User Manual

Operation "Send to Printer"

Updated on

In this article, you will learn

  • which functions are available in the operation,
  • for which work steps you can use this operation, and
  • about a typical use case for this operation.

1. Introduction

As described in the article Creating a Production Configuration, you can add various Operations to a Production Configuration. This article describes in detail the prerequisites and options offered in the Send to Printer operation.

The Send to Printer operation is used in Production Configurations that map an entire process – from uploading the print data to the Workflow until the output.

The Send to Printer operation can only be inserted at the end of a Production Configuration. Only operations from the Operations for Production Jobs category can be used before the Send to Printer operation:

  • Create Production Job – this operation creates a Production Job with or without Imposition.
  • Create Production Job for Tracks – this operation creates a Production Job to send individual Print Items to their respective tracks.
  • Generate Production Job from Imposition – this operation is used to create a Production Job after passing through the operations Create Impose or Create Impose with Auto Nesting.

2. Function and Purpose of the Operation

The primary function of the Send to Printer operation is to send the print data directly to the printer using the desired processing method.

The purpose of this step is to transfer the print data to the printer and thus complete the Production Configuration.

Before you can automatically send print data to the printer, you have to create a share with the type Printer under Administration > File Management. For more information, see the section Setting Up the File Management in the article Setting Up External Systems.

2.1. Adding the Operation

To add the operation Send to Printer, proceed as follows:

  1. Open the corresponding Production Configuration via Automation > Production Configurations and then switch to the Operations tab.
  2. Add the operation Send to Printer to the list of operations. By default, the operation is inserted at the end of the existing list of operations.
  3. Move the Operation to the desired position within the configuration. Please note the aforementioned restrictions regarding placement –  the operation always has to be the last step in a Production Configuration.

2.2. Setting up the Operation

After adding the operation Send to Printer, the desired parameters of the Operation have to be selected for the Production Configuration.

Figure 1: The Add Production Configuration dialog with the selected operation Send to Printer

The following options are available for configuring the operation:

  • Send to Printer [1] – the following options are available in this area:
    • Start Processing [2] – users can choose between four different options here. Depending on the selected entry data is sent to the printer.
      • If free Hard Disk Space is available on the Printer – rendering the Production Job that should be sent to the printer only starts when at least the specified free hard disk space is available on the printer. If there is sufficient storage on the target system, the Production Job is rendered and transferred immediately.
      • Prepare only (do not render) – the Production Job that should be sent to the printer is only completed in the application and has to be rendered yet.
      • Process immediately – the Production Job that should be sent to the printer is processed immediately in the application and then sent to the printer.
      • Process sequentially – Production Jobs or components of Production Jobs – e.g., pages of a multipage Production Job are rendered to the Printer sequentially. For example, in Production Configurations with multiple Production Jobs, these jobs are rendered one after the other.
  • Lead In/Out [3] – in this area, you can select whether and what should be printed in the Lead In/Out and how many sheets should be printed:
    • Overwrite systemwide defined Lead In/Out Settings [4] – when activating this check box, you can customize the systemwide settings for the Lead In/Out according to your preferences. A settings area will be displayed, which is structured as follows:
      • Lead In and Lead Out [5] – use these fields to specify the number of sheets that should be printed for the Lead In and the Lead Out.
      • Spot colors to be printed [6] – in this area, specify the spot colors that should be printed. The following options are available:
        • Include all Spot Colors [7] – select this check box to print all spot colors of the Production Job in the Lead In/Out.
        • Spot Colors to be printed [8] – when the Include all Spot Colors check box is deselected, this selection field is active. Here you can select all spot colors that should be printed in the Lead In/Out.
      • Technical Colors to be printed [15] – in this area, specify all technical spot colors that should be printed. The following options are available:
        • Include all Technical Spot Colors [16] – select this check box to print all technical spot colors in the Lead In/Out.
        • Technical Colors to be printed – when the Include all Technical Spot Colors check box is selected, this selection field is not active. You have to deselect the check box to select all technical spot colors that should be printed in the Lead In/Out here.
      • Coverage [9] – enter the coverage for the spot colors and process colors that should be printed here.
        • Include all Process Colors of the Production Job [10] – select this check box to print all Process Colors from the Production Job in the Lead In/Out.
    • Rotate 180° Every Second Page [11] – select this check box in the settings area of the same name to rotate every second page by 180° when sending to the printer. This option is often selected when printing large tilings.
      • Apply to [12] – when the option Rotate 180° every second page is enabled, this selection area is activated –here you can specify whether the setting should be applied to Even Pages or Odd Pages.
    • Mirror [13] – by activating the respective check box, mirror the print data that should be sent to the printer –the options Horizontal or Vertical [14] are available.

3. Use Case

In the example described below, print data should be transferred to a Production Job via Automation > Batch Processing in the Workflow and then stored on the printer.

To carry out this task, a Production Configuration with three Operations – Check-in Artwork and Normalize, followed by Create Production Job, and then Send to Printer – has to be created in the specified order.

To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Select the menu item Automation Batch Processing.
  2. Create a new Production Configuration using the Add icon [17].

Figure 2: The Batch Processing area at the beginning

  1. The operations Check-in Artwork and Normalize, followed by Create Production Job, are already selected. Assign a descriptive Name [18] for the Production Configuration and, optionally, a Comment [19].
  2. Select the Check-in Artwork and Normalize operation and choose at least one Check-in Preflight and Fixup Template [20] within. In case you want to specify further settings, configure this operation according to your needs.

Figure 3: The Production Configuration for Batch Processing dialog with the two operations that are inserted by default

  1. Select the operation Create Production Job and specify the following:
    • Job Name [21] – insert the desired placeholder(s) to describe the Production Job as clearly as possible in the automation.
    • Ext. ID [22] – Insert the desired placeholder(s) to include the required reference to the order number in the Production Job, for example.
    • Comment [23] – insert the desired placeholder(s) to store additional information in the Production Job, for example.
    • Production Date [25] – in case you want to set a production date, insert the desired placeholder.
    • Shipping Date [24] –  in case you want to set a shipping date, insert the desired placeholder with the desired offset to the production date.
    • Output Template [26] –  by selecting the output template, determine for which printer, on which substrate, and with which color separation the Production Job should be stored.

Figure 4: The Production Configuration for Batch Processing dialog with the operation Create Production Job selected

  1. Optionally, specify the Impose Parameters [27] that should be used to create an Impose for the Production Job. In this case:
    • Impose Mode [28] – select the Nesting Impose Mode.
    • Impose Template [29] – the default template selected by the system, Default Template Nesting, was left unchanged here.
    • Impose Sheet Template [30] – here, the default template selected by the system, Default, was left unchanged.
    • Print Item Template [31] – here, the default template selected by the system, Default, was left unchanged.
  2. Use the Add icon [32] to add the operation Send to Printer at the location shown.
  3. Select at least the processing method for this operation – in this case, Processing immediately [33].
  4. Click Save [34] to apply the settings.

Figure 5: The Production Configuration for Batch Processing dialog with the three operations required for the example

  1. In the Execute Batch Processing [35] tab, add the desired files from your local computer using Choose Files [36]. Enter the desired number of copies for each Print Item in the Quantity [38] field.
  2. Ensure that the previously created production configuration is selected in the selection list for the Production Configuration [37].
  3. Click Send to Printer [Name of Printer] [39] to start batch processing.

Figure 6: The settings area of the Batch Processing menu item

  1. In the Batch Processing dialog that opens, check the settings again and enter the Name [40] that should be used for the Batch Processing job.
  2. Click Start Batch Processing [41] to start the operation.

Figure 7: The Batch Processing dialog for confirming the batch processing

  1. Track the progress of individual automation jobs either in the Batch Processing History tab of the Automation > Batch Processing menu item or via Automation > Automation Jobs.
  2. Once the job is complete, check the printer's destination directory to see if the job has been rendered.

Figure 8: The target directory with the rendered job

Sample files

To recreate the described example described, you can download Print Items here.

Article update: Workflow 1.22.1 – 03/2026

Previous Article Operation "Export Print Item"

Automating Print Data Processes

Hotfolder – Processing Print Data from Monitored Directories 1
Working with Production Configurations 3
Operations - Technical Description 14

Other Resources
Print Article