Printing from FMX

FMX provides flexible printing capabilities, supporting both local dye-sublimation printers connected directly to your booth computer and cloud-based printing through the FMPrint service. This article covers printer setup, configuration, and troubleshooting.

Supported Printers

FMX works with any printer that has a Windows driver installed. However, it is optimized for dye-sublimation photo printers commonly used in photo booth operations:

• DNP (Dai Nippon Printing) -- DS-RX1, DS620, DS820, and other models. FMX includes dedicated DNP ARM fallback support for hot-folder printing.
• HiTi -- P525L, P750L, and other models
• Mitsubishi -- CP-D70DW, CP-D90DW, and other models
• Canon SELPHY -- CP1500 and other models
• Any Windows-compatible printer -- Inkjet, laser, or other printers with installed Windows drivers

Print Settings in Global Settings

Navigate to Global Settings > Printer tab to configure your printing setup.

Printer Selection

• Use Default Printer -- When enabled, FMX sends print jobs to your Windows default printer.
• Selected Printer -- Choose a specific printer from the dropdown list of installed printers.
• Strips Printer -- Optionally designate a separate printer for 2x6 strip layouts. FMX automatically routes strip-format prints to this printer based on the image aspect ratio.

Print Backend

FMX offers two print backends:

• Windows Driver (default) -- Sends print jobs through the standard Windows print spooler. Works with all printers that have Windows drivers installed.
• DNP ARM Fallback -- Routes prints to DNP hot folders for direct communication with DNP printers. Use this if you experience issues with DNP drivers through the standard Windows spooler.

When using DNP ARM Fallback, configure the hot folder paths:

• 4x6 Default Path -- Hot folder for standard 4x6 prints
• 4x6 Matte Path -- Hot folder for matte-finish 4x6 prints
• 2x6 Default Path -- Hot folder for 2x6 strip prints
• 2x6 Matte Path -- Hot folder for matte-finish 2x6 strip prints

Overcoat Finish (DNP)

For DNP printers, you can select the overcoat finish:

• Driver Default -- Uses whatever the driver is configured for
• Glossy -- Shiny, reflective finish
• Matte -- Non-reflective, fingerprint-resistant finish

Printer Pool and Load Balancing

For high-volume events, FMX supports printer load balancing:

• Printer Load Balance -- When enabled, FMX distributes print jobs across multiple printers.
• Printer Pool -- Add multiple printers to the pool. Jobs are distributed evenly to prevent any single printer from becoming a bottleneck.

Print Layout and Paper Sizes

FMX supports the following paper sizes, configured per-workflow in the Print Copies step:

Paper Size	Dimensions	Common Use
Photo 4x6	4 x 6 inches	Standard photo prints
Photo 5x7	5 x 7 inches	Larger single prints
Photo 8x10	8 x 10 inches	Portrait-size prints
A4	210 x 297 mm	Standard paper
Letter	8.5 x 11 inches	US standard paper

The print layout (overlays, borders, multi-photo collages) is defined in your experience design on Foto Master Cloud. FMX renders the final photo with the layout applied and sends it to the printer.

Orientation Settings

• Auto (default) -- FMX detects orientation from the image dimensions. Landscape images print in landscape; portrait images print in portrait.
• Auto Flipped -- Same as Auto, but inverts the orientation flag. Use this as a workaround if your printer driver reports orientation incorrectly.
• Landscape -- Force landscape orientation.
• Portrait -- Force portrait orientation.

Separate orientation settings are available for the main printer and the strips printer.

Compatibility Mode

If prints come out incorrectly positioned or cropped, try adjusting the compatibility mode:

• Auto -- FMX chooses the best mode based on the detected printer model.
• Standard -- Default printing behavior with hard margin compensation.
• Flipped Orientation -- Compensates for printers that internally flip the orientation.
• Flipped Orientation + Ignore Hard Margins -- Same as above, but also ignores the printer's reported hard margins.
• Driver Managed -- Let the printer driver handle all layout decisions. Use this if other modes produce incorrect output.

Print Padding

Fine-tune the print area with padding values (in pixels at 300 DPI) to compensate for dye-sublimation borderless overspray:

• Left / Right / Top / Bottom padding for the main printer
• Separate the padding values for the strips printer

Default values provide a good starting point for most DNP printers. Adjust if you see uneven borders or cropping.

Print Copies Workflow Step

The Print Copies step in your workflow controls how printing works during the booth experience:

Print Modes

• Direct -- Prints automatically with a fixed number of copies. No guest interaction needed.
• Show Copy Selection -- Displays a screen where guests can choose how many copies they want (between the configured minimum and maximum).

Settings

• Minimum copies -- The fewest copies allowed (can be 0 in selection mode).
• Maximum copies -- The most copies allowed (up to 10).
• Allow User Selection -- Let guests pick their copy count.
• Show Skip Button -- Add a skip button so guests can opt out of printing.
• Skip/Zero Copies Step ID -- Optionally route guests who skip printing to a different workflow step.
• Print Quality -- Draft, Normal, or High.
• Paper Size -- Select from Photo 4x6, Photo 5x7, Photo 8x10, A4, or Letter.
• Show Preview -- Display a preview of the print before sending to the printer.
• Media to Print -- Choose which media to print (typically the Final Photo).

Strips Printing (2x6 Layout)

FMX has special handling for photo strip layouts (2x6 inch format):

Strips Duplication Policy

• Auto -- FMX tiles two strips side-by-side on a single 4x6 sheet (client-side 2-up).
• Client 2-Up -- Force client-side duplication: two identical 2x6 strips are composited onto a 4x6 sheet before sending to the printer.
• Driver Cut -- Send a single 2x6 image to the printer and rely on the printer driver to handle duplication and cutting.

Cloud Printing with FMPrint

FMPrint is Foto Master's cloud printing service. Instead of printing locally, FMX uploads the final photo to FMPrint, which routes it to a cloud-connected printer.

To use FMPrint:

1. Set up your printer in Foto Master Cloud under the FMPrint section.
2. In FMX Global Settings, select FMPrint (Cloud Printing) as your printer.
3. FMX will automatically detect the print mode (2x6, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10) based on the image dimensions and your workflow configuration.

FMPrint jobs are queued locally and uploaded when internet connectivity is available. You can monitor the status of cloud print jobs in the Queue Management screen.

Print Queue Management

All print jobs (both local and cloud) are tracked in FMX's print queue:

• View pending, in-progress, and completed print jobs in Queue Management.
• Failed jobs are automatically retried.
• Print counts are tracked per session and displayed on the dashboard.

Offline Gallery Printing

Guests and operators can also print from the Offline Gallery:

• Navigate to any previously captured session.
• Select a photo and choose Print.
• FMX uses the same printer settings configured in Global Settings.
• Prints from the gallery are attributed to the original session for accurate print counting.

Troubleshooting Print Issues

Prints are blank or black

• Check that your image files are in a supported format (JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF).
• FMX automatically converts images to 24-bit RGB to prevent driver issues with alpha-channel PNGs. If you still see black prints, verify your print layout is generating valid images.

Prints are cropped or misaligned

• Try changing the Compatibility Mode in printer settings.
• Adjust the Print Padding values.
• Ensure the correct Paper Size is selected in both the Print Copies workflow step and your printer driver settings.
• Check that the printer's paper tray matches the configured paper size.

Prints are the wrong orientation

• Change the Printer Orientation setting (try Auto Flipped if Auto produces incorrect results).
• Verify the printer driver's own orientation setting matches.

Print jobs stuck in the queue

• Check that the printer is powered on and connected.
• Open the Windows print queue (Devices and Printers) and clear any stuck jobs.
• Restart the Windows print spooler service if needed.
• For FMPrint cloud prints, verify your internet connection.

Strips not duplicating

• Verify the Strips Duplication Policy is set to Auto or Client 2-Up.
• Confirm you have a 2x6 layout configured in your experience design.