Caldera’s New Prepress Automation Solution
Created by Caldera. Inspired by Zünd.
Caldera’s prepress automation solution PrimeCenter helps wide format digital printers optimize job preparation for printing and cutting. While automating repetitive prepress tasks, PrimeCenter allows you to increase operator productivity and optimize your layouts to save time and reduce media usage.
Discover all the features included in PrimeCenter below!
Orders (or jobs) are first submitted to the prepress station, either manually, from a webshop or from an ERP. Then, PrimeCenter generates nested layouts based on ”recipes” created by the operator.
After adding the marks and optimizing the nesting, PrimeCenter sends both PDF files (the print file and the cut file) to the production stage. At this stage, CalderaRIP software can be integrated to RIP the file before printing. After printing is done, the cutting can start!
Based on cutting-edge A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) technologies, our blazing-fast “Prime Nesting” algorithm achieves a high level of optimization while guaranteeing reusability. Minimizing media waste and beating the best manually generated nestings allow you to save money and scale up your production.
Create your own recipe and automate repetitive manual tasks such as preflight, bleed, assigning the sizes, assigning production configuration, adding the annotations, or QR codes. Save your recipe and apply it as many times as necessary!
Synchronization with Zünd Cut Center media and tools, and transfer of metadata for cutting automation.
Generate ready to cut files in layered PDF, the most used format on the market. Each element of the PDF – from design and cut contour to registration marks – is contained in different layers.
Reduce the error rate, optimize your organization, save time when preparing the shipments and when searching for an order or a client.
Improves job tracking with XML technology. Can be integrated with all types of ERP, MIS and webshops.
This new version of PrimeCenter builds on the existing automation solution to offer users greater flexibility. Indeed, V1.1 is adapted to a wide range of print & cut environments and is compatible with more cutters.
Additionally, it can now generate ready to cut files in layered PDF, the most used format on the market. Each element of the PDF – from design and cut contour to registration marks – is now contained in different layers.
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PrimeCenter has been innovated to give users increased flexibility when it comes to cutting and registration. At the same time, additional layers of automation make it easier and faster to manipulate images during the prepress stage.
PrimeCenter V1.1 pushes flexibility even further by extending cut marks options to be compliant with most cutter and workflow restrictions. Choose the shape and size of your registration marks, and customize their placement with margin, spacing and edge marks settings within the current nest by using our updated cut marks module.
PrimeCenter is a versatile tool that can benefit print operations of all sizes. Owner-operators will find that it integrates seamlessly with the RIP and helps save valuable time in file preparation. For medium-sized print shops, it reduces the need for a dedicated prepress operator, freeing up time to focus on printing rather than preparation. In larger printing operations, the ability to automate daily repetitive tasks has significant benefits.
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True Shape nesting is a “NP-complete” problem, meaning that it is not possible to find the best solution without a prohibitive time-consuming inspection of all the possibilities. The exploding combinatory of solutions leads to mix different strategies (classically called heuristics) to avoid local optimums and maximize efficiency.
Prime Nesting combines several heuristics to find the better match given a maximal allowed nesting time.
While improving the flexibility and automation capabilities of PrimeCenter, Version 1.1 now allows two possibilities for tracking codes. Job processing can be automated by the inclusion of optical marks such as QR codes or barcodes.
Indeed, when it comes to textile or other textured substrate printing, it is more convenient to use BarCode 39, as not all printers are equipped with QR code readers. PrimeCenter eases the job identification process and streamlines the prepress stage, allowing you to make considerable time savings across your workflow.
PrimeCenter has a feature that can group together incoming files based on specific data. That is called ”ganging.”
For example, if you have three multi-page PDF files from two different customers, PrimeCenter will use Metadata -customer’s ID e.g- to queue the files in separated nests. This feature eases the finishing and delivery process.
Traditionally, what is called ‘data’ in the large format digital printing industry is what is printed. The data is printed.
Metadata is all the different information that comes with the printed file such as for example the order number, the professional channel, the order date, the delivery date, the printer, etc. It helps you organize, filter and enrich your files via QR codes.
When exporting both cut and print files from PrimeCenter, you can now rename the files by choosing from a variety of information. Even though PrimeCenter V1.0 provided dynamic output file naming, V1.1 goes one step further and enhances the software’s automation capabilities. Layouts can now be named according to media name, number of copies, date and ganging metadata.
The ganging metadata can feature any naming attributes. These improvements not only ease the identification process in both manual and automatic workflows, they also link prepress to production.
Thanks to the new “Automated Crop Mark” feature in Caldera PrimeCenter Version 1.1, you no longer need to use a design software program, such as Adobe Photoshop, to manually remove an unused white area around your design.
Caldera PrimeCenter now automatically handles this task for you, by cropping the page to the trimbox, to the visible content or to remove the cropbox, depending on your choice. This can be applied to vector or rasterized files!
Save considerable time by automating this process in your workflow.
Thanks to the new “Generate Cut Contour” feature in Caldera PrimeCenter Version 1.1, you no longer need to use a design software, such as Adobe Illustrator, to manually create a cut contour. Caldera PrimeCenter now generates cut contours automatically around your designs, on vector or rasterized files!
This feature in combination with the automation of cut marks and print bleed will save you a lot of time on boring and repetitive tasks.
Let your prepress team focus on more added-value jobs!
Custom one or multiple images simultaneously by adding Crop marks manually or automatically. Choose between internal or external crop marks to cut your rectangular nested files using manual cutting equipment. To further increase the flexibility of your cutting workflow, combine crop marks and cutter registration marks. Manage margins and offset independently to reach your goals.
Choose to mirror your image vertically or horizontally directly in the File Manager, or rotate your images to 180 degrees or 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise according to your needs. You can now force your page orientation to portrait or to landscape.
These Check/Fixes can be applied automatically during the file loading process in order to increase your productivity!
Get your files ready before the nesting step with the proper Check/Fix action!
Besides making PrimeCenter more flexible than ever, this extensive Preflight and Fixup Library lets you access new features and fixes without having to wait for a full software update.
Are you, for example, looking for a fixup profile that will improve your workflow and automate boring and repetitive prepress tasks?
Simply browse through the library, download the appropriate KFPX profile, save it in the correct folder, then use it immediately in PrimeCenter.
Finding input files is now easier than ever, thanks to the new preview options embedded in PrimeCenter’s File Manager, which allow you to choose how your input files are displayed thus further enhancing the software’s flexibility. Choose between two types of display – detailed list or icons – and increase the size of the thumbnails for easier file identification before nesting. Adapt the display to your needs and save time during the pre-production stage!
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Grid
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List
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Zoom in the gird
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PrimeCenter works for all types of Print&Cut applications, including:
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Banners and posters |
Stickers |
Point of Sales Marketing |
Soft Signage
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PrimeCenter comes with a choice of three editions:
Parameters for preflight, nesting and other functions are applied manually.
Layouts from incoming files are automatically generated, though not exported to the controller or the RIP. The application of parameters for preflight and nesting can be semi-automated via the creation of scripted actions.
Includes the features of PrimeCenter Pro, but the automatically generated layouts are also automatically exported to the controller or the RIP.
 BASIC The manual version |
 PRO The semi-automated version |
 MAX The fully automated version |
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Manual Apply Recipe Manual Export 1 user interface |
Auto Apply Recipe Manual Export 1 user interface |
Auto Apply Recipe Auto Export 3 user interfaces |
and tickets submission (Dashboard also included for CalderaCare users) |
FAQ, tickets submission, Dashboard and SLA (same as CalderaCare) |
FAQ, tickets submission, Dashboard, and SLA (same as CalderaCare) |
| Rectangular & True Shape Nesting |
Rectangular & True Shape Nesting |
Rectangular & True Shape Nesting |
| Canvas & True Shape Bleeding | Canvas & True Shape Bleeding | Canvas & True Shape Bleeding |
| Texts, Barcode 39 and QR Code | Texts, Barcode 39 and QR Code | Texts, Barcode 39 and QR Code |
| Trimbox with Padding | Trimbox with Padding | Trimbox with Padding |
| Manual preflight, export of PDF and Cut files |
Manual preflight, export of PDF and Cut files |
Manual preflight, export of PDF and Cut files |
| Input Hotfolders | Input Hotfolders | |
| Ganging | Ganging | |
| Tear-Off Annotations | Tear-Off Annotations | |
| Meta-Data from filename | Meta-Data from filename | |
| Output Hotfolders | ||
| XML Job Ticket | ||
of PDF and Cut files |
of PDF and Cut files |
Automatic Preflight, export of PDF and Cut files |
PrimeCenter supports the following file formats:
PrimeCenter is a multiplatform software, compatible with the following operating systems:
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Windows 10 |
mac OS X Catalina |
Debian 10 |
Compatible with any RIP and cutter controller supporting PDF, but integrated only with CalderaRIP and Zünd Cut Center.
*Based on a 2020 survey from Caldera on a panel of 500 printshops.
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