ColorGATE Blog

About Printer Drivers with Printmode.xml

Written by Randall Lee Garland | 30-Mar-2020 15:43:05

Many large format printers today are set up modular which allows the manufacturer to streamline their printer to the customer’s needs. CMYK, CMYKLcLm, varnish or primer? Dependent on the installation there are several different configurations some large format printers can use.

To ensure easy adaptation of the driver without needing to hard code each print mode, color scheme or finishing, ColorGATE Productionserver uses .xml files to be able to cover all settings. During a fresh installation of the Productionserver software we install a base .xml to get the customer up and running. This .xml file is defined by the printer manufacturer, normally using a “Standard” configuration of their machine. These files are saved under

c:\Program Files (x86)\ColorGATE Software\Productionserver10\Drivers\**Manufacturer**\Printer

Please note that not every printer driver in Productionserver supports these configurations files.

“What should I do if my configuration is not listed? Do I have to change the file myself?”

No worries, during the installation of your printer and Productionserver Software your qualified printer technician can adapt the .xml file to exact your printer configuration. By activating or deactivating certain variables your technician can either add print modes, color modes or machine relevant settings.

“I´ve updated my Productionserver software and have lost Print Modes, what can I do?”

When updating the Productionserver software we overwrite all files found under the Program Files (x86) folder. This is to ensure your software has received all fixes included in the new Build. To keep modified .xml files we suggest saving them under this path:

 c:\ProgramData\ColorGATE Software\Productionserver10\Drivers\**Manufacturer**\Printer

 The ProgramData path contains the relevant information defined when creating a printer definition and is not overwritten. This includes everything found in the driver folder. Normally, your printer technician will set this up themselves, but we understand sometimes it can be forgotten. If an .xml is found under this path, we first use that one and only if there is none defined would we use the one found under the Program Files (x86) path.

If you are unsure if your printer requires an .xml file feel free to contact us and we will clarify any open questions.

!!Happy Printing!!