In this Article we'll learn,
- How to setup a Measurement Device
- How to setup a Cutter Device
- How to setup a Host and Share
After the installation and licensing is complete, preparatory work in the Workflow can begin. Once this is complete, you can start using with the Workflow.
In this article, the setup of external systems such as Measurement Devices, Cutting Devices and Hosts and Shares will be explained. For a detailed description, please a look at the current documentation in these articles: Setting up Measurement Device configuration and Settings, Cutter Device configuration and settings and Manage Shares and Folders.
1. Setup a Measurement Device
For Profiling or calibration of color values, a measurement device must be available, the latest drivers must be installed and of course the measuring device must be connected to the network or directly to the Workflow server. A list of the supported Measurement Devices can be found here: Supported Measurement Devices.
There are four steps to set up a Measurement Device:
- Select Measurement Devices in the menu Administration > Measurement Devices in Workflow.
- Add a new Measurement Device in the footer area.
- Create one or more Parameter Sets for the selected Measurement Device in the Parameter Sets section or edit the Parameter Set that is automatically created by the system.
- Edit the values as needed for the Parameters.
To create a Measurement Device such as Barbieri Spectro Pad, which is possible to connect via WIFI, proceed as follows:
- Click on + New [1] in the footer of the Devices section.
Figure 1: The Devices panel.
- Select the desired Measurement Device from the list under Device Type [2] in the Add Measurement Device dialog. This list contains all available Measurement Devices in the Workflow. If you do not find your device in this list, the device is currently not supported.
Figure 2: The Add Measurement Device dialog.
Depending on the device selected, the dialog may change slightly. To set up the Barbieri Spectro Pad, the following information must be selected or entered:
- Name [3] – The name of the device is automatically created. This can be overwritten or changed.
- Serial Number [4] – Enter the serial number of the device here. The serial number will be included in the measurement data so that it is always possible to trace which Measurement Device was used to generate the measurement data.
- Connection [5] – Select the intended connection for controlling the device. Depending on the device type you can choose between Serial, Ethernet, USB or Wifi.
- IP [6] – The IP input field is available if either WIFi or Ethernet is selected. Enter the IP address for the device here.
1.1. Configure the Parameter Set
Once you have added your Measurement Device, one or more Parameter Sets that are commonly used in practice are automatically created. The standard Parameter Set can be deleted or edited by the user at any time.
To create a new Parameter Set:
- First select the Measurement Device for which you want to create a new Parameter Set in the Devices panel.
- Click on + New [7] in the Parameter Sets panel footer.
Figure 3: the Parameter Sets panel.
- The Add Parameter Set dialog opens.
- Enter a Name [8] for the Parameter Set.
- Select the desired Parameter Set [9].
- Add an optional comment.
- Click on Save [10]. The dialog will close.
Figure 4: The Add Parameter Set dialog.
1.2. Editing Parameters
If a Parameter from the Parameter Set needs to be adjusted, proceed as follows:
- Select the desired Parameter [11] in the Parameter panel.
- Click on Edit [12].
Figure 5: The Parameters panel.
- Select the desired Value [13] in the Edit Measurement Parameter dialog and click Save.
Figure 6: The Edit Measurement Parameter dialog.
2. Setup a Cutter Device
Typically in the finishing process, cutting devices from various manufacturers are used to bring printed products into their final form. If individual Print Items are imposed in the Workflow for a Substrate-optimizing output, the cutting paths resulting from the imposition can be transferred directly from the Workflow to the cutting device. Take a look at the following article to determine if your cutting device is supported: Supported Cutting Devices.
To set up a cutting device, proceed as follows:
- Select Cutter Devices in the menu Administration > Cutter Devices in Workflow.
- Add a new cutting device in the footer of the Devices panel.
- Create one or more Parameter Sets for the selected Cutter Device or change the default Parameter Set that is automatically created by the system.
- Set the desired value for each individual parameter in the Parameter panel.
To create a Cutting Device that should transfer cutting data directly to the cutter, proceed as follows:
- Click + New [14] in the footer of the Devices panel.
Figure 7: The Devices panel.
- The Add Cutter dialog will open.
- Select the desired cutting device from the list under Device Type [15].
Figure 8: The Add Cutter dialog.
- Depending on the Device Type [15] selected , the values displayed may change slightly. Using a Zünd Cutting Device as an example, the following parameters must be selected:
- The Name [16] of the cutting device is generated automatically. However, you can overwrite and add to the name at any time.
- Enter an optional serial number for the cutter (this makes it easier to identify multiple instances of the same cutting device).
- The input fields Host [17] and Destination [18] are only displayed if cutting data must be transferred directly to the cutting device. They define where the cutting data is stored so that the cutting device can process this data.
- To finish the process click on Save.
- After saving, the system automatically creates a default Parameter Set that is typical for practical applications.
2.1. Configure the Parameter Set
Once you have created your cutting device, one or more Parameter Sets are automatically created with Parameters that are commonly used in practice. The default Parameter Set can be deleted or edited by the user at any time.
To create your own Parameter Set, e.g. with mirrored cutting data - proceed as follows:
- Click on +New [19] in the footer of the Parameter Sets panel.
Figure 9: The Parameters Sets panel showing the default Parameter Set for the Zünd Cutter.
- The Add Parameter Set dialog opens.
- Enter a Name [20] for this Parameter Set. Choose a name that is meaningful so it is easy to determine which Parameter Set should be used.
- Optionally you can also add a Comment [21].
- A pre-existing Parameter Set [22] must be selected as the basis for the new Parameter Set.
- Click on Save [23].
Figure 10: The Add Parameter Set dialog with an entered Name, Comment and Parameter Set reference.
2.2. Editing Parameters
If a Parameter of the Parameter Set needs to be adjusted, proceed as follows:
- Select the required Parameter [24] in the footer of the Parameters panel.
- Click on Edit [25].
Figure 11: The Parameters panel.
- Select the desired Value [26] in the Edit Cutter Parameter dialog and click Save [27].
Figure 12: The Edit Cutter Parameter dialog.
3. Create a Host and Share
The Workflow needs access to Hosts and Shares in order to properly communicate between the Workflow workstation and the Printing System. This means transfering Print Data and Cut files to specific devices on the network. In order to accomplish this, proceed as follows:
To set up a Host and a Share, three steps must be taken:
- Select File Management from the Administration > File Management in the Workflow.
- First add a Host (target system).
- Then, select your desired Shares for the Host.
Figure 13: Below we see the Host, Shares and the Path Details pertaining to the selected Host and Share.
3.1. Create a Host
To add a Host for the desired printer, proceed as follows:
- Click + New [28] in the footer of the Hosts panel.
- The Edit Host dialog opens, where you should enter the necessary parameters.
Figure 14: The Edit Host dialog
The following information must be entered:
- Name: Select a descriptive name for the Host (for example: Printer Type, Printer Name, or simply the IP address).
- Host: Enter the IP address of the target system in this field (e.g.: IP address of the printer workstation).
- Domain: If this is an external system or the user is located under a domain, this domain must also be specified. This is an optional entry field and is not mandatory.
- User: Enter the SMB user name.
- Password: Enter the password that corresponds to the User. The password can also be displayed temporarily by clicking on the eye symbol [29].
- Click on Save [30] to finalize this dialog. The configured Host is now available for selection in the list of the Hosts.
Figure 15: The Hosts panel.
- If all data has been entered and saved correctly, a green symbol [31] will appear on the right side of the list entry, indicating that this Host is accessible to the Workflow. If you place your cursor over the green symbol, a tooltip displays the last time this Host was checked for availability by the system. In addition, the account used and the IP address are displayed below the Host.
- If the data was not entered correctly, a red symbol [32] appears on the right side of the list entry. The error must then be corrected. More information on this topic can be found in the article: File Management Errors.
- You have now entered the desired printer as a Host.
3.2. Select a Share
As soon as the desired target system has been created in the Hosts panel and all entered data (Host, User Name, Password) is correct, Shares on the target system can be selected. Shares are usually directories in the file system of the target system.
To select a Share in the target system, proceed as follows:
- Select the previously created Host in the Hosts panel.
- Click + New in the footer of the Shares panel.
- The dialog for navigating in the directory tree of the target system opens.
- To open a directory, click on the arrow [33], which will drill-down to reveal all subdirectories contained in this directory.
- Select the desired target directory (in our example it is HotFolder1 [34]) and click on OK [35]. If none of the listed target directories meets your requirements, the desired folder must first be created locally on the target system.
Figure 16: The dialog for navigating in the directory tree of the target system.
- If the Share was saved successfully, a green symbol [37] is displayed on the right side of the Share. If you hold the cursor over the green symbol, a tooltip displays when this Share was last checked for availability by the system. If this symbol turns red, the Share must be checked again. You can find more information on this topic in the article: File Management Errors.
- The listed Share shows the amount of disk space [36] currently available on the target system.
- Select the previously created Share. Details about the Share can be found on the right side in the Path Details panel [38]. You have now successfully set up a Share. The Workflow now has access to this directory.
Figure 17: The Shares and Path Details panels in detail.
3.3. Checking network integrity
It's possible without the aid of third party software to check the data throughput between the Workflow server and the target directory, this can be done directly in the Workflow. Proceed as follows:
- Select a target system in the Hosts panel.
- Select a target directory in the Shares panel.
- If a functional connection exists, it is indicated with the green symbol [40].
- In front of the green symbol there the data check icon [39] is located.
- By clicking on this symbol the data from the target system is measured and also displayed [41].
Figure 18: The Shares panel after activating the data throughput check.
