Table of Contents
First-time-configuration
This topic takes you through the initial configuration of Color Factory after it has been installed.
14. September 2026
Table of Contents
Configuring basic server settings
The Color Factory service is configured using the Color Factory 7.0 administration program. By default, the service starts automatically when the system boots up, but after installation, it remains stopped so you can configure the system before starting it. You can change the automatic startup preference in the Services Control panel in Windows. (Service name: Fotoware Color Factory 8.0 - short code FWCF).
To start the Administration Console, click on the Color Factory Configuration icon in the Fotoware program group in the Start menu.
Startup Wizard
The first time you start the administration program, a wizard will guide you through activating your software, then let you configure basic settings and optionally set up your first processing channel.
Click Next to continue.
Base folder
In the first step in the Startup Wizard, you must choose a base folder for the images processed in the program. Within this base folder, Color Factory will create input and output folders for each channel you create (see below for an explanation of the concept of process channels) as well as error folders. You may, of course, create channels with input or output folders not located within the image base folder. However, centralizing the input and output folders in one location may make it easier to administer a complex setup.
Setting up a share
Next, you may choose to automatically create a Windows network share of the image base folder. You can enter a share name, otherwise the folder name will be used. Select Next to continue.
If you would start creating channels, select Yes I want to create an image processing channel before selecting Finish. Otherwise, keep it unchecked to set global variables first in the configuration.
Color Factory process account
All Fotoware applications use a common process account configured globally in the Operations Center. Even though Color Factory has its own console-based configuration interface, the process account that it uses to access volumes and shares is set in the Operations Center on the Server Settings tab.
Activating Color Factory
Once the initial preferences are set, you will be asked to activate Color Factory. If you have your product code at hand (it's normally delivered by email) copy the product key from the email to the activation window, making sure not to add any extra spaces at the end of the product key. A green checkmark in the activation window will indicate that the product key is valid.
When you select Next, the activation wizard will contact the Fotoware activation servers and exchange activation keys to allow your software to run.
After activation, the Color Factory configuration opens, and you can start configuring your workflows.