This page describes how to configure GelatoConnect Work Settings for each printing or stitching machine supported by the production station. It covers five machines: Kornit, Brother, Aeoon, Epson, and Embroidery.
Prerequisite: SFTP folder connection
Every machine below uses a Source folder that points at the mapped SFTP drive on the production station. Before configuring Work Settings, the SFTP folder connection must be in place. There are two setups depending on where the SFTP server lives:
SFTP on-site (NAS)
On-site partners typically run an SFTP server on a NAS (Network Attached Storage). The NAS exposes a shared folder over SMB/SFTP that Windows can access by mapping a network drive. That folder holds the print files the production station needs to read.
In Windows, map the NAS folder as a network drive (e.g. Z:) using the NAS share path (for example \\PARTNER-FTP\GelatoConnect) and the operator credentials for that share.
SFTP in the cloud
When the SFTP server is hosted in the cloud (Ionos, Couchdrop, etc.), Windows does not support mounting SFTP natively. Use WinFsp + SSHFS-Win to expose the remote SFTP folder as a local drive (e.g. Z:).
Install WinFsp.
Install SSHFS-Win.
Open a command prompt as Administrator and map the drive:
net use Z: \\sshfs\{username}@{IP or domain}!22 /persistent:yesEnter the SFTP password when prompted. Make sure the production station's public IP is on the SFTP "Allowed IPs" list.
Once Z: (or whichever letter you choose) is reachable from the production station, you can use it as the Source folder in the Work Settings.
Common pattern
All five machines are configured under Gelato app → Profile icon → Work Settings → Printers. The shared building blocks are:
Machine — selected from the machine-park dropdown (the customer's own machines).
Source folder — the mapped SFTP drive where Gelato drops the print files (e.g.
Z:\DTG).Output / target folder — where the machine (or its RIP) reads the final files from.
What differs per machine is which extra fields are exposed and what each folder points at.
Where to find Printers tab under Work Settings → Scroll down to find “DTG textile printer”
1. Kornit
Kornit is configured as a DTG textile printer with a simple source → output hot-folder flow.
Open Work Settings → Printers → DTG textile printer.
Select the Kornit machine from the machine-park dropdown.
Set Source folder to the connected SFTP drive (the mapped drive, e.g.
Z:\DTG).Set Output hot folder to the folder where the Kornit machine looks for printing files.
2. Brother
Brother needs both the machine and the connected printer (driver) selected, plus a local temporary output folder for ripped files before they are sent to the machine.
Open Work Settings → Printers → DTG textile printer.
Select the Brother machine from the machine-park dropdown.
Select the connected printer (driver) from the second dropdown.
Set the Input / Source folder to the SFTP mapped drive (for example
Z:\DTG).Set the Output folder to a temporary local folder that you create yourself on the production station (for example
D:\GelatoOutput) — it is used to save the ripped file temporarily before sending it to the machine. Create the folder locally if it does not exist.
The output folder for Brother is not the machine's input folder — it is a scratch location for the ripped artifact, which is then forwarded to the Brother printer driver selected in the second dropdown.
3. Aeoon
Aeoon operates as a hot-folder printer through Kothari RIP (or other ripping software). The workflow drops the image file and an XML configuration onto the SFTP. Kothari watches that folder, produces a ripped .prn file, and updates the XML to point at the ripped image. When the operator scans the job at the production station, GelatoConnect sends the ripped .prn to the Aeoon Jobs folder and the XML to the Aeoon Orders folder. Both Aeoon folders are exposed to the production station as mapped network drives.
Before configuring Work Settings:
The Aeoon Jobs and Orders folders must be shared over the local network and mapped as Windows drives on the production station (a gigabit connection — ideally direct Ethernet to the printer — is recommended because
.prnfiles can be hundreds of megabytes).Two local folders must exist for Kothari processing: an Input source folder where Gelato drops files (mapped SFTP drive), and a Ripped folder where Kothari writes the processed
.prnand updated XML (depending on the Kothari version, the.prnand XML may use separate output folders).Kothari RIP must be running in Auto Mode, with its input folder pointing at the same Input folder above and its output folder(s) at the Ripped folder(s).
The Aeoon printer's manual print queue must be empty and the machine switched to automatic mode — Aeoon will only consume jobs automatically when the manual queue is clear.
Then in Work Settings → Printers → DTG textile printer:
Setting | Value |
Default Printer |
|
Machine | The Aeoon printer (from the machine-park dropdown) |
DTG Files Folder | The Kothari Input folder (the path that will be hardcoded into the workflow XML by Gelato) |
Ripped Files Folder | The Kothari output folder for |
Processed XML Folder | Same as Ripped Files Folder, or the separate XML output folder if Kothari is configured that way |
Aeoon Jobs Folder | The mapped drive pointing at the Aeoon Jobs share |
Aeoon Orders Folder | The mapped drive pointing at the Aeoon Orders share |
Save the settings. The PSP must also provide Gelato with the Input folder path (for example C:\GelatoDTG) — Gelato hardcodes that path into the workflow XML's <SourceImage> tag so that Kothari can locate the print files. This cannot be configured dynamically because RIP processing happens before the operator scans the job.
4. Epson
The supported Epson printer is the Epson SureColor F3070 (CMYK + White ink, ESC/P-R raster protocol). Epson does not process artwork or XML directly — it works through a RIP (DigitalFactory / PrintFactory) which handles color management, the white underbase, ink limits, raster generation, and conversion to the Epson raster stream. The RIP is hot-folder driven: the workflow uploads two files per job (artwork + XML job ticket) to the SFTP, and the RIP picks them up from the configured hot folder.
Job-file conventions to be aware of when validating the setup:
Each job consists of an artwork file (PNG recommended; TIFF supported) and a matching XML job ticket with the same base filename, for example
GCWB_DTG_7107628469_front.png+GCWB_DTG_7107628469_front.xml.Upload order matters: the artwork file must arrive before the XML — DigitalFactory creates the job when the XML appears, and if the XML arrives first the job will fail.
There is no required filename pattern; the only rule is that the XML filename matches the artwork filename and that the XML references the artwork correctly. Using the
printJobIdas the identifier is recommended. Multiple print areas (front, back, sleeve, pocket, etc.) are supported via suffixes.The XML carries
JobID,Printer,Mode,MediaPreset(the platen — e.g.TShirt_L,Oversize,Sleeve,Youth,Pocket),Resolution,WhiteUnderbase, andPosition(X/Y/Width/Height/Units/Anchor). Typical resolution is1440 × 720 dpi; recommended safe print area is14 × 16 in(356 × 406 mm).
In Work Settings → Printers → DTG textile printer:
Select the Epson machine from the machine-park dropdown.
Set the Source folder to the SFTP mapped drive.
Set the Output folder to the RIP hot folder that DigitalFactory / PrintFactory is watching — this is where the artwork + XML pair must end up.
5. Embroidery
Embroidery machines work as simple hot-folder printers — no RIP layer, no additional dropdowns.
Open Work Settings → Printers → Embroidery textile machine.
Select the embroidery machine from the machine-park dropdown.
Set the Source folder to the SFTP mapped drive.
Set the Output folder to the folder where the stitching files should end up for the machine to consume.
Quick reference
Machine | Machine dropdown | Extra dropdowns | Source folder | Output folder |
Kornit | Machine park | — | SFTP mapped drive | Folder where Kornit looks for printing files |
Brother | Machine park | Connected printer + driver | SFTP mapped drive | Temporary local folder for the ripped file |
Aeoon | Machine park (+ Default Printer) | — | SFTP mapped drive | Ripped + XML folders, plus Aeoon Jobs & Orders mapped drives |
Epson | Machine park | — | SFTP mapped drive | RIP hot folder (DigitalFactory / PrintFactory) |
Embroidery | Machine park | — | SFTP mapped drive | Folder where the embroidery machine reads stitching files |