Common process colors are created during installation. In case an additional process color is required – this happens when a specific color outside the standard range needs to be used for your printing system –you have to create it manually. To do this, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Administration  Inks and switch to the Ink Setup tab.
2. In the Process Colors settings area, click Add to open the Add Process Color dialog.

Figure 1: The Add Process Color dialog

3. In the Add Process Colors dialog, you have to enter a Name and an Abbreviation for the process color and specify the CMYK color value for display in the application.
4. When the new process color should be used as a gamut-expanding color in color management, the option Retain Separation [2] should remain deactivated. However, if the option is activated, the created color is marked for use as a Spot Color of the type "Output as Separation" for the printing system.
5. When, on the other hand, the created process color is to be used as a light color for calculating transitions between a light and dark color of a process color, select the option Light Color [1] and then activate the corresponding dark Process Color [3] in the selection list.
6. To save the selected process color settings, click Save.

An Ink Family is the parent group of inks that have been developed together for use in a printing system. One or more process colors can be assigned to an ink family. The most common ink families are already available after installation.

To create an ink family, proceed as follows:

1. In Administration > Inks open the Ink Setup tab.
2. To create a new ink family, click Add in the header bar of the Ink Families settings area.

Figure 2: The Add Ink Family dialog

3. In the Add Ink Family dialog, you first have to fill in the necessary fields [4] – Name, Segment, Supplier, and optionally a Comment – for the ink family.
4. Then switch to the Inks [5] tab and add the Process Colors for which an ink is available to the ink family.
5. Then enter the Name and Order Number of the ink.
6. To create the ink family, click Save.

Now that all Ink Families with the corresponding Inks have been created in the database, the inks filled in the printer must be made available.

To make the inks available for the printer, proceed as follows:

1. In Administration > Inks navigate to the Used Inks tab.
2. In the Ink Family settings area, add the previously created Ink Family to the list by clicking Add. The Add Ink Family dialog opens.

Figure 3: The Add Ink Family dialog

3. First, select the Ink Family [6] in the dialog. Selecting the ink family displays all available inks assigned to this ink family.
4. Then select all the inks that are filled in the printer by checking the checkbox [7]. In case filled colors are not displayed, they have either not been created yet or are assigned to a different ink family. In this case, you either have to create the ink or create an additional ink family in the application.
5. To make the selected inks available for the application, click Save.

In order to be able to create an ink consumption report with prices in the application, the prices for the individual inks or specific ink prices for customers have to be stored in the system.

To store the standard price of an ink, proceed as follows:

1. In Administration > Inks, navigate to the Used Inks [8] tab.
2. Select the desired entry [9] in the Ink Families settings area. All available Inks are displayed in the settings area of the same name.
3. Now select the corresponding ink [10] in the Inks settings area. This will display the Standard Price [13] entry in the Ink Price settings area. If the price has not yet been changed, the default value is 0.00 €.

Figure 4: The Used Ink tab with the three setting areas

4. In the Edit Ink Price dialog that opens, now enter the price per liter of ink in Cost € / l [15]. The only difference between this dialog and Figure 15 is that no Customer can be selected.
5. Press Save to store the standard prices for this ink. Proceed in the same way for all other colors.
6. If you also want to store an ink price for a customer, click Add [11].
7. In the Add Ink Price dialog, now select a customer [14] and enter the ink price for this customer in Cost € / l [15].

Figure 5: The Edit Ink Price dialog

A printer has to be set up in order to output print data. Different parameters may be required when setting up a printer, which is why the setup may vary depending on the printer type. For the depiction of a general printer setup, you will find an example for the creation of a PDF printer below. Proceed as follows:

1. Select the menu Administration  Printers. If no printer has been set up yet, you will be shown the steps that need to be completed in advance to set up a printer. A printer can only be set up once all the prerequisites have been met. The prerequisites include:
   • Setting Up the File Management – set up the file management on the desired server where the print data should be stored.
   • Path – select the path where the files should be stored.
   • Ink Family – create an ink family for the desired printer with all the required process colors.
   • Substrate – create the desired substrate with all the substrate characteristics that should be used.
2. Click Add in the action bar. Depending on your license, different printers are available for selection here. For this example, a PDF Printer/Output is created.
3. In the Add Printer dialog, the Printer Type [16] is already preselected and cannot be changed. Additionally, enter the name for the printer and, optionally, a comment.
4. For the Default Destination Directory [17], select the path or share that you have previously defined for this printer. In addition, specify the Preferred Height – the height that should be selected as the default for the Imposition – for this printer, and then click Next.

Figure 6: The Printer step in the Add Printer dialog

5. The typically used process colors are already displayed in the Print Heads step. Select the ink family loaded in the printer in Preferred Ink Family [18].
6. Remove any process colors that are not to be used from the list, or add any process colors that are not listed but are present in the printing system.
7. The order can be adjusted to suit the printer's requirements by moving the handles [19].
8. Click Next to proceed to the next step.

Figure 7: The Print Heads step in the Add Printer dialog

9. In the Color Configuration step, you now have to select the Type [20]. When creating a PDF printer, only CMYK can be selected here. For other printing systems, other printing color configurations are, of course, also selectable.
10. Enter the desired name for the type in the Color Configuration Name [21] field. The default name of the type is used, but you can also use and enter your preferred name.
11. Then click Next.

Figure 8: The Color Configuration step in the Add Printer dialog

12. In the Print Configuration step, you have to enter the Printer Resolution [22], other Finishing Type [23] and output parameters [24].
13. Once you have entered the desired values, click Next.

Abbildung 9: Der Schritt Druckkonfiguration im Dialog Drucker hinzufügen

14. The final step is to create the Color Policy, which, in the application, plays a central role in the output. The following parameters have to be entered to complete the creation of a printer:
    • Name [25] – assign a name for the color policy here. Optionally, you can also add a comment.
    • Substrate [26] – select the default substrate that should be stored for this printer from the drop-down menu. All created substrates are available in the selection list.
    • Assign to all Substrates [27] – activate this option when the color strategy that should be created has to be used for all substrates.
    • Assign to selected Substrate [28] – when the Assign to all Substrates option is deactivated, it is possible here to add additional substrates to the standard substrate. This limits the list of available substrates to those added here when selecting the color policy in the application.
    • Intermediate Color Space [29] – select the ICC profile that is to be used for color conversion from RGB to CMYK from the selection menu.
    • ICC Profile [30] – Select the desired ICC profile here or upload your own ICC profile. The selected ICC profile should correspond to the target system for which the PDF is being created. The substrate profile (an ICC profile) should therefore be uploaded and selected here.
15. Then click Save to create the printer.

Figure 10: The Color Strategy / ICC Profile step in the Add Printer dialog, which is only available when creating a PDF printer.

When creating a printer, you have already added a Color Configuration and a Print Configuration with all the necessary parameters. If you want to set up additional printer configurations, such as color settings, resolutions, output paths, etc., you can do so at any time.

To create additional color configurations and print configurations for an existing printer, proceed as follows:

1. Select the menu item Administration > Printers. A list of all printers available in the application is displayed.
2. Click on the name of the printer in the list to open the detail view.
3. The detail view of the printer is divided into four setting areas – Print Heads [31], Color Configuration [33], Print Configuration [34], and Color Policies [32].

Figure 11: Detail view of a printer for complete configuration

4. In the Print Heads [31] settings area, click Edit to change the ink family or add additional colors – OVG, varnish, white.
5. In the Edit Print Heads dialog, at least the Process Color [35], the Ink Family [36], and the Ink [37] have to be selected for each color channel. Do this for all print heads in the printer.

Figure 12: The Edit Print Heads dialog

6. Save the changes in the Print Heads dialog by clicking Save.
7. Now create the Color Configuration that you want to use for production later. To create a Color Configuration [33] (Figure 11), click Add in the settings area of the same name.
8. In the Add Color Configuration dialog  – note that it is not possible to create additional color configurations for a PDF printer – select the desired color configuration in Type [38]. Then assign a suitable name for the Color Configuration Name [39].

Abbildung 13: Der Dialog Farbkonfiguration hinzufügen mit bereits ausgefülltem Typ und Namen

9. Complete the Color Configuration by clicking Save.
10. Now create the print configurations that you want to use for production later. To add a Print Configuration [34] (Figure 11), click Add in the settings area of the same name.
11. In the Add Print Configuration dialog, select the desired Preset [40] from the list of preconfigured modes. Then assign a name for the Print Mode [41]. Note that this name has to be unique for each print configuration.

Figure 14: The Add Print Configuration dialog with the already selected Print Mode

12. Complete the Print Configuration by clicking Save.

Once all the necessary print configurations have been set up, the application is ready to start the color setup for a substrate. However, before you start, you should at least adjust the Settings menu item to your requirements, especially with regard to color management.

To view or change the settings for the program, proceed as follows:

1. Select the menu item Administration > Settings. All areas in which settings can be made are displayed in the form of menu items and tabs. The menu items General [47] and Color Management [48] should always be adjusted for production-related reasons.

Figure 16: The General menu item in the settings

2. In the General [47] menu item, the settings are those that best suit your working methods or production requirements. There are four tabs available:
   • General [49] – here you can specify how length specifications should be handled and how many entries should be displayed in the Activities list. The default values in this area are already optimally selected for common production processes.
   • Display Options [50] – here you can select the desired values for displaying length units, number format, currency, date, and time format. In addition, specify whether the user should see all menu items for the license or only those menu items that correspond to their role.
   • Page Box options [51] – here, define the typical bleed values used in production and the Page Box that should be used as standard for impositions. In practice, using the TrimBox is a common and recommended working method.
   • Multipage files [52] – here you can determine how multipage files should be handled.
3. Once you have completed the settings in the General tab, switch to the Color Management tab [48] (Figure 16). There, make the settings that best suit your working methods or production requirements.

Figure 17: The Color Management tab of the Settings dialog

4. There are three tabs available in which settings have be made before starting a color setup:
   • General [53] – Here you can specify which options are to be used for the various areas of color management – ∆E, Color Policy, simulation target color space, rendering intent, and linearization method. Be sure to read the descriptions in the notes on the right side of the options. Additionally, select which source profiles should be used for color calculation in the print data. In certain production environments, it may be useful to ignore CMYK source profiles.
   • Working Color Space [54] – Select the profile here – for CMYK, RGB, and grayscale  that should be used as the reference color space for output in production. The use of ECI-CMYK  a CMYK color space with a wide color gamut for digital printing  can be useful in purely digital printing environments. The choice of sRGB is recommended for environments where the creators of the print data are unknown. For grayscale, sGray is the most commonly used setting.
   • Output Color Space [55] – upload all ICC substrate profiles to be used as the output color space for printers here.
5. Save the presets you have made by clicking Save. If you want to make further presets in the other tabs, now is the right time to do so. However, changes to the settings can also be made at any time later.

To ensure that spot colors are converted correctly to the output color space and that the  ∆E color differences for the selected output color space (Color Policy) are calculated correctly, you should provide the system with the color libraries used in your prepress or production. You can use either the color libraries used in Adobe CC programs (.ase and .acb formats) or color libraries in CxF format.

To upload a color library, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Color > Spot Colors and switch to the Library tab.
2. Click on Import in the action bar.
3. A dialog appears for selecting an .acb, .ase, or CxF file. Drag the desired file to the drop zone [56].
4. Then assign the desired Name [57] for the color library.
5. Click the Import Spot Color Library button to load the color library into the application.

Figure 18: The Import Spot Color Library dialog

In order for certain spot colors to be automatically recognized as a specific type of spot color in the Workflow, they must be created as system-wide Spot Color Definitions. It is also possible to create substrate-specific or customer-specific Spot Color Definitions.

To create a Spot Color Definition, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Colors > Spot Colors. A list of all available spot colors in the application is displayed. Using the three quick filters – System, Substrate, and Customers – you can filter and edit spot colors in the respective category.
2. Click Add to create a system-wide spot color definition.
3. In the Create Spot Color Definition dialog that opens, enter the following information to create a spot color that should be created as a technical color:
   • Name [58] – Enter the name for the spot color here. Note that each spelling – upper and lower case – requires its own spot color cefinition.
   • Origin [59] – Select from the drop-down menu whether it is a system-wide, substrate-specific, or customer-specific spot color. Technical colors can only be created as system-wide spot colors.
   • Spot Color Type [60] – Define the type of spot color here. Depending on this selection, the spot color will be treated accordingly in the system. To create a Technical Spot Color, select the type of the same name.
   • Processing Steps [61] – for technical spot colors and spot colors that are output as separations, you have to select the desired Processing Steps Group. In most cases, select Structural here. Optionally, you can also select the respective Processing Steps Type.
   • Color Mode [62] – Select the color space in which the color values for the spot color should be specified. Choose between CMYK, RGB, and LAB.
   • Color Value [63] – After selecting the Color Space, enter the corresponding color values for the color reproduction of the Technical Color. Alternatively, Lab values can also be read in directly using Measurement Devices.
4. Complete the Spot Color Definition by clicking on Save.

Figure 19: The Create Spot Color Definition dialog

To allow users to access certain areas, typical user roles have to be created. To create a role, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Administration > Users and Roles, and select the Manage Roles tab.
2. By default, the role USER is available in the User Roles settings area. No rights are assigned to the USER role by default.
3. In case, for example, you want to create the role "Prepress", click Add in the User Roles settings area.
4. The Add User Role dialog opens, where you can enter a role name [64] and, optionally, a Role Comment.
5. Click Save to create the new role.

Figure 20: The Add User Role dialog

6. Select the previously created user role in the left area of the User Roles [65] settings area.
7. The Role Permissions assigned to the role are then displayed. The Menu Bar tab [66] displays the permissions that correspond to the menu items in the application's menu bar. You can also view the permissions for other areas, such as Editors and Global.

Figure 21: The Role Permission settings area with selected permissions from the Menu Bar tab

8. By expanding [68] layer 1, you will see the underlying role permissions for layer 2. In some cases, role permissions can be expanded up to four layers, allowing authorizations to be set very granularly.
9. Go through the list of role permissions and activate the corresponding checkboxes to activate all role permissions of the underlying layers or individual role permissions. In case not all permissions of a layer are activated, the symbol [–] [67] is displayed.
10. Once you have set all the desired Role Permissions, click Save to assign the changes to the role.