Placement (Nesting) Strategies

Placement (Nesting) Strategies
Placement Strategies (also known as Nesting Strategies) determine how your jobs are arranged on the media. Depending on your needs, one Placement Strategy will probably be advantageous over another. Each strategy uses a different algorithm to provide various workflow solutions for different situations. The primary difference between each strategy is speed vs. media waste. Although this is not always the case, printing faster will generally produce more unused media. To set your Placement (Nesting) Strategy: Highlight the printer you want to use, and click Change. This opens the Change Media and Placement dialog (Figure 1). In the Placement field, use the drop-down box to select your Placement Strategy. Click Setup to modify any options for the Placement Strategy. This opens the Placement Strategy dialog (Figure 2). Make your changes, and click OK. Setup Options: Select your Placement Strategy, and click the Setup button from the Change Media and Placement dialog to set your Placement Strategy Options (Figures 2 & 3). NOTE: Depending on your Placement Strategy, these options may or may not be available. General Tab The General Tab (Figure 2) includes the following options: Print Triggering - You can set your Print Triggering options to begin printing once certain conditions are met. Time Based Start requires that a certain amount of time pass before printing. Area Based Start requires that a certain amount of media be used before printing. Automatically Start Printing begins printing immediately after processing. If no Print Triggering option is selected, printing will only begin when the Print Now button is clicked. Justification - Justification determines where the image is placed on the media. If you are using a strategy that prints multiple images at the same time, the justification applies to the group of images. Offset - Offset adds extra white space to the left or top of an image. If you are using a strategy that prints multiple images at a time, the offset applies to the group of images. Printing Gutter - Printing Gutter determines the size and placement of the gutter. Select Left, Right, or both Left and Right gutters and adjust the gutter size using the up and down arrows. Flip every other tile - This option flips every other tile in an image. Options Tab The Options Tab (Figure 3) includes the following options: Space Between Image and Cutter Mark - This option determines the amount of white space placed between the image and the cutter mark. Cutter Mark Darkness - This option determines the darkness of your cutter marks. The lower the number, the lighter the setting. Grouping - This option determines how RIP-Queue orders the tiles or copies of a job when printing. You can select By Tiles or By Copies. If you select By Tiles, all the tiles of an image will be printed before the next copy of the image is begun. If you select By Copies, each copy of the image will be printed before the next tile is begun. You can also select to Rearrange Tiles to Conserve Media. Horizontal Copying - This option places tiles or copies of a job side-by-side across the page, instead of placing each tile or copy on its own row. Print Multiple Rows at a Time - This option sends multiple rows to the printer at the same time. The rows are printed as one group. Print all rows at a time - This option sends all rows to the printer at the same time. The rows are printed as one group. BestFit - This option automatically adjusts the layout of your jobs to ensure that the most media is used. The Allow Rotate option allows RIP-Queue to automatically rotate Square Resolution images for better fit. Percent to cache before printing - This option allows you to set when the processed information is sent to the printer. When it is set to zero percent, information is sent to the printer as fast as it is processed. When it is set to 100 percent, information is not sent to the printer until the entire print is finished processing. NOTE: A Square Resolution is a resolution that has the same vertical and horizontal values. For example, 720 X 720 is a Square Resolution. 360 X 720 is an example of a non-Square Resolution. Placement (Nesting) Strategies: You can choose to use any of the following Placement (Nesting) Strategies: Conserve Media - This strategy uses a row-based system to organize images and save as much media as possible. A row is determined by the height of the largest available image. All other images in a row can be equal too, but not greater than this image. Every time a job enters RIP-Queue, the entire nest is re-arranged to better fit the new job. This strategy will not rotate images. Use Conserve Media if you want to save media and do not need to print jobs on a strict priority basis. NOTE: When using Conserve Media with a large number of images try three different methods: Conserve Media with BestFit turned off, Conserve Media with BestFit turned on and Allow Rotate off, and Conserve Media with both BestFit and Allow Rotate turned on. Use the one that gives the best results. BestFit - This strategy is almost identical to Conserve Media except that BestFit does not use rows and will automatically rotate images to better fit them into the nest. This option can only be used by first selecting Conserve Media and then enabling BestFit from the Options Tab. Use BestFit if you want to save the most media possible and do not need to print jobs on a strict priority basis. Group Jobs Together - This strategy places jobs side-by-side to save more media, but does not rotate or re-arrange the order of the jobs. Use Group Jobs Together if you want to save media and need to print on a strict priority basis. Print Jobs Individually - This strategy prints each job as it is submitted. Use Print Jobs Individually if you do not need to save media and need to print jobs on a strict priority basis. Fotoba, Dicus or Flexa Cutter Marks - This strategy prints your images with Fotoba, Dicus, or Flexa cutter marks. This strategy will automatically conserve as much media as possible, but it also creates extra space around each image for the cutter marks. Use this option only if you need to print your images with Fotoba, Dicus, or Flexa cutter marks.	Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Placement Strategies (also known as Nesting Strategies) determine how your jobs are arranged on the media. Depending on your needs, one Placement Strategy will probably be advantageous over another. Each strategy uses a different algorithm to provide various workflow solutions for different situations.

The primary difference between each strategy is speed vs. media waste. Although this is not always the case, printing faster will generally produce more unused media.

To set your Placement (Nesting) Strategy:

Highlight the printer you want to use, and click Change. This opens the Change Media and Placement dialog (Figure 1).
In the Placement field, use the drop-down box to select your Placement Strategy.
Click Setup to modify any options for the Placement Strategy. This opens the Placement Strategy dialog (Figure 2).
Make your changes, and click OK.

Setup Options:

Select your Placement Strategy, and click the Setup button from the Change Media and Placement dialog to set your Placement Strategy Options (Figures 2 & 3).

NOTE: Depending on your Placement Strategy, these options may or may not be available.

General Tab

The General Tab (Figure 2) includes the following options:

Print Triggering - You can set your Print Triggering options to begin printing once certain conditions are met. Time Based Start requires that a certain amount of time pass before printing. Area Based Start requires that a certain amount of media be used before printing. Automatically Start Printing begins printing immediately after processing. If no Print Triggering option is selected, printing will only begin when the Print Now button is clicked.

Justification - Justification determines where the image is placed on the media. If you are using a strategy that prints multiple images at the same time, the justification applies to the group of images.
Offset - Offset adds extra white space to the left or top of an image. If you are using a strategy that prints multiple images at a time, the offset applies to the group of images.
Printing Gutter - Printing Gutter determines the size and placement of the gutter. Select Left, Right, or both Left and Right gutters and adjust the gutter size using the up and down arrows.
Flip every other tile - This option flips every other tile in an image.

Options Tab

The Options Tab (Figure 3) includes the following options:

Space Between Image and Cutter Mark - This option determines the amount of white space placed between the image and the cutter mark.
Cutter Mark Darkness - This option determines the darkness of your cutter marks. The lower the number, the lighter the setting.
Grouping - This option determines how RIP-Queue orders the tiles or copies of a job when printing. You can select By Tiles or By Copies. If you select By Tiles, all the tiles of an image will be printed before the next copy of the image is begun. If you select By Copies, each copy of the image will be printed before the next tile is begun. You can also select to Rearrange Tiles to Conserve Media.
Horizontal Copying - This option places tiles or copies of a job side-by-side across the page, instead of placing each tile or copy on its own row.
Print Multiple Rows at a Time - This option sends multiple rows to the printer at the same time. The rows are printed as one group.
Print all rows at a time - This option sends all rows to the printer at the same time. The rows are printed as one group.
BestFit - This option automatically adjusts the layout of your jobs to ensure that the most media is used. The Allow Rotate option allows RIP-Queue to automatically rotate Square Resolution images for better fit.
Percent to cache before printing - This option allows you to set when the processed information is sent to the printer. When it is set to zero percent, information is sent to the printer as fast as it is processed. When it is set to 100 percent, information is not sent to the printer until the entire print is finished processing.

NOTE: A Square Resolution is a resolution that has the same vertical and horizontal values. For example, 720 X 720 is a Square Resolution. 360 X 720 is an example of a non-Square Resolution.

Placement (Nesting) Strategies:

You can choose to use any of the following Placement (Nesting) Strategies:

Conserve Media - This strategy uses a row-based system to organize images and save as much media as possible. A row is determined by the height of the largest available image. All other images in a row can be equal too, but not greater than this image. Every time a job enters RIP-Queue, the entire nest is re-arranged to better fit the new job. This strategy will not rotate images. Use Conserve Media if you want to save media and do not need to print jobs on a strict priority basis.

NOTE: When using Conserve Media with a large number of images try three different methods: Conserve Media with BestFit turned off, Conserve Media with BestFit turned on and Allow Rotate off, and Conserve Media with both BestFit and Allow Rotate turned on. Use the one that gives the best results.

BestFit - This strategy is almost identical to Conserve Media except that BestFit does not use rows and will automatically rotate images to better fit them into the nest. This option can only be used by first selecting Conserve Media and then enabling BestFit from the Options Tab. Use BestFit if you want to save the most media possible and do not need to print jobs on a strict priority basis.
Group Jobs Together - This strategy places jobs side-by-side to save more media, but does not rotate or re-arrange the order of the jobs. Use Group Jobs Together if you want to save media and need to print on a strict priority basis.
Print Jobs Individually - This strategy prints each job as it is submitted. Use Print Jobs Individually if you do not need to save media and need to print jobs on a strict priority basis.
Fotoba, Dicus or Flexa Cutter Marks - This strategy prints your images with Fotoba, Dicus, or Flexa cutter marks. This strategy will automatically conserve as much media as possible, but it also creates extra space around each image for the cutter marks. Use this option only if you need to print your images with Fotoba, Dicus, or Flexa cutter marks.

Change Media and Placement

Figure 1

Figure 2

Placement Strategy

Figure 3