Configuring Input. GLOBAL GRAPHICS SOFTWARE Navigator RIP version 8.1

8

Configuring Input

This chapter describes the different ways in which the Navigator RIP can accept its input, and how to

configure the RIP to use each type of input. Chapter 5, “Configuring Output Formats”, describes the

different ways in which you can control output from the RIP, using Page Setups.

There are several ways of providing input to the Navigator RIP:

•

Using one or more managed inputs, as described in “Input management” on page 194, and the

following sections. This is the preferred method for routine use because, in general, the managed inputs allow users on many machines to submit jobs to the RIP.

• Using the

Print File

menu command, as described in “Using the Print File command” on page

222. This command allows a user on the machine running the RIP to print all of the job types

possible on that installation of the RIP. You can use

Print File

while managed inputs are active.

• Entering PostScript language code interactively by typing at a prompt on the machine, as

described in “Entering PostScript language code by hand” on page 246. You must disable other

inputs for the duration of your interactive sessions in order to do this.

When you use managed inputs or the

Print File

menu command, you can print several types of job.

The available types depend on the details of your installation of the RIP. Some types have associated settings in Page Setups, may require enabling with passwords, or require other care in use. The possible types, with references to full descriptions of their use, are:

• PostScript language files (PS) and Encapsulated PostScript files (EPS), both described in

“Printing PostScript language files” on page 223.

•

Portable Document Format (PDF) files, described in “Printing PDF files” on page 224.

•

XML Paper Specification files (XPS) files, described in “Printing XPS Documents” on page

238.

•

JPEG and JFIF files, described in “Printing JPEG and JFIF files” on page 238.

•

TIFF/IT-P1 files, described in “Printing TIFF/IT files” on page 239.

•

TIFF 6.0 files, described in “Printing TIFF 6.0 files” on page 242.

•

Navigator RIP page buffer files, described in “Printing page buffer files” on page 244.

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8.1 Input management

In the same way that the RIP uses output plugins to provide output sources, it uses input plugins to provide input sources.

Global Graphics and OEM programmers can create input plugins, each of which may be used as one of the following:

• Input to the RIP, for example, as a source of jobs. (When installed, these plugins are obvious parts of the RIP: the description of these plugins and their configuration forms the bulk of this chapter.)

• A PostScript language device on which you can open a file and read or write from a PostScript language job. (This is not seen by the end user.)

• A filter to manipulate data. (This is not seen by the end user.)

• A source of asynchronous actions. (Most of these actions are small, specialized tasks and not directly related to output of a user job. For example, one such action enables the RIP to provide a list of installed fonts while busy with a job for output.)

There are a number of input plugins supplied with the RIP, each providing users with the ability to

submit jobs. “Managing input plugins” on page 195 describes the way in which you can manage these

plugins and the inputs they provide. The supplied inputs are:

• AppleTalk. This lets the RIP accept input from any AppleTalk network connected to the machine running the RIP.

See “Using the AppleTalk input plugin” on page 198 for more details.

• NT Print. This publishes the RIP as a printer available to the Windows NT print services.

See “Using the NT Print input” on page 199 for more details.

• NT Pipe. This provides a named pipe allowing high speed communication with an application such as an Open Prepress Interface (OPI) server.

See “Using the NT Pipe input” on page 219 for more details.

• Spool Folder. This lets you specify multiple independent folders into which users or applications can place jobs to be printed. The RIP checks for the presence of files in these folders and prints each one automatically.

See “Using the Spool Folder input folder” on page 207 for more details.

• Socket plugin. This allows input to arrive over a network, which can contain different types of computer, using a TCP/IP socket.

See “Using the Spool Folder input folder” on page 207 for more details.

• Asynchronous socket plugin

This is similar to the socket plugin but is only suitable for a limited number of jobs. Typically, these are small jobs performing control or monitoring functions, rather than imaging.

See “Using the Spool Folder input folder” on page 207 for more details.

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8.2 Managing input plugins

• Asynchronous socket quit plugin

This is similar to the asynchronous socket plugin but has the single purpose of causing the RIP to quit. It does not receive any jobs.

See “Using the Print File command” on page 222 for more details.

• Serial port, on PCs and platforms running the UNIX operating system. This supports the Adobe

Serial Lines Protocol, and lets you connect two machines by their serial lines, so that input can be accepted by a RIP running on one of them.

See “Printing PDF files” on page 224 for more details.

Each of these plugins can be thought of as analogous to a multiple device output plugin, except that they provide inputs, rather than outputs.

8.2 Managing input plugins

You control input plugins using the Input Controller. Before creating new inputs or changing existing ones, check that you have an appropriate Page Setup to associate with each input. (While creating

Page Setups, you can keep the Input Controller displayed, but not the subsidiary dialog boxes.)

Display the Input Controller dialog box by choosing the

Navigator RIP

>

Input Controller

menu

option, or clicking the tool bar button. Figure 8.1 shows the Input Controller dialog box.

Figure 8.1 Input Controller window

The Input Controller is similar to the Device Manager, described in Section 5.12, “Multiple device output plugins”. The main list shows the input sources currently available. Each input source can be

turned on or off individually using the buttons—the state is displayed in the

Status

column.

Each row in the list represents one particular source, and contains:

• The

Name

for the input source. This is used to identify the source within the RIP. It may also be used by the input plugin itself.

• The

Type

of input. This determines which input plugin the RIP uses.

• The

Page Setup

. This is the Page Setup used by all jobs arriving through this source.

• The

Enabled

state. This should be

On

to make the source available when you start the RIP or start inputs.

• The

Status

. This can be

Stopped

,

Idle

, or

Busy

.

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An input is stopped either because all inputs are stopped, because you have disabled this input in the Input Controller (using

Off

), or because of a problem when trying to start that input. An idle input is ready to receive a job but none is arriving. A busy input is actually receiving a job.

You can also choose to see the same information about items that are not controllable from the Input

Controller. The check box below the list gives you this ability:

Show protected channels

Select this box if you wish to see, but not control, the status of protected

channels. This box is grayed out if there are no protected channels.

Protected channels are channels that have been created outside the Input Controller—possibly by executing PostScript language commands in configuration files that the RIP used when starting up—and marked as being outside routine user control. Typically, a protected channel is not an input source for imaging jobs: instead, it performs one of the other functions described in

“Input management” on page 194.

Below the list of sources are several buttons that allow you to perform the various actions described in

sections 8.2.2 through 8.2.7.

When you have finished making changes in the Input Controller, you can keep it visible as a way of monitoring which inputs are submitting jobs or close it using the

Navigator RIP > Input Controller

menu option or the tool bar button.

8.2.1 Turning on the input system

To start receiving jobs from the configured and enabled inputs, choose

Start Inputs

from the

Navigator RIP

menu, or type

Ctrl+I

. When you do this, there is a delay of a few seconds as the various defined input sources are initialized, and then the RIP starts to accept jobs from those sources.

The status area of the tool bar shows the searching for input symbol (a torch or flashlight shining on an arrow).

A new menu appears in the menu bar, called

Input Queue

. This menu has these options:

•

Kill Current Job

. This causes the job currently processing to be aborted. It may take a few seconds.

•

Stop Input Queue

. This turns off the input system when the job currently processing has finished.

•

Abort Input Queue

. This aborts the job currently processing and then turns off the input system.

8.2.2 Adding a new input source to the list

You can create many different input sources for each input plugin. For example, you could create 5 spool folder input sources and 10 AppleTalk input sources.

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8.2 Managing input plugins

To add a new input source to the list:

1. Click the

New

button in the Input Controller. The RIP displays an Input Channel Edit dialog

box, similar to that shown in Figure 8.2, allowing you to fill in the details for this source.

Figure 8.2 Input Channel Edit dialog box

2. Type a name for the plugin device in the

Name

text box.

The name is used to identify the source within the RIP. It may also be used by the input plugin itself.

If you create an AppleTalk input device, when you start the inputs a printer of this name becomes available on the AppleTalk network.

3. Choose the plugin type from the

Type

drop-down list .

4. Choose a saved Page Setup from the

Page Setup

drop-down list : the RIP applies this Page

Setup to each job arriving at the source.

5. If the plugin is to be initially turned on, select the

Enabled

check box.

6. Click the

Configure

button to display an input plugin Configuration dialog box, allowing you to specify details relevant to the plugin you have chosen.

The Configuration dialog box varies according to the type of plugin chosen. It is used to give details about how the input is to be handled, and to set up any hardware associated with the

source. See “Input management” on page 194 for a list of input types and page references to

their configuration and use.

7. When you have specified all the details for the new source, click

OK

.

8.2.3 Copying an input plugin

When you have created an input plugin, you can copy it to create other inputs of a similar type. This can save you some effort, depending on the complexity of the Configuration dialog box.

To copy an existing input, select the entry in the Input Controller and click the

Copy

button.

You must give the copied input a new name and you will probably need to alter some details in the

Configuration dialog box. For example, only one active input can use a particular spool folder or network input at one time—but you can have two or more inputs using the same source, provided that you enable only one at a time.

8.2.4 Editing the details for an input source

To edit the details for an existing input source, do one of the following:

• Select the entry in the Input Controller and click the

Edit

button.

• Double-click the entry in the Input Controller.

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The RIP displays an Input Channel Edit dialog box, allowing you to edit the details for the selected

plugin. For full details of using this dialog box, see “Adding a new input source to the list” on page

196.

8.2.5 Configuring an input plugin

Configuring an input means giving details about how the input is to be handled, and setting up any hardware or software associated with the source.

To configure an existing input plugin, select it in the Input Controller and click

Edit

. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box. Click

Configure

to see the Configuration dialog box for the

selected input. See “Input management” on page 194 for a list of input types and page references to

their configuration and use.

8.2.6 Deleting an input source

To delete an input source from the RIP, select it in the Input Controller and click the

Delete

button.

(You can select multiple inputs and delete them in one action.)

8.2.7 Enabling and disabling input sources

To enable an input source, select it in the Input Controller and click the

On

button. To disable a source, select it and click the

Off

button. Using these buttons has the same effect as selecting or clearing the

Enabled

check box in the relevant Input Channel Edit dialog box.

When the selected input source is enabled then the

On

button is disabled, and when it is not enabled then the

Off

button is disabled.

You can select several input sources and then turn them on or off together.

When an input plugin is enabled, the RIP automatically publishes it when starting input queues, meaning that the input plugin can be used to send jobs to the RIP.

To make enabled inputs active, choose

Navigator RIP

>

Start Inputs

or click the tool bar button that

has a picture of a green arrow and traffic light. (See Section 8.2.1, “Turning on the input system”.)

To stop all enabled inputs, choose

Navigator RIP

>

Start Inputs

again or click the tool bar button that has a picture of a red arrow and traffic light.

8.3 Using the AppleTalk input plugin

An AppleTalk input source publishes a name over the network. This name appears in the Chooser on

Macintosh computers running Mac OS 8/9 and Mac OS X when they are connected to the network, making the RIP available just like a LaserWriter. Other, non-Macintosh, computers connected to the network and able to use AppleTalk can also use the RIP as an AppleTalk printer. In complex networks, there may be a need for extra actions before all computers can use a new printer.

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8.4 Using the NT Print input

8.3.1 Configuring an AppleTalk input source

To configure an existing AppleTalk input source, select the source in the Input Controller and click

Edit

. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box. Click the

Configure

button. The AppleTalk

configuration dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 8.3.

Figure 8.3 AppleTalk Configuration dialog box

Wait timeout

Abort on error

This value sets the length of time, in minutes, that the input source waits for data. If no data is sent for that length of time and the RIP is waiting for data, the job is aborted.

This control sets the behavior of the input plugin on detecting an error. By default, this box is selected, which means that an error causes an immediate abort. This is not the typical behavior of a PostScript language compatible interpreter but it may save considerable time spent in transferring data which is merely flushed (ignored) by the interpreter.

Clear this box if you encounter problems with network software or wish to ensure full compatibility with other PostScript language compatible interpreters.

8.4 Using the NT Print input

This input publishes the RIP as one or more printers available to the Windows NT print services. Once fully installed and configured, each printer has a name visible to Windows operating systems.

There are several stages to installation and configuration, which you must carry out in this order:

• Installing the plugin.

• Configuring the RIP to make the input available.

• Configuring Windows to associate a printer with the RIP input.

Section 8.4.1 through Section 8.4.3 describe these stages in detail.

8.4.1 Installing the plugin

The installation is a two stage process; you run the Navigator RIP Product installer to unload the NT

Print files, you then run the NT Print install wizard.

1. The NT Print plugin requires the Navigator RIP to be installed on the target machine. If the RIP is not installed then you may add it at the same time as you add the NT Print plugin.

2. Insert the Navigator RIP Plugins CD-ROM and access its contents. At the top level of the CD run the

.exe

setup program. Follow the on screen instructions. For further information see the

Installing the Navigator RIP for Windows operating systems manual.

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3. At the “Choose features” window select

Optional Plugins

, and from the list of Plugins choose

NTPrint Plugin, X.Xrx

.

4. Click

Next

to continue the installation process.

5. The installer places the NT Print plugin install wizard in the

Plugins\Ntprint

folder, which is at the same level as the

SW

folder.

You should now use the NT Print install wizard which places the plugin file in the

Plugins\SW\Inputs

folder and prepares Windows so that you can create a printer using the plugin.

To use the install wizard:

1. Exit all running applications. Run the file

Setup.exe

, found in the

Plugins\Ntprint

folder.

2. When the installation program asks you, choose the folder in which the Navigator RIP is installed. (To help you identify it, remember that this folder contains both the

Plugins

and

SW folders.)

3. Wait for the installation process to finish. Reboot the computer.

Now that the plugin is installed, you can create a Navigator RIP input.

8.4.2 Configuring an NT Print input

To create and configure a new socket input:

1. Click

New

in the Input Controller. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box. Choose

NT Input

from the

Type

drop-down list. Give the input a suitable name and select a Page

Setup. Select the

Enabled

box.

2. Click the

Configure

button. The NT Print Configuration dialog box appears, as shown in

Figure 8.4.

Figure 8.4 NT Print Configuration dialog box

The dialog box contains controls to allow for the situation where RIP inputs have started up before the Windows spooler system—this is possible on fast machines. The default is to accept failure, in which case the printer will be unavailable without some user intervention. You can make the RIP keep trying, within a time limit, by using the controls.

Enable

Select this box if you want the RIP to retry making a connection to the Windows spooler after initially failing.

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8.4 Using the NT Print input

Retry delay

Enter the time, after the initial failure, for which you wish the RIP to continue retrying. A retry delay of 60 seconds is likely to be enough on all machines. Too long a delay means delaying jobs on other inputs, so reduce this figure if you have no problems.

Click

OK

to close the configuration window.

3. Click

OK

again to close the Input Channel Edit dialog box

4. Use

Navigator RIP

>

Start Inputs

to start inputs.

You now have a RIP channel that forms a port visible to the Windows printer configuration software.

8.4.3 Creating a printer under Windows 2000/XP

You have two options. Either you can create a new printer to use the RIP channel, or you can connect an existing printer to the RIP channel. The procedures are similar for Windows XP and

Windows 2000.

1.

Start Inputs

to start it.

2. In the

Add Printer

Wizard click on

Next

.

3. Select

Local

printer, and ensure the

Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer

check box is unchecked, then click on

Next

.

4. Select

Create a new port

, and select

ScriptWorks

from the drop down selection box. Click on

Next

.

5. A list box is then displayed showing the names of all unconnected ScriptWorks Channels.

Select one of these and

OK

.

6. Configure the printer. To do this choose a manufacturer and printer model from the lists or click

Have Disk

if you have a special driver for the printer you wish to emulate with the RIP. If you do not have a special driver, choose one for a PostScript compatible printer that supports the features you require.

7. Name the printer, and click

Next

. Choose whether or not to share the printer, giving it a shared name if you do share it, and click

Next

.

8. Choose to print a test page and click

Finish

. Windows copies some configuration files and prints the test page. You should see the RIP become busy on the NT Input in the Input Controller.

To use the printer, see Section 8.4.4.

If you later want to reassign the printer to another port, do this:

1. Choose the menu option

Start > Settings > Printers

.

2. In the

Printers

window, select the printer, right-click and choose

Properties

.

3. In the Properties window, click the

Ports

tab. Choose a new port by selecting its box in the list of ports. Click

OK

to confirm the changes.

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8.4.4 Printing from a DOS command prompt

You can send a single PostScript language or PDF job direct to the RIP from a DOS command prompt, provided that the RIP is the default printer.

Note: While this is a simple method of testing NT Print, we do not recommend this method for routine use. There can be problems, for example, if you attempt to copy multiple files or files of an inappropriate type. For PostScript language files, at least, there are free, shareware, and commercial utility programs that handle multiple files and provide other useful features such as printing only selected pages.

1. Make the printer the default printer for your computer, using the appropriate method.

For Windows XP, choose the menu option

Start > Printers and Faxes

. In the

Printers

window, select the required printer icon then right-click to display the menu and choose

Set As Default

.

2. From a DOS command window (on the computer running the RIP), type:

copy file.ps \\.\SCRIPTWORKS

file.ps

into the Windows printer system, from where the job goes to the RIP input channel specified by the default printer.

8.4.5 Setting up a printer under Windows Vista

The NTPrint plugin works the same way on Windows Vista as on other Windows platforms. However setting up the printer is different on Vista as the ScriptWorks channel does not work. To set up a printer for Windows Vista:

1. Before the following steps are followed, you should ensure that you have correctly installed the

NT plugin, that the system has been rebooted, and that you are running Windows Vista as

Administrator.

2. Using the Navigator RIP Input Controller, create a new input channel of type NTPrint. a suitable name. In the Configure dialog, select

Enable

. Use

Start Inputs

to start it.

3. From the

Start

menu, select Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Printer.

4. Right click on the panel on the right and select Run as Administrator > Add Printer... Without this step you will be unable to save the printer setup that you create.

5. A User Access Control (UAC) window may open. Select

Continue

.

6. Select

Add Local printer

.

7. Select

Create a new port

, and ensure the type of port is Local Port. Click on

Next

.

8. In the dialog which is displayed, enter the port name:

\\.\\Pipe\ScriptWorks\Channel\MYPRINTER

Click the

OK

button.

9. In the dialog box, select a printer driver, e.g. in the Manufacturer list, you might select

Generic and MS Publisher Color Printer from the Printer list. Click the

Next

button when you have chosen the correct driver for your printer.

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8.4 Using the NT Print input

10. In the Printer Name window you have the option to change the name of the printer and whether to make it the default printer. Type an appropriate name and choose whether you want this printer to be the default printer. Click the

Next

button.

11. In the Printer Sharing window you have the option to share this printer on the network with others. Select

Share this printer so that others on your network can find and use it

. The Share name automatically takes the name of the printer as the share name by default. Click the

Next

button.

12. You now have the option to print a test page or finish the installation. Click the

Finish

button.

8.4.6 Sharing the NTPrint plugin running on Windows Vista with Mac

OSX systems

The following method should be used if a Mac user on a network wishes to use a printer originally set up on Windows Vista:

On Windows Vista

1. On Windows Vista, navigate to the Control Panel.

2. Go to the Programs and Features pane.

3. Click on

Turn Windows Features on or off

. At this point you may need to enter your administrator password to continue.

4. The Windows Features dialog will be displayed. In this Window expand Print Services and enable LPD Print Service. This might take a few minutes to configure.

5. In the Control panel, open

Printers

and right-click the printer you wish to share. Select

Sharing

from the menu.

6. Enable the

Sharing

button and enter a share name without spaces. Click

OK

.

On Mac OS X

1. On Mac OSX open the Printer Setup Utility located in Applications/Utilities.

2. Click

Add

and while holding down the

Option

key, click

More Printers

.

3. From the top menu select

Advanced

.

4. From the Device field select

LPD/LPR Host or Printer

.

5. In the Device URI field enter lpd://<name of your Windows Vista computer>/<share name of the printer>, e.g

. lpd://VistaHome/CanonBJ.

6. Browse to the Brand and Model of your printer. For a number of printers you will have to use the Gutenprint driver, as a number of vendor drivers do not support cross-platform network printing.

7. Click the

Add

button.

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8.4.7 Troubleshooting NT Print

Jobs may fail to reach the RIP. Check that the relevant RIP input is running and has the same name as used by the Windows printer system.

If a job reaches the RIP, it is likely to process successfully but you may see a message similar to this, with

<name>

replaced by the name of the NT Print input.

%%[Error: interrupt; OffendingCommand:

n; File: %ip:<name>% ]%%

%%[Flushing: rest of job (to end of file) will be ignored ]%%

Job Not Completed: <name>

This can happen if you choose a driver for a printer that supports multiple page description languages.

For example, jobs sent to HP LaserJet printers that support both PCL and PostScript languages can include problematic control statements at the start and end of the job. The simplest cure is to pick a driver that produces only PostScript language code when printing to the RIP printers.

PostScript language compatible RIPs running under Microsoft Windows NT using named pipes. A named pipe is an interprocess communication method that allows two Windows NT applications to exchange large amounts of data very efficiently.

Note: In a typical OPI workflow, high resolution images are stored on the OPI server machine, are included into print jobs, and are transferred over the network to output devices. This operation frees workstations from moving large image files, but large files must still travel from the OPI server to the

RIP.

The NT Pipe input plugin for the RIP allows OPI servers or other applications to supply data to the

RIP via named pipes.

There are two possible cases:

• The RIP and a suitable application can share a single multiprocessor machine, and use a named pipe to communicate. This allows the other application to deliver jobs to the RIP at much faster speeds than it can deliver jobs to a networked printer (provided by the Navigator RIP).

• With a single processor machine or an application that cannot share a multiprocessor machine, the RIP and the other application must run on separate Windows NT systems connected through a network. Even in this case, using named pipes can deliver much better performance than printing over an AppleTalk network.

8.4.8 Installing the plugin

To use the RIP named pipe support, you need a plugin file in the

SW\Inputs

folder. The file name is different for different kinds of processor:

• For Intel 486 and Pentium processors, and compatible processors, the plugin file is called ntpipe.i32

.

SW\Inputs

folder.

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8.4 Using the NT Print input

8.4.9 Creating an NT Pipe input

When you have an installed plugin file, start the RIP and follow this procedure:

1. Click

New

in the Input Controller. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box. Choose

NT Pipe from the

Type

drop-down list.

2. Give the input a suitable name and select a Page Setup. Select the

Enabled

box.

Note: The name you choose forms the last part of a longer network name for the pipe. We suggest that you choose a name that uses letters and numerals only (a - z and 0 - 9) and that is a convenient length: do not include punctuation, space characters, or the wildcard characters

( ? and * ).

3. For most applications, you can now click

OK

to close the Input Channel Edit dialog box.

You can now read “Connecting an application to the Navigator RIP” on page 206 to see how to con-

nect an application to this pipe. If you have difficulty, or know that you need to change the default

configuration, read “Configuring the named pipe” on page 205.

8.4.10 Configuring the named pipe

The Configuration dialog box allows you change another part of the name for the pipe and to allow more than one connection to the same named pipe.

When configuring a front-end or server application to send data to the RIP using named pipes you must enter the full name of the pipe. The format for the name is:

\\<

machine>\pipe\<pipe prefix>\<name>

To get an actual name, replace

<

machine>

with the name of the computer running the RIP, replace

<

pipe prefix>

with the name entered in the Named Pipe Plugin dialog box, and replace

<

name>

with the name you entered in the Input Channel Edit dialog box.

If the RIP is running on a Windows NT system named

BRICK

, and the channel has been defined in the

RIP with the name

Fred

, the pipe name would be:

\\BRICK\pipe\ScriptWorks\Channel\Fred

Pipe Prefix

Figure 8.5 Named Pipe Plugin dialog box

If you wish to use a different scheme for pipe names you can change the prefix by clicking on the

Configure

button in the Input Channel Edit dialog box.

The RIP displays the Named Pipe Plugin dialog box.

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Pipe instances

For example, entering

RIP

in the

Pipe Prefix

field would make the full pipe name:

\\BRICK\pipe\RIP\Fred

Windows NT allows a named pipe to have a number of instances. This means that, for each pipe of a given name, Windows NT will allow more than one client (application) to open the pipe at any one time. The RIP plugin can then service the clients in sequence, one at a time.

Some clients, for example Color Central from Imation Publishing Software

(formerly Luminous Technology), always expect to be able to connect to a named pipe. For this reason you should normally create at least two pipe instances. This allows the client software to reconnect to the pipe, in order to send the next job, while the RIP finishes processing the previous job.

If you wish to change the number of pipe instances from the default value of two you can do so in the Named Pipe Plugin configuration dialog box, as

shown in Figure 8.5 above.

8.4.11 Connecting an application to the Navigator RIP

Several applications include support for named pipe output. This is a general discussion: refer to the manual for your application for details.

Once the RIP has been configured to accept named pipe input, you must configure the other application to use a named pipe for communication with the RIP.

Typically, you do this:

1. Add a new printer to which the application can send data.

2. Select named pipe as the method of communicating with the printer.

3. Identify the particular named pipe to use, giving a name that matches one you have created in the RIP. The general form of the name is:

\\<

machine>\pipe\<pipe prefix>\<name>

For example, when the machine is called

BRICK

, the pipe prefix is the default

Script-

Works\Channel

, and the name (as entered in the Input Channel Edit dialog box) is

Fred

, then the full pipe name is:

\\BRICK\pipe\ScriptWorks\Channel\Fred

A period ( . ) can serve as a shortcut for the name of your local machine. If the supplying application and the RIP are on the same computer, the pipe name could be:

\\.\pipe\ScriptWorks\Channel\Fred

4. Give whatever other information the application requires, and complete the procedure that makes the printer available for use with the application.

If you have multiple copies of the RIP, or have published multiple NT Pipe input channels from a single installation of the RIP, you can repeat the same sequence for each channel.

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8.5 Using the Spool Folder input folder

8.5 Using the Spool Folder input folder

A spool folder input source regularly scans a specified disk folder (directory), and processes any Post-

Script language files (and other suitable files) that are placed there. Normally these files are deleted after successful processing. The spool folder can be on a network file server, or the local machine.

Users create files from their applications. These applications can create the files directly in the spool folder, or can create them elsewhere (for example, on the local system) for later transfer into the spool folder.

The RIP can process some or all of the following file types using a spool folder: PostScript language

(PS), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), Portable Document Format (PDF), TIFF 6.0, single TIFF/IT-P1 subfiles or TIFF/IT-P1 file groups if supplied in order, JPEG and JFIF files. With some preparation you can also process page buffers from a similar version of the Navigator RIP. The available options depend on your installation and configuration of the RIP.

Note: You cannot use a spool folder for printing FP TIFF/IT-P1 files without special care, because FP files reference subfiles and the RIP must image the data in these files in a set order. If, in a spool folder any of the CT, HC, LW, or FP files may arrive first, then the result may be partial images. The spool folder can accept TIFF/IT-P1 files if the order of arrival and file naming can be controlled so that all

subfiles arrive before the FP file and you select the TIFF/IT-P1 option described on page 210. If the

order of arrival or naming is unsuitable or unpredictable, using

Print File

from the

Navigator RIP

menu is the simplest reliable method of ensuring that the RIP images the intended file or combination of files.

The RIP ignores types of files that it cannot print, and any files that you exclude intentionally by configuring the spool folder input.

You can exclude files based on their names. You may want to exclude files that resemble real jobs, but that actually contain accounting or housekeeping information for the software that delivers files into the spool folder. You may also want to exclude, or at least delay, real jobs with particular origins or qualities. All this is possible so long as the file names have a recognizable prefix.

You specify which folder the RIP uses in the input plugin Configure dialog box, available from the

Input Controller. By default, this folder is called

Spool

and exists in the

SW

folder. If needed, you can create several spooled inputs, each with its own folder, Page Setup, and exclusion list.

When you specify a folder accessed over a network, make sure that the folder automatically becomes available to the computer running the RIP when that computer is restarted.

Because files are normally deleted as soon as they are printed, it is important to ensure that the RIP has permission to delete files in the spool folder, particularly if the spool folder is on a network file server.

See Appendix A, Troubleshooting, for more details.

The files in the spool folders are processed in the order in which they arrive. However, if there are jobs already in a folder when the RIP is started, or if a very large number of files have been queued, the

RIP determines the order of those jobs by the date stamps on the files.

Note: Spool folder input does not work with setups using PostScript LanguageLevel 1 compatibility mode.

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8.5.1 Configuring a Spool Folder input source

To create and configure a new Spool folder source:

1. Click

New

in the Input Controller. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box.

2. Choose

SpoolFolder

from the

Type

drop-down list. Give the input a suitable name and select a Page Setup. Select the

Enabled

box.

3. Click the

Configure

button. The Spool Folder Configuration dialog box appears.

Make the settings you wish, and click

OK

. Click

OK

again to close the Input Channel Edit dialog box.

The spool folder input becomes active, now or when you next start inputs. When the spool folder becomes active, the RIP reports the number of exclusions, that is the number of prefixes that it will ignore. See the description of the

Filenames prefix list

option on page 210 for details.

Figure 8.6 Spool Folder Configuration dialog box

This dialog box contains the following control items:

Spool Folder

The current spool folder is shown in the text field alongside this button. This location is where the RIP detects the arrival of files and considers them as possible jobs, by looking at the type of file and any file names excluded in the

Filenames prefix list

.

Note: Choose a folder that is dedicated to receiving jobs. In particular, avoid using folders where other files are arriving or changing. (For example, the

SW folder is a bad choice, because the log file changes with every job.)

Click the

Spool Folder

button to change this folder using the standard file browsing dialog box. Alternatively, you can type a full path name in the text field but be aware that any typing errors can cause an error or the creation of a new folder.

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Create spool folders if they do not exist

Select this box if you want the RIP to create the named spool folders if they do not already exist.

The RIP creates the folders when the input channel becomes available for use. This time can be immediately after you click

OK

in the Input Channel

Edit dialog box for an enabled channel, but you may need to choose

Navigator RIP > Start Inputs

or enable the input channel before it becomes fully available.

Warn if spool folders do not exist

Select this box if you want the RIP to issue a warning if a folder named as a spool, error, or completion folder does not exist.

Error Folder

If a file fails to print, the RIP moves it to the error folder specified unless the

Delete on error

box is selected. If a file prints successfully, the RIP moves it to the Complete folder specified unless the

Delete on completion

box is selected.

Delete on error

Select this box if you want the RIP to delete files that the Spool folder fails to print. Leave this box clear if you want failed files to be moved to the Error

Folder. Note that a file is treated as an error if you abort it while it is being processed.

Move/Delete All Files

With this option selected the spool plugin will either move to the error folder, or delete any file which it does not recognize (such as badly formed PDF documents). The files are moved or deleted depending on the state of the

Delete on Error

check box.

Warning: If you decide to use this option and you inadvertently choose to point the spool folder at a directory containing important files (such as

C:\windows...

or your

SW

folder), you will remove all files therein, resulting in either a non-functional computer or non-functional applications. The plugin deletes or moves all the files it cannot handle.

Move/Delete Valid Files

This option replicates the previous (pre Eclipse Release SP2), behavior of the spool folder plugin. In this case, if a file is encountered which the spool plugin does not recognize it will leave the file in the spool folder and ignore it.

Valid files which cause an error will be treated according to the setting of the

Delete on Error

check box.

Complete Folder

If a file successfully prints, the RIP moves it to the location specified in the text field alongside this button unless the

Delete on completion

box is checked. Click the

Complete Folder

button to change this location using the standard file browsing dialog box.

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Delete on completion

Select this box if you want the RIP to delete files that the Spool folder succeeds in printing. Otherwise the RIP moves these files to the Complete

Folder.

Filenames prefix list

This text field specifies files to ignore when they arrive in the spool folder, if you have also selected the

Exclude prefix list

box. The specification is based on the first part or prefix of the file names.

Prefixes are case sensitive.

For example, if you type in the prefix ab

, the RIP ignores all the arriving files whose names begin with ab

. Examples of files that the Navigator RIP would ignore for this prefix are abacus.pdf

, abandon.ps

, and ab123

. (The RIP would not ignore

ABALONE.PS

,

123ab.pdf

, or

_absence

.) Ignoring means that the RIP does not process the files and allows the files to remain in the spool folder until removed by a user or other software.

Note: If you remove or disable a prefix while the spool folder is still active, the RIP processes any files previously excluded by that prefix but still present in the spool folder.

You can enter several prefixes. Separate multiple prefixes by commas without surrounding spaces. (If you add spaces after a comma, the RIP treats the spaces as part of the following string.) Each prefix can include alphanumeric characters, the underscore character, the period character, and spaces.

For example, this is a valid list of three prefixes: aaab_c,BAC,4.4

Exclude prefix list

Select this box to make the prefix list active. Leave this box empty to disable the prefix list without deleting the list of prefixes.

Scan spool folder every <n> seconds

The value in the text box specifies how often the RIP checks the Spool folder for new files to be printed.

Time to wait for file to stabilize

The value in the text box specifies the number of seconds that the Spool folder waits for the size of an arriving file to remain the same before assuming that it has been fully written and is therefore ready to be printed.

Treat TIFF/IT files as a single output group

Select this box if you want to process TIFF/IT-P1 files as a group, but only if you can predict that both the file names and the order of arrival follow these conditions.

All related files must have the same file name stem. For example, this is a valid group of files: myfile.ct

, myfile.lw

, myfile.hw

, and myfile.fp

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8.6 Using the Socket input plugin

All subfiles must be in the spool folder before the FP file arrives and is ready to print.

After processing a TIFF/IT-P1 group, the RIP moves or deletes all the related files together, with the action depending on success or failure and the settings of other controls in this dialog box.

If you leave this box unselected, the RIP processes the individual files as they become available.

Note: When producing TIFF/IT-P1 files as output using the optional

TIFF/IT-P1 output plugin, the RIP satisfies the rules for having the related files treated as a group.

Suppress startup warnings

If you have files present in the Spool Folder and then start the RIP, you will be prompted with a warning that files already exist in this folder which you must acknowledge before the RIP will start. If you would prefer to suppress these startup warning messages and continue to start the RIP, select this option. All files present in the folder will be processed.

8.6 Using the Socket input plugin

A socket is a hardware-independent method of communicating across a network. The RIP Socket plugin supports TCP/IP on Ethernet for job transfer between any combination of machines running the

UNIX, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. From socket version 2.1r1 the plugin is supported on Mac OS X.

The RIP Socket plugin also supports a smaller set of features on Power Macintosh computers (but not

680x0 based Macintosh computers). This smaller set of features is supported between any combination of Power Macintosh computers and machines running the UNIX or appropriate Microsoft Windows operating systems.

The benefits of using network sockets are:

• Transfer of jobs between different types of machines occurs at network speeds—typically much higher than those achieved with serial links.

• One server machine (the one running the Navigator RIP) can receive input from as many sending machines as can connect to the network. (The RIP must finish one job before starting another, including jobs from other types of input plugin.)

• All sending machines are configured in the same way.

• Given an existing network, there is no requirement for extra hardware or shared file systems.

• A program or user on the sending machine can be informed of the job status as the job progresses.

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There are some potential, minor, difficulties with socket input:

• It requires a small amount of central network management, or user access to configuration files, on the sending and receiving machines. This management or user access is required only when setting up the links, not for routine use.

• In general, the socket input plugin accepts only PostScript language and PDF input, sent with a basic TCP/IP stream protocol. This protocol is simple to generate but prohibits the direct use of any extra protocol such as that used by the UNIX lp

program. (The Xinet PapConnect protocol is an option if there is no Macintosh computer involved.)

Note: Prior to the release of the Socket plugin v2.1r3, jobs received on an input Socket were named by the input channel, and not the job. A page feature was provided to overcome this. From the release of the Socket plugin v2.1r3 the page feature is added to the plugin and thus will use the name within the job.

Note: Most machines running sockets can support several independent types of communication and there is usually ongoing communication for processes including mail, printing, and file transfer. The different types of communications are kept separate by assigning each to a different port, usually identified by number. Port numbers below 1024 are listed in a services database and have registered uses and protocols that enable computers at local and remote sites to communicate according to published standards. Some numbers above 1024 also have agreed uses, but most are available for use in a way specific to a single site, as allocated by the local network manager or system administrator.

Prior to release of the Socket plugin v2.1r3, jobs received on a Socket input were named by the input channel, and not the job. A page feature was provided to overcome this. From the release of the Socket plugin v2.1r3 (shipped with Navigator RIP, Eclipse Release), the page feature is incorporated within the Socket plugin and thus will use the name within the job.

8.6.1 Requirements

All machines need to support TCP/IP over Ethernet and to be linked by a network. This is the only requirement for machines running the UNIX, Mac OS X, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

8.6.2 Configuration preliminaries

Before attempting to configure a socket you must decide what kind of connection you wish to make and how to implement it. This subsection describes your options and what you need to know before configuring the RIP socket input.

In the simplest case, applications on one or more machines send information to the machine running the RIP and receive no messages about the progress of the jobs.

It is a simple extension to make the standard output from the PostScript language interpreter— progress and other messages as displayed in the RIP Monitor Navigator RIP window—available to the application sending the job.

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8.6.2.1 Server machine

To configure the machine running the RIP, you must know:

• The port on which the socket plugin is to listen for input.

Optionally, you may need to know:

• A second port, if you wish to return the standard output to the sending application and that application requires a separate port.

• Any protocol in use by the sending application. The options supported by the Navigator RIP are basic TCP/IP socket stream or Xinet PapConnect.

In general, you can ask your network administrator to allocate a port (or ports) and give you the number(s) or name(s) to enter in the RIP. Using a name rather than a number allows the flexibility of changing only the services database if it becomes necessary to start using another port.

If you have no network administrator, you may need to look at the services database yourself in order to find ports that are available for use. In the UNIX operating system, the services database is the file:

/etc/services

Under Windows XP and Windows 2000, the position of the services database can vary between different installations of the operating system. The administrator can choose where to install the operating system (with the chosen location recorded in the environment variable

%Systemroot%

) and the services database is stored in a fixed relationship to this location. For example, if the operating system is installed in

\winnt

then the services database is the file:

\

winnt\system32\drivers\etc\services

On Macintosh computers, there is no services database. (This means that you must choose ports using

TCP by number

on a Macintosh, but you may be able to inspect the services database on a computer of another type if you are operating on a mixed network.)

Warning: Where used, the services database is an important part of a networked operating system.

Make a copy of the services database file before editing it in any way.

8.6.2.2 Sending machines

To configure the machines sending jobs to the RIP, you must know:

• The network address (IP address or hostname) of the machine running the Navigator RIP.

• The port on which the machine running the RIP is listening for input.

Optionally, you may need to know:

• A second port, used to return the standard output to the sending application. (The RIP can return this information on the server port: a second port is only needed if the sending application requires a separate port.)

Your network manager should be able to supply these details.

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All other settings are dependent on the software used to send the jobs, and must be compatible with those you have made in the Socket Configuration dialog box. For example, you may need to configure the sending software to receive the PostScript language status messages.

We recommend that you configure each sending application to close its sending socket connection at the end of each job, and pause before reopening it to send another job. The reasons are:

• You can configure the RIP to receive input on more than one socket input—for example, to allow the use of different Page Setups. (Each socket must use a different address.) Closing the connection allows the RIP to check for pending jobs on other input channels.

• Certain jobs may require that the server socket is closed before the RIP can start rendering. If the socket is not closed, rendering starts when the next job starts to arrive, which could result in a significant delay.

8.6.3 Configuring a Socket input plugin

To configure a new socket input, click

New

in the Input Controller. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box. Choose a name and Page Setup as normal, then choose

SocketInput

from the

Type

pop-up menu drop-down list. Click the

Configure

button. The Socket Configuration dialog box

appears, as shown in Figure 8.7.

Figure 8.7 Socket Configuration dialog box

You must make settings for the server (input) socket. The other (output and protocol) settings are optional but interrelated: you may need to make more than one choice to have a valid combination of settings.

8.6.3.1 Server socket details

On some the RIP platforms, the

Socket type

control allows you to choose from

TCP by number

,

TCP by name

, and

Local

. The only option available on all platforms is

TCP by number

.

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The

TCP by number

and

TCP by name

options both offer full network access. The options are equivalent in that both identify a numbered port. The only difference is that if you give a name, the name is used to look up the number in the services database, a file which links numbers with names.

A

Local

socket works only with the UNIX operating system and only on the host machine: that is, where the sending application and the Navigator RIP both operate on the same machine. It is provided only for compatibility with older systems.

Server Socket type

Choose

TCP by number

or

TCP by name

for use across a network (including from the host machine), and enter the corresponding port name or number in the

Address

box.

Under the UNIX operating system, you can also choose

Local

but do so only where absolutely required by the sending application and enter a socket file name in the

Address

box.

Address

There are up to three possible entries in this box, depending on the choice made for

Socket type

, which itself may be limited by the platforms on which the RIP and the sending applications operate.

When

Socket Type

is

TCP by number

, enter the number of the port.

The socket plugin listens on the chosen port.

When

Socket Type

is

TCP by name

, enter the name of the service.

The socket plugin gets the port number by looking up the name in the services database (

/etc/services

or an equivalent file), and listens on the chosen port.

When

Socket Type

is

Local

, the socket communication is made by using a socket-style file on the file-system. Enter the file name in the

Address

field.

8.6.3.2 Bi-directional communications and protocol

These check boxes allow you to specify if and how the Navigator RIP should return information to the application sending a job.

Bi-directional comms

Select this box when you wish the RIP to pass responses back to the sending application. The RIP passes these responses: on the server socket when

Use

Separate Output Socket

is not selected; or on the output socket when

Use

Separate Output Socket

is selected (in which case, you must also configure the

Output Socket Details

).

Use Separate Output Socket

Select this box to use a separate output socket for responses from the RIP to the sending application. You must use a separate output socket if the sending application(s) cannot accept responses on the channel used to send jobs.

This box is irrelevant if

Bi-directional comms

is not selected.

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Note: When this option is selected and a port with the same address is used, a

Duplicate Socket Address: already in use

error message will appear and the input will not start.

Use Xinet protocol

Do not select this option unless you know that all the sending machines are using the Xinet PapConnect protocol. In particular, Classic Macintosh computers cannot use PapConnect. Also, we recommend that you use this option only for downloading fonts; for general use, leaving this box unselected gives faster transfer rates.

8.6.3.3 Output socket details

These details are only relevant when you have selected the

Use Separate Output Socket

box and the

Bi-directional comms

box.

Choose these values in the same way as for the server socket, described in “Server socket details” on page 214. You must choose a different

Address

from the one chosen for the Server socket. It is convenient but not essential to use the same socket type to make it obvious whether or not the addresses are different. For example, choose numbered addresses that differ by 1.

Note: The sending application can continue to listen on the RIP output socket after it has closed its

sending socket. (“Sending machines” on page 213 explained why it is advisable to close the sending

socket—the one connected to the RIP Server socket.)

8.7 Using the Asynchronous Socket plugin

The asynchronous socket input is not for use as a source of routine jobs. It is a special case of the socket plugin, designed to run jobs immediately—regardless of what the RIP is already doing. This input provides a way of controlling and monitoring the RIP without using menus and dialog boxes.

These jobs are restricted in what they can do if jobs from other inputs are to have the intended result.

To prevent unintended interaction with a running job, each job submitted to the asynchronous socket input should start by performing a save

and end with a restore

. Also, the job should not use any painting operators or otherwise alter the graphics state.

Permissible tasks—those that do not interfere with other jobs at the interpretation stage—include querying the availability of fonts and manipulating page buffers in the throughput system.

The one exception where interference with another job is allowed, and necessary, is that it is possible to kill the currently running job.

8.7.1 Creating an asynchronous socket input

It is possible to create an asynchronous socket input in the Input Controller, and subsequently edit or delete it.

Note: The expected way of creating an asynchronous socket input is by including PostScript language statements in the files that the RIP executes when starting up. An asynchronous socket input created

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8.8 Using the Asynchronous Socket Quit plugin

this way is likely to be a protected channel, optionally viewable in the Input Controller but not editable.

To create and configure an asynchronous socket input:

1. Click

New

in the Input Controller. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box.

2. Choose

SocketInputAsync

from the

Type

drop-down list. Give the input a suitable name and select a Page Setup. Select the

Enabled

box.

3. Click the

Configure

button. The Socket Configuration dialog box appears. Make the settings you wish, and click

OK

. (See “Configuring a Socket input plugin” on page 214 for details.)

4. Click

OK

again to close the Input Channel Edit dialog box. The asynchronous socket input becomes active, as you click

OK

or when you next start inputs.

All other aspects of its use and configuration are as described in “Using the Socket input plugin” on page 211.

8.7.2 Sample job

This example shows how a short PostScript language job can kill the current job.

% This code kills the currently running job.

//errordict /interrupt get exec

8.8 Using the Asynchronous Socket Quit plugin

The

SocketInputQuit

type is a special case of the asynchronous socket input, with the single purpose of causing the RIP to quit. Connecting to a socket of this type makes the RIP quit without the need to send a PostScript language job containing the appropriate commands.

To create an input of this type, follow the procedure for the asynchronous socket, described in “Creating an asynchronous socket input” on page 216, but choose

SocketInputQuit

in the

Type

dropdown list.

You can select any Page Setup for use with this input. There is no need to specify a return channel.

8.9 Using the Serial input plugin

The Serial Line input plugin handles PostScript language jobs passed to it over a serial line (RS232 or

V24 standards). The benefits of offering serial line input are:

• The Navigator RIP can become an immediate replacement for a PostScript compatible printer that was used exclusively over a serial line.

• Remote computers can submit jobs to the RIP through a serial line without being part of the same network as the computer running the RIP.

The use of a RIP input using a spool folder or network protocol is preferable in almost all cases. The advantages of these methods are greater speed and robustness than using a serial line.

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8.9.1 Overview

This is a brief introduction to creating and using a serial input to the Navigator RIP. There is more detail in later sections.

The first stage of using a serial input to the Navigator RIP is to find available serial ports on the remote computer and on the computer running the RIP and to establish a reliable serial link between

them. This requires a null modem cable with suitable connectors for the ports: “Establishing a serial link” on page 218 specifies the cable more fully and suggests how you or your supplier may need to

test the link.

Next you must configure the RIP input. To configure a Serial input, choose the source in the Input

Controller and click the

Configure

button. The Serial Comms Configuration dialog box appears, con-

taining several controls, described in Section 8.9.3, “Configuring a Serial input plugin”.

Set the controls to the desired values and click

OK

, then enable the input in the Input Controller dialog box and again click

OK

. When you select

Start Inputs

from the

Navigator RIP

menu (or immediately if inputs are already started), a message appears in the Navigator RIP window of the general form:

Publishing Serial Input printer <serial_name>

Finally, the remote computer must send a job. When the input is receiving data from the remote computer, an alert box appears on the screen of the computer running the RIP to show that the plugin is reading data. (There is no progress box because the plugin cannot find out the total size of the job until it has read all of it.)

8.9.2 Establishing a serial link

Note: This section is necessarily technical.

The null modem cable must connect the lines for send data, receive data, and signal ground (earth).

Depending on the handshaking method, the cable may also need to connect control lines.

If you wish to use hardware handshaking, the cable must also have the RTS and CTS control lines connected. Software handshaking does not require these control lines because it uses the XON and

XOFF characters, sent over the data lines. For both forms of handshaking, this is a minimum requirement: the program on the remote computer may require other control line connections or links between pins, even if you are using software handshaking. (If the remote computer and program require extra control signals, it may help to know that the RIP controls the DTR line and ignores the

DSR line.)

For testing, you have two options:

• Use a communications or terminal emulation program on both computers.

• Use a communications or terminal emulation program on the remote computer and the RIP on the local computer. (You must configure a Navigator RIP serial input first.) Send a carriage return character to the RIP to make the RIP react as if it is receiving a job: if the link is good, the RIP loads a Page Setup and displays a message in the Navigator RIP window. (Like most

PostScript language compatible interpreters, the RIP does not by default echo characters to the remote computer.)

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There are many commercially available communications programs but the Terminal program supplied with Microsoft Windows, and the tip

program supplied with the UNIX operating system are adequate.

You can start testing by typing short messages (PostScript language jobs if you are sending to the RIP input plugin). Do not consider the link fully tested until it can transfer files of about 10 KB without any corruption. Find the highest speed at which the link works reliably.

8.9.3 Configuring a Serial input plugin

To create and configure a new serial source:

1. Click

New

in the Input Controller. The RIP displays the Input Channel Edit dialog box.

2. Choose

Serial Input from the

Type

drop-down list. Give the input a suitable name and select a Page Setup. Select the

Enabled

box.

3. Click the

Configure

button. The Serial Comms Configuration dialog box appears, as shown in

Figure 8.8. Make the settings you wish, and click

OK

.

4. Click

OK

again to close the Input Channel Edit dialog box. The serial input becomes active, now or when you next start inputs.

Figure 8.8 Serial Comms Configuration dialog box

Most controls in the Serial Comms Configuration dialog box set shared communications parameters, which must match those in use by the sending computer and application. Alter these communications settings only if you understand their meaning and you can ensure that the remote computer is reconfigured to use the same settings.

The remaining items also affect communication but are specific to the computer running the Navigator RIP and are fully described here.

Device Name

Set this to be the serial port on the computer running the RIP to which the remote computer is connected.

The entries in the list include

COM1

and

COM2

.

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220

Parity

Character Bits

Stop bits

Mode

Output local

Output remote

Job Output

Handshake

Link Timeout

A shared communication setting—set it to match the setting on the remote computer.

A shared communication setting—set it to match the setting on the remote computer.

A shared communication setting—set it to match the setting on the remote computer.

A shared communication setting—set it to match the setting on the remote computer.

There are three possible choices:

ASCII

,

Adobe binary,

and

Binary

.

Choose

Binary

unless you know that the sending application requires a different mode.

See “ASCII and binary modes” on page 221 for more details on the different

modes.

This setting controls the destination of error messages and status information about jobs. Select

Output Local

to have the normal RIP behavior where these messages display only in the Navigator RIP window: the normal behavior of the RIP for other inputs.

This setting controls the destination of error messages and status information about jobs. Select

Output Remote

to send information down the serial line to the remote computer.

This setting controls the destination of error messages and status information about jobs.

Select

Remote

to send information down the serial line to the remote computer.

Select

Local

to have the normal RIP behavior where these messages display only in the Navigator RIP window: the normal behavior of the RIP for other inputs.

This is a shared communications setting which limits the possibility of the remote computer sending data too fast for the plugin to handle correctly. The setting on the computer running the RIP must match the one in use on the sending computer. (

Software handshake

uses the XON/XOFF characters and

Hardware handshake

uses the CTS/RTS control pins.)

Select only one handshake method.

This setting has an effect only when the plugin is using binary mode. The value is the time in seconds that the input plugin waits without receiving new data before considering that the job has finished. The RIP accepts values in the range 1 through 1000.

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8.9 Using the Serial input plugin

Set the value to be larger than any pauses you expect in the data from one job, but small enough to have the RIP recognize the end of job in a reasonable time. The remote application must wait for this time between sending the end of one job and starting to send the next job, so an overlong value reduces throughput.

In particular, you may want to set a large value (100 seconds or more) if you are testing a link by typing PostScript language statements through a terminal emulator program: in this case, the value must be larger than any pause in your typing.

8.9.4 ASCII and binary modes

The input plugin can treat data arriving from the serial line in one of several ways. You choose which way the plugin uses by selecting one of the following modes:

• Binary.

• ASCII.

• Adobe binary.

We recommend that you select Binary, unless there is a strong need to use one of the other modes.

ASCII and Adobe binary are very similar modes, where the input plugin treats some characters specially. The application sending the data must send one of these special characters to signal the end of the job and can send other characters to control and monitor the job in progress. The end of this section lists the special characters (for example: ^C).

In detail, the modes are:

Binary

ASCII

The RIP passes all data to the core RIP and detects the end of job by observing that no data has arrived within a timeout period. (The remote application must use at least the same timeout period between sending jobs.)

All data is passed to the core RIP for processing, except for special characters. The special characters are ^C, ^D, and ^T. ASCII mode resembles

Adobe binary mode with the exception of not supporting ^A.

Adobe binary

All data is passed to the core RIP with the exception of special (control) characters defined by the Adobe binary communications protocol (BCP).

The special characters are all control characters: characters which you can send from within a terminal emulator program by holding down the Control key while typing a normal character key. For example, you can type Control-T (shown as ^T) by holding down the Control key while typing the letter T.

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The characters most likely to be useful in testing are those supported by ASCII mode.

Character

^A

^C

^D

^T

Meaning

Treat the following character so that it passes to the core RIP as a control character which would otherwise have been stopped and taken as a control.

^A is not supported in ASCII mode.

Generate an interrupt. This terminates the job immediately, with an error.

Signal a normal end of job.

Request a job status. The job status is returned down the serial line as a message enclosed in square brackets. For example, this might be one such message:

%%[job: Test-job; status: Waiting]%%

Table 8.1 Special characters in ASCII and Adobe-binary modes

8.10 Using more than one method

The RIP can use any combination of the above input types and listen on all active inputs. When several inputs want to send data, only one job can reach the RIP at a time but the other inputs may be able to receive and buffer data for later rendering.

To accept input from several sources, create and enable the sources you want in the Input Controller.

The RIP automatically monitors all enabled sources as soon as the input system is started with the

Start Inputs

menu option.

8.11 Using the Print File command

When you select

Print File

from the

Navigator RIP

menu, the dialog box shown in Figure 8.9 appears.

Figure 8.9 Print File dialog box

Choose an appropriate Page Setup for printing the files, from the

Page Setup

drop-down list .

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Note: If you do not choose a Page Setup, the RIP uses the one that you chose last time you printed a file. If you have not printed a file in this RIP session, the first Page Setup in the drop-down list is used.

To change the order of this listing, see “Reordering Page Setups” on page 77.

The Print File dialog box shows all PostScript language files in the current folder.

(To show files of a different type, or all files, use the

Files of type

drop-down list.)

If you want to choose a file that is not in the folder shown, use the dialog box to move to the correct folder.

Use the

Look in

drop-down list to use other folders or drives.

Note: To select all files in the list, click anywhere in the central list of files and type Ctrl+A.

While any file is being processed, an additional

Print File

menu appears on the menu bar of the main

RIP window .

Alt

You can abort the current job by choosing

Kill Current Job

from this menu, or by typing Alt+• (a period character).

When

Kill Current Job

is selected, the current job is stopped but subsequent jobs will be processed.

By selecting

Stop Printing File

, the current file will complete but any jobs queued after the current job will not print.

Selecting

Abort Printing File

will stop the current job and also stop all subsequently queued jobs from ripping.

8.11.1 Printing several files

To print out several files at once, just select more than one file from the Print File dialog box before clicking

Print

. The following keys make this possible:

Shift

You can select a contiguous block of files by selecting the first file in the block, then selecting the last file in the block while holding down the Shift key.

Ctrl

You can select several non-contiguous file names by holding down the Control key while making your selection.

Note: The list of files to print can include files other than PostScript language, PDF files, TIFF 6.0, and TIFF/IT-P1. The RIP ignores types of files that it cannot print.

8.12 Printing PostScript language files

The RIP can print PostScript language files and Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files using the

Print

File

command or managed inputs. You can also enter PostScript language code interactively using the

Navigator RIP > Executive

command.

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You can submit PostScript language jobs to the RIP using any of the managed input methods: Apple-

Talk, NT Print, NT Pipe, Spool Folder, sockets, and serial input.

The Page Setup Options dialog box provides several options that tailor the way the RIP processes jobs. Some options provide compatibility with jobs using PostScript LanguageLevel 2 or

LanguageLevel 1, or produced by specific applications. Other options deal with more general fault conditions or are convenience features. For example, some PostScript language file formats, such as

EPS, do not always include a showpage

operator at the end of jobs. One of these options adds showpage

to the end of a job, if necessary. See “Edit Page Setup dialog box” on page 77 for details.

When ColorPro is enabled, the RIP can detect and utilize an ICC profile embedded in an Encapsulated

PostScript file. See the ColorPro User’s Guide for details.

8.13 Printing PDF files

The RIP can print Portable Document Format (PDF) files that conform to the PDF 1.7 specification or earlier, or PDF/X versions listed below. The PDF Options dialog box allows you to set up strict or flexible workflows using these versions of PDF jobs.

The Navigator RIP Genesis Release

™

supports the following PDF/X versions:

• PDF/X-1a:2001

• PDF/X-1a:2003

• PDF/X-3:2002

• PDF/X-3:2003

• PDF/X-4 (not PDF/X-4p)

These are the only versions supported; any previous support for earlier versions has been dropped.

The “PDF Options” from the page set up manager allows the user to select from a range of PDF/X

verification settings, see “PDF Types” on page 234

The aim is to reproduce with high quality all the features of PDF files that can be rendered on paper or film. You can also preview pages printed from PDF files, but the RIP does not provide a fully interactive hypertext viewer or editor: there are no search, cross-reference, or annotation facilities.

Note: PDF/X is a standard defining a subset of PDF, designed for trouble-free use where the creator sends the PDF file to an external printer or other prepress consumer.

Note: A PDF/X-3 file containing an

OutputIntents

dictionary will be color managed using the ICC profile indicated by the

OutputIntents

dictionary as long as the job uses a device independent color space and the

Override color management in job

option is not selected. For more information

see “PDF/X Color management” on page 225.

8.13.1 PDF/X standards

With the growth in the use of PDF for transferring graphic arts content files between sites and between companies it is clear that the flexibility of the PDF format does not allow robust and predictable exchanges of prepress data.

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To overcome this problem a family of standards has been developed to define restrictions on the content and use of PDF files to make PDF output more predictable.These standards are collectively called

PDF/X, each with a suffix to differentiate the specifications defined for different sets of market needs.

The PDF/X standards defines the elements that must be included in a PDF, and those that must not.

PDF/X-1a:2001 is designed to provide the most robust and, to some extent, least flexible delivery of

PDF content data. It requires that the color of all objects be expressed in CMYK or spot colors, prepared for the intended printing conditions. Elements in RGB or Lab color spaces or tagged with ICC profiles are prohibited. It also requires that all fonts used in the job be embedded in the supplied PDF file.

PDF/X-3:2002 allows slightly more flexibility in that color managed workflows are also supported— elements in Lab, and with attached ICC source profiles may also be used.

PDF/X-4:2008, supports color-managed, CMYK, gray, RGB or spot color data, as well as optional content and PDF transparency.

The specifications also set out how a PDF/X file should be processed by the receiver of the file. If different approaches to overprinting, for instance, are taken at different sites then it will not be possible to predict the exact appearance of the final printed piece from a pre-transmission proof.

This section describes how a Navigator RIP should be configured in order to produce PDF/X compliant output.

8.13.1.1 PDF/X Color management

PDF/X files all include data describing the characterized printing conditions for which the job was prepared. That data is collectively described as the output intent. It includes an identifier that may refer to a characterization held in a registry maintained by the ICC (International Color Consortium).

In many cases the output intent will also include an embedded profile to support accurate color proofing, both on screen and on hard copy.

The ColorPro™ option can be used to perform in-RIP color management with the Navigator RIP. It can be used for many purposes, including color proofing, or for adjusting plates to enable a press to better match a characterized printing condition such as SWOP. For more information see the Color-

Pro™ documentation.

8.13.1.2 Trapping

The TrapPro™ options add in-RIP trapping functionality to the Navigator RIP. If these have been enabled, trapping parameters may be defined in the user interface and automatically applied to all jobs submitted to the RIP. If a PDF or PDF/X file is labeled as having already been trapped (by setting the

Trapped flag to True), the in-RIP trapping will automatically be disabled while processing that file to prevent traps being applied twice.

For more information see the TrapPro™ documentation.

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8.13.1.3 Workflow notes

When processing PDF/X files it is important that your whole prepress workflow provides a result that complies with the standard, including placement of partial-page submissions on a page and so on. You should also test all routes by which an incoming file may pass through your complete workflow. Tools such as the Kensington Suite and the Global Graphics PDF/X Overprint test strip can assist in this testing. see the Global Graphics web site for more information.

8.13.2 Printing PDF version 1.4

One of the major features of this revision is the ability to mark objects as being partially transparent, so that other objects in the background are visible through them. This feature aids the creation of many special effects, including drop shadows, ghosting back of image areas behind text blocks and soft edges to silhouetted pictures.

8.13.3 Printing PDF version 1.5

The Navigator RIP Genesis Release

™

will print PDF v1.5 files. Some of the features included are:

• ICC profile handling.

• Support for JPEG 2000 and ability to decompress JPEG 2000 images

• 16 bit images.

• Annotation types.

New line end styles for Line annotations, fine positioning of Square and Circle annotations, new annotation types – Polygon & Polyline, Caret annotations.

• Cross reference tables.

• Layers.

Used for versioning, as “layers” in, for example, a packaging workflow. Each group of optional content may be flagged with separate settings to display on-screen in a PDF reader and to print.

The provision of layers within PDF 1.5 allows the support for different languages within a single file.

8.13.4 Printing PDF version 1.6

The Navigator RIP Genesis Release

™

v7.1 will print PDF v1.6 files. Some of the features included are:

• Encryption enhancements.

• Specification of the size of the unit in default user space.

• Support for NChannel color spaces.

• More flexible and locking of optional content groups.

Optional content is supported in the Navigator RIP. However, optional content in nested PDF documents is not supported.

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• New facilities for embedding OpenType fonts in PDF files.

The Navigator RIP supports embedded OpenType fonts, with either TrueType or PostScript language glyphs.

• Grouping of markup annotations.

• The specification of objects, such as watermarks, that stay at a constant size regardless of the page size.

• The ability to accurately specify relationships between the dimensions of objects on a page and their real-world counterparts.

• PDF files can now display three-dimensional graphical data, using the U3D format, in a PDF file.

Documents containing U3D Artwork annotations will be processed to completion by the Navigator RIP. However, the resulting output will only display the 2D static representation that is supposed to accompany the 3D graphic. If the 2D graphic is missing, that part of the document will be blank.

Note: The Navigator RIP does not support some types of JPEG 2000 files where a soft mask channel is included in the image. A job of this type will fail.

8.13.5 Printing PDF version 1.7

The Navigator RIP v8.0 Release will print PDF v1.7 files. Some of the features included are:

• Unicode string support.

8.13.5.1 PDF Check Warning

With PDF Check Warning enabled the following message appears at the start of every PDF job using transparency:

%%[ WARNING - THIS JOB USES PDF TRANSPARENCY ]%%

This message indicates that the PDF 1.4 transparency checker procset has identified an element marked as transparency in the job. The procset then switches the RIP from “Normal” mode into

“Backdrop Rendering” mode.

Normal mode means the RIP functions normally, and you should not notice any significant changes in behavior in terms of performance, memory usage and so on.

In Backdrop Rendering mode there are significant changes. Interpretation time will be broadly similar as in normal mode however rendering time will be increased. This is because the RIP does the compositing in the render phase and this process is computationally intensive. The compositing phase currently requires memory to be allocated and so vmerrors

may occur. In terms of results, the objects are composited at full device resolution, there is no downsampling like that produced by pre-flatteners. Areas of the page which have only opaque objects are optimized to render faster and thus performance depends on how much of the page is covered by objects which are transparent.

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8.13.5.2 PDF Check Abort

With the PDF Check Abort switch enabled all jobs using transparency will be aborted and the following message is displayed:

%%[ WARNING - THIS JOB USES PDF TRANSPARENCY - ABORTING JOB ]%%

8.13.5.3 PDF Page Alert

With the PDF Page Alert switch enabled the following alert appears when interpreting every page that uses transparency.

%%[ THIS PAGE USES PDF TRANSPARENCY ]%%

Using the page-by-page check allows the RIP to switch between Normal and Backdrop Rendering mode on a page by page basis. This improves performance because backdrop rendering a page containing no transparency is much slower than normal rendering.

Note: When a PDF file references another PDF file via transparency the second PDF is now checked while determining if the page containing the reference has any transparent object on it.

Also, not all applications that provide a user interface to define “transparency” do so using PDF structures. Macromedia FreeHand has support for transparency, but it is done in a different way. Also

Acrobat Distiller

®

cannot make transparent objects.

For more information see the Navigator RIP Extensions manual.

8.13.6 AcroForms

A PDF file can contain information which is additional to the standard PDF format. When viewed using an interactive application such as Adobe Acrobat, this additional information provides interactive features making the page more like a form. These files are called AcroForms.

With features such as text input fields, multiple choice option lists and clickable buttons, a PDF file that features an AcroForm is used to provide comprehensive electronic form filling functionality.

You interact with the form via the usual mouse and keyboard actions. The AcroForm can be programmed to respond to events (such as clicking on a button) to provide various levels of automation.

8.13.6.1 Print Ready PDF AcroForm files

An AcroForm is generally created for interactive use via an interactive program like Adobe Acrobat.

However, you may want to print these files. The Navigator RIP is, of course, not interactive and is only concerned with rendering the contents of the PDF file for printed output. This creates a number of issues about exactly which of the essentially interactive features (such as, buttons and lists) should be printed and how they should appear.

When the form is completed (that is, all the required text input fields are filled in) using Adobe Acrobat, the PDF file is re-saved by Acrobat to save the entered information. When this is done, Acrobat creates additional content in the PDF file called Appearance Streams which render the filled-in text input fields. It also marks the PDF file’s AcroForm as being “complete” (by setting the

NeedAppearances

key in the AcroForm dictionary to

false

).

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We refer to a file that has been completed in this way as being print-ready.

Prior to being made print ready, a PDF AcroForm may be incomplete to various degrees. For example, the form could be blank in the sense that none of the fields contain any user-entered information.

Alternatively, a PDF AcroForm file could have been partially completed by a database program (for example) which can provide values (content) for some or all of the text input fields but still not yet completing the file. This completeness refers to two things:

• The fields’ appearance streams may not be present in the PDF file, even though the fields may have been given values (that is, the actual text to display in the input fields).

• The AcroForm will be marked as incomplete by virtue of the

NeedAppearances

key in the

AcroForm dictionary being set to

true

.

When the Navigator RIP is given the job of printing a PDF AcroForm, it has to be sensitive to whether or not the form has been completed and is print-ready.

The Navigator RIP uses the following rule:

• If the

NeedAppearances

key in the AcroForm dictionary (in the PDF file) is

false

(or is absent), the AcroForm will be printed such that all fields (and only those fields) with appearance streams given will be displayed. Otherwise, if

NeedAppearances

is

true

, the Navigator

RIP will reconstruct appearance streams for all the fields it finds.

What this means for the Navigator RIP is that, unless the PDF file has been made complete and printready, the final appearance of the various fields of the AcroForm could be displayed slightly differently than they might appear in the viewing application (for example, Acrobat).

8.13.6.2 PDF AcroForms and the Navigator RIP

When a PDF AcroForm has been completed and saved and is therefore print-ready, the Navigator RIP will print all AcroForm field types (text fields, choice list boxes, buttons, and signature fields). However, this is conditional upon the manner in which the fields have been defined in the AcroForm. For example, some button fields may have been flagged (by Acrobat) as “not to be printed”. In this case the Navigator RIP will not print such items.

If the PDF AcroForm has not been saved as print-ready, the Navigator RIP still supports the rendering of text input fields (both single-line and multi-line).To do this, the RIP constructs (or reconstructs) the fields’ appearance streams according to the field values and other information contained within the

AcroForm. It should be noted however that there is a degree of licence with respect to how a viewing application may format the items (such as text and buttons), and so results between different viewing applications may differ.

If the AcroForm is not print-ready, the Navigator RIP also attempts to support other field types (such as buttons and choice lists) but their final appearance may be different to the intended result (by a greater or lesser extent). It is therefore highly recommended that all AcroForm files to be submitted to the Navigator RIP are saved as print-ready first.

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8.13.6.3 Implementation of PDF 1.4 Annotations

Support for PDF Annotations, as defined in the PDF 1.4 specification, is implemented in the Navigator RIP. Annotations are defined in section 8.4 of the specification, however, they also refer to Acro-

Form fields (which merge with annotation “widgets”). AcroForms are defined in section 8.6 of the specification entitled “Interactive Forms”.

Support for AcroForms has already been implemented for PDF 1.3.

Most PDF Annotation types are supported as long as they meet the following conditions:

• their “Normal” appearance streams are present and correct in the PDF file and,

• they have their “Print” flag set.

Excluded annotations are:

• Link and Movie annotations, because they do not present a normal appearance stream in the standard way

• Popup annotations, because they only apply to interactive applications (that is, popping up a window)

• TrapNet (also known as, trap network) annotations.

Note: From Eclipse Release SP3 the RIP ignores (in non-strict mode only), PDF documents with

“FreeText” type annotations which contain invalid PDF content.

8.13.7 Enfocus preflight checking of PDF files

A mechanism is provided to upload and install certified PDF profiles to the RIP allowing certification checks to be performed on incoming PDF documents. Profiles must be added to the RIP by using the

PDF Profile Manager. Using this method, the PDF Profile manager can perform various consistency checks.

On import of a profile the PDF profile manager will:

• check whether the file to be imported is a valid PDF profile.

• not allow two file names with the same PDF Profile name to co-exist.*

• alert if a file is overwritten.

• alert if a file overwritten and the new file refers to a different profile.

On deletion of a profile the PDF profile manager will:

• not allow the deletion of a PDF profile that is referred to by a Page Setup.

*Through the PDF Profile manager files are imported or deleted. A valid file, exports a PDF Profile name which is not necessarily the name of the file.

A Page Setup can refer to a number of profiles. And the same profiles can be used in different Page

Setups.

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8.13.7.1 Importing PDF profiles

To import a PDF profile:

1. Select

Output >PDF Profile Manager....

This displays the following dialog:

Figure 8.10 PDF Profile Manager Dialog

2. Click

Add

and navigate to the location of your profile and select it.

3. Click

Done

.

To remove a PDF profile:

1. Select

Output >PDF Profile Manager....

2. Highlight the profiles to be removed. Only those profiles not currently being used by Page

Setups can be removed.

3. Click

Remove

followed by

Done

.

For more information see “Enfocus certified status check” on page 236.

For more information on PDF profiles, see

http://www.certifiedpdf.net/home.php

.

8.13.8 Related documentation

The following documents may help you understand AcroForms:

•

Graphic technology—Prepress digital data exchange—Use of PDF for composite data—Part

1: Complete exchange (PDF/X-1), American National Standard CGATS.12/1-1999. This document is available from NPES; see

http://www.npes.org/

for purchasing details.

• Portable Document Format Reference Manual, Version 1.4. Adobe Inc.

• ColorPro User’s Guide, Global Graphics Software.

8.13.9 PDF Options dialog box

Figure 8.11 shows the dialog box that appears when you click

PDF Options

in the Edit Page Setup dialog box. (This view shows some settings that are not at their default values.)

If you need to print PDF files with different options, for example with different passwords, you can create a number of PDF Page Setup configurations

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Figure 8.11 PDF Options dialog box

The options are in sections for page selection, PDF type acceptance, passwords and Enfocus certified status check for preflight checking of PDF files.

8.13.9.1 Page selection

Print all pages

Leave this check box selected to print all the pages in the PDF document. If you wish to print only a subset of the pages from a PDF job, deselect this check box and enter the desired pages in the

Pages

field.

Reselect this check box when you have finished printing the subset of pages. This enables the printing of all pages from other PDF jobs. (You do not need to delete the entry in the

Pages

field.)

Page(s)

Enter numbers for the page or pages that you wish to print. You can enter individual page numbers or ranges, separating each number or range with a comma (

,

) character.

To enter a page range, enter the numbers of the first and last pages in the range, using a hyphen to separate them: for example,

7-16

. If you wish to print all pages from a particular page to the end of the job, enter a range starting with that particular page and ending with a number that you know to be higher than the last page in the PDF job: for example,

47-10000

.

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You can combine individual page numbers and ranges: for example,

1,2,7-16,23,24

.

Pages may be repeated, for example [ 27, 27, 27] will print three copies of page 27.

Pages may be listed out of sequence, for example [154, 27, 170].

If not all pages in the document are printed the RIP will display a warning similar to the following:

%%[Warning: Page range restricts printing to the following page(s):5, 27, 156-

163, 210, 210, 120, 196 from an availalable N pages.]

where

N

is the number of pages in the document.

If the range is such that no page in the job fits the following warning is displayed:

%%[ Warning: No pages found within range]%%

When printing a PDF job, the RIP displays a message for each page that is not printed because of being unlisted in this field.

Page size bounding box

PDF version 1.3 offers several options for defining a rectangular area that is the area of interest for a PDF page. A PDF file may set values for one or more of these areas, to be used as appropriate to the different ways that the PDF file can be used: viewing, office printing, imposition, commercial printing, and so on.

The RIP looks for the values of the option chosen in this list and makes a page buffer of the size set by that option. Only

MediaBox

must be present in a file, but the other areas inherit default values from

MediaBox

.

When using Simple imposition the option chosen in this list is used to calculate the position of trim marks and page furniture. Any bleed specified within Simple imposition will be filled with objects outside that trim box, and the Page buffer will normally be larger than the chosen PDF

Page size bounding box. For more information see “Configuring Simple imposition” on page

265.

The options in this list are fully defined in the Portable Document Format Reference Manual,

Version 1.3. The default is

MediaBox

.

MediaBox

BleedBox

TrimBox

ArtBox

The size of the media, which may be larger than the page imaged upon it.

The size of the page whose edges must be reached by bleed objects, though the trimmed size of the page may be smaller. There may be printer’s marks and parts of the bleed objects outside this area.

The size of the page as intended for delivery to the reader, after trimming any printer’s marks and excess bleed areas.

The size of the rectangle to be used when placing a PDF graphic. (Typically, this is the bounding box of the graphics plus a possible allowance for captions or blank margins.)

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CropBox

Rectangle specifying the default clipping region for the page when displayed or printed. Acrobat Exchange sets this when cropping a page.

8.13.9.2 PDF Types

By default all PDF files will be accepted by the RIP, whether they conform to the PDF/X standards or not.

The RIP will recognize PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3 and PDF/X-4 files (not PDF/X-4p

)

, apply the necessary additional checks to validate that they comply with the full details of the standard, and automatically change any configuration settings (such as overprinting) that do not match the requirements for rendering them correctly.

Accept type(s)

This list allows you to define how strictly the PDF file must conform to various standards and specifications for PDF jobs. You can use the

On error

list to define what the RIP should do if the job does not meet the requested specification.

The options in this list are as follows:

Auto-detect types

This is the default option. The RIP makes the best possible attempt to print the file according to the type labeling within the job. PDF/X files will be recognized automatically. If the job claims to be PDF/X-1 but does not meet that standard, the RIP treats that as an error but may still be able to print the file.

Any PDF <= 1.7 as basic PDF

All PDF and PDF/X files will be accepted, with no special treatment of

PDF/X files. With this setting the RIP will print any job with a recognized

PDF version; that is, version 1.7 or less, including non-compliant jobs labeled as PDF/X-1, but not actually complying with the standard. This is the most relaxed setting. By using this option you are explicitly telling the RIP not to override any overprint settings for a PDF/X file.

Any PDF/X-1a

Only PDF/X-1a:2001 and PDF/X-1a:2003 files will be accepted. See below for the action taken when other files are received.

Any PDF/X-3 or X-1a

Accept any supported PDF/X variant, that is; PDF/X-1a:2001, PDF/X-

1a:2003, PDF/X-3:2002, and PDF/X-3:2003.

PDF/X-4, or any X-3 or X-1a

Accept any supported PDF/X-3 and X-1a variant, that is; PDF/X-1a:2001,

PDF/X-1a:2003, PDF/X-3:2002, and PDF/X-3:2003, and only PDF/X-4 (that is, not PDF/X-4p).

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On error

The options in this list define the action you wish to occur if there is an error: for example, if the

PDF file is an unrecognized type or if it fails to meet the condition set in the

Accept type(s)

list.

The actions are as follows:

Report errors and continue

The errors reported are for the file type as explicitly set in the

Accept type(s)

field or as detected when the setting is

Auto-detect types

. There may be problems with the printed results if the job is newer than version 1.5 or badly constructed.

Any PDF/X validation errors will be reported in the RIP’s system log, but the file will still be processed and output.

Abort job

Report errors and reject (abort) the job. If a file being processed does not conform to the file type selected, the job will be aborted, and no output will be produced.

Where a condition in the PDF file is encountered which does not conform to the appropriate PDF/X specification, a warning message is displayed.

8.13.9.3 Non-conforming rendering

To force the RIP to apply your own configuration (for example, overprint settings), to a PDF/X file; select

Any PDF <= 1.4 as basic PDF

in the

Accept type(s)

menu. This option may also be used to print a file that claims to be PDF/X compliant, but that does not correctly conform to the standard.

8.13.9.4 Password

Use password to print protected documents

Select this option when you wish to print a document that has been protected by a password, and enter that password in the text field. Enter one password only.

For maximum security, remove the password after use. This removal is optional if your other

PDF jobs do not have password protection.

Note: The PDF specification allows for files to have Owner and User (reader) passwords. The

RIP checks the password that you enter against both of these passwords, and allows printing if either password produces a match.

Passwords can be any length but only the first 32 characters are significant. If you have any way to influence the choice of password used in jobs supplied to you, suggest that it uses only ASCII characters: the letters

A-z

and

A-Z

, the numerals

0-9

, and punctuation marks such as

[]{} and

;

. For example, there may be problems in entering the password if the password uses characters that are not in the English alphabet. Avoid multiple white space characters, accented characters, and characters that require a double-byte representation.

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Note: The

Honor ‘PDF Color Management’

check box has been removed. The option is now called

Override color management in job

and is part of the

Input Document Controls

within the

Color Setup Manager

. See “Color Setup” on page 358 for more details.

To make fullest use of jobs containing device-independent color definitions, enable a TrapPro option in the Configure RIP Extras dialog box.

8.13.9.5 Enfocus certified status check

The purpose of the Enfocus certified status check is to determine if incoming PDF documents contain an Enfocus certificate having previously passed (or failed), a preflight check using the same profile, prior to reaching the RIP. If a PDF document passes the check, the RIP monitor reports:

StatusCheck: document '<path/name>' certified

If a document fails the check, the RIP monitor reports:

StatusCheck: document '<path/name>' not certified

This check allows you to ensure the validity of the incoming jobs and as such be sure the files are passed successfully along the workflow.

The following options are provided:

Do status check

With this option selected each incoming PDF is compared to the PDF profiles listed in the

PDF

Profiles to compare with

window. When a file passes the test it will continue processing. When a file fails the test a message is displayed in the message window and written to the log file. The file will then continue processing unless the

Abort if status check fails

option is checked.

Note: When

Do status check

is selected you must have at least one profile listed before you can close the PDF options dialog.

Abort if status check fails

PDF jobs that fail the test are still processed unless the

Abort if status check fails

option is selected, in which case they are aborted.

PDF Profiles to compare with

Use the

Add

and

Remove

buttons to add or delete PDF profiles which have previously been

imported to the RIP. For more information on importing PDF profiles see “Enfocus preflight checking of PDF files” on page 230.

A Page Setup can refer to one or more profiles. And the same profiles can be used in different

Page Setups.

8.13.10 Usage

The simplest way to use PDF files is using the

Navigator RIP > Print File

command.

To see a listing of

PDF files in the current folder, use the

PDF Files

or

All Files

option in the

Files of type

dropdown list of the Print File dialog box.

Select the Page Setup that sets the correct PDF options from the

Page Setup

drop-down list .

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8.13 Printing PDF files

You can also supply PDF files to the RIP using spool folder inputs and all forms of network protocols:

AppleTalk, sockets,

and so on. See the summary of managed inputs in “Input management” on page

194. If necessary, set the PDF options in the Page Setup corresponding to your chosen managed input.

8.13.11 Limitations and special treatment

The RIP can always print PDF files that are designed to be printed. There are some minor differences compared to the way in which the RIP handles PostScript language files. Also, the emphasis on printed output and limited interactivity means that the support of some optional content in PDF files is missing or modified, compared to the support in a dedicated PDF viewer.

These features are:

Embedded fonts and font substitution

The Navigator RIP supports the use of fonts embedded in PDF files as well as fonts already available to the RIP for use with PostScript language jobs. The embedded fonts can include TrueType (Type 42) fonts, CID (character identifier) composite fonts, and Compact Font Format (CFF) fonts.

When fonts requested by a PDF job are missing, the RIP obeys the setting of the

Abort the job if any fonts are missing

check box in the Page Setup

Options dialog box.) See “Abort the job if any fonts are missing” on page 140

for more information.

Security settings

The creator of a PDF file can limit access to a PDF file, by requiring a password of the reader or forbidding changing, copying, or printing of the content. The only function relevant to the Navigator RIP is the ability to forbid printing. In general, the RIP does not print files where the creator has forbidden printing.

Document Information

The Navigator RIP window displays the PDF version number and general information about the document, as supplied by the author or creating application.

Most PDF Annotation types are supported but only if: their “Normal” Appearance streams are present and correct in the PDF file; and they have their “Print” flag set.

Excluded annotations are:

Link and Movie annotations, because they do not present a normal appearance stream in the standard way.

Popup annotations because they only apply to interactive applications (that is, popping up a window)

TrapNet (also known as, trap network) annotations.

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Extensions The RIP ignores all extended content (for example, multimedia content and private data) that is labeled as such according to the PDF specification.

8.14 Printing XPS Documents

The RIP can print XML Paper Specification (XPS) files that conform to v1.0 of the XPS specification.

The following PrintTickets are supported if they are present within an XPS Document:

• DocumentPageRanges

• PageBlendColorSpace

• PageMediaSize

• PageResolution

The way that the RIP handles the

DocumentPageRanges

,

PageBlendColorSpace

and

PageMediaSize

PrintTicket keys depends on the settings of the XPS Options dialog. By default, all Print-

Ticket settings are ignored, but these three keys can be honoured if you choose to do so.

The only other PrintTicket setting which might get honoured is

PageResolution

. This will only happen when the

Override resolution in job

option is not checked in the Page Setup dialog.

For further information see “XPS Options” on page 147.

8.15 Printing HD Photo images

From v8.0 the RIP supports direct ripping of v1.0 HD Photo images (previously WMPhoto).

The RIP can print HD Photo files using the

Navigator RIP > Print File

command, or from a spool folder. To view *.wdp files (HD Photo images) in the file selection dialog, select All Files *.* in the

“Files of type” field and browse to the required file.

In compliance with v1.0 of the XPS specification, the supports v1.0 HD Photo images and XPS Documents containing v 1.0 HD Photo images are processed correctly.

8.16 Printing JPEG and JFIF files

The RIP can print JPEG and JFIF files using the

Navigator RIP > Print File

command, or from a spool folder.

The simplest way to print JPEG and JFIF files is using the

Navigator RIP > Print File

command.

To see a listing of JPEG and JFIF files in the current folder, use the

JPEG Files

or

All Files option in the

Files of type

drop-down list of the Print File dialog box.

You can also supply JPEG and JFIF files to the Navigator RIP using spool folder inputs. See

Section 8.5, “Using the Spool Folder input folder” for details.

When ColorPro is enabled, the RIP can detect and utilize an ICC profile embedded in a JPEG file. See the ColorPro User’s Guide for details.

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8.17 Printing GIF files

8.16.1 Limitations

A JPEG file in Progressive format (a format option in Adobe Photoshop) cannot be printed by the

Navigator RIP. Progressive format is often used for web downloads.

8.17 Printing GIF files

The Navigator RIP can print GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) files using the

Navigator RIP > Print

File

command, or from a spool folder.

The easiest way to print GIF files is using the

Navigator RIP > Print File

command.

To see a listing of GIF files in the current folder, use the

GIF Files

or

All Files

option in the

Files of type

drop-down list of the Print File dialog box.

8.18 Printing TIFF/IT files

The Navigator RIP supports the imaging of TIFF/IT Profile 1 files, generally referred to as

TIFF/IT-P1 files, a common method of transferring images for use in advertising.

This section summarizes the history of the file format and its uses before describing how to enable and

use imaging of these files in the RIP. The description of use starts with “Installation and requirements”

on page 241. See also “Printing TIFF 6.0 files” on page 242.

8.18.1 General

The Tag Image File Format (TIFF) is a well-established and popular file format for raster images.

There have been a number of published standards for the format of TIFF files, each successive standard generally being more complex than the last. This growing complexity has reflected the format increasing in flexibility and providing for private extensions to the format. The result has been that

TIFF now represents a family of file formats and there are many programs that implement only the more popular parts of these formats.

The RIP supports the imaging of TIFF/IT Profile 1 files, generally referred to as TIFF/IT-P1 files, a common method of transferring images for use in advertising. The International Standards Organization (ISO) Draft International Standard 12639 describes the TIFF/IT and TIFF/IT-P1 formats. Relevant earlier standards are ANSI IT8.8 and the Aldus TIFF 6.0 standard (now maintained by Adobe).

The TIFF/IT-P1 format is being promoted by a body called Digital Distribution of Advertising for

Publications. It provides a clean interface for the proprietary color electronic prepress systems (CEPS) formats such as the Scitex CT/LW format.

TIFF files can contain many different types of data but, in general, a single TIFF/IT-P1 file contains only one kind of data from a total of six possibilities, each known by a two-letter abbreviation as listed

in Table 8.2.

The exception is the FP file, which includes layout information and the details of some combination of files, each containing CT, HC, or LW data—it is convenient to call these other files subfiles of the FP file. The data may appear in any order within the FP file but applications must image it in a set order.

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There must be at least one subfile in an FP file, but no more than one of each type. For example, an FP file cannot contain more than one CT file and it is typical for FP jobs to contain only a CT subfile and an LW subfile.

The full list of data types with their typical uses is:

Table 8.2 TIFF/IT data type codes and usage

Data type

FP

Usage

Final Page (layout for CT, HC, and LW)

BL

BP

MP

Binary Line work (not an FP subfile)

Binary Picture (not an FP subfile)

Monochrome Picture (not an FP subfile)

Some of these data types are partly compatible with the corresponding definitions in the TIFF 6.0 standard.

The largest difference with TIFF 6.0 is that TIFF/IT has only one image per file. The FP file format can have up to four Image File Directories (IFDs), but only one image—the preview image for the FP layout.

The major restrictions on TIFF/IT-P1 compared to TIFF/IT are that TIFF/IT-P1:

• Uses CYMK only (when appropriate).

• Is pixel interleaved (when appropriate).

• Has a single choice of image orientation.

• Has a single choice of dot range.

The Navigator RIP images an FP file by rendering the referenced CT, HC, and LW subfiles, in that strict order. Order is significant because the HC and LW subfile types can include transparent regions able to reveal images rendered from previous subfiles.

When the RIP renders subfiles as part of an FP job, it uses extra information in the FP file to determine the overall size of the page, and position each subfile (which can be smaller) within that page.

The RIP can also image a single CT, HC, or LW file independently of an FP file. For each of these files, the RIP locates the image origin at the PostScript language origin—relative to coordinates (0,0) at the bottom left of the page. For example, this provides a limited proofing capability but be careful to avoid printing a partial image when the subfiles are available before the FP file.

When ColorPro is enabled, the RIP can detect and utilize an ICC profile embedded in a TIFF file. See the ColorPro User’s Guide for details.

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8.18 Printing TIFF/IT files

8.18.2 Installation and requirements

You must enable the RIP to print TIFF/IT files, by entering a password or key number issued to you by your supplier. Note that TIFF 6.0 input is always enabled.

1. Display the Configure RIP dialog box and click

Extras

.

2. In the Configure RIP Extras dialog box, select the item

TIFF/IT

in the list.

3. Click the

Add

button. In the Enable Feature dialog box that appears, enter the key number issued to you for use with TIFF/IT, and then click

OK

to return to the Configure RIP Extras dialog box, and

OK

again to return to the Configure RIP dialog box.

If you attempt to print TIFF/IT-P1 files when the

TIFF/IT

option is not enabled, then depending on the input method chosen, the TIFF 6.0 input option may attempt to process the parts of the file that it recognizes as TIFF. This is unlikely to produce the desired result.

TIFF/IT files can result in very large page buffers and, potentially, cause painting to multiple partial page buffers. We recommend that you allocate 128 MB of memory to the RIP if possible, with an absolute minimum allocation of 64 MB RAM.

It is not possible to run a simple spool folder where any of the CT, HC, LW, or FP files may arrive first: the result may be partial images. The spool folder can accept TIFF/IT-P1 files but only if the

order of arrival and file naming can be controlled. See page 210 for details of configuring the spool

folder for a specially controlled source of TIFF/IT-P1 files. If the order of arrival or naming is unsuitable or unpredictable, using

Print File

from the

Navigator RIP

menu is the simplest reliable method of ensuring that the RIP images the intended file or combination of files.

8.18.3 Usage

To print a TIFF/IT file, first choose a Page Setup with a large enough imaging area and an appropriate resolution for the high resolution data types.

Next, choose the option

Print File

from the

Navigator RIP

menu. Figure 8.9, page 222, shows the dia-

log box that appears. Display the contents of the folder holding the file that you want to print.

Choose the file that you want to print. Typically, this is an FP file if you are imaging a finished page but you can specify a subfile: for example, to proof it alone. There is no enforced file name convention but the two letters of the data type usually appear in the name.

For the example of a CT file with name file, you may see any of:

file.ct

file.ict

file.CT

file.ICT

To make sure that you see all files, choose

All Files (*.*) in the

Files of type

drop-down list.

Select the file you want to print, and click

Print

.

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If you are printing an FP file, the RIP displays a progress dial while reading each of the files referenced by the FP file and the Navigator RIP window shows text similar to the following example:

% tiffdev: reading "H:\Suites\Tiffit\66.fp" as a

TIFF/IT-P1 FP (Final Page) standalone file

Starting Job On 24 April 1998 08:51:42

Using Color Setup "(None)"

Using default device calibration

% tiffdev: reading "H:\Suites\Tiffit\66.ct" as a

TIFF/IT-P1 CT (low-resolution contone) subfile of an FP job

% tiffdev: reading "H:\Suites\Tiffit\66.lw" as a

TIFF/IT-P1 LW (linework) subfile of an FP job

Interpretation time: 40 seconds

. . .

If you are printing a subfile (data types CT, HC, or LW), you see less text after clicking

Print

:

% tiffdev: reading "H:\Suites\Tiffit\66.ct" as a

TIFF/IT-P1 CT (low-resolution contone) standalone file

Starting Job On 24 April 1998 08:51:42

Using Color Setup "(None)"

Using default device calibration

Interpretation time: 37 seconds

. . .

If you attempt to print TIFF/IT-P1 files when the

TIFF/IT

option is not enabled, then depending on the input method chosen, the TIFF 6.0 input option may attempt to process the parts of the file that it

recognizes as TIFF. This is unlikely to produce the desired result. See also “Printing TIFF 6.0 files” on page 242. In the following example a TIFF/IT-P1 file is processed as a TIFF 6.0 file.

% tiffdev: reading "H:\Suites\Tiffit\test.tif" as a

TIFF 6.0 baseline (with extensions) standalone file

Starting Job On 24 April 1998 08:51:42

Using Color Setup "(None)"

Using default device calibration

% tiffdev: TIFF6: compression is None

% tiffdev: bits per sample = 1

% tiffdev: samples per pixel (planes) = 1 (bilevel or grayscale)

Interpretation time: 0 seconds

. . .

However, if the TIFF 6.0 input option does not recognize any part of the file as TIFF, you will see the message:

open: the TIFF 6.0 or TIFF/IT file is either corrupt, unsupported, of an unrecognised type or the appropriate file type is not enabled in Configure RIP / Extras

The RIP displays the same message if you attempt to image TIFF/IT data types that it does not support or to image files that do not conform to the TIFF/IT-P1 profile.

8.19 Printing TIFF 6.0 files

The RIP accepts TIFF 6.0 baseline files, with the exceptions and extensions listed under “Limitations and extensions” on page 243.

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8.19 Printing TIFF 6.0 files

This support extends to all TIFF files produced by the Navigator RIP TIFF output plugin.

Note: From v 5.5r1 the Navigator RIP can handle

RGB Composite (Band)

or

CMYK Composite

(Band)

Style

but only with the tiffexec

operator. tiffdev

still does not support these styles.

Note: The Eclipse Release and later RIPs support Palette color (Index color) TIFF files.

8.19.1 Procedures

TIFF 6.0 input is always enabled, but operates only with Spool Folder input and the

Print File

command. (It is also possible to use TIFF 6.0 input from PostScript language instructions.)

Copy the TIFF file to the correct folder for Spool Folder input, or select it in the dialog box shown when you choose

Print File

. If you use

Print File

, type the file name or make sure that the RIP is displaying all files in the list of files. TIFF files often have the file name extension

.TIF but this is not required.

This extract from the text displayed in the Navigator RIP window shows the messages produced when successfully processing a TIFF 6.0 file.

Setup loaded: "tiff"

Ripping file %H%/Suites/PEOPLE/68.tif as TIFF.

% tiffdev: reading "H:\Suites\PEOPLE\68.tif" as a

TIFF 6.0 baseline (with extensions) standalone file

Starting Job On Thursday, January 29, 1998 08:48:48

Using Color Setup "(None)"

Using default device calibration

% tiffdev: TIFF6: compression is None

% tiffdev: bits per sample = 8

% tiffdev: samples per pixel (planes) = 4 (CMYK)

Interpretation time: 32 seconds

. . .

The remaining text (not shown here) is related to rendering and output, not to the input.

8.19.2 Limitations and extensions

The Navigator RIP accepts TIFF 6.0 baseline files, with the following differences.

Not supported:

• Multiple IFDs (images) per file (the RIP images only the first).

• PhotometricInterpretation = 4 (transparency mask).

• PlanarConfiguration = 2 ( tiffdev

). This option is offered by the Navigator RIP TIFF output plugin, as composite RGB or CMYK output with band-interleaving in the Navigator RIP version 5.0 and later.

Note: From Navigator RIP version 5.5r1 the tiffexec

operator supports PlanarConfiguration

= 2.

Note: From Navigator RIP Eclipse Release SP4, 16-bit images are supported.

Note: From Navigator RIP Genesis Release v7.1 CIELab colorspace files with a given or default whitepoint (D50) are supported.

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Ignored:

• GrayResponseCurve.

• GrayResponseUnit.

Restrictions:

• 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 bits per plane.

Additionally, the RIP supports the following full TIFF 6.0 extensions to TIFF 6.0 baseline:

• CCITT T.4 compression (group 3 2-D) (1 bit per pixel or bpp).

• CCITT T.6 compression (group 4) (1 bpp).

• LZW compression, including Differencing Predictor.

• CMYK (including DotRange != 0, 255).

• JPEG compression.

Note: If you are attempting to RIP images which you have prepared using Photoshop and saved using

ZIP or JPEG compression, the RIP may generate a rangecheck

error.

This occurs because ZIP compression is not a recognized TIFF compression format, and as such is not documented in the TIFF 6.0 specification. The JPEG compression that Photoshop uses is a new version of JPEG data in TIFF files which is also not part of the TIFF 6.0 specification.

8.20 Printing page buffer files

The RIP can print page buffer files produced by another similar installation of the RIP. This is a convenient way of setting up a simple workflow able to transfer pages from one RIP installation to another.

One example of how this ability can be useful is where you have several RIPs with a single, fast, final output device, and perhaps various slower proofing printers. It is easy for a single RIP working alone to keep a slow proofing printer supplied with jobs. On the other hand, it may require many of the Navigator RIPs interpreting jobs and producing page buffers to keep your fast output device busy. One solution is have the interpreting RIPs all pass their final output page buffers to a single machine running a RIP, whose only function is to accept page buffers and pass them to the fast output device as quickly as possible.

Note: The separate FlatOut User Guide describes this situation and other, more complex, possibilities in greater detail.

The method described here is designed for the rerouting of complete and valid page buffers, using

Print File

or spool folder inputs.

8.20.1 Requirements and preparation

There are some requirements on the installations involved and you must prepare the receiving and supplying Navigator RIP installations before use.

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8.20 Printing page buffer files

The requirements are:

• The RIP installation printing (receiving) the page buffers must have the same installed version of the same output plugin as used to produce the page buffers.

• This sending and receiving RIP installations must be running in

Multiple

or

Multiple

(Parallel)

modes.

• The sending RIP installations must be version 4.5 or later.

• All the RIP installations must be running on the same platform: for example, Windows XP on an Intel-compatible processor .

• It must be acceptable to have the original page buffers destroyed after output.

The preparation of the receiving RIP installation is to enable use of the

PGB hot folder

page feature and create a Page Setup. Optionally, you can use the Page Setup with a spool folder input.

1. Enable the page feature, by copying the

PGB hot folder

file from the

SW/Page Features/Examples

folder to the

SW/Page Features

folder.

2. Create an appropriate Page Setup and choose the

PGB hot folder

entry in the

Enable Feature

drop-down list in the Edit Page Setup dialog box.

3. Optionally, if you wish to use a spool folder as input, create a new spool folder input and, in the

Input Channel Edit dialog box, choose the Page Setup that you created in step 2. Configure and

name the spool folder, as described in “Configuring a Spool Folder input source” on page 208,

then make sure that it is enabled and that the inputs are started.

The preparation of the supplying RIP installation is simpler. Create Page Setups that use the output device plugin with resolution and other settings that match those you have chosen in the receiving installation. You do not need to select the

PGB hot folder

page feature.

8.20.2 Printing procedure

Depending on how you prepared the system, there are two possible methods. You can use both methods together.

• Supply page buffer files to a spool folder if you have set up one as part of the preparation

described in “Requirements and preparation” on page 244.

• Choose

Navigator RIP > Print File

, navigate to the relevant folder, select the wanted files and click

Print

. (Page buffer files have the extension

.PGB

so be sure that you are displaying all files in the folder.)

Warning: For both methods, the receiving RIP effectively deletes the supplied page buffer file, at the same time as it creates a new page buffer in its own

PageBuffer

folder and makes it visible in the

Output Controller / Monitor. Even if you use a spool folder input and leave

Delete on completion

unselected, the completed files copied into the Complete Folder are no longer valid page buffers.

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When printing a page buffer file, the RIP displays a message in the main Navigator RIP window , similar to this example, where text in italic varies according to the file and plugin:

Introducing new pagebuffer:

%C%/my_folder/00000003.PGB

Pagebuffer created for device:

my_device

Page name:

2. fontlist (K)

Total time:

1 seconds

Job Completed:

00000003.PGB

The receiving installation of the RIP does not check whether each page buffer was created for an output plugin that the receiving installation has installed. Any page buffers created by a plugin that is not installed either fail to appear in the Output Controller/Monitor, or trigger the error:

could not access a resource for a plugin device driver

8.21 Entering PostScript language code by hand

If you would like to type code directly into the RIP and see the results interpreted, you can use the

Executive, which allows you to type PostScript language code, and have it interpreted immediately by the RIP.

If the input system is running, you must stop it using the

Navigator RIP > Start Inputs

menu option.

When you choose

Navigator RIP > Executive

, the RIP asks you to select a Page Setup for use with the

Executive.

Note: If you do not choose a Page Setup, the RIP uses the one that you chose last time you used the

Executive. If you have not used the Executive in this RIP session, the first Page Setup in the dropdown list

is used. To change the order of this listing, see “Reordering Page Setups” on page 77.

The RIP then displays a window where you can enter PostScript language code by typing or cutting and pasting. Any PostScript language code that generates output when executed produces page buffers exactly like other jobs processed using the same Page Setup. It is wise to hold these page buffers for inspection in the Output Controller, where you can view or manipulate the page buffers, before sending any suitable pages for output. The Output Controller is available in either of the multiple page buffer modes.

Note: If you intend to keep page buffers produced from the Executive for any significant time, set a job name that helps you identify the page buffers.

To generate an interrupt, choose

Interrupt

from the

Executive

menu.

To quit the Executive window, type quit

or

Ctrl+W

at the prompt, or choose

Stop Executive

from the

Executive

menu.

Whenever you quit the Executive, the Navigator RIP window displays the following, harmless message:

Job Not Completed:

jobname

Remember to restart inputs if you stopped them before using the Executive.

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