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Understanding job flow
Spooling, processing, and printing
To understand job flow through the Fiery, it is helpful to consider the three main
stages of printing.
Spooling
—When a job file is sent over the network by a remote user or imported from
disk, it arrives at the Fiery and spools to a location on the hard disk. After spooling
completely, the job is held on the hard disk, where it awaits further instructions from
the operator.
Processing (RIPping)
—When the operator releases the job file, it undergoes raster
image processing (RIPping) at the Fiery. During processing, the job file is interpreted
as a raster image. This raster image contains the data required by the copier/printer to
print the job the way its originator intended. In the raster image, data associated with
each dot is rendered on the printer. The raster data tells the printer whether or not to
apply toner to each position on the page.
Printing
—After processing, the job typically moves on to the printing stage. During
this stage, the raster image associated with the job is transferred from the Fiery to the
copier/printer at a high speed. The raster image is then rendered onto paper, and the
job is printed.
While original job files are saved to the Fiery hard disk, raster images are typically
deleted after printing. The operator can issue commands to save and hold the raster
image on the hard disk along with the original job file. Saving the raster image to the
hard disk offers two advantages: raster files are already processed so they print quickly,
and each part of the raster file is still identified with a page in the original document, so
you can access individual pages of a saved raster file.
Spooling
Processing
Printing
