Production Job via the menu Automation > Quick Print in the Article Creating a Production Job. If you want not only to create the Production Job to the printer but also to send the newly created Production Job to the printer or the target directory immediately after creation, simply execute the command Send to Printer [1] in the action bar.
As a result, the following steps are automatically performed by the Workflow:
- The print data is transferred to the application.
- The Production Job is created in the application and the print data is assigned to the Production Job.
- The print data is prepared for output according to the output settings.
- The selected Output Configuration is set in the Production Job.
- The Print Items are imposed based on the selected Impose Mode and Impose Template, using the size of the selected Substrate Definition.
- The Production Job is transferred to the render instance (RIP). The rendered data is sent to the printer together with the job ticket.
- If no RIP process is initiated, the print data is transferred directly to the target directory in the form of a PDF.
- If a cutter device with a corresponding parameter set has been selected, the Cut File is additionally generated and transferred to the stored directory.
Figure 1: The menu item Automation > Quick Print
2.2. About Production Configurations
Production Configurations, which can be created under Automation > Production Configurations, represent the procedural descriptions within the Workflow that define the process a Print Item must go through. Production Configurations are used in the context of Batch Processing, Hotfolder, or for creating Automation Jobs.
To describe the process within a Production Configuration, Operations are used. Operations execute individual steps of the process. Among other things, an Operation can create a Production Job, which can then be sent directly to the target directory using the Operation "Send to Printer".
Using a Production Configuration, the following steps are automatically performed in the application:
- The print data passes through all Operations defined in the selected Production Configuration.
- Using the Operation Send to Printer [2], the Production Job is transferred to the rendering engine (RIP) or output as a PDF. The rendered data is sent to the printer together with the job ticket. Further information about this Operation can be found in the Article "Send to Printer".
- If no RIP process is initiated, the print data is transferred directly to the target directory in PDF format.
- If a cutter device with a corresponding parameter set has been selected, a Cut File is additionally generated and transferred to the specified directory.
Figure 2: The Operation Send to Printer in the dialog Edit Production Configuration
Automation in Detail
A detailed description of Production Configurations, the available Operations, and the creation of a Hotfolder, Batch Processing or an Automation Job can be found in the chapter "Automating Print Data Processes".
2.3. From the list of Production Jobs
Existing Production Jobs can be quickly sent to the printer by selecting the command Send to Printer [3] in the action bar of the menu item Production Jobs. Executing the command opens the dialog Send to Printer, where additional settings can be configured.
It does not matter whether you have selected a single entry or multiple entries in the list of Production Jobs. The only difference is in the options available within the dialog Send to Printer. The individual options within the print dialogs are described in the following sections.
Figure 3: The list of Production Jobs in the menu item Production Jobs
Send to Printer in an Open Production Job
For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the command "Send to Printer" is also available within an open Production Job. Howeverf, in this case, only the currently open Production Job can be sent to the printer.
3. Dialog "Send to Printer"
Depending on whether you have selected a single entry or multiple entries in the list of Production Jobs, executing the command Send to Printer will open the corresponding dialog.
The available options in the print dialogs are described in the following sections.
3.1. Sending a single Production Job
If you have selected only a single entry in the list of Production Jobs or are viewing the details of a Production Job, the standard dialog "Send to Printer" is displayed. In this dialog, you can configure numerous settings.
The dialog Send to Printer consists of three configuration sections – which are:
3.1.1. General
The settings area General contains two subsections where information can be viewed and input can be made. These two subsections are:
- Overview (green area) – this area displays a preview, the number of placed Print Items, the page size, and the selected Scaling. Below this, the chosen Output Configuration is shown, which cannot be changed here.
- Settings (red area) – this area contains all available configuration options.
Figure 4: The settings area General of the dialog Send to Printer
In the settings area General, you can specify the number of Copies to print, an alternative Color Policy, the type of Save Ink, the DeviceN Color Correction and the target directory (Destination) on the printer.
- Pages [4] – select whether all pages or only a specific Page Range [5] should be printed.
- Copies [6] – displays the number of copies to be printed. The number of copies is calculated when saving the Impose in the Impose Editor. If additional copies are required, this value can be overwritten here.
- Output Configuration [7] – by clicking Edit [7], you can modify the Color Policy, the Save Ink method, the defined Destination, and the DeviceN Color Correction. The following changes can be made:
- Color Policy – select an alternative Color Policy if, for specific reasons, you want to use a different separation method.
- Save Ink – depending on quality requirements, select the type of ink saving to be applied during te separation calculation.
- Destination – if necessary, change the target directory where the print data with the job ticket or the exported PDF files will be stored. Instructions on setting up target directories can be found in the Article Setting up Shares.
- DeviceN Color Correction – optionally, select a Color Correction if the output needs to differ from the profiling due to special requirements – e.g., higher contrast, slightly brighter display, etc. Note that any applied DeviceN Color Correction is applied in addition to the Color Correction selected in the tab Output Configuration of the Production Job.
- Print Info [8] – optionally, enter additional information relevant for printing. Depending on the installed printer software, this information may also be displayed in the printer's user interface.
3.1.2. Layout
Under Further Options [9] (Figure 4), you will find the dropdown menu Layout.
Here, you can specify whether the output should be at the original size or scaled up or down – either as an absolute size or as a percentage [10]. You can also determine whether the output should be mirrored horizontally or vertically [12], rotated [11], or whether every second page should be rotated by 180° [13].
Figure 5: The tab Size of the dialog Send to Printer
3.1.3. Advanced
Under Further Options [9] (Figure 4), you will find the dropdown menu Advanced.
Here you can specify whether, in addition to the main output, an additional print job for Lead In and Lead Out should be generated at the printer. Such an additional print job is often required in label or folding carton production to check the registration of Dielines before the main output. You also define here which content should be printed for the Lead In and Lead Out.
Figure 6: The tab Lead In/Lead Out of the dialog Send to Printer
To configure the options for the Lead In and Lead Out, click Edit [14]. The following options are available in the dialog Lead In/Lead Out:
- Lead In [15] – enter the number of copies for the Lead In print job, which is printed at the beginning of a Production Job and sent to the printer.
- Lead Out [18] – enter the number of copies for the Lead Out print job, which is printed at the end of a Production Job and sent to the printer.
- Include all Process Colors of the Production Job [16] – when enabled, the normal Print Item is included in the Lead In. If you want to output only the Dieline or other Spot Colors, disable this option.
- Opacity [19] – specify the desired opacity of the Process Colors to be printed.
- Used Spot Colors [17] – by activating the corresponding Spot Colors in this section, you can define which Spot Colors – e.g., Brand colors – should be printed on the Lead In or Lead Out.
- Used Technical Colors [20] – by activating the corresponding Technical Colors, you can define which Technical Colors – e.g., Dieline – should be printed in the Lead In or Lead Out.
3.2. Sending Multiple Production Jobs
When multiple Production Jobs are selected, each individual Job – if properly prepared – can be sent to different printers, each with its own color setup and resolution.
When multiple Jobs are sent simultaneously to the printer or the target directory, additional settings can be applied either individually for each Job – by clicking on the respective Job – or for all Jobs at once – by clicking the star [21].
If the settings are applied to all selected Jobs at once, only a limited set of options is available. In this case, only the Print Info [22], Rotation [23], and Mirroring [24] can be defined uniformly for all Jobs. All other settings must be configured separately for each Job.
Figure 7: The dialog Send to Printer for multiple selected Production Jobs
4. Start Transfer
Once you have configured all desired settings, click the button Send to Printer to start the RIP process and transfer the data to the printer's target directory. After a successful transfer, the print job immediately appears in the printer software in the selected directory.
You can monitor the progress of the RIP process in the dialog Activities. Since the RIP process runs in the background and multiple print jobs can be processed in parallel, it is not necessary to wait for completion. You can continue working on other tasks in the Workflow while the transfer is in progress.
Figure 8: The dialog Activities showing running, completed, and failed processes
5. Resend to Printer
When the dialog Send to Printer is executed for the first time, the Imposition is reprocessed in the background before the RIP process to update all dynamic values on the Imposition Sheet. This can slightly extend the overall rendering time. For very large Jobs with Variable Data, generating a multipage PDF – with up to one million pages – can take several minutes.
If you want to resend a Production Job to the printer, you can simply open the dialog Send to Printer again. This will restart the entire output process, including reprocessing the Imposition. If, however, you only want to re-execute the RIP process, switch to the detail view of the Production Job and select Reprint Production Job [25] in the action bar. In this case, the Imposition is not recreated, and the rendering process starts immediately.
Figure 9: The detail view of a Production Job with the status Send to Printer
By executing the command Reprint Production Job [25] (Figure 9) the dialog Reprint Production Job is displayed. Confirming the dialog will re-render the Production Job and send it to the printer.
Figure 10: The dialog Reprint Production Job
Article Update: Workflow 1.22.0 – 11/2025