The demands on printing companies are constantly increasing when it comes to color, quality and efficiency. In order to remain competitive while producing reasonable quality, printing processes must become more and more efficient. Process automation is the way to achieve a good margin, even with short print runs, many jobs and mass customization of products.
Using the right software can make all the difference
To automate your existing production workflow, you need two things: software that can control your printing systems and the ability to integrate this software smartly into your workflows.
ColorGATE's Productionserver already supports more than 1,800 devices (a list of all supported devices can be found here) and, with its various modules and functions, offers a range of options for making your workflow efficient.
Perhaps you already receive print jobs from an eCommerce workflow or from a Management Information System (MIS). It would be inefficient to collect these jobs in a folder and then transfer them "by hand" to Productionserver. Instead, we offer you several options for automated transfer of design files and job tickets. In addition to hot folders / naming convention and JDF, we particularly recommend our REST API here.
The REST API module adds a new operating mode to ColorGATE's Productionserver: it can be used as a webserver. This means that you can easily embed Productionserver in existing web-based workflows, and your employees and colleagues can continue to work with interfaces they are already familiar with.
REST API: The standard for web-based process automation
REST - the modern standard for web-based workflows - enables encrypted communication via HTTPS and authenticated access (in conjunction with the Access Control Module).
With the REST API module you can automate the job processing with Productionserver. Different requests (request types) are available for this purpose:
- GET: Get information without making any changes.
- POST: Create new data.
- PUT: Edit data.
- DELETE: Delete data.
You control the RIP process and the print queues via REST API. Thereby you have extensive possibilities to remotely control print jobs:
- Create a new print job
- Change most parameters for print jobs, e.g. the size or the number of copies
- Activate InkSaver
- Select MIMs or profiles
- And much more
You can also make status queries, so you can always check your production performance. And even profiling and linearization can be controlled via the Rest API.
For setup, we have created extensive documentation that allows your software developers to set up the control exactly as you need it. With the numerous examples, the REST API can be tested even before your own implementation.
If you want to know more about the possibilities for process automation, feel free to contact us.