EFI Pro 16h / EFI Pro 24f

This document provides information on how to drive the EFI Pro 16h and 24h printers from Fiery XF. It covers the
following topics:
• Workflow

• Printers, including setting up in Fiery XF

• Fiery XF settings

• Creating base linearizations and media profiles

• Printing with white ink

• Special features, including skipping blank space during printing, and media and ink consumption

Workflow
The following components are required to print to an EFI wide format printer from Fiery XF:
• Fiery XF

• EFI Print Control

• Printer-specific DLL

• Printer hardware

Printers

Supported printers
The following EFI Wide Format printers are supported:

Printer model Description

EFI Pro 16h White 6 head CMYKWW hybrid

EFI Pro 24f White 6 head CMYKWW flatbed

The Pro 16h and Pro 24f printers are available from Fiery XF 6.4 onwards. A special software patch may be needed
for some versions. For more information, contact Fiery XF technical support.

© 2017 Electronics For Imaging

November 22, 2017 Fiery XF 6.5

 
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Setting up the printer in Fiery XF

You require a license for the Printer Option EFI Wide Format.
Set up the output device in System Manager to print to the IP address of the PC that is connected to the printer.
The Fiery XF server and client are normally installed on the printer PC. Set the IP address to 127.0.0.1. The preferred
workflow when printing to an EFI Pro printer is the so-called RIP-then-print workflow where Fiery XF is configured
with the printer set to offline in System Manager.

When set up this way Fiery XF RIPs the job and creates a *.bco file. Use the Print Control utility to select the
*.bco file and print the job. For more information on how to use the Print Control utility, see the Pro 16H / Pro 24f
Operator’s Guide.
If the output device is set to online and a file is released in Fiery XF, the job will RIP and print on the fly. In this
workflow the Print Control utility is not used. There is a risk of the printer stalling if you RIP and print jobs
simultaneously.
If the Fiery XF server is running on a different PC, observe the following:
• Set the IP address to the IP address of the printer PC.

• Use the Print Control utility for printing.

• Make sure that you have a gigabit Ethernet connection as the average data transfer rate can reach 15MB/s.

• Firewalls, or any other Internet security software, must allow data transfer via the TCP port 9100 (outgoing on
the Fiery XF PC, incoming on the printer PC). In Windows 7 and later, the network must be classified as a Home
or office network on both PCs. Do not select a public network because the Microsoft default security setting
blocks communication with port 9100.
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Fiery XF settings
This section is intended for printer operators who are familiar with Fiery XF. Do not submit print jobs if you are not
an authorized printer operator.

Output folder
Print files are saved by default to F:\Output. You can access the Output folder directly from the printer’s Print
Control utility.
You can change the default folder by stopping the Fiery XF server and then clicking Fiery Server Maintenance in
Fiery XF Control. Under “System Folders”, browse to a different output folder, and click OK.

Print mode
Fiery XF comes with a number of pre-configured print modes. Each print mode contains a unique combination of
the following settings:
• Passes

• Double strike

• Max / standard speed (standard only available for Pro 24f)

You can change the print mode on the Special Printer Settings pane. The print mode is also saved as part of the
media profile, so be aware that if you change the print mode on the Special Printer Settings pane, it will affect the
print quality of the media profile. For this reason, it is recommended that you select a media profile with the
appropriate print mode settings, or create a new media profile for your specific requirements.

Print direction
You can change the print direction setting on the Speed pane for the workflow. Be aware that you can set a
uni-directional media profile to print bidirectional, but you cannot set a bidirectional media profile to print
uni-directional. If necessary, create a new media profile for your requirements.
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Creating base linearizations and media profiles

This section provides information on specific settings that are necessary when creating a base linearization file in
Color Tools. The base linearization file defines the print conditions for the media profile. No special license is
required to create a base linearization file. The Color Tools license is required to create custom media profiles.

Select “Photo/Production” as the linearization intent. Selecting “Proof” will limit the gamut of the printer.
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The following resolutions and dot sizes (pl) are available:

Nom. res. Exact res. Ink % Var. Robust Unlimited

300x600 302.38x600 39 7-21 14-21 7-21

600x600 604.76x600 76 7-21 14-21 7-21

900x600 907.14x600 113 7-21 14-21 7-21

600x1200 604.76x1200 151 7-14 14 7-21

900x1200 907.14x1200 227 7-14 14 7-21

1200x1200 1209.52x1200 302 7 14 7-21

When selecting a resolution and dot size, observe the following:

• Generally speaking, a fixed amount of ink per square inch is applied to all similar colors. In Color Tools, a
resolution of 600 x 600 dpi requires by default 28 pl of ink to create the 100% ink limit. A percentage of less than
100 reduces the overall color gamut. For percentages above 100, Fiery XF automatically reduces the amount of
color ink accordingly.

• The maximum dot size is 21 pl. The color gamut decreases at 300 x 600 dpi as the ink droplets do not completely
fill the available space.

• You can adjust the amount of white ink separately. The 100% ink limit for 4-level color modes is 21 pl. This does
not depend on the resolution.

• A variable dot size is the best choice for most applications.

• Fixed dot sizes (Normal, Fine, Superfine) are more robust and are recommended if mist or banding is an issue.
However, be aware that fixed dot sizes can result in a grainier print.

• Normal, Fine and Superfine dot sizes do not use Color Tool’s pre-linearization. The dot sizes are adapted instead.

• Robust Variable dot size starts with a bigger dot size — 14 pl instead of 7 pl. Its performance lies in between that
of variable and fixed dot sizes.

• Unlimited Variable applies full ink per pixel. With higher resolutions the ink amount rises up to 302%. Use this
mode only in applications where you need that extra ink.

• For variable dot sizes, the table shows the effective dot range for color inks. Due to the stochastic nature of the
halftoning, a small percentage of larger dots will be used at 100%, e.g. 21 pl at 600 x 1200 dpi.
 
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Printing with white ink

There is no specific linearization available. However, you can control the white channel by using a visual correction
curve.
To print white ink you must make the appropriate settings on the Special tab for the output device.

The settings are described below.

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Print mode
Select one of the following print modes:

Print mode White channel

Spot color WHITE_INK Prints:

The spot color that is defined as WHITE_INK in the document.
Any color separation from the job that is mapped to WHITE_INK and saved as a spot
color table (*.cxf). The spot color table must be selected on the Spot Colors pane.
The spot color WHITE_INK is output without color management in Fiery XF.

Fixed ink amount on printed areas* A white ink dot is created for all pixel information that is not 0,0,0,0,0 (including Spot
color WHITE_INK). You can exclude WHITE_INK from the print job on the Spot Colors
pane.

Bounding box* All image pixels are printed in white ink. This is the recommended setting for creating a
base linearization file.

White_INVERSE A white ink dot is created for all pixel information that is 0,0,0,0. You can exclude
WHITE_INK from the print job on the Spot Colors pane.

Ink chroma map Additional white ink is applied to light areas. White ink is reduced in darker areas to save
white ink.

Off White is not printed, even if there is an appropriate color separation.

* “Fixed ink amount on printed areas” and “Bounding box” are applied to separated and composite jobs.

For more information on defining spot colors in Fiery XF, see the Fiery XF online help.

White ink coverage

You can control white ink coverage:
• In Fiery XF

• In Adobe Illustrator

• In Adobe Photoshop
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To adjust the white ink coverage in Fiery XF

1 Do one of the following:
• On the Special Printer Settings pane for the output device, select the required percentage of white ink
coverage. The selected white ink coverage percentage will be applied using the selected print mode.

• Create a visual correction file.

1 Open Color Tools and click Visual Correction.

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2 Select “Visual correction”.

3 Select “Spot color” to create a curve that affects white ink, or select individual color channels, as needed.
4 Enter a value for the In% and Out%.
5 Enter the values in the empty row after 100%. Click an empty cell when finished to confirm the new
values. Do not make any other changes in this dialog box as it may cause unexpected results.
6 Click OK.
By default the visual correction file is created in the Working folder, but it can be saved anywhere. You
can also edit an existing curve by clicking Open on the File menu.

7 In System Manager, click the desired output device.

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8 On the Media tab, open the Print Configuration pane. Under “Visual correction”, select the visual
correction file.

9 Click Save.
Note: You can use the same curve with any output device.
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To adjust the white ink coverage in Adobe Illustrator

1 Open the file in Illustrator.
2 Select all areas of spot white.
3 Adjust the opacity as needed.
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To adjust the white ink coverage in Adobe Photoshop

1 Open the file in Photoshop.
2 Select all areas of spot white.
3 Adjust the opacity as needed.

Spread and choke

There is a stark contrast between white and color inks. Even the smallest of registration errors can be visible. A small
negative value (choke) reduces the size of white just enough to remove visible white edges. Often a correction of
-0.04 mm (1 pixel at 600 dpi) can help. A positive value adds a uniform white border around images.
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Print order
Due to the opaque properties of white ink, the print order is important. The settings are applied as follows:

Print order Job has Effective print order Mode Description

white
ink

Color on white No CYMK only 5 Prints white as the foundation layer, and then prints
color on top.
Yes Color on white 1 Use this setting for printing on dark or metallic materials.

White on color No CMYK only 5 Prints white on top of color.

Use this setting for printing backlit transparencies.
Yes White on color 2

Mix white with 0 Use this setting to print white only, but at the fastest
color possible speed.
This setting is applied irrespective of the selected print
mode.

Color White 7 Prints white ink as the middle of three layers.

Color In daylight conditions, the top and white layers operate in
reflective mode. In the dark, the backlight shines through
all three layers. You can adjust the percentage of ink for
the top and bottom layers separately. By default, 100% of
ink is applied to the top and bottom layers.
It is not possible to have a different image on the top and
bottom. It is also not possible to mirror the back layer for
window-cling applications.
This setting is applied irrespective of the selected print
mode.

Note: It is not possible to double-strike only the white layer.

 
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Special features

Skip blank space during printing

The Skip Blank Space feature enables the Pro 16H / Pro 24f printer to advance media quickly through blank spaces
in an image or in a group of nested or step-and-repeat images to provide faster printing. You must have printer
software version 1.0.1.0 or higher to use the Skip Blank space feature. Contact EFI Wide Format Support to upgrade
to the latest version.
In order for the Skip Blank Space feature to work, the printed files must:
• Include true blank space, sometimes referred as “white space,” as opposed to a white fill blank field

• Include blank space that runs all the way across the image(s)

The illustrations below show examples of images with blank space.

Note that one has a background of true blank space (represented by check boxes, as opposed to white space) that
runs the full width of the image.

1
Rows of blank space running the width of the image(s)
2
Check boxes represent true blank space in the image
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To skip blank space

1 On the printer’s Control Screen, click the Parameters icon to open the Set parameter window.
2 On the System tab, make sure that “Skip at blank space” is selected.
 
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Media and ink consumption

The Fiery XF printer driver supports JDF communication with MIS systems. The RIP and Print on the fly workflow
must be used to return data to the MIS system. Even if the system is not connected to a Management Information
System (print MIS device), you can still view estimated media and ink consumption values calculated by Fiery XF:

To view media and ink consumption for the current job

1 In the job list, select the job. On the File tab, open the JDF Ticket pane, and click Details to open the JDF Job
Properties dialog box.