When we talk about “software” in the context of display graphics production, much like print production in general, we are often talking about a Management Information System (MIS) that runs the “carpeted area” of the business, or related systems like Customer Relations Management (CRM) system. When it comes to print production, and especially “workflow automation,” what we’re usually talking about is what is almost quaintly called “RIP and print” software. But it can be the lifeblood of the shop—and when we talk about automation, we’re often talking about getting this type of software to talk to all the other software.

But there’s more than just the RIP. “Adding features to the RIP is rather difficult because it really extends beyond the RIP,” said Sebastien Hanssens, VP of Marketing & Operations for Caldera. I mean, the RIP is there to manage colors, taking the file and giving instructions to the printer to print that file or cut that file as best as possible. And as everything evolves, there’s more and more pre-press or job preparation.”

So while Caldera offers its CalderaRIP for wide-format printing and cutting (version 16 was released last fall), it also offers Prime Center, which sits upstream from the RIP and is described by Hanssens as “high-performance nesting and job preparation.”