User Manual

Minolta MicroPress System Software Release 6

www.minoltaeurope.com

The essentials of imaging

User Manual
PrintStation Manager
www.minoltaeurope.com

The essentials of imaging

Copyright 19952001 T/R Systems, Inc.

All Rights Reserved
Reproduction, adaptation, or translation without prior written permission is prohibited, except as allowed
under the copyright laws.
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. T/R Systems makes no
warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. T/R Systems shall not be liable for errors contained
herein or for incidental or consequential damage in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use
of this material.
T/R Systems, MicroPress, M@estro, e-Ticket, MicroImager and other T/R Systems' product names are
registered trademarks or trademarks of T/R Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Portions of this product were created using LEADTOOLS 1991-2001, LEAD Technologies, Inc. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.
Portions hereof include TextBridge OCR Copyright Xerox Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
LZW data compression technology licensed under U.S. Patent No. 4,558,302
Some ICC Profiles created using software under License from Monaco Systems, Inc.
Portions Copyright 2001 URW++. All Rights Reserved
Imaging Technology provided under License by AccuSoft Corporation. ImageGear 1996-2001 by
AccuSoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
All other company and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners in the United States and other countries.
The following marks are used in this manual:
Indicates precautions that must be observed to prevent possible personal injury or damage
to equipment or malfunctioning of software.

Indicates notes and memos containing additional or detailed information.

Indicates useful tips.

Table of Contents
What is PrintStation Manager? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
PrintStation and Virtual Engine Naming Convention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The PrintStation Manager Main Screen Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Job List Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Job List Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Job Icons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Display Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
PrintStation Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Virtual Engine Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
UnArchive Job File(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Virtual Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pause or Resume a Virtual Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Resuming a Paused Virtual Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Resynch Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Multi Page Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Letterhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Engine Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Virtual Engine Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Media Saving Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Job Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Finishing Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Finishing Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
TRueColor.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
B&W Engine Balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Info... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Job Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Finishing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
062 Finishing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Page Range Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Margin Offsets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Brightness/Contrast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Color Adjust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
ColorCurves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Default ColorCurves and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Job Parsing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Page Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Finishing Setup, Settings and Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
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Lock/Unlock... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hold/Suspend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Move... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Abort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Merge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Archive... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Apply Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mail Merge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Center Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Image Editing... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OCR... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Imposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Insert/Delete Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Re-order Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scale & Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rotate Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Send To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tumble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Job Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assign Job Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit/View Job Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Job Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print Job Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scripting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Script Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AutoScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TRueEdit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enable Remote Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BAT Object Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Engine Status Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
iv

PrintStation 024-Specific Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Jam Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unit Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Feed Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-Standard Paper Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Covers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tab Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine Exposure Adjust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine Margin Offsets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Color Insertion Tray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OPC Connected Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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OPC Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Custom PJL Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

e-PSM

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

PSM Functionality Available in e-PSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

PSM Functionality Not Available in e-PSM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

vi

What is PrintStation Manager?

PrintStation Manager (PSM) is an application that groups multiple PrintStations/PrintLinks so they appear and function as a single high-speed printer. This Virtual Engine (VE)
system lets you customize printer configurations based on printing requirements. Using multiple Virtual Engines allows printing multiple jobs simultaneously. PSMs Electronic Collator
and job parser (job manager) evenly distributes jobs between PrintStations grouped in the
Virtual Engine. PrintStations can have several VE configurations, so the MicroPress ships
with default VE configurations.

Features
PSM has many built-in features (e.g., drag-and-drop to move files between Virtual Engines,
one-click duplexing). Optional features* include:
Imposition See Imposition on
page 29
Document Merge See Merge on
page 23
Forms See Apply Form on
page 24
Image Manipulation (not available on
PrintStation 312) See Brightness/
Contrast on page 17 See Color
Adjust on page 18
TRueColor (Print Test Calibrate in
prior versions) See TRueColor... on
page 10
Scripting See Scripting on page 38

Job Ticketing See Job Ticket on

page 35
Page Numbering See Numbering
on page 31
Annotations See Annotations on
page 21
Image Editing See Image Editing...
on page 27
OCR See OCR... on page 28
PDF Archive See Archive... on
page 24
e-PSM See e-PSM on page 58
Job Parsing See Job Parsing on
page 19
TRueEdit See Edit on page 21

Note: You must purchase each optional feature and get a new license number from your MicroPress dealer. If you havent purchased an option, you will see a yellow key and grayed out or
unavailable controls. Some features may not be available for all PrintStations.
To enter licensing information, select HelpAbout... from the menu, then click the Licensing
button (or run the PSM Configuration software).

PrintStation and Virtual Engine Naming Convention

PrintStation/Virtual Engine names are a letter and a number. The letter indicates the PrintStation type; the number is an increment of 1-12, reflecting the quantity of the PrintStation type.
P PrintStation 2525t
A PrintStation 312
Q PrintStation 070r
B PrintStation 024
R PrintStation 080t
C PrintLink Cii
S PrintStation 0110i
D PrintStation LaserJet 5Si
T PrintStation 075m
E PrintStation DesignJet CP
U PrintStation 832m
F PrintStation 040
V PrintStation 2020m
G PrintLink 062
W PrintStation 624m
H PrintStation LaserJet 8000
Z OPC
J PrintStation DesignJet 1000
AB PrintStation 060c
K PrintStation 070
AC PrintStation 085c
M PrintStation 065
AD PrintStation 5050c
N PrintStation 085r
O PrintStation 036k
Example: A MicroPress with four 024s would have PrintStations named B1, B2, B3, and B4.
A virtual engine using B1 and B2 would be named B12.

The PrintStation Manager Main Screen Display

The main screen allows access to:
The Virtual Engines within the PrintStation Manager
Print jobs and job attributes
The Toolbar for PrintStation and job
control
The graphic (right) shows the default
view.
Use the Options dialog to enable an
alternate view (below). See Options on
page 41.

Job List Window

When details view is active, the Job List window ([1] on above graphic) gives detailed job
information. To enable this view, select Virtual EngineView Job Details from the menu.
Note: An * in front of the number of pages in the job means the job is set to print some sequence of pages other
than the first page to the last (e.g., odd pages only).

You can also set the Job List Window to display job names only. Select Virtual Engine
View Job Name from the menu.
Job List Fields
The following table describes the columns in the Job List window. A small arrow head in a
column header indicates the list is sorted by that field. The direction of the arrow indicates
ascending or descending order.
Field/Control

Description

Job Name

The name of the job to print and job icon.

Job Status

The current state of the job.

Pages

The number of pages contained in the job. A ? will display as a job is loading into the
PrintStation Manager.

Copies

The number of times the job will be printed.

User

The user or the name of the users workstation.

Date/Time

When the PrintStation Manager received the job.

The checked selection in the ViewSort By menu indicates the current field that jobs are
sorted by. Sort by a particular field by clicking on the column header. Clicking again will
reverse the sort order. Jobs are initially sorted in ascending order.
Job Icons
This table describes the job icons.
Job Icon

Description
B&W standard Displays for standard B&W jobs in the Waiting, Holding, Suspended, or
Printed state.
Color standard Displays for standard color jobsin the Waiting, Holding Suspended, or
Printed state.
Printing (B&W, Color) When a job is printing the icon is highlighted in green.

Duplex (B&W, Color) A duplexed job.

Form (B&W, Color) Indicates a job was Merged with a Form.

Combination (B&W, Color) Indicates job is both Duplex and a Form.

Error Indicates job has errored.

Job Icon

Description
Tab Indicates job contains tab pages

Display Jobs
When you select a job type, all jobs of that
type will display in the Job List Window.
Click the box beside each job type to
include it in the Job List. The number beside each job type is the number of jobs of that type.
Note: The number of each current job type will display regardless of whether the job type is selected.

This table describes various states in which jobs can display in the status column.
Field/Control

Description

Waiting

W: waiting to be printed.

Holding

H: holding to print later.

Printed

P: printed successfully.

Archived

A: archived with Auto Archive.

Error

E: printing error has occurred.

This table describes other job status indicators not listed in the Display Jobs check box area.
Status

Indicates

>>

Printing

P!

Job stack moved to another PrintStation.

-B-

Job is busy, usually during archiving.

Currently printing. Clicking Hold/Suspend button stops printing.

Job locked with password.

PrintStation Button
PrintStation buttons located inside the Virtual Engine window alert you to common PrintStation conditions that can cause image defects or print job errors.
Clicking on a PrintStation button opens the PrintStation window and allows access to PrintStation Summary or PrintStation Systems information for a specific PrintStation.
PrintStation status is indicated by various colors. This table describes various PrintStation
button colors.
The PrintStation Icon
Light Displays

When

Black

The PSM is starting up.

Bright Green

A printer is idle and ready.

Flashing Bright Green

A job is printing without error, or toner is low.

Dark Green

No communication exists between the PSM and a PrintStation.

Yellow

Paper out or conditions may be developing that will result in problems with image quality.

Flashing Yellow

A Job is printing, but a caution is indicated.

Red

User intervention is needed before printing can continue.

Flashing Red

A printer is paused for work and turn pages for manual duplexing.

The PrintStation Icon

Light Displays

When

Disabled

A PrintStation is disabled.

Blue

A devices status cannot be determined. Currently, blue used only by OPC VE. See OPC
Connected Devices on page 56.

Paper Out

PrintStation has used last sheet of paper in selected paper source (some PrintStations
display which paper tray is empty).
Paper Out with Yellow Light: Auto Tray Switch enabled and a paper tray is empty; however, printing may continue with use of another paper tray.
Paper Out with Red Light: one or all paper trays are empty and printing stops.

Toner Low/Out

Toner low. PrintStation button displays which toner cartridge is low.

Paper Jam

Paper jam. Always displays along with a red light. Click the engine button for information on
the paper jam location and jam resolution.

Virtual Engine Status Bar

The Virtual Engine Status Bar displays the name and status of the job printing and has also
has a Pause/Resume button. Icons indicate status:
Status Bar

Indicates

Printing
Forms
Paused
Archiving/Unarchiving

Menus
File
Use the File menu selections to UnArchive jobs and Exit the PSM.
UnArchive Job File(s)
Use UnArchive Job File(s) to decompress archived files and return the file to PSM format.
1 Select the Virtual Engine to receive the archived file.
2 Select FileUnArchive Job File(s) from the menu.
3 Select the file to be unarchived. Click OK to decompress the file and place it in the
active Virtual Engine Job List.
Note: UnArchiving an older version PSM job will update to the current PSM version.

Exit
To exit PSM:
Select FileExit from the menu.
Note: PSM saves status of current jobs before closing.
Caution: Make sure all active jobs have completed processing before shutting down the PSM. If you shut down
the PSM while jobs are printing, a program error will result. To avoid having to reboot the server, select CTRL-

ALT-DEL to launch the Task Manager. Open the Processes tab in the Task Manager, select psm.exe from the list
of active processes, then click End Process.

Virtual Engine
Virtual Engine menu options affect the selected Virtual Engine (VE). Which features are
active depends on the MicroPress configuration. The TRueColor feature is active only if the
VE contains a color capable PrintStation. The following sections describe the Virtual Engine
menu options.
Pause or Resume a Virtual Engine
This option prevents or starts print activity on the active VE (but does not affect a currently
printing job). When the Pause/Resume light is green, the Virtual Printer is ready to print;
when it red, the Virtual Printer is paused and will not print. All jobs selected to print will display as a Wait (W) status in the Status column of the Job List window until the VE is resumed.
To pause a VE:
1 Select a VE.
2 Select Virtual EnginePause from the menu to halt printing from the VE (users can
continue to send jobs that will be held until the VE is resumed).
Resuming a Paused Virtual Engine
1
2
3

Select a paused Virtual Engine.

Select Virtual EngineResume from the menu.
Virtual Engine activity resumes.

Resynch Jobs
The Resynch Jobs feature lets you refresh and update the Job List window. This is especially
useful if a job file is copied into a PrintStation Manager spool directory. The updated job will
display after Resynch Jobs has refreshed the PrintStation Job List window.
1 Select a Virtual Engine.
2 Select Virtual EngineResynch from the menu.
3 The Job List window will refresh, and any jobs copied to the Virtual Engines Spool
Directory are added to the display.
Forms
Use the Forms option to print data from one job as an overlay onto another job. This provides
a more efficient way of printing multiple copies of a job that contains both common and
unique text or graphics. To print a form more efficiently, send it with fixed image information
(common text and graphics) to be processed through MicroSpool, the MicroPress RIP, and
then to the PSM only once. Next, configure the job as a form for that Virtual Engine to merge
the job with the form information. You can also set the forms print option from Macintosh or
PC workstations using the MicroPress drivers.
Multi Page Forms
A form can have one or more pages and be merged with unique text documents containing
any number of pages (e.g., 10 pages of unique text or variable data to be merged with a 5page form). Forms can be repeated so that each page of the unique text document will be
merged with the appropriate page of the form. Click the Repeat Form button to merge a 5page form with a 10-page document. The PSM merges pages 1-5 of the form with pages1-5
of the unique text document, and then the 5-page form is repeated with the next 5 pages
(pages 6-10) of the unique text document.

Letterhead
The Forms option makes printing jobs with letterhead more efficient as it eliminates the need
to change or reload the paper tray with pre-printed letterhead. If the forms option is turned off
at the PSM, you can still set it from the workstation to override default options in PSM. However, if the current form in the PSM is No Form, the job set this way will fail because no form
has been added for use.
Warning: When using the Form feature in the PSM, the following Job Settings must match to achieve the desired
output:
Bit Depth (Contone/BiLevel/Monochrome): Both the Form and the file to be overlaid must come
through the same Virtual Printer.
Horizontal and Vertical Resolution Settings
If these Job Settings do not match, the job will print without the form, and an error message will be generated in
the system log.

To use the Forms Setup option:

1 Select a Virtual Engine.
2 Select Virtual EngineForms to open the
Form Configuration dialog.
Note: To open the Form Setup dialog, pressing
[Ctrl]+[F].

Field

Description

Current Jobs

Displays all current jobs for the active Virtual Engine (VE).

Use Forms

Prints the form as an overlay for every job sent to the VE. The current form is highlighted
under Available Forms and listed next to Current Form . If this box is not checked, the
selected form will not print unless the job itself has specified Use Form.
Note: Before the Use Forms option is available, a job must first be selected to be used as a
form from the Current Jobs field. Add it to the list of Available Forms.

Add

Copies the job selected from the Current Jobs field to the Available Forms field.

Form Repeat

Repeats a form so that each page of a specific document will be merged with the
appropriate page of the form.

Current Form

Displays currently selected form.

Available Forms

Selects a form for use as a printed overlay for every job sent to the VE.

Delete

Removes selected form from the Available Forms list.

Click Close to apply the Form Setup.

Engine Defaults
The Virtual Engine Default Settings dialog may contain several option categories (e.g., Virtual Engine Defaults and Job Defaults), depending on engine type. The next section
describes each default type.
To access the Engine Defaults dialog:
1 Right-click the Virtual Engine's task bar button on the PSM main dialog.
2 Select Engine Defaults.

Virtual Engine Defaults

Virtual Engine Defaults control the behavior of all jobs printed from a VE and can be overridden by the workstation sending the job. The available defaults may vary by engine type.
Field/Control

Description

Spool Directory

The directory containing the PSM job files for the currently selected Virtual Engine. If
multiple Spool Directories are specified for the Virtual Engine, they may be selected
from the drop down lists.
To modify the Spool Directory:
Add Path
1 Click the Add Path button.
2 Navigate to the desired directory.
3 Click on the directory to select it.
4 Click OK to add the path.
Delete Path
1 From the drop down list, select the path to delete.
2 Click the Delete Path button.

Form Setup

Forms option is used to print data from one job as an overlay onto another job.

Custom PJL
(Printer Job Language)

(OPC VE) Permits advanced control of printer/finisher functionality. You must know
what commands the printer accepts; obtain this information from the manufacturer.
See Custom PJL Support on page 57.

Hold Incoming Jobs

Holds all incoming jobs until they are manually selected to print.

Keep Printed Jobs

Saves jobs after printing.

Print Job Separators

Prints a marked separator page at the end of each job.

Use Manual Tray for Separators

Keeps paper for Separators in the Manual Tray. Select this option to use paper of a
different size and/or color for Job and/or Copy Separators. If you do not select this
option, the system checks the manual tray first. If no paper is loaded into the manual
tray, the currently selected input tray is used. Note: This does not apply to a duplex job
on a PrintStation 312 because it would use one of the pages from the job as a
separator; therefore, the separator will have to come from the manual tray.

Write Through

Allows an incoming job to print as the RIP is processing it. Note: If Write Through is
selected and a job starts coming in, the PSM will use only one PrintStation of a Virtual
Engine to print until the entire job has been received. This guarantees correct collation.
For the LaserJet 8000, if Stapling is enabled, Write Through will be ignored.

Delete Color Pages

When enabled, will delete color pages from jobs coming into the VE. Black and White
pages will be retained.

Print Color Pages Only

For color engines enable to print only the color pages in a job.

Print Color Inserts

For Black and White engines enable to put an insert sheet in place of a color page.

Step and Repeat

Enables placing copies of a page across the width of the media as many times as
possible. See Media Saving Features on page 9.

SafePrint

Determines whether a page or job can be printed on the media remaining. See Output
Options on page 14.

Print Quality

Chooses the appropriate balance of print speed vs. quality. See Output Options.

Margin Offsets

Changes the margin size and expands the print area of the page reducing the amount
of media waste. See Page Range Settings on page 16.

Media Saving Features

The following features apply to the DesignJets (P=Page; C=Copy).
Feature

Description

Step and Repeat

Use to print multiple copies of a job. Places copies of a page across the width of the media
as many times as possible.

Step and Repeat with

Gather Collate

Using Step and Repeat with Gather Collate keeps the copies of pages together.
If all of the pages will not fit across the width as seen in the right-side graphic, a blank area
on the media may occur.

FillWidth

Use FillWidth to print multiple page jobs. As in the case with Step and Repeat with Gather
Collate, there may be an area of unused media if all of the pages will not fit across the
width.

Job Defaults
When sending jobs from a workstation, you can choose specific job settings to override the
Virtual Engines Job Defaults. The available defaults may vary by engine type.
Field/Control

Description

Gloss Level

Sets the job Gloss Level for the entire job. Available levels:
Low: use for jobs containing text only (Matte/Satin finish)
Standard: use for jobs containing both text and images
High: use for jobs containing images only (Heavy sheen)

Feed Tray

Selects paper tray from which paper will be fed.

Duplex

Prints double-sided pages.

Print Copy Separators

Prints a slip sheet after printing each copy of a job.

Quality Print Mode

Improves registration and gives better image quality. Note: Quality Print Mode will
decrease PrintStation output speed.

Empty Tray Switch

Enables a print job to automatically switch another paper feed tray when the selected tray
runs out of paper. Works only if the paper size is the same in both trays. The 062 will not
switch to the Manual tray when Empty Tray Switch is on.

Auto Select

Allows a PrintStation to check all trays for the paper size specified in the job. In the case of
Letter, which is defaulted to APS from Tray 1 only, the PrintStation will not check all trays for
Letter unless Empty Tray Switch is enabled.

Gather Collate / Group

Prints all page 1s, then all page 2s, for off-line electronic/manual collation.
Note: If you have selected the collate option from a print dialog and also select the

group option, the group option will have no effect. Heres why: When you select
collate with mulitple copies from the print driver, the driver assumes that the printer has no storage capability and will send each page in the expected output order.
For example, two copies of a five-page job will be treated as a single 10-page job
(1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5). Thus, the group option will have have no effect since the job
amounts to one copy in the PSM.

Field/Control

Description

Parse on Copy

Keeps multi-page documents together when sent to multiple engines. See Output Options
on page 14.

Reverse Order

Causes the job to print and stack in the correct order. If the output device is a face up
printer jobs will stack in reverse order.

Split After n Pages

Splits large jobs into smaller sections.

Interpret Image As

Select the orientation of incoming jobs. This is not the paper feed direction but the actual
orientation of the job page contents. Orientation being either Landscape (top of the image is
along the long edge of the paper) or Portrait (top of the image is toward the short edge of
the paper)

Archive Jobs Older Than x

Sets the PSM to automatically archive jobs in the (H) or (P) state that have not been printed
for the specified amount of time.

Jog Copies

When the stacker is used with multiple copies, Jog Copies will offset each set of copies.

Stapling

Set Stapling options.

Punching

Toggles punching on or off.

Folding

Sets Folding options.

Trim

Cut page creep from a folded booklet.

Booklet Maker

Folds or Folds and Staples job to create a booklet

Cover Inserter

Add Cover Insert a cover page pulled from the cover inserter. Some engines may insert a
cover page(s) to be pulled from the Cover Inserter while others may assign a Media Type
for the cover page(s).

Insert Color Pages

Prints black-and-white pages and leaves color pages blank rather than printing them as
grayscales (i.e., if using black-and-white/color splitting).

Toner Saving Mode

Uses the selected engines toner saving mode to reduce toner coverage.

Finishing Defaults
The following options set up the finishing parameters for the PrintStation 624m.
Field/Control

Description

Base Configuration File

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file contains configuration data for the finisher. PSM
reads the file and populates the Finishing Configuration dialogs accordingly. See Finishing
Configuration on page 10.

Customize Finishing

Displays the Finishing Configuration dialogs if the Base Configuration file has been loaded.

Finishing Configuration
Note: You can access the Finishing Configuration dialogs from the Engine Defaults or the Job Information dialog.
From the Engine Defaults dialog, the settings affect every job coming into the VE. From the Job Information dialog
(Info... on page 11), settings apply to individual jobs.
Dialog

Description

Finishing Setup

Checking items on this dialog populates the Finishing Settings dialog accordingly.

Finishing Settings

Selections on the Finishing Setup dialog and the Base Configuration File determine the
settings on this dialog.

Finishing Summary

Displays current configuration as set on the Finishing Setup and Settings dialogs.
Selections available in the Finishing Selected list determine the selections available in the
Option Selected list.

TRueColor...
TRueColor activates the optional Gamma Calibration software and prints a Gamma Target.
For more information about calibration, see the TRueColor User Guide.
1 Select the Virtual Engine.

10

Select Virtual EngineTRueColor from the menu.

Note: A Key Code is necessary to activate the optional functionality of TRueColor. Contact your MicroPress
dealer for more information.

B&W Engine Balance

B&W Engine Balance sends the MonoTune test target to the output devices connected to
the currently selected VE.
1
2
3

Select the Virtual Engine.

Select Virtual EngineB&W Engine Balance from the menu.
Follow the directions on the test target to make adjustments to the PrintStation.

Job
The Job Menu Bar gives immediate access to frequently used commands.
Info...
The Job Information dialog consists of several tab pages displaying setup options for Job
Settings, Page Settings, job parsing, etc. The dialogs title bar displays the job name and file
size. Selections may vary based on engine type. This section describes each page.
Job Settings: displays information about the whole job. You can view or change many
global job settings.
Note: When bit depth or job resolution is identical in either the horizontal or vertical direction for any page in the
job, the exact resolution will be displayed. If it differs in either direction for all pages in the job, an asterisk displays
beside the resolution number. When both directions differ, two asterisks will display instead of a number in the title
bar. To view the individual resolution of each page, see the Page Settings tab.

Output Options: displays various printing options. See Output Options on page 14.
Finishing Options: finishing options vary depending on the output device. Options
may include Folding, Punching, Stapling, etc. See Finishing Options on page 12.
Margin Offsets: options for adjusting margin offsets. See Page Range Settings on
page 16.
Brightness/Contrast: options for adjusting Image brightness and contrast for the job.
See Brightness/Contrast on page 17.
Color Adjust: controls for setting C, M, and Y levels, and for choosing a ColorCurve
Calibration Set. See Color Adjust on page 18 and ColorCurves on page 18.
Parsing: displays a graphic depicting how the job is parsed and how to combine the
output of each PrintStation for a collation. See Job Parsing on page 19.
Chapters: used for grouping pages into sections. See Chapters on page 19.
Page Settings: displays information about individual pages in print jobs. See Page
Settings on page 20.
Annotations: options for adding/viewing comments. See Annotations on page 21.
Finishing Setup, Finishing Settings, Finishing Summary: configures functionality
for the finisher. See Finishing Configuration on page 10.

11

 Page Range Settings: set and view settings, such as Media Types, Feed Trays, Paper
Sizes, and Subset Stapling for pages and groups of pages within a job. See Page
Range Settings on page 16.
To open the Info window:
1 Select a job from the Job List Window of the active VE.
2 Select JobInfo from the menu.
Note: Click Reparse only if something changes on the Job Settings (e.g., number of copies, available print
engines).

Job Information dialogs may vary based on PrintStation/PrintLink type. Two types of messages may be displayed: Warnings (yellow!) and Errors (red!). Warning message jobs will
print, though perhaps with undesirable results. A job with an Error message will not print.
Attempting to do so will immediately puts the job in an error state.
Job Settings
Use the Job Settings tab to set up print options (i.e., number of copies, job name). The document paper size is also displayed but cannot be changed because it is set in the generating
application.
Note: Paper sizes B1B6 referred to in this manual are JIS unless otherwise noted.
Field/Control

Description

Copies

Number of copies to print.

Print Range

All Pages - Prints every page in the job.

Page Range - Prints specific pages in the job.
Chapters - Prints the selected chapters.
Odd + Even - Prints odd AND even pages for the specified range.
Odd - Prints odd pages only.
Even - Prints even pages only.

Reverse Order

Causes job to print in the opposite order. For the 040, Reverse Order is not available if
Duplex (Output Options) is on.

Job Name

Current job name (can modified directly).

User Name

Network name of the workstation that sent the job. NoName displays if user name is not
indicated in the print job.

Paper

Paper size for the job.

Calculate Toner Coverages

Click Calculate in the Toner panel of the Job Settings or Page Settings tab to calculate the
toner coverage on all pages of selected job. Note: Selected paper size in the workstation
application may not match the paper size in the feed tray if Auto Select (Output Options,
Engine Defaults) is not on. If this happens, the job will print anyway.

Finishing Options
This dialog displays the available features if Finishing is available and will vary depending on
engine/finisher type. Some features may become unavailable when other features are
selected. This is to ensure proper operation of the engine/finisher.
Note: A job containing both long edge feed landscape and any orientation short edge feed may require that the
long edge feed be tumbled.

12

Field/Control

Description

Interpret Image As

Select the orientation of incoming jobs. This is not the paper feed direction but the actual
orientation of the job page contents. Orientation being either Landscape (top of the image is
along the long edge of the paper) or Portrait (top of the image is toward the short edge of
the paper)

Stapling

The possible stapling locations will be displayed. The page graphic on the dialog will
change to show how the job will be affected by the stapling location.
Note for 060c: To determine stapling position, look at the engine from the front. Portrait
Corner Stapling places the staple on the trailing edge corner closest to the back of the
engine (farthest away from you). Landscape Corner Stapling places the staple on the
trailing edge corner closest to the front of the engine (closest to you).

Punching

The possible punching locations will be displayed. The page graphic on the dialog will
change to show how the job will be affected by the punching location.

Folding

The possible folding locations will be displayed. The page graphic on the dialog will change
to show how the job will be affected by the folding method.

Jog Copies

When the stacker is used with multiple copies, Jog Copies will offset each set of copies

Trim

Cut page creep from a folded booklet.

Insert Covers

Insert a cover page pulled from the cover inserter. Some engines may insert a cover
page(s) to be pulled from the Cover Inserter while others may assign a Media Type for the
cover page(s).

Booklet Maker

Folds or Folds and Staples job to create a booklet. For some engines additional features
are available for producing booklets:
Front Produces an outside cover. Media may be selected from a specific location.
Centerfold Produces an insert for the inside center of the booklet. Media may be
selected from a specific location.

062 Finishing Rules

Some Finishing Options depend on other options (i.e., paper size, Copy Separators). This
table lists the combinations of options and availability for the 062 FN-3 Finisher.

13

Options

Staple

Punch

Fold

Location
Corner

LEF

SEF

Center

LEF

SEF

Half

Crease

Paper
Tabloid
SEF

Letter
SEF

Letter LEF

Legal SEF

A3 SEF

A4 SEF

A4 LEF

Invoice
SEF

A5 SEF
B4 SEF

B5 SEF

B5 LEF

SEF=Short Edge Feed, LEF=Long Edge Feed, *=Unable to 3 hole punch on Short Edge

Output Options
Output Options let you set and view job settings (i.e., paper source, duplexing, and copy separators). The table below describes the output options.
Field/Control

Description

Feed Tray

Select the paper source.

Pages Differ - will display when pages within a job are printed from different trays.

Destination

Selects output tray for the printed job.

Reverse Order

Causes the job to print and stack in the opposite order.

Media Type

The type of media in the input tray (transparency, letterhead, bond, etc.)

Jog Copies

Offsets each set of copies when the stacker is used with multiple copies.

Fast Print

Enables the Cii to print at 6 pages per minute. Works only with Letter and A4 size paper
and may not be used with the manual feed tray, duplex jobs, or Pages Differ. Note: Some
engines connected to the PrintLink Cii will ignore Fast Print if Duplex is selected.

Manual Tray Increase

Transfer

Modifies amount of toner applied for getting:

uniform toner transfer on the second side of manual feed duplex jobs
uniform toner transfer on single sided jobs of heavy stock
increased toner density on single sided jobs with normal paper stock
Note: This option is available only for the Cii. The manual tray must be selected.

Quality Print Mode

Improves registration and image quality.

14

Field/Control

Description

Gloss Level

Sets the job Gloss Level for the entire job.

Low
Standard
High

Parse on Copy

Keeps multi-page documents together when sent to multiple engines.

Print Inserts

After selecting where to insert sheets within a job, Print Inserts can be used to toggle the
feature on or off. If the check box is active, the job has insert sheets that will print. If sheets
have been inserted but you dont want to print them, uncheck this box ( insert sheets will
not print but you do not have to remove them from the job). If this check box is disabled,
there are no Insert Sheets in this job to print. Checking Insert Sheet After This Page on
ANY page will toggle on tthe job option Print Inserts.

Gather Collate / Group

Prints all page 1s, then all page 2s, for off-line electronic/manual collation.
Note: If you have selected the collate option from a print dialog and also select the

group option, the group option will have no effect. Heres why: When you select
collate with mulitple copies from the print driver, the driver assumes that the printer has no storage capability and will send each page in the expected output order.
For example, two copies of a five-page job will be treated as a single 10-page job
(1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5). Thus, the group option will have have no effect since the job
amounts to one copy in the PSM.
Duplex

Prints double-sided pages.

For PrintStation 312: one side must be printed first, then turn the pages 180 and place
the pages back in the feed tray. Press On Line button on the front of the PrintStation to put
the engine back on line (Work and Turn). For the 040, Duplex is not available if Reverse
Order (Job Settings) is on.

Copy Separators

Prints a slip sheet after each copy prints.

Empty Tray Switch

Enables a print job to automatically switch to another paper feed tray when the selected
tray runs out of paper. Works only if the paper size is the same in both trays.

Auto Select

Allows the PrintStations to look in other paper trays when the selected paper tray contains the
wrong size paper. This item is a feed tray for the PrintLink 062.

Special Handling

Select this option to issue a special handling alert dialog to any user who attempts to print
the job. The alert dialog will prompt the user to perform any special handling the job
requires (e.g., must be printed on the corporate letterhead or on red 60# card stock or
watermarked Confidential; etc.) before processing.

Print Quality

Chooses the appropriate print quality from the following choices:

Best - the highest possible quality at the lowest speed (600X600 dpi)
Normal - good combination of image quality and speed (300X300 dpi)
Fast - job is printed at the highest speed with lower quality (300X300 dpi)

SafePrint

Determines whether a page or job can print on the media remaining in the DesignJet CP.
SafePrint On Page - checks to see if the first page of the job can be printed
SafePrint On Job - checks to see if the entire job can be printed
No SafePrint - do not use SafePrint
Note: SafePrint will issue a warning if there is not enough media remaining to print the job or
page. The initial paper length must be set in order for SafePrint to function correctly.

Staple

Turns Stapling on or off. Stapling is not available on the HP 8000 for Legal size paper.

Sort

Used with Gather Collate to group sets of copies.

Print Color Pages Only

For color engines enable to print only the color pages in a job.

Print Color Inserts

For Black and White engines enable to put an insert sheet in place of a color page.

Media

Convert Job to Default Media Types Selects a Media Type from the Media Catalog for
each page in the job based on the paper size of each page.

Tab Options

Print Tabs Only Print only the tab pages within a job.
Print No Tabs Print the job only with none of the tab pages.

15

Field/Control

Description

Print & Hold Job

One copy of the job will print and then be put on Hold. Also known as Proofing.

Hold Jobs

The job will be put in Hold status when it comes into the PSM and will not be printed.

Toner Saving

Decreases toner coverage for producing a draft copy.

Character Mode

Enable when printing jobs containing text to produce sharper characters.

Photo Mode

Enable when printing jobs containing graphics to produce smoother gradients.

Page Range Settings

Set and view settings, such as Media Types, Feed Trays, Paper Sizes, and Subset Stapling
for pages and groups of pages within a job.
Field/Control

Description

View Select

None (default) None of the following views will be displayed. None will be selected each
time the Page Range Settings page is closed and re-opened.
Media/Feed Tray View Display and assign Media Types or Feed Trays to individual
pages or groups of pages within a job. If the Feed Tray is set to Auto Select on the Job
Settings tab, the Media Types drop down menu will be available. If set to a tray, the Media
Types drop down menu will not be available and instead the Feed Tray drop down menu
will be available.
Paper Size View Display Paper Sizes associated with individual pages or groups of
pages within a job.
Subset Stapling View Display and assign stapling to groups of pages within a job.
Insert Color Page View Display Insert Color Pages associated with individual pages or
groups of pages within a job.

Begin Page

The first page of a Media/Feed Tray or Subset Stapling group.

End Page

The last page of a Media/Feed Tray or Subset Stapling group.

Apply

Commit changes to the job.

Subset Staple Enable/

Disable

Turn stapling on or off for a group of pages.

Feed Tray

Assign a Feed Tray to a page or group of pages within a job.

Media Type

Assign a Media Type to a page or group of pages within a job.

List View

Displays each page or group of pages within a job and the features associated with them.

Margin Offsets
The settings on the Margin Offsets page affect the placement of data on each page for the
entire job.
Note: PrintLink 5050c This engine will accept only positive margin offset values.
Note: PrintLink Cii It is only possible to combine Fast Print and Margin Offsets if the offset
is the same for all pages of a job.

16

Note: PrintLink 624m Margin Offsets on this dialog are combined with the offsets on the
Engine Margin Offsets dialog, see Engine Margin Offsets on page 56.
Field/Control

Description

Margin Offset

Top and Left margin settings for Odd and Even pages.
Units Pixels, Inches, or mm.
DesignJet:
Roll Media TE LE
Smaller
Normal
Extended

Sheet Media TE LE
Smaller
Normal
Extended

Smaller only available for the DesignJet CP.

Example 1:
You need to print a job as portrait on an A4 page. The
LEF
paper in the drawer is LEF and the page was imaged
Top margin
as LEF. On the Margin Offsets dialog the paper is disLeft margin
played as portrait. The only valid margins will be -Top
and +Left. The top margin is actually the LEF right margin and the left margin is the LEF top margin.
SEF
To make the point more clear; if the paper size was
Top margin
297mm x 210mm and 0.0mm was entered for the top
Left margin
margin and 0.0mm for the left margin the actual margins would be:
TM = 0, BM = 210
LM = 0, RM = 297
Example 2:
The paper is 297x210. -25.4mm for the top margin and 12.7mm for the left margin was
entered, the actual margins would be:
TM = 12.7, BM = 222.7
-25.4 was entered which means 25.4 is added to the left margin. The actual margins (in pixels) would be:
LM = 25.4, RM = 322.1
If +25.4 for the top margin were entered, this would move the right +25.4, which is -25.4 for
the left, which is < 0. This is not permissible.
LEF=Long Edge Feed
TM=Top Margin, BM=Bottom Margin, LM=Left Margin, RM=Right Margin
Brightness/Contrast
Brightness/Contrast sliders modify the lightness / darkness of an entire job or a selected
page or page range without having to re-RIP the job or start over from the application software.
Note: Image AdjustThe contrast slider adjusts contrast. For example, a contrast setting of .5 will reduce contrast by 50%. A setting of 1.5 will increase contrast by 50%. A contrast setting of 1 equates to NO CHANGE. The
brightness slider adjusts job brightness in 1% increments. For example, a brightness setting of +20 increases
brightness by 20%. 20 reduces brightness by 20%.
Note: 624mThe settings are not in percentage. See also Engine Density on page 55
Field/Control
Image Adjust

Description
Brightness Each increment is equivalent to a 1% change.
Contrast Each increment represents a 10% change.

17

Field/Control
Black

Description
Include All color planes will be adjusted.
Exclude Only the Cyan, Magenta and Yellow planes will be adjusted.
Only Only the Black (K) plane will be adjusted.

Color Adjust
These sliders modify the color cast or hue of an entire job or a selected page or page range
without having to re-RIP the job or start over from the application software.
The table below describes the options.
Field/Control

Description

Color Adjust Controls

Adjusts amount of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow for the selected job.

ColorCurve Calibration Set

Shows the currently selected ColorCurve Calibration Set. ColorCurve (.CLR) files may be
chosen from this list.

Edit Curve

Graphically Display, Edit and Save ColorCurve Calibration Sets.

Image Adjust

Adjust the Sharpness, Brightness, and Contrast of the job.

Black:
Include All color planes will be adjusted.
Exclude Only the Cyan, Magenta and Yellow planes will be adjusted.
Only Only the Black (K) plane will be adjusted.

ColorCurves
ColorCurves complete the color adjustment flexibility of PostRipped files by allowing you to
create custom color reproduction curves and apply them to a job. Once created, a ColorCurve is available to all color jobs in the PSM and can be saved and loaded on other MicroPress installations.
Click Edit Curve button to open the ColorCurve dialog. If you selected a ColorCurve in the
ColorCurve Calibration Set box, the curve will be displayed for editing. Otherwise, select
FileOpen to select a curve.
ColorCurve allows changes to be made to 4 curves (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). The bottom axis represents the original job color density (input) from 0 to 100%. The vertical axis
represents the printed job color density (output) from 0 to 100%. When a curve or a point on
a curve has higher output values than input values (the curve is above the 1:1 reference
line), the printed job will increase in density according to the percentage(s). When the curve
is below the 1:1 line, the printed job density will decrease. Change the curve shape by selecting and dragging a curve point with the mouse.
Note: ColorCurves provide additional color adjustment control. Color adjustment refers to the practice of altering
color according to customer preference. Use color calibration (Gammatic) and color matching (ICC Profile Processor) prior to printing to ensure the best possible rendering before adjustments are made
Field/Control

Description

Color selection

Chooses the color curve to display.

Input, Output, Ratio

Displays the input percentage, output percentage, and the percent difference respectively
between the original and the printed job at any given point.

Undo

Clears last change made to the curves.

Status bar

Shows the curve being displayed/edited.

18

Default ColorCurves and Definitions

ColorCurve

Definition

Linear

This selection does not directly change output, but rather serves as a starting point from
which the user can create a custom curve.

Light-10%
Light-15%
Light-25%
Light-35%

From the curves 50% point, the dot is decreased (-) by the % shown. 0% and 100% are
unchanged.

Dark+10%
Dark+15%
Dark+25%
Dark+35%

From the curves 50% point, the dot is increased (+) by the % shown. 0% and 100% are
unchanged.

HighContrast-8%+8%
HighContrast-15%+15%
LowContrast+8%-8%
LowContrast+15%-15%
HighKey0+8%
HighKey0%+14%
HighKey-4%0%
HighKey-4%+8%
HighKey-4%+14%
LowKey+8%0%

Dot is decreased (-) or increased (+) by the amounts shown at the 25% and 75% curve
locations respectively.
The 0%, 50% and 100% curve locations remain unchanged.

Job Parsing
This dialog shows how the pages of a job are distributed to the PrintStations within the Virtual
Engine. MicroPress uses the Electronic Collator to efficiently divide the print job into Job
Stacks (a set of instructions for pages designated for a specific PrintStation to print). Use this
dialog to interpret how the job was divided across the available PrintStations. The Part Info
field displays where the PrintStation will pause when printing duplex jobs and whether even
or odd pages will be printed, where separator sheets will be inserted, number of copies, and
errors. If Job Parsing has not been licensed, the option will not be available and only one
engine will be available. See Output Options on page 14.
1 Click on a Printer to display the parsing information for that PrintStation. The Part Info
field displays the job instructions.
2 Click OK. Note: In the event of a printing error, the Job Stack could be automatically moved to
another PrintStation. See System Errors on page 37.

Chapters
This dialog is used to combine groups of contiguous pages within a job. Once the groups of
pages (Chapters) are added, you can apply options to them.
To set up Chapters for a job:
1 Double-click on the job in the PSM Virtual Engine window.
2 Select the Chapters tab.
3 Click Add to create a Chapter.
4 Change the suggested Chapter Name if necessary. Subsequent chapter names will
be "Chapter" incremented by one.
5 Select the page range to include in the Chapter. One chapter may not contain a page
that is also in another chapter. Click OK.
6 Repeat Steps 3-5 as needed.
Notes: For more Chapters features, see Page Settings on page 20 and Numbering on page 31.

19

If you select multiple chapters then change a setting, the name of the feature to display in green. This is a temporary indicator showing that changes will be made only to this setting in all the selected chapters.
Field/Control

Description

Print Marked Chapters Only

Prints marked (consecutive) only.

Insert Sheet After Last Page

Inserts a blank page after the last page in the selected chapter.
Note: The insert sheet is not applied to the chapter but is a separate page added after the
chapter. Thus, deleting a chapter with an insert page will not delete the insert sheet. The
insert sheet will remain unless you manually delete it.

Simplex Page Lock

Prevents a page from having anything printed on its back and from being printed on the
back of another page. Applies the feature to all pages in the chapter. See Page Settings
on page 20.

Feed Tray

Selects the paper tray from which the paper will be fed.

Destination

Selects the output tray for the job.

Margin Offset

Adjusts the Top and Left margins for each page .

Add

Includes a page or group of contiguous pages as a chapter.

Delete

Removes a chapter.

Page Settings
Use this dialog to view or apply print options to individual pages of the selected job.
Note: Double-click on a job, then click on the Page Settings tab to display the Page Settings.
Field/Control

Description

Page Number

Chooses the page number to apply print options to.

Insert Sheet After This Page

Causes an additional blank page to be printed after the selected page. The blank page will
be pulled from the same location as Job and Copy Separators.

Feed Tray

Selects the paper tray from which the paper will be fed.

Destination

Selects the output tray for the printed job.

Gloss

Set the job Gloss Level for the selected page (Low, Standard, High). Note: You can set the
Gloss Level (312 only) for all pages in a job on the Job Settings tab.

Simplex Page Lock

Prevents a page from having anything printed on its back and from being printed on the
back of another page.

End Staple Set

Allows groups of pages within a multi-page job to be stapled for output devices supporting
the feature.
Note: It is not recommended to set End Staple Set for a range of less than 2 physical pages;
End Staple Set will be ignored if Stapling is set to None on the Finishing tab; only one type of
stapling per job is allowed. Both Top Corner and Side cannot be used within the same job,
for example.

Toner Calculate

Click Calculate in the Toner section of the Job Settings or Page Settings tab to calculate the
toner coverage on all pages of the selected job.
Note: The Calculate Toner option on the Job Settings dialog box
displays the toner coverage for individual pages within the job.
When a number (#%) displays, the toner coverage has been calculated. When 0% displays, the toner coverage is less than 0.5%.
When -% displays, the toner coverage has not been calculated.

Margin Offset

Adjusts the Top and Left margins for each page.

Lock Page

Prevents global changes to the documents margin settings from affecting the selected
page.

20

Annotations
Use this dialog to enter comments about individual pages in a job. You can search for a word
or phrase in any annotation using the Find feature in the Tools menu. Use the Page Number
control to view each page of the job.
Finishing Setup, Settings and Summary
Please refer to the section Finishing Configuration on page 10 for information on these dialogs.
Preview
Use this feature to preview a page of the job.
1 Select a job in the Job List window.
2 Select JobPreview. The Preview dialog is accessible
from various dialogs within PSM.

Field/Control

Description

Feed Direction

Indicates the direction the paper will feed into the PrintStation.

Navigation buttons

Goes to the beginning, end, previous or next page.

Page

Displays the page currently being viewed. Enter a page number to go to that page.

Orientation Arrows

Use the

More Detail
B&W PrintStations

controls to rotate the preview image to the desired orientation.

Clarifies the preview image.

Edit
Opens the TRueEdit application for manipulating PSM jobs and adding tabs. Refer to the
TRueEdit manual for more information.
Lock/Unlock...
Use the Lock/Unlock feature to add password protection to PSM jobs.
Note: A password protected job is not accessible from any MicroPress application. If an attempt
is made to access a password protected job, a dialog will be displayed informing the user that
the job is locked.

Locking a job
1 Right-click on the job to lock, then select Lock/Unlock...
2 Enter the password for the job in the Enter New Password box.
3 Enter the password again in the Confirm New Password box.
4 Click OK to apply the password, click OK again to close the notification dialog. A small key will be appear to the left of the job
21

name.
Unlocking a job
1 Right-click on the job to unlock, then select Lock/Unlock...
2 Enter the password assigned to the job in the dialog box that is displayed.
3 Click OK to unlock the job.
Hold/Suspend
Use the Hold/Suspend option to set a selected job (not currently printing) to a Hold state. The
job will remain in a Hold state until you release it manually.
To place a job on Hold:
1 Select the VE that lists the job to be put on hold, then select the job from the Job List
Window.
2 Select Job
Hold/Suspend from the menu.
3 The status column displays H for the selected job, and the job is held for printing at a
later time.
To release the suspended job, select the job, then select Print.
Print
Use the Print Job option to take a selected job or jobs from the Job List Window from a Hold,
printed, or error state, and send it to the PrintStation.
To place a job in a printing state:
1 Select the VE that lists the job to print, then select the job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobPrint from the menu.
3 The status column of the Job List Window for the selected job displays >> if there is no
other job already printing. If another job is printing, the status column of the job the
user selected will display W; the job will print after all jobs ahead of it have printed.
Move...
Use the Move Job option to move a selected job from one VE to another. Moving a job will
not change the printing parameters for the job.
To move a job to another Virtual Engine:
1 Select the VE that lists the job to move, then select the job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobMove from the menu.
3 Select a Virtual Engine.
4 Click OK. The selected job moves to the chosen VE destination.
Note: You cannot use this option to move a grayscale job from the 5050c to either the 060c or the 085c because
the resolutions differ (5050c jobs are ripped at 400 dpi, 8 bits per pixel, whereas 060c and 085c jobs are ripped at
600 dpi, 1 bit per pixel).
Note: Dragging a job into a LaserJet 5Si VE halts printing. When the file finishes copying, the job resumes printing.

Delete
To remove a job from the PSM:
1 Select the VE that lists the job to delete, then select the job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobDelete from the Job Menu.
3 The job will be removed from the PrintStation Manager Job List window.

22

Abort
Use the Abort Job option to cancel a currently printing job.
To cancel a print job:
1 Select the VE that is currently printing the job to abort.
2 Select JobAbort.
3 The job currently printing is canceled and displays an Error (E) status.
Warning: The printer may output one or two pages after the job is aborted due to PrintStation limitations. It is best
to wait until the PrintStation has stopped before proceeding.

Merge
Use the Merge Job option to combine existing documents, in whole or in part, into a new job.
To merge jobs:
1 Select the VE that has the files listed to be merged.
2 Select JobMerge from
the menu.
3 Select a job from the Current Jobs list. You can
select multiple jobs.
4 Type the Page Range for
the selected job to be
added.
5 Click Add button. The
New Document Order list
displays the selected document.
Note: Double-click a job in the New Document Order window to display the Edit Page Range dialog.

Repeat steps 46 until all the documents to be merged are selected.

Select a job in the New Document Order list. You can arrange jobs in the New Document Order list to place them in the order in which they will be printed.
8 Click Move Up, Move Down, or Remove.
9 Type the name of the merged document in the New Job Name field.
10 If the Merge As Chapters box is checked,
each job added will be treated as an individual
chapter. When you use this feature, another
dialog (see graphic) will open when you click
OK. You can edit the chapter names here. If a
chapter has an odd number of pages, a blank
page will be printed at the end, and the job will
be printed duplex if Insert blank page after
odd paged chapters for duplexing is
checked.
11 Click OK. The merged document displays in
the Job List Window in a Waiting state unless
the Hold Job box is checked.

23

Archive...
Archiving allows you to compress a job to a single stream file that can be saved on CD,
transmitted over the Internet, or simply moved to another subdirectory. Files will be given a
.msm extension if archived using the MicroPress format or converted to the Adobe PDF format (default). When a job is archived using PDF, the filename includes .arc (jobname.024.arc.pdf).
To archive a job:
1 Select the VE that has the job listed to archive, then select the job.
2 Select JobArchive from the menu.
3 The location for Archive File window opens.
4 Choose a location to store the archived file. Click OK. The dialog closes and the PSMs
Status Bar displays: . The job status will also display L, indicating that the file is
locked until the compression is complete. When the compression is complete, the job
will be in Hold status.
Apply Form
Use Apply Form to apply a form to a job that has
already been RIPed.
To apply a form:
1 Select a job in the Virtual Engine Job List
Window.
2 Right-click and select Apply Form.
3 Select the job containing the data to merge
with the Original Job from the Form Job
Name drop down list. All pages in the Form
Job will be applied to the Original Job. Check
the Custom Arrange box to manually add
pages from the Form job to the original job.
When using Custom Arrange, drag pages
from the Form Job and drop them over the pages of the Original Job. Only one page of
the Form Job can be applied to a single page of the Original Job. However, you can
apply a page of Form Job to more than one Original Job page.
4 In the New Job Name box, enter a name for the new job.
5 Select OK to merge the jobs.
6 The form will be applied to the job selected in the Job List Window unless Create New
Job is selected.
Form Jobs

Merged Job

Checkboxes

24

Field/Control

Description

Form Job Name

Job containing the information to be added to the Original Job.

Pages

Number of pages in the Form Job.

Form Job Pages

Number of pages in the Form Job.

Original Job Name

Job selected in the PSM VE window.

New Job Name

Name of the new job created by merging the Form Job and Original jobs.

Original Job Pages

Number of pages in the Original job.

Hold

Sets the job in Hold status in the PSM after the two jobs are merged.

Create New Job

Combines the jobs into a new job and preserve the Original Job unchanged.

Repeat

Applies the Form Job to the Original Job as many times as possible.

Custom Arrange

Manually adds pages from the Form Job.

Field/Control

Description

Remove Applied Page

Removes a page from the Original Job.

Mail Merge
Use the Mail Merge feature for adding variable data to a job.
1 Right-click on the job that will have the variable data merged with it. Select Mail Merge
from the menu.
When performing mail merge with a form with an odd number of pages, do this prior to the mail
merge:
1) go to job info on the FORM (or source job)
2) Select Page Settings
3) Scroll to (or type in) the last page of the job
4) Toggle Simplex page lock ON.
5) Close the info window and proceed with the merge as usual. Doing this will allow printing of the
document as simplex or duplex, with no need to add (or remove) blank pages on the end of each
unit of variable data.

2
3

4
5

Variable Data
Job

Merged
Document

The name of the job selected in Step 1 appears in the Original Job Name section of
the Mail Merge dialog.
Select the job containing the variable data that will be merged with the Original Job
from the Variable Data Job Name drop-down list. Check the Custom Arrange box to
manually add pages from the Variable Data job to the original job. When using Custom
Arrange, drag pages from the variable data job and drop them over the pages of the
original job. You can apply only one page of variable data to a single page of the Original Job. However, a page of variable data can be applied to more than one Original Job
page.
In the New Job Name box, enter a name for the new job.
Select OK to merge the jobs. Note: If a variable page has been applied to an original
page and needs to be removed, right-click on the original page and remove the variable data page.
Field/Control

Description

Variable Data Job

Name

Job containing the information to add to the Original Job.

Pages per unit of

variable data

Number of pages in the Variable Data job.

Variable Data Job

Pages

Pages in the Variable Data job.

Original Job Name

Job selected in the PSM VE window.

New Job Name

Name of the new job created by merging the Variable Data and Mail
Document jobs.

Pages

Number of pages in the merged job.

Original Job Pages

Pages in the Original job.

Hold

Sets the job in Hold status in the PSM after the two jobs are merged.

25

26

Field/Control

Description

Use Page References

When you create a mail-merged document with this option, the resulting file is
smaller. The data for unchanged pages does not get copied into the new
document, it is linked, or referenced. This means that while the resulting file is
smaller, you cannot perform other operations (i.e., Page numbering, Apply
Forms, and Mail merge) to the file. If Page Referencing is turned off, the data
for unchanged pages is copied, resulting in a larger file. However, this file can
be mail-merged, numbered, etc.

Custom Arrange

Manually adds pages from the Variable Data job.

Remove Applied Page

Removes a page added to the Original Job.

Center Pages
Use this feature to center the image on all pages of a job.
To use Center Pages:
1 Right-click on the job and select Center Pages from
the menu.
2 Make any changes to the information displayed.
3 Click OK.
Note: When centering manually, remember that "top" is the lead edge of
the paper as it feeds through the PrintStation.

The Preview button displays a preview of the resulting job.

The example following shows the effect of centering a Letter
job to Legal. The hashed areas show what portion of the
original image will be cropped when centered to the selected
paper size.

Image Editing...
Image Editing is used to modify pages of a PSM job.
To use Image Editing:
1 Right-click on a job and
select Image Editing...
from the menu.
2 Click the + to display a list
of the pages within the job.
Note: Clicking the button by the job name
displays a menu containing commands
that can be applied to the job globally.
These modifications cannot be undone.

Edit

Double-click a page in the

job to display it in the preview window.
Apply the desired effects to the job or page. See Apply Changes in the table following
for methods to apply the changes.
Field/Control

Description

Job list window

Displays the pages in the job.

Preview window

Displays the selected page in the job.

Cut

Removes the selection, placing it in the Windows clipboard.

Copy

Places the selection in the Windows clipboard, leaving the original intact.

27

Tool

Image

Field/Control

Description

Paste

Places the contents of the Windows clipboard into the selected location.

Apply Changes

Modifications made to the image in the preview window are displayed

instantly. To apply the changes to the job:
Click Apply Changes
Click Apply Region to All Pages
Double-click on another page in the job and click OK on the dialog that displays.
Click OK to close the Image Editing dialog

Apply Region to All

Pages

You can paste an item onto a page in the job from the Windows clipboard.
While the marquee is still visible around the pasted item, click Apply Region
to All Pages.

None

Turns off the currently selected tool to return the cursor to its normal state.

Zoom

Enlarges the area under the cursor. Right-click to reduce.

Zoom Rectangle

Use to zoom in on a specific area.

Pan

Changes cursor to a hand and lets you move the image around in the preview
widow.

Selection Rectangle

Draws a box around an area to be manipulated by the Image tools.

Select All

Selects the entire image in the preview window.

Cancel Selection

Turns off the selection marked with the Selection Rectangle tool.

Deskew Landscape/
Portrait

Straightens the image if it was, e.g., scanned at a slight angle. Choose either
Landscape or Portrait depending on the orientation of the job.

Despeckle

Removes specks from the image.

Clear

Deletes selected area or the entire image if an area is not selected

Invert

Makes a negative image of the selection.

Rotate Right

Rotates the image clockwise 90 degrees.

Rotate Left

Rotates the image counter-clockwise 90 degrees.

Flip

Reverses the image or selection vertically (top to bottom).

Reverse

Reverses the image or selection horizontally (side to side).

Resize

Duplicates or deletes pixels as necessary to achieve the desired width and

height. Check the Keep Aspect box to maintain the correct aspect ratio.

OCR...
This feature lets you read in and edit text
from PSM jobs.
1 Right-click on a job and select
OCR... from the menu.
2 Click the + to display a list of the
pages within the job.
3 Select where the OCR text should
go (File or Annotations).
4 Choose the appropriate Options.
5 Click Recognize.
6 Edit the OCR text or choose file format to save text as, depending on destination and
options selected.

28

If Edit OCR text before save is checked, the text will be displayed and can be edited.
Field/Control

Description

Job List window

Displays jobs and their pages.

Send OCR Text To

Annotations sends text on the pages in the job to annotations. View the text on the Job
Info Annotations page.
File save the text to more than 40 common file formats, including MS Word, MS Excel,
WordPerfect, Rich Text Format, and ASCII Text.

Options

Language select the language used in the job

Edit OCR text before save selecting this option displays the text in the edit dialog prior to
sending it to Annotations or to a file (this feature is for individual pages not complete jobs).

Close

Exits the OCR dialog

Recognize

Reads the text into the OCR engine for export to either annotations or a file.

Help

Loads the PrintStation Manager Help.

Preview

Views the selected job page.

Imposition
This feature enables you to position multiple pages of a job onto a larger single sheet in the
correct orientation for binding. Four page ranges are supported: two A5 pages positioned on
a single A4 page or two 5.5x8.5 pages positioned on a single 8.5x11 and two A4 pages positioned on a single A3 page or two 8.5x11 pages positioned on a single 11x17 page. The
examples below, for a 4 page job, reflect the latter.
Example

Description
Readers Spread Pages 1 & 2 are on the front surface of the paper and pages 3 & 4 are
on the back surface.

Printers Spread The 4 pages result in a piece of paper that can be folded to make a book.

Double Speed When the job is finished, cut the pages in half and place the left stack on
top of the right stack to make a complete job.

Double Mint When this job finishes, cut the sheets in half and each stack is a complete
job.

Multiple Signatures This Imposition style is formatted the same as Printer's Spread. It
differs in the way it functions by allowing the pages to be broken into sections, called
signatures. This is done by entering the number of pages to include in each signature in the
Pages per Signature dialog. These signatures can then be bound together, side by side,
to form a book.

29

Note: Imposition is not available for the PrintStation 312.

To use Imposition:
1 Select the job to make into a booklet. The page sizes for all pages within the job must
be exactly the same to impose. This is important to check if the job contains pages
from Scaled, scanned, or RIPed jobs. Using Center Pages on the job prior to Imposition corrects any problems with page sizes.
2 Select JobImposition from the menu.
3 Select the type of Imposition to apply to the job.
4 A status bar appears until the task is complete.
5 A new job displays in the Virtual Engine Job List with the same job name. The type of
Imposition will display as the User Name.
Note: Certain Finishing Options do not produce desirable results when combined with some Imposition choices.

Insert/Delete Pages
This feature is used to add or delete pages from a job. Additionally, the pages are inserted or
deleted from the target job instead of creating a new job.
Notes: When applying the following options, PSM creates a new job:
Imposition
Merge
Scale & Rotate
Tumble
Center Pages
Mail Merge
Insert/Delete Pages, Re-Order Pages, and Numbering modify existing jobs.
You can select multiple pages by holding the Shift key and selecting adjacent pages or by holding the CTRL key to select random pages.

To Insert Pages in a job:

1 Select the VE containing the job
to manipulate.
2 Right-click on the job to modify
and select Insert/Delete Pages
from the menu.
3 Select a job from the Insert
Pages From Job drop-down
list.
4 Choose the pages to be
inserted from the Page list window or Select All if all the
pages are to be added.
5 In the right pane, select the page where the new pages should be inserted.
6 Choose to insert Before or After the page selected in the previous step.
7 Click Insert button to add the page(s) to the job.
OR

Click the Replace button to replace the selected page.

30

Click Apply to make the changes and update the display. Click OK.

To delete pages from a job:

1 Right-click the job to delete pages from and select Insert/Delete Pages from the
menu.
2 In the right pane of the Insert/Delete Pages dialog, select the page to delete.
3 Click the Delete Page button.
4 Click Apply to make the changes. Click OK.
To add blank pages to a job:
1 Select the VE containing the job to manipulate.
2 Right-click the job to add blank pages to, then select Insert/Delete Pages from the
menu.
3 In the right pane of the Insert/Delete Pages dialog, select the page where the blank
page should be added.
4 Choose to insert Before or After the page selected in the previous step.
5 Click Insert button.
6 Click Apply to make the changes. Click OK.
Notes: Use the Undo Delete, Undo Insert, or Undo Replace buttons to undo changes made before clicking OK
or Apply. Select the page to undo and click the appropriate button. Select a page from either pane of the dialog
and click the Preview button to preview the page. See Preview on page 21.

Numbering
Use this feature to insert page numbers in a job.
1 Right-click on the job and select Numbering from the
menu.
2 Make any changes.
3 Click OK to apply the page numbers.
Note: The default setting of X=1, Y=1 puts the page number in the top left
corner of the page.

Field/Control

Description

Starting Number

Number to start page numbering. Warning: Entering a starting number greater than
1,000,000,000 may produce unexpected page numbering results.

X Position

Move the page number horizontally on the page with this coordinate.

Y Position

Move the page number vertically on the page with this coordinate.

Units

Use either mm or inches to position the numbers on the page.

Font

Currently selected font for numbering.

Number the First Page

Starts the page numbering on the first page of the job.

31

Field/Control

Description

Landscape Job

Formats job for landscape orientation (automatically checked if Imposition is applied to a

numbered job).

Create New Job

Creates a new job with numbered pages (original job is unchanged).

Outside Edge

Enabling this feature let you place page numbers correctly for duplex printing and binding.
Numbers can be positioned on the edge farthest away from the binding. For binding the left
edge of a document, e.g., the numbers should be on the left edge of even pages and the
right edge for odd pages. Pick the x and y position for the odd pages and the even page
numbering will be automatically mirrored.

Advanced/Basic

Clicking Advanced adds additional functionality to the dialog.

Place multiple numbers on each page:
Number The number to use, as determined by the Starting Number. N=the Starting Number, N+1=The Starting Number plus 1, etc.
X Position Move the page number horizontally on the page with this coordinate.
Y Position Move the page number vertically on the page with this coordinate.
Add Add multiple numbers to a page and adjust the X and Y positions.
Delete Remove Page Number information from the selected job.
Cut and Stack Causes each number on a page to increment by 1 for each subsequent
page.
Number Chapters Adds, or prefixes, chapter numbers to page numbers (1-1, 1-2, 2-1,
etc.) for selected chapters. The first page of each chapter starts numbering at 1.
Prefix Edits the Prefix; prefix can be, e.g., a number (1 -, 2 -), a word (Appendix, Chapter), or a combination (Introduction 1 -, Preface 1.)
Clear Prefixes Removes prefixes from the page numbering.
Default Prefixes Sets prefixes back to 1 - (page number), 2 - (page number), etc.

Change Font

Select font for the page number.

Re-order Pages
Use this feature to rearrange printing order
of pages within PSM jobs.
1 Select a job in the Job List window.
2 Select JobReorder Pages from
the menu.

Field/Control

Description

Pages

Pages comprising currently selected job.

Auto Re-Order

Preview

32

Duplex Scan Order Intended for use with MicroScan when a duplex document is
scanned as simplex.
Reverse Puts jobs pages in opposite order (4, 3, 2, 1).
Reset Restores page order to original configuration.
Displays currently selected page.

Scale & Rotate

Use this feature to adjust the size of pages in a PSM job.
To Scale an image:
1 Select a job in the Job List window.
2 Open the JobScale & Rotate from the menu.

Field/Control

Description

Original

Information about documents current appearance.

Paper size of the paper
Image size of image on the paper.

Scale by

Percentage amount to enlarge or reduce the image depending on paper size. Note: When
the paper size after scaling is not an available paper type, turn Auto Select off, and select
the feed tray with the appropriate paper size (062 only).

New Page Size

Paper size scaled job will be printed on; ( image will not be centered if it is smaller than the
paper size after scaling).

Rotation

Changes orientation of the image on paper.

Auto Rotate
No Rotation.
Rotate 90
Rotate -90
Note: In accordance with PostScript convention, assume the direction of rotation is
counterclockwise. Thus, selecting Rotate 90 will rotate the image 90 degrees left
(counterclockwise) whereas selecting Rotate -90 will rotate the image 90 degrees right
(clockwise).
Note: (062 only) To rotate a Letter, A4, A5, or B5 job 90 degrees, select LetterR, A4R, A5R,
or B5R from the New Page Size menu.

Center

Centers image on page horizontally and vertically.

Low Priority

Causes PSM to designate less of the systems resources to manipulating the image.

3
4

Make the appropriate selections and click Scale.

The User Name in the Job List window will change to Scaled. Note: Scaling is not
available for QuadLevel jobs or jobs where pages differ.

Rotate Pages
Use this feature to change the orientation of an entire job.
1 Right-click on a job in a VE window.
2 Select Rotate Pages, then either 90 or 270 Degrees.
Send To
Send To provides a way to FTP (File Transfer Protocol) a PSM job to another location using
a network or Internet connection (requires access to an FTP Server). Consult your Network
Administrator for further information.
To FTP a file:
1 Right-click on a job in a VE window.
2 Select Send ToFTP.

33

Enter accurate information for each field. All fields are required.

Field/Control

Description

Server Name

Name of the FTP server.

Username

Login name for server.

Password

Password to access server.

Remote Job Name

Name of currently selected file. You can specify a different name. To place the file in a
specific folder on the FTP Server, give the folder name (case sensitive) and the filename:
\folder name\filename

Save

Causes the Server Name and Username to be remembered (but password will not be
saved).

Click OK to begin the file transfer.

Settings
This menu item displays options available for the currently selected VE type.
1 Right-click on a job in a VE window.
2 Select Settings, then the necessary option, if available.
Note: Menu items not available for the selected VE will be grayed out. A checkmark beside an option indicates
that it is selected. If multiple jobs are selected, the check will be red if the option is not selected in all jobs. Clicking
on an option with a red check will cause PSM to attempt to apply the option to all of the selected jobs. If an option
can't be set for a job, a dialog displays indicating the job name and the reason the option cannot be set.Clicking
on an option with a black check will cause PSM to turn the option off in all of the jobs. A dialog box will be displayed if Print Inserts is selected and there are none.

The table lists cases when options are not applicable to jobs.
This option

Is not available when

Duplex

job is only one page

odd or even pages only
job is printing from the manual tray on the Cii
Note: (062, 085c, 5050c) Selecting Duplex sets ouput to last binding method (e.g., short
edge or long edge).

Copy Separators

job is only one page

only one copy of the job is being printed

Fast Print

Manual Tray Increase

Transfer

job is not being printed on the Cii

job is not printing from the manual tray

job is not being printed on the Cii

job is duplex
paper size is not A4 or Letter
job is printing from the manual tray
job is being pulled from different trays

Tumble
Tumble rotates selected pages 180 degrees. Choices are:
Odd Tumbles odd-numbered pages.
Even Tumbles even-numbered pages.
All Tumbles all pages.
Pages Tumbles selected pages.
1 Select a job in the Job List window.
2 Select JobTumble from the menu

34

Select Odd, Even, All, or Pages.

If Pages is selected, the following dialog will be displayed with a
check box for each page in the job. Use either the check boxes to
select pages or the edit box to enter pages (or page range).
The User Name in the Job List window will change to Tumbled.
The table below gives examples of Tumble selected for Even
pages.

Page Size

Desired Output

Tumble Settings

A4 and Letter
Portrait

No Tumble

A4 and Letter
Portrait

Tumbled

A4 and Letter
Landscape

No Tumble

A4 and Letter
Landscape

Tumbled

Others
Portrait

No Tumble

Others
Portrait

Tumbled

Others
Landscape

No Tumble

Others
Landscape

Tumbled

Job Ticket
Job Ticketing consists of three MicroPress applications: e-Ticket, TicketDeveloper, and
TicketDirector. From PSM, a print job can be assigned to a job ticket. You can also view, edit,
print, or delete job tickets. Note: For detailed information on the use of e-Ticket, TicketDeveloper, and TicketDirector, please see the documentation for the individual applications.
Assign Job Ticket
1
2

Right-click on a job and select Job TicketAssign Job Ticket from the menu. You
can also select the job and type Alt + A to display the Assign Job Ticket dialog.
Select a Job Ticket from the list.
35

Click Assign to assign the job ticket to the PSM job. Note: The Job Ticket name consists of the tracking number of the ticket and an 8-digit time stamp. The filename extension PJT indicates a PSM job ticket.
The following table describes options on the Assign Job Ticket dialog.
Field/Control

Description

Job Name

The name of the currently selected job

Job Tickets

Available job tickets

Assign

Assign the selected ticket to the currently selected job

AutoSet Job Attributes

Automatically assign job attributes contained in the ticket to the selected job. The default
setting is ON.

View Job Ticket

Displays the job ticket in a preview only browser window (see the graphic in the section
Edit/View Job Ticket following

Delete Job Ticket

Removes the selected ticket from the Job Ticket window

Edit/View Job Ticket

1

Right-click on a job and select Job TicketEdit/

View Job Ticket from the menu. A browser window will display the ticket.
Make any needed changes to the ticket. To clear all
fields, click Reset button.

Click Save button to exit the preview and save any

changes made or click the x in the upper-right corner of the window. If the x is clicked, a dialog will
be displayed to confirm saving changes. Click
Cancel to exit preview without saving any
changes.

Delete Job Ticket

1
2

Right-click on a job and select Job TicketDelete Job Ticket from the menu. PSM
asks you to confirm the deletion.
Click Yes to delete ticket.

Print Job Ticket

The PSM can print the job ticket attached to a job.
1 Right-click on a job and select Job TicketPrint Job Ticket from the menu to open
the Print dialog.
2 Choose the printer for printing ticket.
3 Select any printer options and click OK to print.

View
The View menu options let you adjust the PSM display to a custom view. You can hide the
Toolbar or Status Bar, sort the job list (See Job List Window on page 3), and gain access to
System Events and Accounting information.
Toolbar
The Toolbar buttons allow quick access to some of the PSMs most commonly used functions.
1 Select View from the PSMs main menu.
2 Check Toolbar to open the toolbar; uncheck to close the toolbar.
36

Status Bar
The Status Bar displays such information as available memory, available hard disk space,
etc.
1 Select View from the PSMs main menu.
2 Check Status Bar to open the status bar; uncheck to close the status bar.
System Events
The PSM tracks system events. Select ViewSystem Events from the menu to access
results of errors and other events.
Note: When an error occurs, a red exclamation point appears on the Task Bar. Click the exclamation point to open the System Events dialog. The exclamation point will remain until the System Events dialog is
opened and closed.

To display system event information:

1 Select ViewSystem Events.
A time/date stamp is written to the event log each
time PSM is started. Afterwards, each message is
given a time stamp. Refer to the following table to
interpret the buttons in the Log Viewer.

Field/Control

Description

Clear Event Log

Clears existing log to make tracking current problems easier.

Save As...

Saves information in the Event Viewer Log as a text file (can be saved and faxed to
Technical Suppor).

Click OK to close the Log Viewer.

System Errors
If an error occurs at a PrintStation during printing and the PrintStation problem is not resolved
in a set amount of time (see PSM Configuration for details on the error timeout period), the
PSM will move the Job Stack to the first available PrintStation. The alternative PrintStation
will also belong to the same Virtual Engine. An Error Separator Sheet will frame the moved
stack.
Note: If the Job Stack has moved and that PrintStation does not have the correct paper or is out of paper, the
PrintStation will make three attempts to print the Job Stack, printing two error separator sheets for each attempt.

Accounting
The PSM maintains accounting information by tracking all print jobs according to user, spool
time, print time, job size, toner coverage, and pages printed. Accounting results for all PSM
jobs are stored in a tab delimited text file that you can import into a database or spreadsheet
application.
The accounting file, ACCOUNTING.TXT, is saved as <date>.txt in the PSM directory at midnight.
Note: Select ToolsPSM Options to toggle Accounting off and on from the PSM Options dialog.

To display the Accounting information for all jobs in the PSM:

1 Select ViewAccounting from the menu.

37

2
3

The Accounting Log screen displays the activity for the day from the PSM.
Click OK when finished viewing the information.
OR
Click Save As... to save the information as a Tab/Delimited text document. The file will
be given a .act extension. The graphic below shows an example of the information
imported into a spreadsheet.

The table below shows the default information in the Accounting Log.
Field

Description

Job Name

If detected, the name of the job will be displayed. Otherwise, the name may be listed as
Untitled Document.

User Name

If detected, the name of the user will be displayed. Otherwise, the name may be listed as
NoName.

Input Date

Date job was accepted into the PSM.

Input Time

Time job was accepted into the PSM.

Pages Printed

Number of jobs pages printed.

Job Size

Size, in bytes, of the job.

Virtual Engine Name

Name of the VE from which the job was printed.

Print Date

Date job was printed.

Print Time

Time job was printed.

Toner Values

Toner Coverage (in percent) for each color used in the job. As a job is processed by the
MicroPress RIP, the Toner Coverage for the job is calculated. Clicking the Toner Calculator
button on the Job Info dialogs Job Settings tab will refresh the information. The Page
Settings tab will display the coverage for each individual page in the job. If the coverage
has not been calculated, - will be displayed. 0% displays when toner coverage is less
than 0.5%. See Page Settings on page 20.

If you submitted the job via e-Ticket, additional information will display in the accounting log
for that job. The data from the completed fields on the ticket will be displayed, such as the
Company Name, Address, etc. The information displayed is also dependent upon the fields
available in the ticket. An empty field will be shown as a colon :

Scripting
In the PSM, you can script certain aspects of a job. For example, a script can loop through all
the jobs in a Virtual Engine and turn Duplex off, as shown below:
Dim job
For Each job in VE.Jobs
VE.JobDuplex(job) = False
Next

VE stands for Virtual Engine. Everything in PSM scripting is done through this VE object. VE
has several properties and methods available for use. Refer to the Scripting Properties and
Methods manual for more information.
Instructions are not included in this documentation for creating, modifying VBScripts, or
VBScript language constructs. Many books and resources address this subject. See, e.g.,
the online tutorial on the Microsoft website:

38

http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/vbscript/default.htm
For more information on available scripts, contact your MicroPress dealer.
Script Toolbar
Selecting ViewScript Toolbar from the menu opens a toolbar to the Virtual Engines. This
makes it possible to apply and run Visual Basic scripts on jobs, view the contents of scripts,
and modify scripts.
PSM includes a number of
scripts you can modify with the
built-in script editor for customized usage.

Field/Control

Description

Available Scripts drop down list

Scripts in the scripts folder, MicroPress\psm\scripts.

Run Script

Executes selected script in the current VE.

View Script

Opens a preview window to view script contents.

Edit Script

Opens script editor.

The scripts included with PSM and their function are described in the table following.
Script Name

Function

AlternateTraysOnJob

Makes a 10 page job into a 20 page job, e.g.; alternates trays on each page.

Alternate3TraysOnJob

Makes a 10-page job into a 30-page job, e.g., and alternates between all
three trays on each page. These tray settings are set specifically for 024
machines. Tray numbers differ on other engines. To use with a different
engine, change tray numbers.

AlternateTraysOnJobNoDup

Creates a new job that will print from two trays, the first page will print from
tray 1, the second from tray 2 and it continues to alternate until job is printed.

ChangeJobPrintInformation

Displays all the information about a job (duplex, collation, etc.) and allows
you to change the information; also asks if you want to archive the job.

CreateNewJob

Goes through selected jobs and asks for page ranges to merge from. The
script also prompts for a new job name.

MakeBooklet

Runs imposition on selected job and creates a booklet from it; deletes the
original job and gives the new booklet job the original job name. Beware that
the original job will be deleted and cannot be restored.

MakeBookletFold

Same as MakeBooklet but puts a crease in the printed job.

MakeBookletStaple

Same as MakeBooklet but center staples the printed job.

MakeBookletFoldStaple

Same as MakeBooklet but puts a crease and center staples the printed job.

MergeSelectedFiles

Merges all selected jobs into one new job.

ScriptStub

Script template.

SplitColorFromBW

Goes through selected job (only one selected job allowed) and strips out
color pages from black and white pages.

39

Click View Script button will display the script in a view-only dialog.
Click Edit Script button opens a script-editing dialog. Note: Existing scripts may be modified
to perform other tasks. Use Save to make the changes to the existing script, or Save As to
create a new script.

Tools
This menu sets the notification method the PSM uses when different events take place. The
Job Find and AutoScript features are also in the Tools menu.
Notifications
To set the type of notification:
1 Open the ToolsNotifications
2 Select the notification type.
3 Click OK.
Note: The sound will be the PC beep and is only available for notification of job errors.
Field/Control

Description

Events

Events to which the Sound and E-Mail notifications can be assigned. When the event
occurs the assigned Notification will be sent.
Job Printed
New Job
Print Error

Sound

Single Notification one beep

Continuous repeating beep
None no beep

E-Mail

Name the name of the e-mail recipient

Address address of the e-mail recipient
None no e-mail notification will be sent

Find
Find is a search utility to find any job in the PSM.
1 Select ToolsFind from the PrintStation Manager main
menu.
2 Select search by Job Name, User Name, Annotations,
Job Ticket or Tracking Number. Enter a text string or
an * for a listing of all jobs.
3 Click Find.
4 Select the engine type to search in. The default, All
Engines, searches through any VE type.
5 Click OK. If a match is found, a Job List showing Job
Name, User, and Virtual Engine will display.
AutoScript
Use AutoScript to automatically apply scripts to jobs either as they come into the PSM or
after they are printed. A wizard helps configure the AutoScript options through a series of dialogs.
To assign a script to run automatically:
40

1
2
3
4
5

6
7
8

In the Tools AutoScriptConfiguration

Wizard.
Select VE types to apply a script to.
Click Next.
Check the box to enable AutoScripting on the
selected engine and click Next.
Choose the event type to trigger the script to
run (i.e., either a new job entering the PSM or
a job that has finished printing). Click Next.
Choose the script to run. Click Next.
The final page displays the settings chosen from the preceding pages. Press Back to
modify the settings, if necessary.
Click Finish to accept the settings.

Note: Use the View Configuration menu item to display AutoScript settings applied to all engines. If AutoScript is enabled, a small icon appears on the VEs status bar.

Options
Use the PSM Options dialog to set such preferences as toggling job accounting off and on,
job archiving file format and Preview settings. You must restart the PSM for some settings to
take effect. To access the Options dialog:
1 In the Tools menu, select Options...
2 Select the General, Archive, Preview, or TRueEdit tab to view and change the various
settings.
General

Field/Control

Description

Show each virtual engine in

its own window

Allows multiple VEs to be viewed simultaneously. You must restart PSM after changing this
setting. For examples of both methods of viewing PSM see The PrintStation Manager Main
Screen Display on page 2.

Show each virtual engine in

the same window

Each VE displays maximized so that only one VE can be viewed at a time. Prevents
Cascade, Tile, etc., of VEs.

Maintain Accounting info

Enables the Accounting log. See Accounting on page 37.

Special Handling Delay

Time

Adjusts length of time the Special Handling notification dialog is displayed. While the dialog
is displayed, press OK to print the job or Cancel to place the job on Hold. If neither
selection is made, the job will be put in an Error state after interval specified.

41

Field/Control
Delete options

Description
Confirm All Deletes PSM will display a dialog prompting for permission to delete any
selected files.
Confirm Multiple Deletes Permission prompt will display only if multiple files are selected
for deletion.
Do Not Confirm Deletes Selected files will be deleted with no prompt for permission.
Use Recycle Bin When Available Deleted files will be placed in the Recycle Bin (recovery possible).
Hold the Shift key down when clicking Delete to bypass the delete prompt and the Recycle Bin.

Archive

Field/Control
Archive

Format - Choose format to use when archiving PSM jobs.

PDF - Platform independent and viewable, but archiving time is much slower. A key code
is required to use the PDF archive format.
MSM - Archiving time is much faster.
Priority - Amount CPU time allocated for the archiving process.
Normal - More CPU time used for archiving.
Low - More CPU time used for archiving.

Preview

42

Description

Field/Control

Description

Preview Options

Preview displays at default settings (100 dpi for B&W and 300 dpi for Color). A Preview file
is stored in the PSM file for faster redisplaying. If more detail is needed for previewing,
increase the X number (the Y automatically increases same amount). This will take longer
for the initial Preview and use more space in the PSM file. Enter a lower number if a lower
quality Preview will do. This will make the initial Preview faster and save disk space.

Image Quality

Normal fastest display, though quality lower than other choices

Favor Black suggested setting for most instances. Algorithm attempts to keep more of
the black pixels than the Normal setting
Resample minimizes the reduced image quality normally associated with changes in
image width and height (re-sizing) by using a process called interpolation

TRueEdit

Field/Control

Description

Open In

Thumbnail view (factory default) Opens the job in TRueEdit with the job pages displayed
as thumbnails
One Page view Opens the job in TRueEdit with the job pages displayed individually

Working copy ...

Enables/disables making a copy of the job before TRueEditing from within PSM. This
allows you to make changes to a job without affecting the original copy of it.

Enable Remote Services

This lets PSM accept requests from e-PSM users. e-PSM allows customers to use their
Microsoft Internet Explorer browser (version 4.0 or greater) to manage print-ready documents. Customers can use a set of the MicroPress application-independent, post-RIP document management features from any computer connected to the Internet. These features
include merging multiple documents created in diverse native applications into one seamless
document, imposing a document into user friendly layouts, viewing job or specific print device
status, inserting copy separators, and print job security. See e-PSM on page 58.
BAT Object Registration
e-Prove is a user-programmable feature of
MicroPress. Users with high-level programming skills can develop their own COM
object to customize how the MicroPress processes print jobs and documents accounting
information. Refer to the e-Prove manual for
more information.

43

Window
The Window menu options let you arrange, refresh, and select VEs.
Menu Selection

Definition

Cascade

Open VEs are overlapped with the title bar of each visible.

Tile Horizontally

Arranges VEs so they occupy an equal amount of space without overlapping. The title
bar of each is visible.

Tile Vertically

Arranges VEs so they occupy an equal amount of space. The title bar of each is visible.

Arrange Icons

Spaces minimized VE icons an equal distance apart.

Reset Size

Useful when multiple VEs are open and not all Job List window information is
necessary. The Virtual Engine window will be reduced. The PrintStation Buttons and
Status Bar are hidden. Selecting Reset Size again restores window to its original view.

Refresh

Refreshes and updates the Job List window. Refresh in the Window menu performs
the same function as Resynch Jobs located in the Virtual Engine menu. See
Resynch Jobs on page 6.

VE List

Lists all configured VEs

Help
PSM Help menu contains the following items:
Index starts PSM Help.
About... opens About dialog.
MicroPress dongle number, sometimes necessary when contacting Technical Support, is here.
The System Info button provides information about memory usage, versions of .DLL
files and their locations, etc., useful for Technical Support.
The Configure Options dialog is used to enter License numbers obtained from your
MicroPress dealer to activate optional features or add new output devices. See
Licensing in the PrintStation Manager Configuration manual for more information.

Engine Status Dialogs

Click PrintStation button to identify PrintStation/PrintLink errors. The PrintStation Status dialog box provides detailed information about the PrintStation and troubleshooting information
to assist in the investigation of conditions that result in user intervention.
Most conditions are indicated by a PrintStation Status Light just under the engine icon. Serious conditions can be immediately identified when the PrintStation Status Light displays Red.
A yellow PrintStation Status Light indicates conditions may be occurring that will require operator intervention.
Precise information on the Status dialogs vary according to engine type. Some of the Status
dialog pages described in the following section will not be applicable for certain engine types.
The table below describes status page buttons.
Field/Control

Description

Close

Exits status dialog.

Update

Updates if a change occurred. Click Update after you identify a problem and attempt to
correct it.

Enable/Disable

Disable Makes the PrintStation unavailable for printing

Enable Makes the PrintStation available for printing
The PSM will retain the Disable or Enable setting even after the application is closed and
re-started.

Help

Displays a description of the status dialog.

44

Summary
The PrintStation Status Summary dialog displays the status of the PrintStation (e.g., errors
and other specific information). To display PrintStation Status Summary information:
On the active VE, click PrintStation button to view the Printer Status Summary information.
Note: For some engine types, various status indicators will display in gray when in a normal state. A status will display in yellow or red when conditions require attention.
PrintLink 062:
If a paper input is opened, whether paper is added/removed or not, the status displaying paper quantity
will be lost. The status will be updated to the correct position the next time a job is printed and picks paper
from that input tray.

The table below describes conditions in the Printer Status Summary dialog box.
Field/Control

Description

Paper Status

Paper source, paper size, and sheets remaining. A green light indicating the current default
tray displays for some engines.

Manual Tray

Sets paper size (and thickness, for some engines) in the manual tray.
PrintLink Cii:
Fuser speed is adjusted according to paper thickness to assure proper fusing of the toner.
Normal = fastest
Transparency = faster than Heavy
Heavy = slowest
Notes:
PrintStation 024, PrintLink Cii:
If the Manual Tray is used as a source, this field must be correctly set to the exact size in
the Manual Feed Tray. If it does not match, the imaging could become out-of-sync with the
paper.
PrintStation LaserJet 5Si:
If the paper size is set for the Manual tray in the PSM, the paper size must also be set on
the PrintStation LaserJet 5Si by using the front panel.
DesignJet CP, DesignJet 1000:
DesignJet CP's or DesignJet 1000s within a Virtual Engine must have the same size paper
loaded.

Empty Tray Switch Skips

This drop-down list allows you to select a tray that is not to be switched into when a job runs
out of paper.

Density Adjust

Current density setting of the PrintStation. Use this setting to set density level ranging from
light to dark.

Error on Toner Low

Selecting this option will cause the engine to stop printing when the toner is empty rather
than displaying a warning and continuing to print.

Selected Output

Output Destination displayed here is selected from the Job Settings page.

Status Summary

Detailed information about the printer.

Paper Status

Displays paper size, Ready, or Low.

Pause

Interrupts a printing job to use the Copy function of the PrintLink Cii.

Gamma Calibration

Color capable PrintStations must be color calibrated in order to ensure consistent results
and balance color densities across multiple PrintStations. Gammatic, part of the TRueColor
option toolbox, is an automatic calibration system that measures 21 steps per color on all
PrintStations to ensure color consistency. For more information, see TRueColor User
Guide.

Toner

State of the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black toner or ink cartridges. Color capable
PrintStations only.

Toner Cartridge eject

Handle
Pulling

The Toner Cartridge Ejection Handle is not fully engaged.

45

Field/Control

Description

Door Open

Main door is open.

Jam Resolution

Press button for jam information.

Update

Updates information on all tabs.

Density Adjust

Current density setting of the PrintStation.

Engine Type

Displays model of the currently selected DesignJet.

Ink Type

Type of ink currently installed, if known.

Take Up Reel

Indicates if a take up reel is installed.

Firmware Rev.

Revision level of the firmware in the DesignJet.

Ink Levels

Ink levels in the cartridges (within a 20% error margin).

Paper Roll

Initial Paper Roll Length (feet) When loading roll media, enter the length of the roll of
media here so usage can be tracked and SafePrint will function properly.
Current Paper Roll Length (feet) Used in conjunction with the initial length. The amount
of media remaining on the roll.
Paper Width Detected by the printer.
Paper Type Type of paper currently loaded (taken from the DesignJet CP front panel).

Sheet Feed (1000 only)

Paper Width (inches)

Paper Length (inches)
Paper Type

Separators From

Select the correct paper source to pull separator paper from.

Duplex Adjust

Aligns the images on both surfaces of a duplexed job so they are placed in the same
relative location on the page. The adjustment is from 1 to 15 (10 being the default) with
each increment moving the image approximately .5mm. The image on the back surface
remains stationary and the adjustment is done to the front surface image. A larger number
moves the image closer to the leading edge of the paper.

Sleep after x minutes

Time period from the last printed page until the PrintStation goes to "sleep" (low power
mode). Printer will automatically wake when a new job arrives.

Media Handling

1st, 2nd and 3rd Drawer display the quantity and size of the paper in the tray
LCC (Large Capacity Cassette) displays the quantity and size of the paper in the cassette
or Not Present if the LCC is not available
Finisher displays Present or Not present depending on availability of the Finisher. Punching displays No Punching, 2 hole or 3 hole.
Manual Tray displays paper size in tray. Select Transparency or Thick paper from dropdown list.

Engine Settings

Separators from sets correct paper source to pull separator paper from.
Empty Tray Switch Skips From the drop down-list, select the paper source to skip if one
paper tray runs out of paper during printing.
Density Current density setting of the PrintStation. Use this setting to select density
level.
Error on Toner Low Selecting this option causes engine to stop printing when the toner is
empty rather than displaying a warning and continuing to print.
Finisher Mode 4 modes:
Mailbox
Collator
Job Separation
Stacking

Total Page Count

Total number of one-sided Letter and A4 pages printed.

IP Address

Displays currently assigned IP Address (assigned in PrintStation Configuration).

Model

Type of PrintStation connected to the MicroPress Server.

Capabilities

Displays additional functionality for the connected device.

Status

Indicates online status of the PrintStation.

46

Field/Control
Media Handling

Description
Upper, Lower, and Manual Tray display the quantity and size of the paper in the tray
Feeder Deck displays the quantity and size of the paper in the cassette or None if the deck
is not available
Envelope displays the status of the Envelope Feeder

PrintLink Flash Version

Part number and revision level of the upgradeable MicroPress PrintLink software.

PrintLink ROM Level

Part number and revision level of the MicroPress PrintLink boot code.

Kernel Driver Version

Version of the firmware in the PrintStation.

Adapter Version

Version of the firmware on the PrintAdapter board.

CPLD Version

Version of the PrintAdapter CPLD chip code.

Address

IP Address (network connected PrintStations) or PrintAdapter port number (PrintStations

connected directly).

Control Panel Display

Information currently displayed on the printer display.

Display

Information currently displayed on the printer display.

Digital Express

Provides a link to the Digital Express web site from the 0110i. The web site provides an
outsourcing solution for large volume jobs or jobs requiring special finishing

Console Link

Provides remote access to the 0110i. The information is the same as is displayed on the
0110is monitor.

The table below describes the Error Messages in the Status Summary box for the
PrintStation 312.
Error Code

Error Message

E001

Fixer Warmup has failed.

E002

Fixer temperature is high.

E005

Fixer temperature is low.

E007

Main motor startup has failed.

E008

Problem with the rotation of the Main motor.

E010

Problem with the operation of the Drum motor.

E020

Developer Unit Rotation failure.

E021

Developer unit is pressing or depressing.

E110

Beam Detect failure.

E111

Beam Detect Laser failure.

E112

Problem with the Polygon Motor Startup.

E113

Problem with the rotation of the Polygon Motor.

E190

DC memory has failed.

E191

DC 5v 24v failure.

E192

Problem with the DC Chips.

E194

DC has a density error.

E700

DC has a communication error.

E800

Problem with the Controller Fan

E801

Problem with the Fixer fan.

E802

Problem with the electric fan.

E803

Problem with the Power Supply

47

Error Code

Error Message

C001

Fixing unit oil is empty.

C002

Fix Web is empty.

C003

Fixing Unit is not installed, or it is not properly installed.

C010

Drum is not installed, or it is not installed properly.

C020

Yellow Toner is out or the cartridge is not installed

C021

Magenta Toner is out or the cartridge is not installed.

C022

Cyan Toner is out or the cartridge is not installed.

C023

Black Toner is out or the cartridge is not installed.

C090

PAPER JAM in the Delivery Unit.

C091

Leading edge feed PAPER JAM.

C093

Transfer grip PAPER JAM.

C820

Waste toner container is full or missing.

C830

Error with the density sensor.

C840

Door is not closed.

C900

Optional Cassette Door is open.

System
To display Printer Status Systems information:
1 On the active Virtual Engine click PrintStation button.
2 Click the Systems tab.
The tables below describe options in the PrintStation Status Systems dialog.
Field/Control

Description

Sleep after last page: x minutes

Time period from the last printed page until the PrintStation goes to sleep (low power
mode). Printer will automatically wake up when a new job arrives.

Engine Firmware Revision:

Version of the firmware in the PrintStation.

Kernel Driver Version:

Version of the drivers on the PrintStation.

Adapter Version

Version of the firmware on the PrintAdapter board.

Total Pages printed:

Total number of pages printed on this PrintStation. Cannot be reset.

Page Counter:

Number of pages printed since the last time the Reset button was pushed.

PrintStation Adapter

Flash Version Part number and revision level of the upgradeable MicroPress PrintAdapter software.
ROM Level Part number and revision level of the MicroPress PrintAdapter boot code.

SNP ROM Version

Print engine firmware version.

SCP ROM Version

Print engine firmware version.

IP Software Version

Print engine firmware version.

Engine Type

Indicates the type of PrintLink Cii connected to the MicroPress Server.

48

Field/Control

Description

Maintenance Counters

Counters are used to track the life of various components.

Developer
Drum Unit
Fuser
Tray 1 Rollers
Tray 2 Rollers
Tray 3 Rollers
Deck Rollers
Life Counter
Charge Counter
Total (Simplex Letter/A4 Equivalent) Page Count the Charge Counter value multiplied by
100

PrintStation ROM Revision

Version of the firmware in the PrintStation.

PrintStation ROM Level

Version of the firmware in the PrintStation.

PrintStation Adapter Flash

Version

Part number and revision level of the upgradeable MicroPress PrintAdapter software.

PrintStation Adapter ROM

Level

Part number and revision level of the MicroPress PrintAdapter boot code.

An Advanced button may be displayed on this dialog depending on the type of device connected to the PrintLink. Click Advanced to display a dialog with the following information:
Field/Control
Engine Info

Description
Revision Firmware revision in the device connected to the PrintLink
Finisher Revision Version information for the finisher
Sleep after x minutes Time period from the last printed page until the PrintStation/PrintLink goes to sleep (low power mode). Printer automatically wakes when a new job
arrives.

Set Paper Tray Size

Set for the type of paper in the input tray. Exception is the 2nd tray. This tray displays the
tray setting.

Error Reset

Resets engine after error occurs

PrintStation 024-Specific Error Messages

Error Type

Error

Fuser Related

Abnormally Low Temps - Error with the fuser unit causing fuser unit temperature to be too
low.
Warm Up Abnormality - Error with fuser unit preventing fuser from reaching the ready
temperature.
Abnormally High Temps - Fuser unit temperature too high.
Note: Thermal protection devices will prevent the fuser from reaching extreme temperatures.
Since these devices are similar to fuses, they will prevent the fuser from warming up again.
The fuser may now indicate: Abnormally Low Temps following the Abnormally High
Temps error if the machine has been turned off.

Fan/Cooling Related
Malfunctions

Duplex Registration Guide

error

Fan 1 - Fixing Unit/Scanner Unit Fan.

Fan 2 - Power Supply Fan.
Fan 3 - Electrical Unit Fan.
Fan 4 - Fixing Unit Fan
Main Motor - Abnormal main motor revolutions. See Main Motor below.

Registration guide in the duplex unit is not moving correctly.

49

Error Type

Error

Scanner Motor

StartUp Malfunction - Laser scanner motor does not reach its specified speed at start up.
Rotation Failure - Laser scanner motor speed is abnormal.

Main Motor

Startup Malfunction - Error with the main motor starting.

Rotation Failure -Main motor rotation is abnormal or has failed.

BD Malfunction

Abnormality with the laser scanning.

BD Laser Malfunction

Laser light emission has failed or is abnormal.

Paper Input Illegal

Operation

Selected paper feed tray is not installed or not properly installed.

Paper Output Illegal

Paper destination not available.

MPT Lifter Malfunction

Lifter mechanism in the Manual Paper Tray is not lifting the paper or is lifting abnormally.

Jam Resolution

024

When a jam occurs, PrintStation button displays a jam indicator.

When a jam occurs:
1 Click on PrintStation button. Information will display to assist in locating the jam.
2 After the jammed page is removed, click Update. Depending on engine type, you may
need to close additional dialogs.

Maintenance
Printer Status Maintenance dialog displays PrintStation errors correctable by performing
maintenance.
To display Printer Status Maintenance errors:
1 Click PrintStation button.
2 Click Maintenance tab.
The table below describes conditions in the Printer Status Maintenance dialog.
Field/Control

Description

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous maintenance errors:

Optional Cassette Door is open.
Optional Cassette Feed Abnormality
MP Paper Size Mismatch
Test Print in Progress

Replacement Parts Errors

Replacement Parts Errors:

Waste Toner Box Full
Drum Not Installed
Fixing Oil Empty

Density Control Error

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black toner cartridge density control errors, and Sensor Errors.

Testing/Adjusting

Testing and Adjusting conditions:

Checking Photosensitive Drum
Image Density Control Performing
Running Initialization Check
Fuser Warming Up

Service
Printer Status Service dialog displays service errors that identify fixing unit, motor, and
50

other miscellaneous service problems.

To display Printer Status Service errors:
1 Click PrintStation button.
2 Click Service tab.
The table below describes conditions in the Printer Service dialog.
Field/Control

Description

Fixing Unit Errors

Fixing Unit service errors:

Fixing Unit Web Empty
Fixing Unit Not Installed
Fixing Unit Pump Failure)

Motor Failures

Motor Failure service errors:

Drum Motor
Controller Fan
Fixing Unit Fan
Electric Fan

Main Motor

Main Motor service errors:

Startup Error
Rotation Abnormality

Polygon Motor

Polygon Motor service errors:

Startup Error
Rotation Abnormality

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous service errors:

Printer ID Error
Power Supply Failure
BD Signal Incorrect

Unit Errors
Printer Status Unit Errors dialog displays unit errors that identify fixing unit, beam detector,
developer unit, and DC controller unit problems.
To display Printer Status Unit Errors:
1 Click PrintStation button.
2 Click Unit Errors tab.
The table below describes conditions in the Printer Status Unit Errors dialog.
Field/Control

Description

Fixing Unit

Fixing Unit errors:

Temp Low
Temp High
Warm-up Failure
Fixing Heater Cut Off
Fixing Off Timing Circuit Error

BD Errors

BD (Beam Detector) Errors:

BD Failure
Laser Failure

Developer Unit Errors

Developer Unit errors:

Rotation
Pressing/de-pressing

51

Field/Control

Description

DC Controller Failures

DC Controller Failures:
Memory
5V, 24V
Thermal/Humidity Sensor
Density Sensor
Communication
IC Chips

Miscellaneous
Printer Status Miscellaneous dialog displays miscellaneous Printer Status information that
identifies gloss levels, number of pages printed, current Printer Status, density settings and a
printer sleep option.
To display Printer Status Unit Errors:
1 Click PrintStation button.
2 Click Miscellaneous tab.
The table below describes conditions in the Printer Status Miscellaneous dialog.
Field/Control

Description

Gloss Level

Current gloss level for this PrintStation.

Note: Access the Gloss Level option in the Job Settings, Page Settings, or Virtual Engine
Defaults dialog.

Sleep After Last Page

Time period from the last printed page until the engine goes to sleep (low power mode).
Printer automatically wakes when a new job arrives.

Total Pages Printed

Total number of pages printed on this PrintStation (cannot be reset).

Page Counter:

Number of pages printed since the last time the Reset button was pushed.

Engine Firmware Revision

Version of the firmware in the PrintStation

Kernel Driver Version

Version of the drivers on the PrintStation.

Adapter Version

Version of the firmware on the PrintAdapter board.

Current Status

Following status information:

Fuser and Main Motor Sleeping
Ready Line
Quality Print Mode
Drum Past Life Expectancy

Current Density Settings

Current Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black toner density settings. The Current Density
Settings should display a value of zero (0). If not, you must manually reset them on the rear
panel of the PrintStation 312.

Gamma Calibration

Click the Gamma Calibration button to load a different .gam file or to save the current file
with another name.

Feed Tray
Trays page displays information about the media inputs for the PrintStation.
To display Feed Tray Status information:
1 Click PrintStation button.
2 Click Trays tab.
Note: Place the mouse cursor over a Tray Level status bar to see an estimate of media remaining in the

52

tray if this feature is supported for the engine.

Field/Control

Description

Feed Tray Status

Displays media levels, sizes and types for all input trays. Media Size for the MBT and
Media Type for all input trays can be set here.

Destination Tray Status

Displays the status of the output, or Destination, trays.

Tray Settings

Separators from: indicates which tray job or copy separators will be pulled from.
Empty Tray Switch Skips: From the drop-down list, select the paper source to skip if one
paper tray runs out of paper during printing.

Device
Device tab is used to make various settings for the PrintStation.
To display Device Status information:
1 Click PrintStation button.
2 Click Device tab.
Field/Control
Engine Settings

Description
Error Timeout Amount of time PrintStation waits before moving the job to another PrintStation.
Separators From Sets correct paper source to pull separator paper from.
MOP Limit Multiple Original Prints (MOP) allows multiple copies of a job to be printed
through the PSM at the printers rated speed. Rather than sending the job from the PSM
multiple times to be decompressed and processed for each copy, the job is sent once. The
job is then decompressed and saved to disk by the engine. Once the specified number of
copies have been printed, the file saved to disk is deleted. The limit number determines
the point at which MOP is turned off. In other words, with the number set at 300, jobs from
1 to 300 pages will be processed as described above. Jobs from 301 pages and greater
will be sent by the PSM to the engine for each copy of the job.
Sleep Timer Time period from the last printed page until the PrintStation/PrintLink goes
to sleep (low power mode). Printer automatically wakes when a new job arrives.
Error On Toner Low Selecting this option causes engine to stop printing when the toner
is empty rather than displaying a warning and continuing to print.

Settings
Printer Settings dialog is used to view and change various settings for the PrintStation.
To display Printer Settings information:
1 Click PrintStation button.
2 Click Settings tab.
Field/Control

Description

Error Timeout

Amount of time PrintStation waits before moving the job to another PrintStation.

Error on Toner Low

Selecting this option causes engine to stop printing when the toner is empty rather than
displaying a warning and continuing to print.

Separators from

Sets correct paper source from which to pull separator paper.

Empty Tray Switch Skips

From the drop-down list, select the paper source to skip if one paper tray runs out of paper
during printing.

Density

Current density setting of the PrintStation.

Sleep Timer

Time period from the last printed page until the PrintStation/PrintLink goes to sleep (low
power mode). Printer automatically wakes when a new job arrives.

Gamma Calibration

Click the Gamma Calibration button to display a dialog that shows the current gamma file or
load another file.

53

Non-Standard Paper Settings

This dialog is used to set the dimensions for non-standard paper sizes. Enter the lead and
side edge dimensions for paper in the trays displayed. The Image Adjustment button opens
the Non-Standard Paper Size Image Adjustment dialog. This dialog is used to correct the
paper feed so that the front and back surfaces of a duplexed, wide paper job are aligned in
the feed direction.

Browser
Some PrintStations have a web server embedded in their internal firmware. This enables
much information about the PrintStation to be displayed on the Browser tab page as a web
page.

54

Covers
The Covers page displays the name and status for covers, or doors, on the PrintStation. Status will indicate if the cover, or door, is properly positioned in order to function correctly.

Tab Setup
To display the Tab Setup dialog:
1. On the active VE click the PrintStation button.
2. Click the Tab Setup tab.
The table below describes the Tab Setup dialog.
Field/Control

Description

Tab Set

Banked Each tab position is offset. Banks should always be full sets and start at
position 1.
Not Banked Each tab is in the same position
See the following graphic example of Banked and Not Banked tab sets.

Bank Size

Number of tab positions in a set. Graphic following shows a Bank Size of 3.

Eject Tray

When resetting the tabs, the specified tray is used to send the ejected tab page

Source Tray Information

Tab Position Position of the tab on the tab page. If using a banked tab set, the only
option will be All. With tab sets that are not banked, each position in the set will be listed.
The result is placed in the lower window.
Note: for the 0110i, MP_TAB01 will be the media type for All in a Banked set. With a Not
Banked set, MP_TAB01, MP_TAB02, etc. would be listed with each corresponding to an
input tray. The MP_TAB0x (x = the number of an input tray) media names must be set up
through the 0110i Printer Monitor in the media catalog.
Feed Tray Tray from which Tabs will be pulled.
Add If using a Not Banked tab set, this box will list the tab positions based on the Bank
Size chosen. Make a selection from Position and Feed Tray, then click Add.
Reset Click to erase all selections.
Remove Click on the selection to be removed and then click the Remove button.

Banked Tabs

Not Banked

Engine Density
A slight color change in one PrintStation may be needed to lock in accurate balance for all
PrintStations. For this reason, modify the Engine Density and/or Engine Exposure Adjust to
fine-tune calibrations. From these dialogs, you can quickly change a PrintStations color
and apply it to all current and future jobs. Developer bias voltage is adjusted on the Engine
55

Density tab. Laser power voltage is adjusted on the Engine Exposure Adjust tab. See also
Brightness/Contrast on page 17.

Engine Exposure Adjust

See Engine Density on page 55.

Engine Margin Offsets

Use this dialog to set the default Margin Offsets at the engine level. Settings made here will
be added to any set on the job level Margin Offsets dialog, see Page Range Settings on
page 16. For example, if 1mm Top and Left are set on this dialog and on the job level Margin
Offsets dialog, the offset will be 2mm total. Settings may be adjusted for both the Feeder and
Cassette. The input source selected will be the one used for all jobs.

Color Insertion Tray

Pre-printed color pages may be placed in the assigned tray to be inserted into the correct
location within a job as it prints.
Field/Control

Description

Tray

Select the tray from which the pages will be pulled.

Media

Select the media type on which the job should be printed.

Support
Support page displays contact information for technical support purposes.

OPC Connected Devices

An OPC VE (Open Printer Connection Virtual Engine) provides PSM connectivity to virtually
any PCL (Level 4 or higher) compatible printer. An OPC VE is fully supported by the MicroPress. The OPC VE will function similarly to any other VE but with the following limitations:
No tray selection will always auto-select trays
No printer status will be available
No error handling
Monochrome printing only
No finishing options
Job Separators print to Letter paper only
Resolving problems for an output device connected to a MicroPress Server via an OPC VE
depends on the type of device. If the connected device is a PrintStation/PrintLink, refer to the
previous sections. If it is a non-MicroPress device, refer to documentation provided by the
devices manufacturer or your network administrator.
Note: If ERROR 21 is reported, it means the data is too complex for the printer to process while printing
concurrently. Correct the problem by enabling Page Protection on the printer if it is available and the
printer is equipped with adequate memory.

For configuring a device to function with an OPC VE, see PrintStation Manager Configuration
Reference Manual.

56

OPC Summary
Printer Status Summary dialog displays the status of the PrintStation (i.e.,
errors and other specific information).
To display Printer Status Summary information:
Click the PrintStation button.

The table below describes fields on the

OPC Engine Summary dialog.

Field/Control

Description

Name

Output device currently connected. You can select without going through PSM Config.

Status

Indicates the online status of the PrintStation.

Type

Output device type.

Where

Output device queue.

Comment

Information about the device.

Location

Information about the physical location of the device. Comment and Location information is
manually entered using the Windows Printer Properties dialog (Start
SettingsPrinters, then open the selected printers Properties dialog).

Properties

Displays settings for the currently selected output device.

View Jobs

Displays the Windows print spooler dialog.

Refresh

Updates information on the dialog.

Disable

Disables the printer in PSM only. It will remain available to users connected to the printer
via other connections.

Connect

Displays a dialog to browse for and connect to any available PCL printer on the network.

Custom PJL Support

Hewlett Packard developed PJL (Printer Job Language) to allow application programs to
have job-level control of print jobs sent to print devices supporting PJL. PJL commands are
not always standardized (and often proprietary), and PJL commands (or documentation) for
a manufacturer's print device are generally available only to developers.
OPC VE was developed to allow MicroPress users the ability to utilize their existing print
devices in the MicroPress environment. However, there is no two-way communication
between the print device and the MicroPress. Since the type of print device is unknown to the
MicroPress only the least common denominator is supported. Unfortunately, this does not
enable end-users to take advantage of any special features of the print device (e.g., finishing). The custom PJL support allows end-users to insert PJL commands into the command
string sent to the print device by the MicroPress, giving control over the print device not
directly supported by OPC VE.
The PJL command stream is a series of commands sent to the print device before any page
data is sent. These commands control what the print device will do at the job level.
To enter a new command:
1 Select an OPC VE.
2 Select Virtual EngineEngine Defaults... from the menu.
3 Click Custom PJL button.

57

5
6

On the row displaying an *, click in the

PJL Variable column and enter the variable (i.e., FINISH).
Click in the adjacent Value column and
enter the appropriate value (i.e., ON).
Click OK when finished.

Note: All physical engines in the virtual engine "cluster" will use these PJL commands. Confirm that all physical
engines support the PJL commands.

To edit or remove a value pair, first select it, then change the data or click Remove Item.

e-PSM
e-PSM is similar to the PSM in appearance
and functionality. The menus are dropdown lists rather than PSMs standard
menus. e-PSMs toolbar has fewer buttons,
and the virtual engine buttons are at the
bottom of the browser window. If enabled,
e-PSM will support 25 clients.
Some commands work identically, others
vary slightly or may not be available at all.

PSM Functionality Available in e-PSM

The table below lists the menu items available to e-PSM users.
Menu

Command

File

Exit

Virtual Engine

58

Pause/Resume See Pause or Resume a Virtual Engine on page 6

Resynch See Resynch Jobs on page 6
Engine Defaults Virtual and Physical Engine Defaults are read only. The settings may be
viewed but not changed. See Engine Defaults on page 7
View Job Details See Job List Window on page 3
View Job Name Only See Job List Window on page 3

Menu
Job

Command
Info See Info... on page 11
- Output Options See Output Options on page 14
- Finishing Options See Finishing Options on page 12
- Margin Offsets available only for the wide format engines See Page Range Settings
on page 16
- Brightness/Contrast See Brightness/Contrast on page 17
- Color Adjust See Color Adjust on page 18
- Page Settings See Page Settings on page 20
- Annotations See Annotations on page 21
Hold/Suspend cannot suspend active jobs or resume suspended jobs See Hold/Suspend on page 22
Print See Print on page 22
Merge See Merge on page 23
Imposition See Imposition on page 29
Tumble See Tumble on page 34

View

System Events See System Events on page 37

Window

Refresh See Resynch Jobs on page 6

Tools

Options
Show background image
Enable splash screen at startup

Help

About

The toolbar contains the following buttons:

Button

Function
Job Info

Hold/Suspend

Print

Merge

Pause/Resume

Refresh

59

PSM Functionality Not Available in e-PSM

The following commands and features are not available to users of e-PSM:

Abort
Archiving
Chapters
Delete
Forms
Move

Numbering
Preview
Ticketing
No right-click menus
Jobs may only be modified by one user
at any time

Glossary
The following table identifies and defines terms as they apply to the PrintStation Manager.
Term

Definition

Archive

Compress and store a job in a file format that can be saved to back up media, or
transferred across the Internet.

Clear All

Deletes all information displayed in the Program Execution Log window.

Print Job

A job in the PrintStation Manager. The job is already processed (RIPed) and is now ready
to print.

PrintStation

Physical print engine.

Source

Paper tray that will supply the printer when printing.

Title Bar

Displays the name of an application or application window.

Virtual Engine

Collection of one or more PrintStations created in the PrintStation Manager Configuration

application.

Virtual Printer

Set of characteristics created in the MicroPress RIP application that define the output
settings applied to incoming jobs.

Toolbar

Button icons that provide immediate access to the more frequently used commands.

User Manual
MicroSpool
www.minoltaeurope.com

The essentials of imaging

Copyright 19952001 T/R Systems, Inc.

All Rights Reserved
Reproduction, adaptation, or translation without prior written permission is prohibited, except as allowed
under the copyright laws.
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. T/R Systems makes no
warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. T/R Systems shall not be liable for errors contained
herein or for incidental or consequential damage in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use
of this material.
T/R Systems, MicroPress, M@estro, e-Ticket, MicroImager and other T/R Systems' product names are
registered trademarks or trademarks of T/R Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Portions of this product were created using LEADTOOLS 1991-2001, LEAD Technologies, Inc. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.
Portions hereof include TextBridge OCR Copyright Xerox Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
LZW data compression technology licensed under U.S. Patent No. 4,558,302
All other company and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners in the United States and other countries.

The following marks are used in this manual:

Indicates precautions that must be observed to prevent possible personal injury or damage
to equipment or malfunctioning of software.

Indicates notes and memos containing additional or detailed information.

Indicates useful tips.

Table of Contents
What is MicroSpool?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MicroSpool Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Key Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Understanding Queues and Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Why Have More Than One Queue? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

MicroSpool Startup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Understanding the MicroSpool Main Screen Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Job List Window Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Display Jobs Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Working with Queues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Displaying Information About an Input Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Understanding Queue Balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Pausing Jobs From a Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Printer Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Pausing a Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Resuming a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Resetting and Restarting a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Downloading Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Viewing Job Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Changing a Jobs Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Using Job Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Placing a Job on Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sending a Job to the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Removing Print Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Removing All Jobs in the Job List Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Scheduling Print Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Moving Jobs to Another Print Queue or Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
To move a job to another print queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
To drag and drop a job to another print queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Dragging and Dropping Within a Virtual Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Job Accounting and System Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

To display the Accounting information for all MicroSpool jobs: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Displaying System Event Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Exiting MicroSpool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
MicroSpool Supports the Image Management Server and OPI . . . . 9
Understanding Macintosh Query Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Downloading Fonts with MicroSpool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
General Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
MicroSpool Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
iii

What is MicroSpool?
An OPI Spooler that utilizes a central server (rather than individual workstations) to manage
printing and image management tasks. MicroSpool accepts print jobs quickly and spools to
disk for faster workstation release. With MicroSpool, you can print to the MicroPress PrintStations and networked PostScript printers, and built-in AppleTalk queues appear to AppleTalk workstations in the same way as LaserWriterseliminating the need for special
workstation software.

MicroSpool Features

Workflow production streamlining

through efficient print job scheduling
and monitoring
Job handling functions include rearranging, assigning to different output
devices, putting on hold, canceling,
scheduling, removing
One-click job routing to send a job/s
from any application to any MicroSpool
queue with the Macintosh Chooser or
Windows Print Manager
Power routing functions let you send
multiple jobs to multiple RIPs (See
Sending a Job to the Printer on
page 7 for more details)
Temporary storage area for queued
print jobs

Resource gathering (e.g., font, proc

set) from supported printers at startup,
maintains the information for responding to queries from intelligent printer
drivers
Powerful job accounting functions
track all print jobs according to user,
spool time, print time, job size, and
pages printed
System event tracking
Flexible output capabilities enable
printing to:
a MicroPress Virtual Printer
AppleTalk Network Printer
Directory on the MicroPress Server
hard drive or Microsoft Network

Key Benefits

Speed
No Blocking
OPI Server Functions
Reprint Capability

Resource Sharing
Drag and Drop
Job Status Display
Preflight Capabilities

Understanding Queues and Devices

MicroSpool queues look like printers on the network but, unlike standard printers, can accept
an unlimited number of jobs from multiple workstations simultaneously. MicroSpool queues
drive the output devices they publish to. A queue receives all print jobs quickly, processes
them with pre-defined commands, and sends them to the output device
You can configure queues to retain jobs after printing or when an error occurs, eliminating the
need to return to the workstation to reprint a job. With MicroSpool, you can store printer fonts
in a centralized location for sharing among configured output devices.
You can set up MicroSpool queues with assigned priorities to print jobs in order of importance. You can configure queues with Preamble or Postamble options that run specialized
PostScript commands, routines, or procedures to a job before or after printing.

Why Have More Than One Queue?

With MicroSpool, you can create up to 64 queues to distribute among printers (we recommend 16 or fewer). For example: You might want to send jobs from both Macintosh and Windows workstations to the same printer. You can also set up queues for commonly-used RIP
settings. You can create two queuesone for 1200 dpi, one for 2400 dpi output.

MicroSpool Startup
When you launch MicroSpool, a
splash screen appearsPlease
wait: Initializing Printers And Input
Queuesuntil all queues have
registered on the network. The registration process takes 10-15 seconds, though the number of queues
defined affects this time period.

Understanding the MicroSpool

Main Screen Display

n
o

The graphic at right shows the

MicroSpool main screen with its various panels and fields (described in
detail below).

Always launch MicroPress applications in this order:

RIP
PrintStation Manager
MicroSpool

Job List Window Fields

See n on above graphic. The MicroSpool main screen displays a job list window with all jobs
scheduled to output to a particular output device.
Field/Control

Description

Job Name

Name of job sent to the print queue

Status

Current state of the job

User

Network name of the workstation that sent the job; NoName appears if no user name is
indicated

Size

Size of the job bytes (a question mark means the job is still spooling)

Printer Queue

Queue to which the workstation sent the job

Display Jobs Window

See o on above graphic. Click check boxes beside job types to include in the Job List window. The number beside each job type gives the number of jobs of that type. The table below
lists the different states in which the jobs display. Note: Letters in bold type are listed under
Status in the Job List Window.

Field/Control

Description

Waiting

W: job waiting to be printed

On Hold

H: job being held to print later

Balanced

B: job automatically moved to another queue to be printed

Error

E: an error has occured

Processed/Printed

P: job successfully spooled to the RIP or printed

Scheduled

S: job scheduled to print at specific day/time

The status column displays >> for jobs that are Printing or Active. You cannot change
options for the Printing or Active state in the Display Jobs check box area.

Toolbar
The Toolbar provides easy access to the most
frequently used commands. To hide or display the tool bar, select ViewTool Bar from
the main menu.
Field/Control

Description

Job Info

Displays general information about the selected job. See Viewing Job Information on
page 6

Hold

Sets the selected job, that is not currently printing, in Hold state (until you manually
release it). See Placing a Job on Hold on page 7

Print

Sends a job to the printer. See Sending a Job to the Printer on page 7

Schedule

Schedules a job to print by date and time. See Scheduling Print Jobs on page 7

Move

Moves the selected job from one Virtual Printer to another. See To move a job to another
print queue on page 7

Delete

Removes a job from MicroSpool. See Removing Print Jobs on page 7

Pause/
Resume

Prevents or starts a job printing to the active printer. This option will not affect the currently
printing job. When the Pause/Resume light is green, the Virtual Printer is ready to print.
When the Pause/Resume light is red, the Virtual Printer is paused and will not print. See
Pausing a Printer on page 5 and Resuming a Printer on page 5

Status Bar
The Status Bar at the bottom of the MicroSpool main dialog displays various messages.
To hide or display the status bar, select ViewStatus Bar from the main menu.

Working with Queues

The Printer Window lists all queues configured for a particular output device. If more than
four queues are configured for a single printer, click the arrow buttons on the right-hand side
of the window to scroll.
Displaying Information About an Input Queue
To display information about any of the
input queues configured for a printer:
In the Queues Supplying This
Printer panel, click the queue for
which you want information.

Field/Control

Description

Published Name

Queue name that will appear in the Macintosh Chooser or Windows

Print Manager

Acknowledged Fonts

Fonts MicroSpool acknowledges:

if you select Use Server Fonts option in the Configuration setup
options, MicroSpool acknowledges all fonts stored on the server
if you do not select Use Server Fonts, MicroSpool acknowledges only
the fonts currently resident in the RIP

SpoolPath

Where print jobs are stored until processed or deleted.

Preamble

PostScript instructionsautomatically downloaded to a printer before a

print job

Postamble

PostScript instructions, routines, or procedures automatically

downloaded to a printer after a print job

Pause Jobs From This Queue

Pauses jobs for the queue

Understanding Queue Balancing

MicroSpool uses queue balancing for queues configured with identical printers and setup to
share print jobs. Example: Queue A and Queue B are configured with identical output
devices. Queue A is busy with several new jobs, but Queue B is idle. If queues A and B are
configured to balance all the active jobs, Queue B will accept the next active job from Queue
A. The queue balancing relationship is one-way. You may set up Queue A to be balanced by
Queue B; however, for queue B to balance queue A, you must set up Queue B to be balanced by Queue A.
Pausing Jobs From a Queue
1
2
3

Select a queue from the Queues Supplying This Printer panel of the MicroSpool
Main Screen to open the Queue Information dialog box.
Click the Pause Jobs From This Queue check box.
Click OK. Note: The bars on the queue button on the main screen
will turn red.

Printer Status
The Printer Status Line in the lower portion of the main screen displays the
printers status. Status is updated every few seconds while jobs are printing.
icroPress printers may have a status of:
Idle printer available and not in use
Working printer currently printing

Other PostScript printer statuses:

Offline printer unavailable
Online printer available

Pausing a Printer
Pausing a printer prevents jobs from being sent to it. Queues feeding the printer will continue
to accept jobs, which will be held until the printer is resumed. The printer, once Paused, will
complete any job already printing before responding to the Pause command.
1 Click a printer window. The active
window is highlighted.
2 Select PrinterPause from the main
menu (or click the Pause button on
the main screen). The printer window
title bar displays Paused and the
printer will remain paused until you
resume printing.
Resuming a Printer
1
2

Click the printer window.

Select PrinterResume from the main menu (or click the Resume button on the main
screen). The printer is activated, and all waiting jobs are processed.

Resetting and Restarting a Printer

Reset or restart a printer when you receive an unrecoverable error during printing. Both
actions remove data from the buffer so it becomes available to retry or process a new job.
Check with your system administrator about when to reset or restart a printer.
To reset or restart a printer:
1 Click the printer window.
2 Select PrinterReset from the main menu to reset the printer, or select PrinterRestart to restart the printer. The printer resets or restarts. Refer to the Troubleshooting
section on unrecoverable errors.
Resetting a printer flushes the printers memory buffer. Reset may flush downloaded fonts and
PostScript commands from the printers memory. When you select Restart, the printer goes
through the start-up sequence. Restart may include testing the different systems within the
printer. Reset and Restart have no effect on the MicroSpool application.

Use the Restart option only when necessary. This option may require a lot of time to complete. If the printer is locked up from a communication error, cycle the printer OFF and
then ON again with the printers power switch.

Downloading Files
To download PostScript files from a disk into a queue:
1 Select a printer window.
2 Select PrinterDownload File from the main menu.
3 On the Choose PostScript File
dialog, select the drive, directory, and job to download.
4 Click OK. The file is downloaded to the specified printer.
Note: Downloading a file does not
allow you to specify which queue to
route the job through. It will always
send the file to the first queue in
the active Virtual Printer window.
Once the file is in MicroSpool, it
can be dragged and dropped into
the desired queue. The file can
also be dragged and dropped into the destination queue from the Explorer.

Viewing Job Information

To view job information about the currently selected job:
1 Select a job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobInfo... from the main menu.
The print job information gives general
information about the selected file.
Note: The following information is not always
available. The precise information is determined by the originating application.

Click Close.

Changing a Jobs Priority

Change a jobs priority to determine when the
job is to print in relation to the priority of other
waiting or scheduled jobs.
1 Select a job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobInfo... from the main menu. The print job information box displays general
information about the selected file.
3 Click the down arrow in the Priority field and choose the priority for the job.

Using Job Find

Use Find to locate any job in MicroSpool by name or by user name.
1 Select JobFind from the main screen to open the Find
Job dialog.
2 Select search by Job Name or User Name. Enter a text
string or an * to list all jobs.
3 Click Find.

Removing Print Jobs

4
5
6

Click OK. If a match is found, a Job List dialog shows Job Name, User, and Virtual
Printer.
Click Find to activate the Virtual Printer with the job.
Click Close.

Placing a Job on Hold

1
2

Select a job from the job list window.

Select JobHold from the main menu (or click the Hold button on the Tool Bar on the
main screen). The job will stay on hold until you manually resume it.

Sending a Job to the Printer

You can send any job to the printer, regardless of the jobs status (including Hold). You can
process multiple jobs simultaneously if multiple RIPs are licensed, installed, and running. No
additional setup is required. MicroSpool detects all running RIPs and sends jobs to them as
the RIPs become available until all jobs complete.
1 Select a job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobPrint from the main menu (or click the Print button on the Tool Bar on the
main screen) to send the job to the print queue.

Removing Print Jobs

Use Delete Job to remove jobs from MicroSpool. Deleting a job removes it from the disk.
1 Select a job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobDelete from the main menu (or click the Delete Jobs button on the Tool
Bar on the main screen). The job is deleted from the printer queue and no longer displays in the Job List Window.

Removing All Jobs in the Job List Window

Use Delete All to remove all jobs currently displayed in the Job List Window.
1 Select JobDelete All from the main menu. A warning dialog box displays delete
confirmation options.
2 Click OK to delete all jobs in the Job List Window.

Scheduling Print Jobs

You can schedule jobs to print by date and time up to six days from the current date.
1 Select a job from the Job List Window.
2 Select JobSchedule from the main
menu (or click the Schedule Jobs button
on the Tool Bar on the main screen).
3 Select the day and time to be scheduled
for printing and click OK.

Moving Jobs to Another Print Queue or Printer

To move a job to another print queue
1

Select a job from the Job List Window.

2
3
4

Select JobMove from the main menu (or click the Move Job button on the Tool Bar
on the main screen).
On the Move dialog, select the queue to move
the job to.
Click OK.

To drag and drop a job to another print queue

1
2
3
4

Open the print queue you want to move the job to.
Open the print queue you want to move the job
from.
Click a job from the Job List Window.
Drag the job and drop it
into the desired print queue
under the heading Queues
Supplying This Printer.
The Printer Queue column
displays the new (current)
queue for the moved job.
Note: If you drag-and-drop a
job to a printer window
instead of a queue, the job will
move to the first (default)
queue.

Dragging and Dropping Within

a Virtual Printer
To drag-and-drop a waiting job to
another place in a print queue:
1 Click a Waiting job in a
printer window.
2 Drag the job and drop it at the desired place in the print queue among the other waiting
jobs. The printer window shows the Waiting job in the new position.
Note: You can only rearrange the order of a list of waiting jobs.

Job Accounting and System Events

MicroSpool tracks all print jobs according to user, spool time, print time, job size, and pages
printed. Accounting information for all MicroSpool jobs are stored in a tab-delimited text file
you can import into a database or spreadsheet application.
To display the Accounting information for all MicroSpool jobs:

Select ViewAccounting from the main

menu to open the Accounting Log dialog
with spooler activity for the day.
Information in the Accounting Log dialog
includes:
a description of the job
the user who submitted the job
the printer to which the job was sent

the number of pages

the date and time the job was printed
the date and time the job was sent
total RIP time (in seconds)

Displaying System Event Information

MicroSpool tracks system events,
which you can use as a troubleshooting tool when errors occur.
1 Select ViewSystem Events.
2 Click Save As.... You can save
the log file to a specified directory.
OR
Click Clear Event Log.

Exiting MicroSpool
Select File from the menu bar, and then select Exit. (All print jobs will be saved.)

MicroSpool Supports the Image Management Server and OPI

The MicroPress Image Management Server
(IMS) software tool allows you to easily manage large high-resolution image files and
automatically create small low-resolution
versions of them.
With MicroPress MicroSpool, you can
replace high-resolution images in a pagelayout program with lower-resolution versions to expedite the printing process and
localize image storage. This feature is called
Open Prepress Interface (OPI) Image
Replacement or Automatic Picture Replacement. IMS provides the advantages of OPI
when using non-OPI aware applications.
IMS generates low-resolution placement
files from high-resolution image files. When
a print job containing a low-resolution placement file is sent to MicroSpool for output, the
low-resolution placement files are replaced
with their high-resolution counterparts.
MicroSpool, MicroSpool OPI, and/or IMS
support the following image file formats:
Encapsulated Postscript (EPS)

Desktop Color Separations (DCS)

Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
In order to utilize the MicroSpool OPI and
IMS picture replacement functions, you must
first set up Services for Macintosh on the
Windows NT Server. Services for Macintosh
is a component of Windows NT Server.
When you set up Services for Macintosh, PC
users and Macintosh users can share files
and other resources, such as printing
devices, through the computer running Windows NT Server.
See the Windows NT Server Services for
Macintosh Guide for more information about
installing Services for Macintosh, the IMS
Reference Manual for Creating a Macintosh
Volume on the Windows NT Server and
Accessing the Windows NT Server from
your Macintosh.
For detailed information on IMS, OPI, and
supported file formats, see the IMS Reference Manual.

Understanding Macintosh Query Handling

When printing, Macintosh workstations use
queries to generate the most efficient PostScript for the current print job description.
For example, when a font is used in a print
job, the Macintosh queries the printer to see
if the font exists. Fonts not found on the
printer are downloaded with the job from the
Macintosh workstation. Fonts found on the
printer are not sent from the Macintosh
workstation and job data transmission is
much faster.
A Macintosh workstation LaserWriter driver
typically uses PostScript to query the printer
for information. In turn, the Raster Image
Processor (RIP) interprets the PostScript
query.
When MicroSpool is in use, the PostScript
query does not pass through the spooler to

the printer. Instead, MicroSpool collects

resource information about each printer and
makes it available to AppleTalk workstation
queries. At startup, MicroSpool sends PostScript Printer Description (PPD) and fontlist
queries to each PostScript device it controls,
including AppleTalk network printers and
MicroPress Virtual Engines.
PPD and fontlist query results are saved in
two separate files. The PPDRESP.CUR contains general information about the output
device including Resolution, LanguageLevel, FreeVM, etc. The FONTRESP.CUR contains a list of fonts that can
respond to fontlist queries. MicroSpool
updates this information periodically to
ensure current information is available to
AppleTalk clients.

MicroSpool does not store information about disk locations because printers are not
associated with disk output destinations.

Downloading Fonts with MicroSpool

You can configure MicroSpool to store printer fonts. Using MicroSpool to store fonts eliminates the need to download fonts with every print job, which saves printer Virtual Memory.
MicroSpool will check both the printer fonts and the server fonts (in that order) when it
receives a query from a workstation. Saved fonts are excluded from the job stream, and
MicroSpool automatically inserts the font before sending the job to an output destination.
To set up font storage, select the Use Server Fonts option when configuring or changing the
configuration of a queue in MicroSpool Configuration. Restart MicroSpool to enable font
downloading. MicroSpool supports Adobe Font Downloader 5.0.5.
MicroSpool enables you to store Type 1 fonts on the MicroPress Server hard drive. Use the Adobe
Font Downloader 5.0.5 (only downloader currently supported because of its exacting use of PostScript comments) to download Type 1 fonts to any queue configured to "Use Server Fonts."
MicroSpool keeps track of the fonts on the server and will respond positively to any query for
these fonts. Also, if a print job needs one of these fonts, MicroSpool will automatically add the font
to the job while it is being sent to the printer (or the RIP in the case of MicroPress)if the print
job contains proper PostScript comments.

Help
The Help menu contains the following items:
Indexstarts the MicroSpool Help

10

About...displays the About dialog box.

The System Info button provides information about memory usage, versions of .DLL

files and their locations, and other information required when contacting Technical Support. This button is available in all MicroPress applications.

Troubleshooting
General Diagnostics
MicroSpool interacts with other network devices. So, when evaluating a potential problem,
first check network cables, routers, bridges, file servers, and printers. MicroSpools performance can be impaired if other network components are malfunctioning. Answer the following questions before concluding that the job (or problem) is specific to MicroSpool:
1
2
3
4

Will the job print successfully to a printer? If you can bypass MicroSpool and
achieve output from a printer then rule out workstation or network problems.
Will the job print successfully from another workstation? If not, rule out workstation problems.
Does printing a job to PostScript and downloading it to MicroSpool make it possible to spool successfully? If so, rule out problems with the job.
Does MicroSpool support the LaserWriter driver being used? MicroSpool currently
supports the following LaserWriter drivers:
LaserWriter 7.2
LaserWriter 8.1.1
LaserWriter 8.2
LaserWriter 8.2.2

LaserWriter 8.3
LaserWriter 8.3.2
LaserWriter 8.3.3
LaserWriter 8.3.4

MicroSpool Diagnostics
You can identify most MicroSpool problems through common troubleshooting methods. Refer
to table below for quick solutions to common problems.
When This Problem Exists

Follow These Steps

Queues Are Not Visible On The

Network

1
2
3
4

MicroSpool Does Not Display

Jobs That Have Spooled
Successfully

1 If using a Macintosh, background printing should be off.

2 Is the appropriate queue selected? Make sure the destination queue is visible to display jobs.
3 Be sure the jobs were sent directly to a printer.
4 Does MicroSpool display the job in an Error state? Make sure that Error jobs
are selected to display in the Job List Window.
5 Assure all job type check boxes are checked.

MicroSpool Displays The Job In

An Error (E) State

1 Double-click the job to identify the error.

2 Check the System Events to access error results.
3 If outputting to MicroPress RIP, check to see if Inputs have been started
(RIP-Start Inputs) and refer to the MicroPress RIP Reference Manual.

Make sure MicroSpool is running.

If using a Macintosh, make sure the selected zone is correct.
Check the network connection, routers, cables, and hardware.
If you identify a network problem, refer to the NT Server Installation Guide
for information.

11

When This Problem Exists

Follow These Steps

The Job Does Not Display In An

Active State

1 Make sure printer is not paused.

2 Make sure queue is not paused.
3 Is the target printer busy? The printer will not accept a new job if it is currently printing.
4 Check whether the RIP is busy. The MicroPress RIP processes only one job
at a time.

Images Are Missing From The

Printed Document

1 Many page layout programs have image options. Make sure the application
is instructed to include images or the correct OPI options are selected.
2 Be sureimages are placed in the correct directory.

Waiting Jobs do not Print when

Stoplight is Green

1 Make sure printer window in question is in foreground.

2 Make sure queue in question is not paused.
3 MicroPress RIP can only accept one job at a time and it may already be processing a job for a different Virtual Printer.
4 Connection to the RIP (another printer) may be active.

Jobs are not retained (go to

Printed state) after successful
printing

1 Assure that the queue in question is configured to Retain Jobs after printing.
2 Make sure Printed check box is checked.

When downloading files, file

does not show up in file open
dialog.

Assure proper file type displays in List files of type: window.

When downloading files, files

do not show up in printer
window.

1 With MicroSpool, you can only download PostScript files.

2 Assure correct printer is active window.

Cannot drag-and-drop jobs to

rearrange print order.

You can rearrange only Waiting Jobs by drag-and-drop.

drag-and-dropping jobs to
another printer results in jobs
being listed in incorrect queue.
MicroSpool queues do not
show up in multiple zones.
Queue is not published and /or
not displayed as queue button
in printer window
When setting up a Print
Manager connection, the
message Invalid Port is
displayed.

1 Dropping jobs on job list window results in jobs being assigned to default
printer. The default printer is the first queue button (left-most queue button.)
2 All visible queue buttons are also drop targets.
MicroSpool publishes queues in NT Server default zone. (You can set this
from Services For Macintosh configuration in the Network Control Panel.)
1 Make sure queue is not disabled from MicroSpool Configuration.
2 Make sure input queue is proper type: AppleTalk or Print Manager.
Make sure MicroSpool is running while setting up connection in Print Manager.

Glossary
Term

Definition

Desktop Color Separations

(DCS)

Pre-separated EPS file with cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) files and
a fifth file for document placement. This fifth file is a low-resolution image that
reduces documentfile size for faster processing.

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)

Common high-resolution graphics file format.

Image Management Server

(IMS)

Software tool that allows you to easily manage large high-resolution image files and
automatically create small low-resolution versions of them.

12

Glossary

Term

Definition

Macintosh-accessible volume

Directory created on the computer running Windows NT Server available to

Macintosh clients. Macintosh-accessible volumes shared with PCs make file
exchange possible for Macintosh and PC users. You can create Macintoshaccessible volumes from the MacFile menu in File Manager.

Open Prepress Interface (OPI)

Ability to replace high-resolution images in a page layout program with lowerresolution ones to expedite printing and localize image file storage. IMS offers the
advantages of OPI when using non-OPI aware applications.

Proc Set (or Prep File)

Collection of PostScript commands used by some applications or printer drivers.

Queue

List of documents sent by a user waiting to print. MicroSpool can handle up to 16

queues managing 8 printers.

Spooler

Hardware or software that intercepts a print job on its way to the printer. A spooler
typically accepts the job as fast as the client can send it. It stores the job and prints it
when the printer becomes available.

Tagged Image File Formats

(TIFF)

Files used for exchanging bitmap images between applications. These images have
usually been scanned in color, line art (black & white), or gray scale.

Virtual Engine

One or more PrintStations created in the PrintStation Manager Configuration

application.

Virtual Printer

Set of characteristics created in the MicroPress RIP application that define the output
settings applied to incoming jobs.

13

User Manual
RIP
www.minoltaeurope.com

The essentials of imaging

Copyright 19952001 T/R Systems, Inc.

All Rights Reserved
Reproduction, adaptation, or translation without prior written permission is prohibited, except as allowed
under the copyright laws.
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. T/R Systems makes no
warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. T/R Systems shall not be liable for errors contained
herein or for incidental or consequential damage in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use
of this material.
T/R Systems, MicroPress, M@estro, e-Ticket, MicroImager and other T/R Systems' product names are
registered trademarks or trademarks of T/R Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Portions of this product were created using LEADTOOLS 1991-2001, LEAD Technologies, Inc. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.
Portions hereof include TextBridge OCR Copyright Xerox Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
LZW data compression technology licensed under U.S. Patent No. 4,558,302
Some ICC Profiles created using software under License from Monaco Systems, Inc.
Portions Copyright 2001 URW++. All Rights Reserved
Imaging Technology provided under License by AccuSoft Corporation. ImageGear 1996-2001 by
AccuSoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
All other company and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners in the United States and other countries.
The following marks are used in this manual:
Indicates precautions that must be observed to prevent possible personal injury or damage
to equipment or malfunctioning of software.

Indicates notes and memos containing additional or detailed information.

Indicates useful tips.

Table of Contents
What is the MicroPress RIP? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What does the MicroPress RIP offer?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What is the MicroPress? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The MicroPress RIP Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The MicroPress RIP Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1
1
3
4

Running MicroPress RIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Starting MicroPress RIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Toolbar Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Menus affected by optional features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configuring the MicroPress RIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stopping the MicroPress RIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5
5
5
6
6
6

MP-RIP Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Print File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Page Setup Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Page Setup Manager Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Edit Page Setup Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Edit Page Setup Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Configure RIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Configure RIP Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Configure RIP Extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Device Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Input Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Input Controller Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Input Channel Edit Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Input Controller Edit Dialog Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Start Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Executive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
About the MicroPress RIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Memory Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Edit Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Device Menu (Preview, TIFF, MicroPress devices) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Device Menu Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Color Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Separations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
New / Copy Style dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Edit Style dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Possible problems with output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Color Setup Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Color Management Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Emulation/Proofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Color Setup Manager Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

iii

Color Setup Dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Color Setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Loading the Color Setup into the RIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Install ICC Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Media Manager and Cassette Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Trapping Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Trapping Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Misregistration and Visible Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Creating Trapsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Edit Trapping Parameters Dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Special Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Calibration Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Calibration Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Tone Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Calibration (Dot Gain) Manager Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Edit Uncalibrated Target Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Table of Calibration Sets and Tone Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Loading a Calibration Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Using the "ToneCurveThumbnails" RIP feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Print Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Print Calibration Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
DOT MC, DOTCMYK and DOT RGB Program Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Media Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Hold and Reprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Supplied Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Types of Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pre-Loading Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Substituting Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Install Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proof Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delete Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55
55
55
55
56
57
57
57

Print File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Kill Current Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Stop Printing File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Abort Printing File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Input Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Kill Current Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Stop Input Queue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Abort Input Queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Appendix A, Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

iv

Problems starting the MicroPress RIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Problems Involving Memory or Disk Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Problems with Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Problems with Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Problems with Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
RIP Monitor Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Problems Involving Disk Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Problems Involving Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Problems involving Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Appendix B, Backup and Restore the MicroPress RIP . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Backup the MicroPress RIP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Restore the MicroPress RIP Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Backup RIP Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Restore RIP Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61
61
62
62

Appendix C, Resetting/Creating Virtual Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Resetting All Virtual Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Creating a Virtual Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Virtual Printer Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Enabling QuadLevel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Creating Queues Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Appendix D, Composite Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Installing/Removing Composite Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Using Composite Fonts Efficiently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Appendix E, Setting Print Options for Individual Pages in a Document 65

Appendix F, B/W and Color Splitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Appendix G, Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

vi

What is the MicroPress RIP?

The MicroPress RIP (Raster Image Processor) is a PostScript language compatible interpreter. MicroPress RIP rasterizes postscript and other file types for printing using three basic
functions (Input, Configuration, and Output), each with a corresponding software tool.

Input
Input Controller - provides various
input sources including AppleTalk,
MicroSpool pipe, and NT pipe
Print file - downloads PostScript
files directly
Configuration
Configure RIP - used to set RIP
system settings and add RIP extras
such as ICC and TrapWorks
Page Setup Manager - defines how
the RIP processes jobs including

resolution, screening, page features, calibration, tone curves, and

printing effects (rotate, scaling, etc.)
Calibration Manager - manages
calibration curves, Tone Curves
Color Setup Manager - installs and
manages ICC profiles
Cassette Manager - sets cassette
or wide-format roll size
Output
Device Manager - connects the
MicroPress RIP to output devices

A number of utilities exist for creating, configuring, backing up, and restoring RIP settings. See Appendix B, Backup and Restore the MicroPress RIP on page 61 and Appendix C, Resetting/Creating Virtual Printers on page 62.

What does the MicroPress RIP offer?

Increased speed and performance without purchasing a new hardware RIP

Access to new features via cost-effective software upgrades

Much easier customer-specific customization than hardware RIPs

PostScript 3 functionality and many
additional features beyond Level 3 to
improve workflow and color functionality

What is the MicroPress?

A short run, on-demand, digital printing system designed for production printing of black &
white and color documents. Its three software componentsMicroSpool, MicroPress RIP,
PrintStation Managerwork with associated hardware to provide the network connectivity,
image rendering, and virtual printer capability to meet todays digital document production
challenges. The following chart outlines the system and provides definitions its major components.

10 Base/100 Base T
Thin Coax/Thinnet

(or by using PrintStation Manager

Configuration's AutoGenerate,
or MicroPress RIP's
_TRaddve (in Appendix))

Created during Install.

QUEUES

MP 312 QuadLevel A12

MS QuadLevel A12

MP 312 BiLevel A12

MS BiLevel A12

MP 312 Contone A12

MS Contone A12

WIN NT

_TRaddve (in Appendix))

WIN 98

WIN 95

UNIX

Created during Install.

Mac 7.0 +

(or by using PrintStation Manager Configuration)

VIRTUAL ENGINES

PAGE SETUPS

A2: Virtual Engine using

a single Physcial Engine.

A1: Virtual Engine using

a single Physcial Engine.

B2: Virtual Engine using

a single Physcial Engine.

B1: Virtual Engine using

a single Physcial Engine.

C2: Virtual Engine using

a single Physcial Engine.

C1: Virtual Engine using

a single Physcial Engine.

Created in MicroPress
RIP's Page Setup Manager

A12: Virtual Engine

using multiple
Physical Engines.
Receives job
information from the
Virtual Printer A12.

B12: Virtual Engine

using multiple
Physical Engines.
Receives job
information from the
Virtual Printer B12.

C12: Virtual Engine

using multiple
Physical Engines.
Receives job
information from the
Virtual Printer C12.

Manages Physical Engines by routing

jobs and job characteristics to Virtual Engines.
Virtual Engines can consist of a single
Physical Engine (for example, the Virtual Engine
C1), or a combination of multiple Physical
Engines (for example, the Virtual Engine C12).

PrintStation Manager

Created during Install.

QuadLevel A12

BiLevel A12

Contone A12

Monochrome B12

BiLevel C12

PAGE SETUP
MANAGER

Contone C12

Raster Image Processor interprets

PostScript code and produces
compressed page images (raster).
Input Controller: Connects MicroPress
RIP to MicroSpool.
Page Setup Manager: Uses "Page
Setups" to determine how jobs
are processed by MicroPress RIP.
Device Manager: Connects MicroPress
RIP to PrintStation Manager.

MicroPress RIP

VIRTUAL PRINTERS

QuadLevel A12
1200x1200 dpi
screened printing

BiLevel A12
600x600 dpi
Halftone screen
printing

Contone A12
600x600 dpi
Continuous tone
printing

Monochrome B12
600x600 dpi
Halftone screen
printing

BiLevel C12
400x400 dpi
Halftone screen
printing

Contone C12
400x400 dpi
Continuous tone
printing

(or by using PrintStation Manager Configuration's

AutoGenerate, or MicroPress RIP's

MP 024 Monochrome B12

MS Monochrome B12

MP Cii BiLevel C12

MS BiLevel C12

MS = MicroPress
server name

MP Cii Contone C12 (Windows)

MS Contone C12 (AppleTalk)

Contone C12, Monochrome B12, BiLevel A12,

etc. are all Virtual Printers within MicroSpool.
Each Virtual Printer can have multiple
AppleTalk and/or Windows queues.

* Publishes AppleTalk and Windows Print

Manager queues to the network.
* Accepts incoming job information
* OPI aware

Input Controller

MicroSpool

Device Manager

2
312

A1

024

B1

Cii

312

024

Cii

Other

(or by using PrintStation Manager Configuration)

Created during Install.

PHYSICAL ENGINES

A2

B2

C2

C1

The MicroPress RIP Features

Feature

Definition

LanguageLevel 3
functionality

Provides the PostScript LanguageLevel 3 functionality defined in the 3010 extension to

the PostScript Language Reference Manual and subsequent errata; supports
LanguageLevel 3 operators and offers additional features to improve workflow and color
functionality.

N-color

N represents the number of process color separations (CMYK corresponds to N=4, RGB
to N=3, and monochrome to N=1). N-color means MicroPress can process separations
where N=2 (duotones) or greater than 4 (N-color); also supports HiFi color.

Patterns and Smooth

Shades

Implements several new patterns that vastly improve the quality of PostScript-language fill,
shade, and gradient output at the output devices resolution. The RIP extends this feature
by allowing replacement of existing vignettes in PostScript-language and PDF jobs.

Images

Supports type 3 and 4 image dictionaries, which allow an application to produce masks
using multiple images in a more efficient fashion. This eliminates the need for a detailed
PostScript-language clipping path. This feature is best suited to lower-resolution output
devices and workflows. The RIP also allows images to be stored as tiles, breaking an
image into more efficient segments and greatly improving the performance of image
processing at all resolutions.

Type16 halftones

Supports type 16 halftones (more than 256 shades of gray).

Idiom recognition

Uses idiom recognition to detect PostScript-language procedures. This operators many

uses include detecting level 2 code in a PostScript-language file and replacing it with
LanguageLevel 3 code.

Type 32 fonts

Recognizes and supports Type 32 fonts.

Color, screening, and Roam

functionality

Contains several new capabilities relating to color, screening, and roam (available to endusers from the interface where appropriate).

Spot color screening and

calibration

Ability to calibrate and screen both spot and process colors, which greatly simplifies
management of spot colors.

SoftProof

Allows users to proof print jobs on screen before printing. If the viewing monitor is
calibrated, SoftProof will approximate the color appearance of the job on paper.

Memory management

Superior functioning does not hold memory exclusively but uses it only as required (unlike
previous versions or MicroPress RIP). Thus it is possible to specify a large amount of
reserve memory to be available for short-term use in time-critical operations.

Extra Gray Levels

Proprietary technology increases the number of usable gray levels when printing to halftone
devices (i.e., Monochrome, BiLevel, and QuadLevel printers) so you can use higher screen
frequencies without significant contouring or loss of gradient transitions. With extra gray
levels, 400 and 600 dpi printers can use line screens previously only with 1200-2400 dpi
devices.

Harlequin Precision
Screening

Uses Harlequin Precision Screening (HPS) for high-quality output without moir patterning.
HPS runs at speeds comparable to those resulting from traditional lower-quality rational
tangent screening. HPS automatically overrides poor job settings (especially useful for print
bureaus, which often receive PostScript-language code not set up for high quality
screening).

Graphics formats

Produces output in halftone, 8-bit grayscale, 8- and 10-bit run-length encoded (RLE), and
color contone (continuous tone) in CMYK and RGB formats. Hence the RIP can drive a
printers with varying capabilities.

TIFF Output

Includes a TIFF output device (i.e., disk files) for previewing jobs before printing (SoftProof)
or rendering for use in other applications.

Complex jobs

Interprets arbitrarily complex jobs (unlike most high-resolution RIPs) through a unique
feature called partial page buffering. Jobs too large for existing memory are interpreted as
smaller portions and placed in a partial page buffer, which frees memory to handle the next
part.

Fonts and font handling

Comes with 35 standard PostScript-language fonts and several additional fonts. You can
download PostScript fonts into the RIP and proof, list, or remove them. To print text, you
must install a selection of fonts in the RIP before interpreting an image.

Feature

Definition

Composite fonts

Supports composite fonts for large or complex character sets (e.g., Japanese, Chinese,
Korean), which can be encrypted to work only with a particular install of the RIP.

Output plug-ins

Loads output plug-ins (small programs) at run-time for quick, straightforward integration
with new devices. The RIPs modular design allows code that runs a particular device to
simply be placed in an appropriate folder directory so it is automatically available when the
RIP is run.

Input plug-ins

Loads input plug-ins (small programs that handle communication between MicroPress RIP
and the outside world) at run-time. Includes these standard input plug-ins:
AppleTalk: A widely-supported network protocol that allows connection between Apple
and non-Apple computers and printers to share disk resources and printing facilities; runs
on LocalTalk and Ethernet.
Spool Folder: Allows MicroPress RIP to continually poll a folder (e.g., on a central server)
for input files. When these files appear and are complete, the RIP processes them. The
spool folder uses MicroPress server network communications and can be used with multiple setups, allowing several folders to drop input files in, each associated with a different
page setup.
NT Print: Publishes MicroPress RIP as a printer available to Windows NT print services.
NT Pipe: Provides a named pipe allowing high-speed communication with an application
(e.g., an Open Prepress Interface (OPI) server).
Serial Port: Provides inter-PC communication via serial ports. Data transfer speed is very
slow. Supports Adobe Serial Lines Protocol.
Sockets: Allows input from a socket client program; supports TCP/IP and UNIX socket
protocols.

Throughput control

To produce page images quickly while maintaining highest quality, MicroPress RIP
increases job throughput using three proprietary techniques:
1 MicroPress RIP differs from other RIPs in compressing bitmaps and shipping them at the
highest possible data rate directly into the PrintStation Manager. The fastest RIP times
result from reducing file size to decrease data transmitted and providing a continuous,
non-interruptible feed of data from the RIP..
2 Time is saved even if there are problems with the output device because all jobs are
stored on disk as PostRIP files. To resend or produce more copies, simply resend the job
from the PrintStation Manager without having to re-RIP.
3 MicroPress RIP allows interpretation and outputting to occur simultaneously. Sends
pages to PSM as soon as they are interpreted.

Interactive sessions

Provides the Executive option for an interactive PostScript language session. You can type
fragments of PostScript-language code for immediate interpretation (very useful when
debugging and testing small parts of jobs).

Page imposition

Provides powerful page imposition, the process of laying out several pages of a document
on one large sheet of paper, with each page printed in a specified orientation and position.
Useful for saving media (pages can be orientated so as to use the optimum amount of
paper) and printing pre-imposed sheets of paper (e.g., book printing signatures).

Page features

Provides a number of page features (e.g., page range, watermark) from the page setup
dialog box.

The MicroPress RIP Options

Option

Definition

ICC Profile Processor

ICC Profile Processor features:

Produces color jobs quickly and accurately without the need for custom configurations
Emulates a variety of industry-standard printing devices
Provides various color-handling strategies for different graphic elements on the same
page (e.g., photographs, logos)

Option

Definition

Embedded ICC profiles

Detects and uses ICC profiles embedded in Photoshop EPS, TIFF, JPEG images.

HDS/StochasticFM
Screening Technology

Uses many special screening strategies for high-quality presswork, (particularly when
printing in color), included in the Harlequin Screening Library (HSL), available as an
optional extra with all versions of MicroPress RIP. HSL includes Harlequin Dispersed
Screening (HDS), a patented FM screening technology that eliminates moir patterning and
optimizes detail for a given device resolution.

Running MicroPress RIP

Starting MicroPress RIP
Click the MicroPress RIP icon in the
MicroPress program group in the Start
menu.
Note: Remember to always launch
MicroPress applications in the following
order:
RIP
PrintStation Manager
MicroSpool
The Toolbar
The Toolbar buttons provide quick access to MP-RIP commands.
This Button

Represents

This Button

Represents

Print File - manually select a file to print.

Page Setup Manager - create and edit

page setups.

Print Calibration - print calibration

targets for linearization (factory curves
pre-loaded).

Device Manager - recognize output

devices (i.e., PrintStations).

Start Inputs - start any enabled inputs.

Inputs must be started to receive jobs
from MicroSpool or other input sources.

Separations Manager - create

separations, change screenings, edit
configurations.

Stop Inputs - stop any enabled inputs.

Color Setup Manager - create and edit

ICC Profile Processor color setups.

Calibration (Dot Gain) Manager -create

and edit calibration sets and ToneCurves.

Input Controller - define input sources.

Cassette Manager - not supported.

Media Manager - not supported.

Toolbar Status Area

This Status Area

Displays
MP-RIP is not looking for jobs on its inputs; current output device is the Preview device.

RIP is looking for input but none is arriving.

This Status Area

Displays
RIP is interpreting a job.

RIP is sending a job to the output device G1.

Menus affected by optional features

A number of menu options appear when optional features are enabled.
Color Menu
Color Setup Manager: ICC Profile Processor (ICCPP)a color management system
integrated with MicroPress RIP. When password-enabled, Color Setup Manager
appears on Color menu and opens the Color Setup dialog used to create and edit
ICCPP color setups. Another option appears in the "Separations, Screening & Color"
section on the Edit Page Setup dialog for color devices. Color is a pull-down box that
applies Color Setup Manager profiles to the current page setup.
Install ICC Profile: Appears after enabling the ICCPP; allows installation of industrystandard color profiles defining the color characteristics of printers, printing processes,
presses, scanners, etc.
Output Menu
Trapping Manager: TrapWorksperforms trapping within the RIP. When passwordenabled, Trapping Manager appears on Output menu and opens a dialog box to
inspect and create various rules for trapping.
Configuring the MicroPress RIP
You can reset most of the RIPs current configuration. To open Page Setup Manager or Color
Setup Manager, select MP-RIPStart Inputs, or click Stop Inputs button, to turn off inputs.
When configuration is finished, turn on inputs by re-selecting Start Inputs or pressing the
Start Inputs button.
Stopping the MicroPress RIP
You can stop the RIP any time, though its best to keep it running expecting jobs. Stop the
RIP before MicroPress server is shut down or when the RIP is updated.
As a single user, ensure no jobs are in progress, then select MP-RIPQuit (or press
ALT+F4 or Ctrl+Q). If other users access the RIP, be careful. If the RIP provides network service, warn other users about interruption of service. Leave RIP settings in their usual state
unless making significant changes to the computer, network, or connected output devices.
If settings are unchanged, restart the RIP to have it respond to all previous inputs.
If changes are made, consider disabling inputs (MP-RIPStart Inputs off) until problems are resolved.
Note: When re-started, the RIP assumes its pre-shutdown state.

MP-RIP Menu
Lists options for configuring the RIP and producing output.

Print File
Used to load a print file directly to the RIP.
1

Select the desired Page Setup from the

Page Setup Manager dialog and click OK.
(see the section Page Setup Manager for
more details)
2 Click Print File to open the Print File
dialog.
3 Browse and select file to print.
4 Click Print.
Supported file types:
PostScript (.PS)
Encapsulated PostScript (.EPS)
PDF (.PDF)
TIFF (.TIF)
JPEG (.JPG, .JPEG, .JIF, .JFIF)

Page Setup Manager

A page setup defines imaging options for every job sent to the RIP. The setup includes
device selection, screening, color setup, linearization, tone curves, media, resolution, features, and effects. Default page setups load at installation, and you can modify, create, and
save custom configurations.
Page Setup Manager Dialog
Select MP-RIPStart Inputs (or type Ctrl+S) from
the main menu to open the Page Setup Manager
dialog.
The Page Setup Manager lists all page setups (with
name, corresponding output device, output resolution, calibration set, and separations style).

Item

Definition

Edit

Opens Edit dialog for selected page setup

New

Creates new page setup

Copy

Copies selected page setup

Delete

Deletes selected page setup

Units

Resolution in dpi, dpcm, dpmm

OK

Saves page setup edits

Cancel

Cancels CURRENT page setup edits

Edit Page Setup Dialog

To open the Edit Page Setup dialog, double-click a
page setup (or highlight and press Edit). Click New
to open a new page setup for editing.
The Edit Page Setup dialog contains all information to define a page setup. You can access the
Device Manager, Separations Manager, Color
Setup Manager, Calibration Manager, and Cassette
Manager directly from the dialog.
Output Device section specifies device to
which jobs are sent and what color space (if
available) and compression style the device
will use
The Separations, Screening & Color section
defines:
screen (dot shape, frequency, angle) and if
separations are made (Style)
The ICC color setup (Color)
The UCR, Screen angles, Trapping, and Overprinting (Color Options). UCR and
screen angles are overridden by the ICC setup and Style setup respectively.
The Calibration & Dot Gain section contains the linearization curve (Calibration) and
ToneCurves (Tone Curves). A linearization curve must be loaded to enable ToneCurve
use.
Other sections are explained in the following section. The Enable Feature option provides
additional job processing tools that expand the flexibility and power of MP-RIP.
Edit Page Setup Definitions
Item

Definition

Device

Select the MicroPress virtual engine (C1, G12, etc.), or one of the following:
Note: If you change the Device, you may need to choose a separations style before
saving the page setup.
PreviewSimple job preview on MicroPress server.
NoneNo printed output. Performs all job processing. Use for testing or timing jobs.
TIFFProduces TIFF (Tag Image File Format) files. Most desktop publishing
applications can import this format.

Device Manager

See the Device Manager section.

Configure Device
(MicroPress)

Set device rendering and compression.

Color GenerationSet virtual engine's device rendering.
CMYK Contone: Process CMYK data at 8 bits per pixel (32-bit color).
CMYK BiLevel: Process CMYK data at 1 bit per pixel for BiLevel mode (standard
resolution selected) or 2 bits per pixel for QuadLevel mode. With "CMYK BiLevel"
selected for Configure Device, a resolution setting of 1200 or 800 dpi respectively for
the 312 or Cii device sets QuadLevel mode.
Gray: Process B&W data at 8 bits per pixel (B&W contone).
Monochrome: Process B&W data at 1 bit per pixel.
Compression: Set virtual engine's compression type.
MP Compress: Default compression, lossless, compression ratio varies by job
content.
MP Compress+: Lossy compression, compression ratio higher, required for >8
contone color PrintStations.

Item

Definition

Configure Device (TIFF)

To produce TIFF (Tag Image File Format) files, select the TIFF output device. You can
import TIFF files into most desktop publishing applications. The RIP produces TIFF files
compatible with TIFF 5.0 (Classes B (bitmap), G (gray scale) and R (RGB color)), and
TIFF 6.0, CMYK color separations.
FolderChoose the folder in which to place output TIFF files.
Path includes resolutionIf checked, TIFF files are placed in a subfolder named for
the jobs resolution.
StemSpecify the fixed stem of the output filename (filename prefix). E.g., stem "Job"
produces filename of Job00.tif. If job has multiple pages, the names become Job00.tif,
Job01.tif, Job02.tif, ... If any of these files exist, the lowest numbered file that does not
clash is created.
Use jobname as stemUses job name as a variable stem for the filename. The
filename is then based on the page number of the job, the job name, the color of the
separation, a number, and the suffix. E.g., when separating a color job called job.ps,
names would be 1jobpsC00.tif, 1jobpsM00.tif, 1jobpsY00.tif, and 1jobpsK00.tif. A reprint
would be named 2jobpsC00.tif, 2jobpsM00.tif, 2jobpsY00.tif, and 2jobpsK00.tif. If
combined length of these character strings exceeds the maximum filename length for
NT or if the 8.3 filename limit is imposed, the RIP truncates the stem.
Use 8.3 FilenamesSpecifies a maximum length of 8-character names with 3character extensions. Necessary to move TIFF files to PCs running older versions of
MS-DOS or Windows.
Del page num prefixRemoves page numbers from the start of the filename. Only
relevant if you select Use jobname as stem.
Use jobname unchangedKeeps jobname as is.
SuffixSpecifies the suffix of the filename (i.e., file extension).
Tiff formatChooses format for the file.
Multiple strips: Writes TIFF files in multiple strips, using either:
o Planar Configuration 1 (pixel interleaved) which writes all data for one pixel (e.g.,
Red, Green, Blue) before going on to the next pixel
o Planar Configuration 2 (band interleaved) which writes some of the data for a
number of pixels, followed by some more data for the same pixels, and so on
Single strip: Writes TIFF files in a single strip using Planar Configuration 1 (pixel
interleaved)
Reverse bit orderReverses the order of bits in a byte in the raster data of a halftoned
TIFF file (monochrome), so if the byte was 11010001 it becomes 10001011.
Pad to 32 bit alignmentForces each line of TIFF file to end on a multiple of 32 bits.
This is an efficiency setting that can speed-up file reading in some applications.
Byte orderingSpecifies Macintosh or IBM PC byte ordering; sets byte ordering to be
compatible with Intel (IBM PC) machines , or Motorola (Macintosh) machines. This is
the order of bytes in a word, needed by the TIFF reader to correctly interpret the TIFF
header. Most TIFF readers read both header types.
CompressionSpecifies compression format used: None, CCITT Huffman, CCITT
Group 3, CCITT Group 4, LZW, Packbits.

Anti-aliasing

Choose a level of anti-aliasing to visually smooth boundaries (most useful at low or

medium resolutions). None is the fastest option but provides no anti-aliasing. Higher
numbers provide more smoothing but take more time.

Item

Definition

Post Processing
Enable

Enables a post-processing command, as entered in the Command text field (leave

unchecked to disable post-processing).
Use this section of the dialog to define extra actions after the TIFF file has been created.
These actions depend on commands supplied with Windows 95 and Windows NT. Type
text specifying a command and its options in a way similar to typing in a Windows
command prompt window. The command can be a simple batch file or a complex
application if you provide all necessary options and information on the command line.
Avoid commands requiring operator interaction. Use post-processing commands to
convert the file format or send the data to a destination not directly supported. You have
many possibilities (i.e., extracting information for reports).

Post Processing
Create window

Displays a Windows command prompt window displaying any messages the postprocessing command produces. The window closes at the end of the command so, to
read any messages, you may need a timed delay before the command finishes (i.e., wait
for key-press, though it may be unworkable with many output files).

Post Processing
Command

String specifying a post-processing application, which must be available on the

MicroPress server. You can also include options understood by the application and data
such as the name of the relevant input or output files. The string should normally include
the command files extension and the application files full path name unless the
command file has the .EXE extension. Filenames passed to the application as data are
assumed to be in the folder receiving the TIFF files, unless a different path name is
entered. The command string can contain substitution codes. The codes are expanded
and the command run at the end of each output file.

Substitution codes
%c

The current separation color, represented by a string of default length one character.
Typical separation names are Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Examples for length
one are: C, M, Y, and B.

%d

The current date in the format YYMMDD, with a default string length of 6. E.g., 26
October 1998 becomes 981026.

%e

Job exposure, as entered in the Page Setup dialog box. E.g., 221.

%f

Output TIFF file name, not including the full path. E.g., based on jobname and not
suppressing the page number: 1ColdfacepsC05.TIF.

%j

Current page buffer name, as shown in the Output Controller/Monitor. E.g., 1.

Coldface.ps (C).

%n

Current job number, an integer that ScriptWorks increments each time it processes a
new job. E.g., 115.

%o

Full output directory path set by the Folder button (but not the resolution, if the include
resolution check box was checked; nor the filename). E.g., C:\S\TIFF\.

%p

Current page number within the job. E.g., 13.

%r

Job resolution, in dots per inch. E.g., 72.

%s

Current jobname, after removal of illegal filename characters. E.g., Coldfaceps.

%t

Current time in the format HHMMSS, using the 24-hour clock; default length is 6. E.g., a
time just after 7:30 pm would be shown: 193211.

%x

Current file name suffix. E.g., TIF.

%z

Current file name stem. E.g, TIFF.

Vertical Resolution

10

Defines the detail with which an image is processed in the vertical direction. Most devices
have a predefined set of resolutions; some devices allow you to select resolutions.
Normally, Vertical and Horizontal resolutions should be the same.
With "CMYK BiLevel" selected for Configure Device, a setting of 1200 or 800 dpi
respectively for the 312 or Cii device creates QuadLevel mode.

Item

Definition

Horizontal Resolution

Defines the detail with which an image is processed in the horizontal direction. See notes
above.

Units

Given in terms of dots per inch (dpi), centimeter (dpcm), or millimeter (dpmm).
DEFAULT: dpi

Override resolution in job

Resolution settings take effect for jobs that do not specify a resolution. Select this option
to always use the RIP resolution. DEFAULT: Selected

Style

Select the Separations style for the page setup.

Separations
Manager

See the Separations Manager section.

Color

Available if the ICC Profile Processor is enabled. Select the ICC Profile Processor setup.
DEFAULT: MicroPress Color

Color Setup
Manager

Available if the ICC Profile Processor is enabled. See the Color Setup Manager section.

Color Options

Set UCR, Trapping, and Overprinting. Not used if ICC Profile Processor color setup is
installed in Color selection box.

Black generation

Specify black generation and undercolor removal. DEFAULT: Ignore

Ignore

Does not set black generation and undercolor removal. Replaces as much color as
possible with black, while maintaining the intended color, regardless of ink densities. The
fastest method.

Maximum

Introduce maximum black, subject to Max black value.

None

No black generation or undercolor removal. Black is represented as a mixture of cyan,

magenta, and yellow.

Light, Medium, Heavy

Introduces black according to exponential functions. Proportionately smaller amounts

added (and color removed) for lighter colors than darker ones. Subject to Max ink.

Ignore

Does not set black generation and undercolor removal. Replaces as much color as
possible with black, while maintaining the intended color, regardless of ink densities. The
fastest method.

Maximum

Introduces maximum black, subject to Max black value.

None

No black generation or undercolor removal. Black is represented as a mixture of cyan,

magenta, and yellow.

UCR

Instead of an exponential curve, adds no black until the maximum colored ink density is
reached, then adds linearly to the maximum. Maximum colored ink density = Max ink Max black.

11

Item

Definition

Maximum

None

Light

Medium

Heavy

UCR

Override black generation

in jobs

Forces jobs to use Color Options settings (jobs rarely specify black generation).
DEFAULT: Not selected

Max ink

Constrains the maximum amount of all CMYK colors generated in the conversion
process. Colors specified explicitly as black are not affected. DEFAULT: 300%

Max black

Maximum amount of black ink generated by the color conversion process. Colors
specified explicitly as black are not affected. DEFAULT: 100%

Color separation angles in

job

Set the angles the incoming job uses for these colors. Separation Style angles can be
entirely different. DEFAULT: Cyan = 15; Magenta = 75; Yellow = 0; Black = 45
Note: Sometimes the RIP needs to identify colors represented in jobs. If well-structured
identifiers are not found in the job, the job is analyzed to decide a likely color. Screen
angle is one of the deciding items used.

Trapping

Select the trapping scheme to overprint edges on objects in order to avoid white gaps on
print due to slight misregistration. DEFAULT: None

None

No trapping performed.

Settrap (Quark)

Generate overprinted borders according to instructions embedded in QuarkXPress.

Custom

If TrapWorks option enabled, custom trapping setups (trapsets) will appear in this list.
See Output, Trapping Manager section.

Overprinting

12

Overprint rather than create knockouts in composite and screened output.

Overprint process
colors

Overprints any process color component. If not selected, produces a knockout.

DEFAULT: Selected

Drop white objects

If selected, white objects disappear from the separation. If not selected, white objects
knock out underlying objects. DEFAULT: Not selected

Overprint grays

Enables Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow overprinting when a color is specified as gray.
DEFAULT: Not selected

Item

Definition
Overprint 100% black

Overprint 100% black rather then generating knockouts. Overprinting of other

separations depends on the 'Image only black' option. May be slightly faster to overprint,
given that knockouts do not have to be calculated. Applies to black objects, not to
individual pixels of a continuous tone image that happen to be 100% black. DEFAULT:
Selected

Image only black

If selected, color components of black objects do not appear in color separations.

Process color components defined as 0 in the CMYK color space or 1 in the RGB color
space are always overprinted. DEFAULT: Selected

Optimization

Not used

Exposure

Not used

Enable Features

Selects a custom feature to apply to the job. Features listed below:

2-across

The 2-across Page Feature prints 2 pages across a single page. The new single page is
double the size of the originals.

2-up

The 2-up Page Feature prints 2 pages up as a single page. The new single page is
double the size of the originals.

2-up (2 x 1 Reduced)

The 2-up (2 x 1 Reduced) Page Feature produces a proof sheet of 2 original pages
scaled to fit on a single page rotated as necessary to best fill the page.

4-up (2 x 2 Reduced)

The 4-up (2 x 2 Reduced) Page Feature produces a proof sheet of 4 original pages
scaled to fit on a single page rotated as necessary to best fill the page.

6-up (3 x 2 Reduced)

The 6-up (3 x 2 Reduced) Page Feature produces a proof sheet of 6 original pages
scaled to fit on a single page rotated as necessary to best fill the page.

8-up (4 x 2 Reduced)

The 8-up (4 x 2 Reduced) Page Feature produces a proof sheet of 8 original pages
scaled to fit on a single page rotated as necessary to best fill the page.

9-up (3 x 3 Reduced)

The 9-up (3 x 3 Reduced) Page Feature produces a proof sheet of 9 original pages
scaled to fit on a single page rotated as necessary to best fill the page.

16-up (4 x 4 Reduced)

The 16-up (4 x 4 Reduced) Page Feature produces a proof sheet of 16 original pages
scaled to fit on a single page rotated as necessary to best fill the page.

13

Item

14

Definition

BestFit (Full Crop Marks)

BestFit (Min. Crop Marks)
BestFit (No Crop Marks)

The BestFit Page Features are used with the Wide Format roll feed devices to reduce
paper usage for single page jobs. BestFit will choose the correct orientation for a single
page to reduce the amount of paper used.
Full Crop Marks - adds Crop Marks, Register Marks, Separation Names, Job Name,
Wedges, Progressives.
Min. Crop Marks - same as Full but without Wedges and Progressives.
No Crop Marks - doesnt add any markings.

Confidential
Overlay

Writes Confidential diagonally across every page. Confidential is written on top of the
actual page markings.

Confidential
Pattern

Writes Confidential as a pattern across every page.

Confidential
Watermark

Writes Confidential diagonally across every page. Confidential is written first, then the
actual page markings are written on top of Confidential.

Draft Overlay

Writes Draft diagonally across every page. Draft is written on top of the actual page
markings.

Draft
Watermark

Writes Draft diagonally across every page. Draft is written first, then the actual page
markings are written on top of Draft.

Error Handler - Short

Error Handler - Long

Enables PostScript error messages to be generated if an error is detected in the

PostScript job.
Short - generates standard error message as described in Adobes PostScript Language Reference Manual.
Long - generates a more detailed error message.

FillWidth (Full Crop Marks)

FillWidth (Min Crop Marks)
FillWidth (No Crop Marks)

The FillWidth Page Features are used with the Wide Format roll feed devices to reduce
paper usage for multiple page jobs. FillWidth will place as many pages across the width
of the roll or paper, rotating if necessary.
Full Crop Marks - adds Crop Marks, Register Marks, Separation Names, Job Name,
Wedges, Progressives.
Min. Crop Marks - same as Full but without Wedges and Progressives.
No Crop Marks - doesnt add any markings.

Item

Definition

PrintASCII

Allows ASCII (text files) to be printed on the RIP.

Customize these options by editing the Page Feature file PrintASCII in
\MicroPress\RIP\Trsysm\Sw\Page Features\. User selectable options are followed by
comments (%).
%%
%% -------- User Selectable Options ---------------%%
/FontName /Times-Roman def
/FontSize 10 def % Font Size in points
/LineSpacing 1 def % Spacing between lines.
Example: 1 = single,
2 = double etc.
/TabSpacing 4 def
% Number spaces per tab
/LeftMargin 0.5 inch def % Left Margin
/RightMargin 0.5 inch def % Right Margin
/TopMargin 0.5 inch def % Top Margin
/BottomMargin 0.5 inch def % Bottom Margin
/LineWrap true def
% true - Line Wrap,
false - don't Line Wrap
% Wrap long lines that would otherwise be clipped
% This is based on the FontName, FontSize, PageSize, and Margins
%%
%% ------- End of User Selectable Options ---------%%

ToneCurveThumbnails

Allows you to preview a print job in thumbnail, with each thumbnail processed using a
different Tone Curve. Selects the best rendering from the proof sheet and enables that
Tone Curve in the RIP page setup. The normal job is then sent with rendering as
selected. Feature available to every printer type. Thumbnails print 9 per page with the
Tone/Press curve name under each rendering. To use, enable the
"ToneCurveThumbnails" feature and send the job. After selecting the preferred Tone
Curve, be sure to disable the "ToneCurveThumbnails" feature before sending the final
job. As the RIP is processing each page multiple times (once for each curve), a single
page containing "typical" image content is recommended. See Calibration Manager on
page 48 for more information about ToneCurves.

The job is processed

multiple times, once for
each ToneCurve.
Depending on job size,
processing may take a
few minutes.
ToneCurve Full Page

Same as ToneCurve Thumbnails except that each Tone Curve rendering is output on its
own full-sized page.

DCS File Search

DCS is Quark Inc.-defined format that lets you use low-res EPS "view" files for job placement and composition. During print time, four high-res separation files are integrated into
a single high-res composite. This page feature allows the "view" file to be passed into the
RIP and replaced with the high-res separation images. This page feature supports DCS
versions 1 and 2 (from Quark) and Adobe's Photoshop DCS files. You must place DCS
files in the "C:\MicroPress\DCS" folder and save using a valid DOS (8.3) filename.
Note: For simplicity, make the above folder a shared PC and Apple volume. Saving files
from Adobe PhotoShop into this folder makes them accessible to both workstations and
the RIP.

15

Item

Definition

CMYK Separations

Splits any color job (RGB, CMYK) into separate CMYK pages, each printed in its
respective color. We recommend the ICC Profile Processor for all jobs, but especially
when sending RGB image data. You can apply tone curves as usual if desired. By
printing to OHP material, a sandwich can be built showing the resultant composite color
image.

CMYK+Spot Separations

Separates a color job into CMYK pages for composite colors plus a page for every spot
color. We recommend the ICC Profile Processor for all jobs, but especially when sending
RGB image data. You can apply tone curves as usual if desired. By printing to OHP
material, a sandwich can be built showing the resultant composite color image.

Quark Blends

Some spot color blends sent from QuarkXPress may print in black-and-white when sent
through the ICC Profile Processor. Selecting this feature ensures they are printed
correctly.

Anti-aliasing

Smooths ragged areas in image areas. Can significantly increase processing time.

Calibration

Sets the linearization curve for the current device. BiLevel, QuadLevel, and Monochrome
require a linearization curve. Contone and Gray devices are linearized by Gammatic.
Select "Enable ToneCurves" for these devices.

Calibration Manager

See the Calibration Manager section.

Tone Curves

User Adjust curves for changing contrast, brightness, tint, etc. Choose from the default
set or create custom curves in the Tone Curves device in the Calibration Manager. A
calibration (linearization) curve must be loaded in the Calibration box to enable Tone
Curve use. Since Contone and Gray are linearized by Gammatic, select "Enable
ToneCurves" in the Calibration box.

Intended Press

Not used.

Actual Press

Not used.

Negative

Produces a negative page (see image). If the page was initially negative, the output will
be positive. DEFAULT: Not selected

Mirrorprint

Produces a mirrored image, reflected along the vertical axis. If the page was initially
mirrored, the output will be non-mirrored. DEFAULT: Not selected

Trim page

Trims any white space off the top and bottom of each page (to save media). For use in a
cut-sheet printer, this option will not save media and will likely alter registration between
pages. DEFAULT: Not selected

Rotate

Select 90, 180, and 270 degree rotations. The image itself remains unchanged. If the job
was initially set to rotate in the opposite direction, the two rotations cancel, giving nonrotated output. If the job rotates in the same direction, the two rotations add. DEFAULT: 0

Cassette

Not used.

Cassette Manager

See the Cassette Manager section.

Page layout

Normally, jobs set their own page size and override the default setting. But in some cases
(i.e., Proof Fonts or TIFF device), the default page size is used. In this case, specify the
default page size by selecting a standard page or setting absolute page width and height.

16

Item

Definition

Vertical Scaling

Prints the job at a specified scale in the vertical direction. Scale is expressed as a
percentage of the original size. 50% in both the horizontal and vertical boxes will produce
a job of half the linear size. 200% will produce a job of twice the linear size. Paper size is
changed based on the scale value. Different horizontal and vertical scales can be used.
Screen ruling is not affected by the scale value. DEFAULT: 100%

Horizontal Scaling

Prints the job at a specified scale in the vertical direction. DEFAULT: 100%

Options

Miscellaneous options for handling PostScript code.

Postscript language
compatibility level

Choose the PostScript-language compatibility Level for jobs submitted to this page setup.
Most jobs run correctly and this setting allows the maximum number of PostScriptlanguage features and extensions. The result is often faster operation or increased
output quality. A setting of 1 or 2 may be needed for a small number of older jobs to run
correctly. Setting this option to 2 interprets jobs using the Level 2 PostScript-language
conventions, together with any non-conflicting extensions. Level 2 jobs run in exactly the
expected environment. Well-constructed Level 3 jobs also run but are likely to operate
more slowly if they use features better supported in Level 3. DEFAULT: 3

Run prep at start of job

Prep files are libraries of PostScript-language routines that can be downloaded into a RIP
whenever necessary. Many LaserWriter drivers require certain libraries to be loaded
before they can be used. If this option is selected and a prep file chosen, it is run at the
start of every job that is interpreted with the relevant page setup. DEFAULT: Not selected

Remove color operators

Provides compatibility. Available only when PostScript language compatibility level option
is set to 1.
Note: If using LaserWriter Driver 6.0 and a PostScript-language error occurs (especially
if the sending application is Freehand), then select this option and output the job again.
Some applications use PostScript Level 1 extended color operators incorrectly, producing
incorrect (for example, blank) output. Select this option to use basic color operators
instead.

Fast patterns

Enables Level 1 PostScript patterns defined as halftone screens to be processed more

quickly, but at a lower resolution than normal. Do not use this option if high quality images
are required. DEFAULT: Not selected

Emulate old imagemask

behavior

Used to overcome a rarely seen bug in a previous version of the Adobe interpreter. The
bug may still be in older PostScript-language files. Selecting this option will allow these
jobs to print correctly.

A page contains a negative image mask. If the page is printed negative, the image mask
appears normal, as illustrated (above left).
In older jobs, a negative image mask is also printed in negative, producing the error
illustrated in the (above right). The PostScript-language code is attempting to rectify a
bug that is no longer present. DEFAULT: Not selected
Add showpage at end of
job if necessary

Certain Postscript file formats do not include a showpage operator (such as EPS) to
instruct the RIP to print the file when processing is done. Enable this option to include
showpage operator to force the file to be printed. DEFAULT: Not selected
Note: If a job containing a PostScript-language error is aborted, any partially complete
page is processed and output.

Abort if calibration is on,

and the selected cal set
does not match job

Prevents the printing of jobs with an inappropriate calibration set. DEFAULT: Not selected

17

Item

Definition

Replace vignettes with

shaded fills

Provides new PostScript language benefits to jobs from older applications. Shaded fills is
the method by which LanguageLevel 3 achieves smooth shading that matches the
capabilities of the output device. Level 2 jobs frequently define vignettes in ways that can
be slower to print and less attractive in appearance. If this does not produce required
results, deselect this option. DEFAULT: Not selected
Note: This feature is experimental and the number of vignette types that can be replaced
is changing. Vignettes currently replaced are filled or hollow-centered circles (replaced
with a radial fill) and rectangles or thick lines (replaced with an axial fill). Some vignettes
are not replaced because the original application generated a vignette so complex that
replacement is impractical.

Abort the job if any fonts

are missing

Ensures a job is aborted if any font it uses is not available. If not selected, a suitable
replacement font is attempted. DEFAULT: Not selected
Note: For PDF jobs this setting is ignored.

Preserve monochrome
and preseparated jobs

Select only if it is important to emulate the behavior of a traditional separating workflow

when a monochrome or preseparated job is submitted to a page setup intended for
automatic separation of composite color jobs. DEFAULT: Not selected

Number of copies to print

Enter the number of copies of a job to be printed. The PrintStation Manager can be used
to reprint copies. DEFAULT: 1

Extras

Alter the way jobs from specific applications are processed. Options include color
management, font substitution, and spot color vignettes.

Adobe Photoshop features

Honor PostScript Color
Management

Treat images from Adobe Photoshop as color managed (device independent).

DEFAULT: Selected
Note: If the page setup uses an ICC Profile Processor color setup, this setting is ignored.

Separate spot color

duotones, tritones &
quadtones to spot color
plates

If separating, intercepts duotones, tritones, and quadtones when encountered in EPS

files and separates them into spot color separations. A separations style that creates
separations and enables the relevant spot color separations must be used. Only
available with PostScript Language compatibility level 3. Only relevant for Photoshop
versions 2.5 through 4. Photoshop 5 does this automatically in Level 3. DEFAULT:
Selected

Adobe Illustrator features

Dont let files silently
substitute Courier for
missing fonts

Illustrator 7 will replace unavailable fonts with Courier. Select this option to ignore
Illustrator font substitution. This applies to both Illustrator PostScript and EPS files. If not
selected, the default font or selecting Abort the job if any fonts are missing will have no
effect. DEFAULT: Selected

Separate spot color

vignettes to the spot
color plate

If separating, places spot color vignettes on the appropriate spot color separation. A
separations style that creates separations and enables the relevant spot color
separations must be used. DEFAULT: Selected
Note: All vignettes appear in process separations when the job is printed directly from
Illustrator. Vignettes from a spot color to a process color appear in process separations.
Option available only when PostScript Language Level is set to 3.

Macromedia FreeHand features

Separate spot color
vignettes to the spot
color plate

QuarkXPress features

18

If separating, select this option to insure spot color vignettes are placed in spot color
separations. A separations style that creates separations and enables the relevant spot
color separations must be used. DEFAULT: Selected
Note: All vignettes appear in process color separations when the job is printed directly
from FreeHand unless the EPS file format is used. Option available only when PostScript
Language Level is set to 3.

Item

Definition
Separate spot color
vignettes to the spot
color plate

PDF Options

If separating, select this option to insure spot color vignettes are placed in spot color
separations. A separations style that creates separations and enables the relevant spot
color separations must be used. DEFAULT: Selected
Note: Option available only when PostScript Language Level is set to 3.
Miscellaneous options for handling PostScript code.

Print all pages

Select to print all the pages in the PDF document. To print selected pages, deselect and
enter the desired pages in the Page(s) field.

Page(s)

Enter numbers for the page or pages to print. Individual page numbers are separated
with a comma. Page ranges are separated with a hyphen. Individual pages and ranges
can be combined, for example, 1,2,7-10,56,67-73. MP-RIP will display the following
message for pages not selected for printing: %%[ Warning: Skipping page * - not in
requested page range ]%%

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 according to the way a PDF file can be used: viewing, office printing, imposition,
commercial printing, and so on.
MediaBox - Size of the media, which may be larger than the image page.
BleedBox - Size of the page whose edges must be reached by bleed objects (printers
marks), though trimmed size of the page may be smaller.
TrimBox - Size of the page as intended for delivery to the reader.
ArtBox - Size of the rectangle to be used for a PDF graphic.

Accept type(s)

Define how strictly the PDF file must conform to various standards and specifications.
Auto-detect types - Default option. MP-RIP makes the best possible attempt to print
the file according to the type labeling within the job.
Any PDF <= 1.3 as basic PDF - Print any job with a recognized PDF version (including
non-compliant jobs labeled as PDF/X-1 but not actually complying with the standard).
The most relaxed setting.
Only PDF/X-1 1999 - Raise an error for jobs that do not meet the PDF/X-1:1999
standard. Use On error to define what MP-RIP should do if the job does not meet the
requested specification.

On error

If the PDF file is an unrecognized type or if it fails the condition set in the Accept type(s)
list, the actions are as follows:
Report errors and accept as PDF 1.3 - Report errors and print the job as if it is PDF
version 1.3.
Reject if invalid PDF type - Report errors and reject (abort) the job.

Use password to print

protected documents

Select this option to print a document that has been protected by a password. Enter the
password in the text field, entering one password only.
Note: The PDF specification allows Owner and User (reader) passwords. If either
password is matched, MP-RIP will allow printing.

Honor PDF Color

Management

Select to treat the color in the PDF job as calibrated or device-independent color. The
selection in the Color list in the Edit Page Setup dialog box will override this option.

19

Configure RIP
To open the Configure RIP dialog, select MP-RIPConfigure RIP from the main menu (or
type Ctrl+R). Remember to stop inputs before selecting Configure RIP.
Item

Definition

Workspace folder

Used as a general disk workspace if RAM requirements exceed those available. By

default, the workspace directory is found in the SW directory. Clicking the Change
button allows other names or locations to be specified. The RIP may create temporary
files in this directory when processing jobs that require additional RAM. The amount of
disk space required varies by job.

Page buffer folder

If the RIP buffers pages to disk, they are placed in the page buffer directory. By default,
the page buffers directory is found in the SW directory. Clicking the Change button
allows other names or locations to be specified. Pages are normally compressed when
buffered to disk. Since compression ratios vary, estimating disk space is difficult. Use
the default settings for best results.

Page buffering

Output devices supported by the RIP are designed to sustain a continuous high-speed
flow of data from the RIP. As a result, all RIP devices use the Single (if required)
mode. This mode is the most optimal, both in terms of memory management and
speed. This mode can create page buffers if needed. DEFAULT: Single (if required)
Note: Other non-supported devices may not be able to sustain high data rates or may
require a stop and restart if a pause in incoming data is experienced. The Single,
Multiple, or Multiple (Parallel) mode options were designed for non-supported
devices to make page buffers on disk, and avoid stop / start events.

Single (if required)

Sends output directly to the output device. Only buffers to disk if the page is too
complex to process in working memory deletes this buffer after printing. Sends
interpreted pages to the output device while concurrently interpreting other pages.

Single

Always buffers a page to disk before printing it. Deletes the page after printing.

Multiple

Always buffers a page to disk before printing. Retains on disk all pages created for a
job.

Multiple (Parallel)

Always buffers a page to disk before printing. Retains on disk all pages created for a
job. Sends interpreted pages to the output device while concurrently interpreting other
pages.

Compress page buffer

Controls if page buffers are compressed as they are created. By default, page buffers
are compressed since they save disk space and typically run faster than uncompressed
buffers. Since the MicroPress server produces image data faster than the disk can
receive it, writing smaller files to disk saves time. Options that effect page buffer
compression are Minimum compression ratio and Band size for printing buffer,
both found in the Configure RIP Options dialog box. DEFAULT: Selected

Network buffer

Jobs require reading large amounts of data across relatively slow networks. It is
desirable to use any available time reading data rather than waiting for it. This buffer
lets the RIP read data from the input source, loading it into the Network buffer before
actually needing to process it. This ability increases throughput by freeing sending
applications sooner. To change the size of the network buffer, enter the number of KB in
the text box. If there is not enough memory for the requested network buffer, its size will
be reduced automatically. DEFAULT: 64 KB

20

Item

Definition

Printer buffer

The printer buffer is used to store processed, print-ready raster data. Printer-ready data
is always buffered before being sent in order to continuously feed page data to the
printer. This avoids such problems as data gaps appearing in output, aborted pages,
and stop / start events. The MicroPress RIP uses this option to ensure the printer buffer
never becomes empty. If any of these problems arise, make the printer buffer larger by
entering the number of kilobytes (KB) desired in the text box. The figure you enter is the
minimum amount of memory that the RIP will use for buffering output. Larger amounts
of memory will be used if needed and if available. If there is not enough memory for the
requested printer buffer, its size will be reduced automatically. DEFAULT: 8192 KB
Note: The amount of printer buffer memory needed varies according to job and device
resolution, output device speed, computer speed, disk speed, and so on. Experiment
with a larger buffer if necessary.

Job timeout

The job timeout designates a period of time after which the RIP will stop processing a
job. Useful for various reasons, timeouts can protect against infinite loops in PostScriptlanguage code that will cause a job to never finish processing. Timeouts can also
prevent loss of productivity by timing out complex, but correct, jobs before they
consume too much machine time. Such jobs can be rerun when more resources are
devoted to the RIP. DEFAULT: 6000 minutes

Threads

This option is grayed-out in MicroPress servers that use only a single processor.
In a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) implementation, this control is used to
set the number of parallel processes used by the RIP. This value should be
set equal to the number of processors available in the system. This will
produce the fastest rendering. Other, smaller values may be useful in testing
or troubleshooting. DEFAULT: 1

Configure RIP Options

Select "Options" to display Configure RIP Options.

Item

Definition

Options

Options for startup, disk and memory usage.

Automatic prep loading

Many LaserWriter drivers require certain libraries to be loaded before they can
be used. A prep file is a library of PostScript-language routines that can be
downloaded into the RIP and used whenever necessary. This option is a builtin mechanism that, if selected, automatically loads the correct prep file
whenever it is needed. This saves time for applications printing over networks,
especially when these applications require different prep files. DEFAULT:
Selected

Startup prep

If this box is selected, the prep file selected in the pop-up menu drop-down list
pre-loads when the RIP starts. This option does not have to be used if
automatic prep loading is on, but it can save time if a number of users on the
network use the same LaserWriter driver. If the correct startup prep is already
loaded, 25 seconds can be saved on each job. Automatic prep loading can be
used at the same time as a startup prep. DEFAULT: Not selected

21

Item

22

Definition

Disk space left for system

The MicroPress RIP allows a minimum amount of free disk space to be

available for use by other applications. DEFAULT: 5 MB

Minimum memory left for system

The MicroPress RIP allows a minimum amount of free memory to be available

for use by other applications. This memory is also for use by the operating
system. If this value is too small, the operating system will start paging, which
will degrade performance. DEFAULT: 512 KB

Band size for printing buffer

The value specifies the size in kilobytes (KB) of the bands into which the RIP
divides a page for rendering, in the slow scan direction. Larger bands mean the
page is divided into fewer pieces. Changing the size will alter performance
characteristics. Large pages (either in area or bits-per-pixel) mean that many
fewer scan lines can be accommodated in each band and this can slow down
the system. On the other hand, too many scan lines in a band means that each
band takes longer to process and could lead to stalling the output device.
DEFAULT: 256 KB

Minimum compression ratio

This option is effective only when the check box Compress page buffer is
selected. It allows compression to be limited in cases where there is a
significant saving of disk space. For example, if the value entered is 60%, the
RIP compresses only bands in page buffers that compress to a size smaller
than 60% of their uncompressed size. Entering a value of 100% will have all
bands compressed. DEFAULT: 66.7%

Memory for RIP

The MicroPress RIP is allocated this amount of memory, less the amount
specified in the Minimum memory left for system field. From this total, the
RIP allocates printer and network buffers. All memory not used for these
buffers is used by the the RIP for processing jobs. The final allocations used
are reported in the RIP Monitor window when the RIP starts. If there is
insufficient memory to allocate the buffers requested, the RIP tries the
following methods of automatic recovery, in this order: Reduce the Network
buffer to a minimum of 64 KB, reduce the Printer buffer to a minimum of 512
KB, reduce the Minimum memory left for system to a minimum of 512 KB. If
there is still not enough memory to give the RIP at least 4096 KB, the RIP will
display a warning and quit.
If the Memory for RIP option is not selected, the RIP is allocated all the
available physical memory, less the amount specified in the Minimum
memory left for system field. DEFAULT: 65536 KB

Memory reserve for RIP

MicroPress devices require data at a particular rate. For this reason, this option
is set to 0 and the Allow use of all available memory field is not selected. If
job cannot all be fitted into memory at once, the RIP will paint partial page
buffers to disk. To avoid this, allocate extra temporary memory using this
option. DEFAULT: 0 KB
Note: If a large amount of extra temporary memory is allocated, the operating
system may start paging. Paging slows the system down more than painting
partial page buffers to disk. Allocations less than 4 MB of extra temporary
memory are recommended.

Allow use for all available memory

There are some instances when the RIP cannot paint partial page buffers to
disk. For example, when recombining preseparated jobs or using TrapWorks.
In such instances, select this option. All available physical and virtual memory
will be used to try and complete the job. Using all the memory may severely
degrade performance until the job has finished. DEFAULT: Not selected

Allow stop/start

Not applicable for MicroPress devices. Allows a printer to issue a stop/start

command without loosing the job. See Page Buffering and Network Buffer
for more information. DEFAULT: Not selected

Disable sounds

Select this option to suppress the system beep normally generated when the
RIP encounters an error. DEFAULT: Not selected

Configure RIP Extras

Select "Extras" to display Configure RIP Extras.
Item

Definition

Extras

Used to enable screening strategies, TrapWorks, and ICC Profile Processor.

HDS

T/R System's StochasticFM screening technology. HDS produces no moir,

has better definition than conventional screening, and registration is less
critical. HDS has a visually pleasing screen structure and is generally more
printable than other FM screens. HDS is intended for use with a wide range of
printing processes. Five screen varieties are supplied, Super Fine, Fine,
Medium, Coarse, and Super Coarse. See the "HDS/StochasticFM" section in
the Color chapter for more information.

HDS light

A subset of HDS, enabled with HDS.

HMS, HCS

Micro and Chained screening technologies.

HDLT

Display list technology. Provides access to extra functionality for third party
software products.

TrapWorks

Enable TrapWorks trapping option within the MicroPress RIP. See the
"Trapping Manager" section in the Output chapter for more information.

TIFF/IT

Enable TIFF/IT-P1 input.

HFCS, HSCS

HFCS, HSCS are various color management options. The MicroPress RIP
uses the ICC Profile Processor for color management.

HIPP

Enable the ICC Profile Processor for in-RIP color management functionality.
Required for MicroPress color systems. See the "ICC Profile Processor"
section in the Color chapter for more information.

Postscript

Enable PostScript input.

PDF

Enable PDF input.

Device Manager
The diagram at right shows the configuration of an imaginary
system using a multiple device plugin.
A single multiple device plugin is driving four devices. Because
devices 1-4 are linked by a single plugin they are considered a
"virtual engine," meaning they act as a single device under the
plugin's control. MP-RIP uses device plugins of the "multiple"
type. Plugins are linked, or configured to multiple devices (creating virtual engines), using the RIP Device Manager (available by
selecting MP-RIPDevice Manager from the MP-RIP menu.
Item

Definition

Plugin

Shows the multiple device plugins currently installed in the RIP. You can install several
multiple device plugins.

Name

The name of the virtual engine created from a device or set of devices driven by the
selected plugin. In the example, 3 virtual engines are seen, C1, C12 and C1234. This is the
name that will appear in the 'Output device' drop-down menu in Page Setup, and
elsewhere.

Type

The type of device defined by the plugin. Available device types are not configurable. A
given multiple device plugin cannot look for a device type not listed.

Address

The address of the virtual engine. Not critical, a simple number is sufficient.

23

Item

Definition

Edit / New

Edit or Create a new virtual engine. Enter the Name,

Type, and Address.

Copy

Press to create a new named virtual engine with the selected original's settings.

Delete

Delete a virtual engine.

Select

Not available.

OK

Exits Device Manager with changes made.

Cancel

Exits Device Manager without changes made.

Input Controller
MP-RIP accepts data from "input sources," which are created and found in the Input Controller. Input sources use "input plugins" to define how the source will receive data and can handle simultaneous input from various input sources. To accept input from several sources at
once, simply enable the sources desired in the Input Controller. The RIP will automatically
monitor all enabled input sources when the input system is started (Start Inputs).
MicroPress USES A SINGLE INPUT SOURCE TO ROUTE ALL INCOMING JOBS TO
THEIR CORRECT VIRTUAL PRINTER (see input "Name" on the next page). The Input
Controller dialog lists inputs currently available. You can enable or disable sources.
Input Controller Dialog
Item

Definition

Name

Name of the input.

Type

Input plugin being used. Described in next section.

Page Setup

Page setup the plugin is using. Release 5 of the MicroPress RIP uses the "Default Page
Setup" as the initial page setup for its plugin. Jobs are routed to the appropriate page setup
in the RIP from this input.

Enable

Input status: enabled or disabled. When an input is enabled, the RIP will automatically
publish it when inputs are started. An input stops when all inputs are stopped (Start/Stop
Inputs) or the input itself is disabled (Input Controller enable/disable), or because a problem
occurred when trying to start an input.

Status

Displays the current input status.

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.

Edit

Edit selected input.

New

Create a new input.

Copy

Copy selected input.

Delete

Delete selected input.

On

Enable selected input.

Off

Disable selected input.

24

Input Channel Edit Dialog

Selecting New, Edit, or Copy from the Input Controller
dialog opens the Input Channel Edit dialog that enables
you to manipulate input sources.
Input Controller Edit Dialog Definition
Item

Definition

Name

Name of input source. MicroSpool uses a single input source to

communicate with each RIP installed. E.g., the input for a single RIP
install is MP-RIP01, using the MicroSpool Pipe plugin type. Multiple RIPs
installed on a single MicroPress server show additional sources named
MP-RIP02, MP-RIP03, ... USING THIS SINGLE INPUT SOURCE,
MicroSpool ROUTES ALL INCOMING JOBS TO THE CORRECT VIRTUAL
PRINTER.

Type

List of available plugins.

AppleTalk

This plugin type publishes the input over an AppleTalk connection (input name
will appear in Apple's Chooser).
Note: AppleTalk is a common networking system allowing Apple and nonApple computers and printers to be shared over LocalTalk or Ethernet
systems. Select AppleTalk devices from Apple's Chooser.

MicroSpool Pipe

MicroPress plugin allowing communication with MicroSpool.

NT Pipe

Publishes the RIP as a printer available to Windows NT print services.

Serial Input

Not supported.

SocketInput

A socket is a hardware-independent method of communicating across a

network. Advantages: network speed, multiple machines connected to the
MicroPress server, and identical configurations. MP-RIP socket plugin
supports TCP/IP on Ethernet for job transfer between any combination of
machines running UNIX or Windows NT operating systems.

SpoolFolder

Allows you to set up the RIP to continually poll a folder (e.g., on a central
server) for PostScript language files. You can use this feature in conjunction
with multiple setups to allow polling of several folders, each having a different
associated page setup.

Page Setup

Page setup used by the input source. MicroPress Release 5 uses "Default
Page Setup" as page setup for its source. Jobs are routed to the appropriate
page setup in the RIP from this input.
For other inputs, choose a page setup (created in the Page Setup Manager)
to apply when a job arrives using the input (either a saved page setup or the
page setup in use when job arrives).

Enabled

Enable/disable input.

Configure

Opens selected plugins configuration dialog.

AppleTalk

Wait timeout

Sets time, in minutes, input source will wait for data. If no data is sent for that
length of time and the RIP is waiting for data, the job will abort.

25

Item

Definition

Abort on error

NT Print

26

Sets the behavior of input source on detecting an error. Check this box to
cause an immediate abort on error. This is not the typical behavior of a
PostScript-language compatible interpreter but may save time spent
transferring data that the interpreter merely ignores. If you encounter problems
with network software, uncheck this box to ensure full compatibility with other
PostScript-language compatible interpreters.
4 steps to install and configure this plugin (follow in this order):

Step 1:
Install the plugin

Exit all running applications. Run the file

\MicroPress\Rip\trsysm01\ntprint\Setup.exe. When prompted, choose the
folder in which the RIP is installed (\MicroPress\Rip\trsysm01). Wait for the
installation process to finish. Reboot the computer.
Note: Installation procedure places the plugin file in the \MicroPress\Rip\
trsysm01\SW\Inputs directory and prepares WindowsNT to create a printer
using the plugin.

Step 2:
Configure NT Print plugin

From the Input Channel Edit dialog,

select Configure.

Enable

Check if you want the RIP to retry making a connection to the Windows NT
spooler after initially failing.

Retry delay

Specify time after initial failure for the RIP to continue retrying. A retry delay of
60 seconds is usually enough. Too long a time will delay jobs on other inputs.

Step 3:
Configure NT Pipe plugin

Select the NT Pipe plugin in the

Type box. Click Configure.
This dialog allows parts of the
pipe name to be changed and
allows more than one
connection to the same named
pipe. When configuring a frontend or server application to send data to the NT plugin, you must enter the full
name of the pipe. The format for the name is:
\\<machine>\pipe\<pipe prefix>\name>
Replace <machine> with the name of the MicroPress server.
Replace <pipe prefix> with the Pipe Prefix name entered in the Named Pipe
Plugin dialog.
Replace <name> with the name entered in the Input Channel Edit dialog.
E.g., if the RIP is running on a MicroPress server named XYZ, enter the pipe
prefix MicroPress and input name Color; the pipe name will be:
\\XYZ\pipe\MicroPress\Color

Step 4:
Create a printer in WindowsNT

From NT, choose StartSettingsPrinters.

In the Printers window, select Add Printer.
Select My Computer and click Next.
Click Add Port.
In the Available Printer Ports list, select ScriptWorks and click New Port.
A list box appears, showing the names of all unconnected RIP channels.
Select one and click OK.
Click Close, then Next.
Choose a Manufacturer. Select the printer model and click Next.
Choose whether to share the printer (assign shared name), and click Next.
Choose whether to print a test page and click Finish.
Windows copies some configuration files and prints the test page, if selected.

Item

Definition

Serial

Not supported.

SocketInput

Server Socket Details

Socket type

"TCP by number" and "TCP by name" offer full network access and are
considered equivalent.
TCP by name: Choose "TCP by name" to get the port number in the services
database by using the port name in Address.
TCP by number: Choose "TCP by number" to directly go to the port number
in Address.

Address

If Socket type is
"TCP by number," enter the port number.
"TCP by name," enter the services port name.

Bi-directional comms

Enables the RIP to pass responses back to the sending application. It passes
these responses on the output socket when Use Separate Output Socket is
selected (in this case, Output Socket Details must be configured). If Use
Separate Output Socket is not selected, the server socket is used.

Use Xinet protocol

Select only if ALL sending machines are using the Xinet PapConnect protocol.
We recommend using this option only for downloading fonts (slows transfer
rates).

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 cannot accept responses on the job sending channel. Irrelevant if
Bi-directional comms not selected.

Ouput Socket Details

Only relevant if Use Separate Output Socket and Bi-directional

comms are selected.

Socket type

Choose these values in the same way as the server socket. It is convenient
(but not essential) to use the same socket type in order to make it obvious that
the addresses are different. E.g., choose numbered addresses that differ by 1.
TCP by name: Choose to get the port number in the services database by
using the port name in Address.
TCP by number: Choose to directly go to the port number in Address.

Address

Choose a different Address from the one chosen for the Server socket.

27

Item

Definition

SpoolFolder

28

Spool Folder

Type the spool folder path or click Spool Folder button to select it. Files are
processed in their arrival order. If jobs are already in the folder when the RIP is
started, or a very large number of files have been queued, the order is based
on the file's date.

Create spool folders if they do

not exist

Allows the RIP to create the folder named in the Spool Folder box if it doesn't
exist.

Warn if spool folders do not

exist

Allows the RIP to issue a warning if the folder named in the Spool Folder box
doesn't exist.

Error folder

Type the error folder path or select it using the Error Folder button. If a file fails
to print, it will be moved to the error folder.

Delete on error

Deletes files that the Spool Folder fails to print. Otherwise they are moved to
the error folder.
Note: A file is treated as an 'error' if aborted while it is being processed.

Delete on completion

Deletes files that the Spool Folder succeeds in printing. Otherwise they are
moved to the error folder.
Note: It is important to ensure that the RIP has permission to delete files in the
spool folder, particularly if the spool folder shared on a network.

Filenames prefix list

Ignore files in the spool folder having a prefix containing the characters
entered. Prefixes are case sensitive and can include alphanumeric characters,
the underscore character, the period character, and spaces. Ignored files are
not processed and remain in the spool folder until removed. Multiple prefixes
can be used by separating them with commas without surrounding spaces.
Spaces are treated as part of the prefix. E.g., a valid list of three prefixes can
be: ab,a7ab_c,BAC,4.4,etc. The prefix ab ignores all arriving files whose
names begin with ab (i.e., abacus.pdf, abandon., ab123.ps; ABALONE.PS,
123ab.pdf, or _absence.ps would not be ignored).
Note: Removing or disabling a prefix while the spool folder is active causes
any previously excluded files in the spool folder to be processed.

Exclude prefix list

Select to make the prefix list active. Deselect to disable the prefix list without
deleting the list of prefixes.

Scan spool folder

every _ seconds

How often the Spool Folder is checked for new files to be printed.

Time to wait for file to

stabilize _ seconds

Specifies the number of seconds the Spool Folder waits for the size to remain
the same before assuming that it has been fully written and is therefore ready
to be printed out.

Start Inputs
Start inputs connects MP-RIP to MicroSpool (or another input designated in the Input Controller). You must start inputs to process spooler jobs. When started, the Input Queue item
appears in the RIP menu bar, indicating the RIP is ready for input. The exception: PostScript
Start Inputs
files can be processed with inputs off by selecting MP-RIPPrint Filefrom the MP-RIP
menu.
Note: Stop inputs before configuring the RIP or running Page Setup Manager, Color Setup
Stop Inputs Manager, Separations Manager.
To start/stop inputs: click the Start Inputs or Stop Inputs (the green or red traffic light icon)
from the MP-RIP button bar, or press Ctrl-I to toggle start and stop.

Executive
The Executive allows you to enter PostScript language code directly into RIP and see results interpreted immediately.
1 Stop inputs, then select MP-RIPExecutive
from the MP-RIP menu.
2 Select a page setup to use.
3 In the Executive window, enter your PostScript code. Note: Any PostScript code that
produces output when executed has the job
name %exec% in the Output Controller, and
you can manipulate the output just like any
other job.
4 To generate an interrupt, select ExecutiveInterrupt from the Executive menu.
5 When finished, select ExecutiveStop Executive from the Executive menu (or CtrlD at the prompt). The following, harmless message displays in the Monitor window:
Job Not Completed: %exec%.

Language
Select MP-RIPLanguage... for a list of user interface languages available in the current
RIP installation. A language is available if all entries after its name are "Present" or "Yes".

About the MicroPress RIP

Select MP-RIPAbout MicroPress RIP to open the "About MicroPress RIP" screen.

Logo
Select MP-RIPLogo to open the MicroPress RIP splash screen.

Memory Statistics
Select MP-RIPMemory Statistics to open RIP memory usage in the RIP monitor window.

29

Quit
To exit the RIP, ensure no jobs are in progress, then select MP-RIPQuit. When you restart
the RIP, it will resume its last state (i.e.., when you last quit). Note: It is best to quit the RIP
only when shutting down the MicroPress server or updating software. If the RIP is providing
network service, warn other users about possible interruptions.

Edit Menu
Contains common window-based edit facilities (i.e., cut, copy, clear, paste).

Device Menu (Preview, TIFF, MicroPress devices)

This menu's name changes to indicate which device the RIP is controlling. The device does
not necessarily have to be a physical output device; the RIP can also process jobs to files in
a particular format, such as TIFF. The menu is referred to throughout this documentation as
the Device menu.
Device Menu Definitions
Item

Definition

Select Device

Opens a dialog from which you can select the current device from all devices defined in the
Device Manager. Once selected, the device name becomes the Device menu name.

Select Cassette

Not enabled.

Color Menu
The Color menu contains the Separations Manager and RIP color management features (if
enabled by password).

Separations Manager
The Separations Manager dialog lists separation "styles" for the current device.
Selecting a separations style in the Edit
Page Setup dialog determines the color
space, screening, and separation a device
uses. You can edit, copy, delete, or create
new styles.

Item

Definition

Device

Lists all devices you can set as the current configurable device.

Style Name

Name of the separations style.

Color Space

Color space for the separations style.

Output Format

How output is rendered.

Edit

Edits a selected style.

New

Creates a new separations style. Once set, you cannot chang the color space and output
format for the named separations style.

Copy

Copies a selected style.

Delete

Deletes selected style. You cannot delete a separations style currently used in a page
setup.

30

Item

Definition

Select

Not enabled.

OK

Saves any changes and exit.

Cancel

Ignores any changes and exit.

New / Copy Style dialog

Click New or Copy to open the New / Copy dialog.

Item

Definition

Style Name

Name of the separations style. Name must be unique and not exceed 30
characters. When you copy a style, only the name can be changed not the
style specs.

Color Space

Sets the color space of the output. All color spaces known by MP-RIP are
available, but for best results use a color space available to the current
device. Color space and device type determine the available output formats.

Monochrome

1 bit B&W on MicroPress "Monochrome" devices.

8 bit B&W on MicroPress "Gray" devices.

RGB

8 bit RGB. Select only when using a MicroPress "SoftProof" (TIFF) device.

CMYK

1 bit CMYK on MicroPress "CMYK BiLevel" devices.

2 bit CMYK on MicroPress "CMYK QuadLevel" devices.
8 bit CMYK on MicroPress "CMYK Contone" devices.

Output Format

Specifies how job is printed. Options available depend on selected device and
color space. E.g., a CMYK device can generate output as monochrome
separations, as colored separations, or as a composite. Output format names
have the form: <separation-style> (screening>, <interleaving-style>) ->
<output-colorant-family>

<separation-style>
Monochrome

Monochrome composite output. Job prints using 1 bit B&W (halftone) on

MicroPress "Monochrome" devices, 8 bit B&W (gray) on MicroPress "Gray"
devices.

Separations

Job is color separated and printed on individual B&W pages, each page
representing the amount of its respective color.

Colored Separations

Job is color separated and printed on individual color pages, each page
representing the amount of its respective color.

Progressives

Job is color separated and printed in progressive colors per page.

Page 1 = C, page 2 = C+M, page 3 = C+M+Y, page 4 = C+M+Y+K

31

Item

Definition

Output Format (cont.)

<separation-style> (cont.)
Composite

Color composite output. Job prints as:

1 bit CMYK color on MicroPress "BiLevel" devices.
2 bit CMYK color on MicroPress "QuadLevel" devices.
8 bit CMYK color on MicroPress "Contone" devices.

<screening>
Contone

8 bits per pixel, continuous tone, no screening.

Halftone

Halftoned according to screening setup in page setup for virtual printer.

1 bit B&W on MicroPress "Monochrome" devices.
1 bit CMYK color on MicroPress "BiLevel" devices.
2 bit CMYK color on MicroPress "QuadLevel" devices.

<interleaving-style>
[via] Pixel

Data send via pixels (CMYK, CMYK). NOT RECOMMENDED AT ANY TIME.

[via] Band

Data send via bands (all C per band, all M per band, etc. Band size depends on
memory). On MicroPress, equivalent to Frame method.

[via] Frame

Data send via frames (all C per frame, all M per frame, etc.). Frame size is equivalent to
a page. RECOMMENDED FOR MicroPress.

<output-colorant-family>
Monochrome
RGB

Shows output colorant family. Indicates the Color Space selected does not match the
separation styles' output.
1 bit B&W on MicroPress "Monochrome" devices.
8 bit B&W on MicroPress "Gray" devices.
8 bit RGB. Select only when using a MicroPress "SoftProof" (TIFF) device.

CMYK

8 bit CMYK on MicroPress "CMYK Contone" devices.

1 bit CMYK on MicroPress "CMYK BiLevel" devices.
2 bit CMYK on MicroPress "CMYK QuadLevel" devices.

Create

Opens Edit Style dialog.

Cancel

Discard all changes since opening the New / Copy Style dialog.

Edit Style dialog

Click Create or Edit to open the Edit Style dialog to set options for separations and screening. The dialog changes depending on output format you select.
Composite Printer

Separations Printer

32

Item

Definition

Separation

Name of the separation. You can rename spot or other color separations.

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

Device process colors used to print job.

(Other colors in job)

Determines if and how spot color planes will print.

Composite Printer

Not available. RIP converts all colors to appropriate combination of process colors.

Separations Printer

Converts any spot colors to appropriate combination of process colors, each printed
on a separate page.

Print?

Determines which color planes to print.

Composite Printer

To produce process color and convert all spot colors to process, set each process
color to "Yes" and set (Other colors in job) to "No".

Yes

Includes plane in the print.

No

Omits plane, but still calculates its effect on other planes.

Not Blank

Includes non-blank planes.

Separations Printer

To produce separations for each process color and all spot colors, set each process
color and (Other colors in job) to "Yes." Calls for unlisted spot colors will create
separations automatically.

Yes

Produces page even if separation is blank.

No

Omits page, but still calculates its effect on other separation.

Not Blank

Includes non-blank pages.

Angle

Appears only on halftone

(screened) styles. Enter
screen angles for jobs that
don't set their own angles.
Angles are between a side
of the halftone cell and an
axis on the output device,
usually the direction of the
laser's slow scan. Angles
are important when combining separations for color reproduction.
Appropriate screen angles can minimize inaccuracies in screens and consequent
moir patterning. MP-RIP includes Harlequin Precision Screening (HPS), which
provides more accurate screening to reduce moir without limiting choice of screen
angle and frequency.
Angles separated by 30 are a good choice for color printing. E.g., 15, 75, 0, and
45 respectively for CMYK (and related sets using these angles plus or minus
multiples of 90). For elliptical dots, a separation of 60 is recommended, leading to
angles of 15, 75, 0, and 135 for CMYK.

Ink

Set "Normal."

Override separations in job

If a job attempts to specify separations, enable this option to use the separations
defined in the Edit Style dialog.

Use level 1 spot colors

Spot color is not standardized in PostScript Level 1. Enable this option to convert
Level 1 spot color representations to Level 3 or Level 2, depending on the
PostScript Language compatibility level setting under Options... in the virtual
printer's page setup. This is effective only when producing spot colors.

Override angles in jobs

Enable to ignore a job's screen angles and use those specified under Angle. Helpful
if job was optimized for another output device, or for a consistent appearance in a
publication built from different sources. Appears only on halftone (screened) styles.

33

Item

Definition

Reject preseparated jobs

Prevents RIP from processing preseparated jobs.

Recombine preseparated jobs

Recombines certain classes of preseparated jobs. Recombining is useful when

proofing to a composite device or retargeting from one device to another. Jobs
eligible for recombination must consist of process separations, suitable spot
colors, or both. Suitable means the job supplies a CMYK equivalent for a spot
color or an equivalent is found in the definition files found in the "MicroPress/
Rip/Trsysm01/SW/NamedColor" folder. You can add a CMYK equivalent
definition to these files.

New

Adds a spot color separation. Name entered must perfectly match one used in
the job in every respect (e.g., same case, use of embedded space characters,
any trailing CV or CU suffixes). A typical Pantone specification is PANTONE
386 CV, but applications may report this differently.

Delete

Deletes a spot color separation. Process color separations cannot be deleted.

Edit selected row

Enabled when a "Separation / Print? / Angle / Ink" row is selected. Used to edit
those values.

Dot Shape

Screening is the process of approximating gray levels or color shades with a

pattern of dots. Dots are built using pixels and occupy a halftone cell that
represents a gray level or color intensity. A dot can occupy 0% of the area in a
cell (white) to 100% of the area (black). Dots of intermediate areas simulate
gray. The number of pixels assigned to a halftone cell defines how many gray
levels are available.
The MP-RIP
offers a variety
of dot shapes.
Selecting the
appropriate one
depends on the
output device,
resolution, media, and image type. E.g., Euclidean dot-shapes produce better
saturated grays above 50%, especially at finer screen frequencies, because it
fills halftone cells from the corners, instead of the centers, when the gray value
exceeds 50%. When the gray value is less than 50%, the dots are filled from
the center.

Common Dot Shapes

Round

Commonly
used dot
shape, but
dot gain can
be a
problem in
shadow areas since the white diamond at the center of four adjoining circles
can easily become filled with black as the dot size grows. But round dots give a
smooth appearance in the highlights and middle tones.

Euclidean

This dot shape reduces dot gain in the shadow areas and is good for generalpurpose use. (It is common in newspaper production, for example.)

34

Item

Definition

Dot Shape (cont.)

EllipticalP

This dot
shape
avoids a
fairly sharp
transition at
around 50% that can occur with the Euclidean dot shape. An excellent dot
shape for general use.
Note: CMYK screen angles for all elliptical dot shapes must be 60 degrees
apart, instead of the normal 30 degrees, because of the asymmetry of the
elliptical dot.

Other Dot Shapes

Line
Line 90

Line-shaped
dots generally
used only to
produce special
effects since
there tends to be a lot of dot gain.

Square1

Square dots are

rarely used,
except for
particular effects.
Images
produced with square dots tend to have dot gain problems, particularly in the
shadow areas. Square1 is a Euclidean type.

Square2

Another form of
square dot
shape.

Elliptical1
Elliptical2
EllipticalQ1
EllipticalQ2

Generally
produces a
smoother
transition than
round dots,
though can produce a lined effect. Note: Screen angles for elliptical dot
shapes must be 60 degrees apart, instead of 30 degrees, because of the
asymmetry of the elliptical dot.

Rhomboid

Similar to the
square Euclidean
shape, but gives a
somewhat
smoother result.

Override dot shape in job

Jobs often specify their own dot shape. Enable to force the job to use the RIP's
dot shape.

Resolution

Virtual printer's device resolution in dots per inch (dpi), dots per centimeter
(dpcm), or dots per millimeter (dpmm).

Frequency

Number of halftone cells in lines per inch (lpi), lines per centimeter (lpcm), or
lines per millimeter (lpmm). Increasing frequency improves printed
"smoothness" while decreasing available gray levels.

Override frequency in job

Forces jobs to use RIP's frequency.

Edit selected row

Enabled when a "Resolution / Frequency" row is selected. Used to edit those

values.

35

Item

Definition

Generate extra gray levels

When HPS is enabled, this option produces exact number of gray levels set in
Limit number of distinct gray levels, even if the number exceeds the screen
frequency and device resolution limitation defined below. When HPS is
disabled, this option limits gray levels to the amount shown in Limit number of
distinct gray levels.
Conventional screens produce a maximum
2
resolution
number of gray levels based on the resolution

+1
of the output device and screening frequency,
screenfrequency

according to the expression:

E.g., a 2540 dpi device using a 100 lpi screen will
2
2540
produce 646 gray levels.

+ 1 = 646
100

The number of gray levels needed is imagedependent. A few flat tints behind text or in a simple diagram need no more
than a dozen levels. Do not enable extra grays solely to reproduce flat tints.
Continuous tone images from high-quality sources will respond best with up
to 256 gray levels. Graduated tints and blends require the greatest number
of levels, the minimum number being 256. Long vignettes or those using a
relatively short range of tints may require more. The rule of thumb is no single
step in a vignette should be more than 0.03 inches (0.75 mm) wide. Thus a
vignette from 20% to 70% tint that is 6 inches long requires at least 400 gray
levels. PostScript Language Level 3 allows up to 12-bit-per-channel images
(4096 gray levels). This is supported in the MicroPress RIP. It is very unlikely
that more than 1024 gray levels would be required. However, the RIP cannot
add more steps to an existing blend. Make sure the application creates the
blend with enough steps.
Limit number of distinct gray levels to

Meaning changes based on the use of HPS.

When HPS is enabled

The entered value indicates the number of gray levels that will be produced.

When HPS is disabled

The value indicates the upper limit of gray levels that will be allowed. Some
devices may provide fewer gray levels than this limit. In this case, the lowest
number of gray values available will be used.

Use Harlequin Precision Screening

Enables the use of HPS.

HPS Options

HPS is a screening technology that ensures high-quality reproduction with any

screening option. Its features include:
Generating extra gray levels that allow the use of higher screen frequencies
than the resolution would normally allow
Reducing moir patterning by using an adaptive screening technique that
adjusts each halftone dot so it is placed within a half pixel of its ideal location
Determining how rosettes are formed in the image
Once enabled, HPS is a property of the page setup that uses the separation
style and applies to all pages printed with that page setup. Default HPS
settings were carefully chosen to provide good output to all PrintStations and
PrintLink connected devices.

36

Optimize for angle set

Reduces amount of memory HPS requires if the screen angle is pre-selected.

The default set (15, 75, 0, 45) is used for most work.

Snap angles to nearest 7.5

degrees

Snaps the pre-selected anglesto the nearest 7.5

Angle accuracy

Increasing angle accuracy gives more freedom in selecting a screen and may
reduce patterning on individual films, but may increase the likelihood of moir.
For mono or non-overlapping spot color work, you can safely increase these
numbers. For process separated work, accept default values.

Frequency accuracy

See Angle Accuracy.

Item

Definition

Zero degrees frequency

adjustment

Once a screen set for Cyan, Magenta, and Black is calculated, Yellow is
determined using the value specified here. Yellow angle identity is determined
from the job or taken as the third entry in Optimize for angle set. Increasing or
decreasing the frequency of the Yellow plate can reduce the residual moir
inevitable when using a four-color halftoning system. Values typically used are
5% to 11% greater than the frequency of the other colors. Default value of 7%
means that the frequency of Yellow is 93% (100% 7%) of the deviated
frequency used for Cyan, Magenta, and Black.

Maximum frequency deviation

Specifies the greatest allowable deviation from the requested frequency.

Individual frequencies are selected so they are within the specified Frequency
accuracy. Increasing the maximum frequency deviation gives more freedom to
find an optimal screen set and can reduce patterning or moir. Final output can
be produced at a screen frequency different from that originally requested. A
value of between 5% and 10% is normally acceptable.

Enable HPS 2.0

Select to use features added to HPS that improve the output quality when
using Generate extra gray levels. Flat tints and vignettes are smoother
because reduces mottling effects that generating the extra gray levels
sometimes causes.

Abort job if accuracy not achieved

Cancels current job if it is not possible to determine a screening set within the
angle accuracy or frequency accuracy requested.

Limit screen levels to

Allows pattern-reduction adjustments to be separate from extra gray

generation. Set to a high value if patterning on individual films occurs. If a
shortage of memory exits, reduce the value.

Generate clear centered rosettes

When color separations are combined, dots form one of two rosette patterns:
clear-centered: less likely to show significant color shift if separations print
slightly out of register; typically produces lighter, less saturated output with a
more noticeable rosette structure.
dot-centered: Output at high screen frequencies should use clear centered
rosettes. Output at low screen frequencies should use dot-centered rosettes.
If inconsistent rosettes appear across the full width of a page, try varying the
requested frequency slightly, or increase Maximum frequency deviation,
allowing the RIP to find a screen set with better angle and frequency accuracy.

dot centered
clear centered

Rotate screens according to page

rotation

Maintains screen angles relative to the page axes. Rotate screens according
to page rotation in the Edit Style dialog box to maintain screen angles relative
to the page axes. This may help you diagnose the cause of problems with
patterning in the output.

OK

Save changes and exit.

Cancel

Cancel changes and exit.

37

Possible problems with output

Problem

Suggestion

Patterning

Increase the number of screen levels generated. In the HPS Options dialog, set a high
number in Limit screen levels.
Try slightly different screen frequencies often a change of only a few lines per inch can
make a considerable difference in patterning.
If you see stripes or bands parallel to the output engines scan lines, try rotating the page
90 degrees (check box Rotate screens according to page rotation) Output the page
again. If the bands rotate with the page, you can correct by adjusting RIP settings. If not,
hardware may be faulty.

Moir

When using a dot shape other than square and round, screen angles for cyan, magenta,
and black plates may need to be 60 apart rather than standard 30 apart. Yellow should
be at 30 from two of the screens. Suggested angles are 15, 75, 0, and 135 for cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black, respectively. Success depends on (a) image content (flat tints
in certain colors show moir most clearly) and (b) dot shape asymmetry .
Some applications include individual screen frequencies and angles designed for older
PostScript language compatible RIPs that cannot produce halftone screens at accurate
angles and frequencies. Using these frequencies and angles with HPS is no better than
without HPS, and output is more prone to moir. Disable these features in the sending
application. If you cannot modify the input file, select Snap angles to nearest 7.5
degrees and Override frequency in job.
Try enabling MP Compress+ in Configure device of the Page setup, then re-RIP the job.
Try blurring the contone image from an application like PhotoShop.
Use HDS.

HPS and pattern screens

Increasing HPS
performance

Some applications produce patterns rather than halftones. Devices that do not require
screens reproduce the pattern as a shade of gray. Such applications may produce poor
PostScript files. To avoid these problems, the RIP detects such screens and replaces them
with a special screen that does not suffer from resolution problems or with an equivalent
PostScript language pattern, depending on whether the output is halftone or continuous
tone. HPS does not alter these pattern screens in any way.
The first time a particular HPS screen is used, the RIP must generate it. However, HPS
screen sets are cached to disk, so performance suffers little (if at all) when that HPS
screen is used again.
HPS requires a reasonable amount of RAM (i.e., 812 MB of RAM). If "insufficient memory" messages appear the RIP Monitor window, increase the amount of RAM to obtain significant speed increases.
If not using extra grays, increase the Maximum frequency deviation, Angle accuracy, or
Frequency accuracy settings to reduce the memory requirement. If extra grays are
switched on, you can reduce memory usage by lowering values for Limit number of distinct gray levels and Limit screen levels.
Ensure that Optimize for angle set is correct for the angles being used. If the value is
incorrect, processing a job may require more memory.

38

Color Setup Manager

Installation
You must enable color management features by password.
1 Select MP-RIPConfigure RIP Click Extras
2 Highlight the HIPP Harlequin ICC Profile Processor
option. Click Add
3 Enter password and click OK. Once entered, the RIP
automatically configures all virtual printers for the ICC
Profile Processor.
Color Management Introduction
The Color Setup Manager defines the color matching setup
the ICC Profile Processor (ICCPP) will use. Several setups were pre-installed. The ICCPP
detects all incoming RGB and CMYK colors in files of any image or application format and
assigns them to an Input Profile in order to correctly read the color data. It uses the Output
Profile to color translate these images to the printer. Choose profiles based on the CMYK
and RGB devices typical to the workflow.
Emulation/Proofing
Using this simple three-step process to emulate Press and Proofing devices:
1 Separate the job into the CMYK of the press / proofing device (e.g., in PhotoShop with
a CMYK image, load the Printing Inks or ICC Profile of the device to emulate in the
Color Settings menu). With an RGB image, change mode to CMYK with the Printing
Inks or ICC Profile loaded.
2 Load the press / proofing device profile as the CMYK Input Profile.
3 Print using the MicroPress printer profile as the output profile.
You can create and load various color setups or emulations into different page setups.
Color Setup Manager Dialog

Item

Definition

Device

Selects the virtual engine to create/edit a color setup.

Color Space

Select sCMYK for all printers, select RGB or CMYK for TIFF device.

Name

Name of color setup.

Type

All are ICC types

Profile

ICC Output Profile associated with the color setup.

Edit

Edits a selected color setup.

New

Creates a new color setup.

39

Item

Definition

Copy

Copies a selected color setup.

Delete

Deletes a selected color setup.

Select

Selects a color setup.

OK

Saves and exits.

Cancel

Exits without saving.

Color Setup Dialog

In the Color matching area of the Edit Colour Setup dialog,
select profiles for incoming RGB and CMYK color. In the Profile area select the profile of the output device. Next, select the
ICC Rendering Intent and other options.

Item

Definition

CMYK Input Profile

CMYK images, by definition, were separated for a particular device, like a

printer (SWOP, Commercial A) or proofer (3M Matchprint, DuPont Cromalin).
In the CMYK Input Profile box, select the printer for which your CMYK
images were separated. For greatest color gamut, select MicroPress Default
CMYK.

40

3M Matchprint

3M Matchprint proofing system using European inks and a low-gain (12-14%)

printing process.

3M Matchprint (Standard)

3M Matchprint proofing system using European inks and a standard gain

(24%) printing process.

BVD-FOGRA positive glass

A commercial/specialty and heatset web offset printing press conforming to

ISO 12647 as specified by BVD/FOGRA. This specification is 60 lines per
centimeter (lpcm), positive glass, gloss-coated, woodfree, 115 grams/m2.

BVD-FOGRA positive matt

A commercial/specialty and heatset web offset printing press conforming to

ISO 12647 as specified by BVD/FOGRA. (60 lpcm, positive plates, mattcoated, woodfree, 115 grams/m2).

BVD-FOGRA positive uncoated

A commercial/specialty and heatset web offset printing press conforming to

ISO 12647 as specified by BVD/FOGRA. (60 lpcm, positive plates, uncoated
white paper, woodfree, 120 grams/m2).

BVD-FOGRA positive LWC

A commercial/specialty and heatset web offset printing press conforming to

ISO 12647 as specified by BVD/FOGRA. (60 lpcm, positive plates, glosscoated web, 70 grams/m2).

Commercial A

Heidelberg MO printing press using standard European printing inks and a

coated commercial paper stock.

Item

Definition

DuPont Cromalin

A proofing system designed to match a typical low gain commercial printing

press.

DuPont Cromalin (ES96)

A proofing system designed to match a typical European standard gain

commercial printing press.

FUJI ColorArt

A proofing system designed to match typical US commercial printing press.

None

Disables emulation. The PrintStations CMYK color space is used.

SWOP (CGATS TR001)

A printing press configured by CGATS to meet the specifications for SWOP

printing.

CMYK Input Profile (cont.)

MicroPress Default CMYK

Designed to optimize the color and saturation of the MicroPress device.

Recommended as the default input profile.

MicroPress Saturated CMYK

Profile designed to provide extended color and saturation. Typically used to

enhance flat, dull looking color.

RGB Input Profile

In the RGB Input Profile box, select the monitor used when your RGB images
were created, viewed, or edited. Given the limitations of the print device, the
ICC Profile Processor corrects RGB images to print the way they display
(WYSIWYG).

Trinitron

Profile of a monitor using Trinitron phosphors.

sRGB

Profile of a colorspace proposed by Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft. Designed

for use as a basis for color management of internet images.

MicroPress Default RGB

Designed to optimize color and saturation of the MicroPress device. Corrects

saturated blue, green, and red colors to print as they appear on screen.
Recommended as the default input profile.

MicroPress Saturated RGB

Designed to provide extended color and saturation. Used to enhance flat, dull
looking color.

ICC Output Profile

Select the output profile that corresponds to your PrintStation or printer.

312_ICC

ICC Profile for PrintStation 312.

Cii_ICC

ICC Profile for PrintStation Cii (both "Normal" and High Density calibration).

DesignJet_ICC

ICC Profile for HP DesignJet.

DesignJet_UV_ICC

ICC Profile for HP DesignJet using UV inks.

DesignJet1000_ICC

ICC Profile for HP DesignJet 1000.

2525t_ICC

ICC Profile for Toshiba FC22.

832m_ICC

ICC Profile for Minolta 9001 series devices.

624m_ICC

ICC Profile for MGI DL6100

2020m_ICC

ICC Profile for Minolta CF2001

ICC Rendering Intents

Colors that exist outside the gamut of the color device cannot be reproduced
exactly (rendering intent refers to how these colors are printed).

ICC Auto Switching

Applies perceptual rendering to images and Relative Colorimetric to all other

objects. A good default rendering intent.

ICC Perceptual

Maps all original colors in a relative way to the range of colors available in the
output device. Appropriate for rendering photographs and natural scenes.
Recommended for Windows Office applications and when printing
gradients and vignettes.

41

Item

Definition

ICC Saturation

Style intended for business graphics (e.g., pie charts and presentations),
where it is less important to match colors exactly than it is to make colors
appear clean and saturated. It maps each original color to a device color that is
relatively pure. E.g., if a relatively small component of cyan ink occurs in a
yellow patch, this intent will remove the cyan and increase yellow saturation.

ICC Colorimetric

Maps original colors as closely as possible to colors available to the print

device. Appropriate when reproducing logo or corporate colors. Relative
Colorimetric maps white and black points of the original image to the white and
black of the output device (paper base / maxD black). If the Fill background
with paper color of input job check box is selected, Absolute colorimetric is
used (see below). Typically, relative colorimetric style is preferred.

Fill background with paper color of

input job

Select this check box only if you want the output device to lay down a
background tint that matches the paper base color of the original.

Preserve 100% process black

Ensures text characters (and other 100% black objects) are printed using black
only. All other grays will be printed using a CMYK equivalent color. To print ALL
percentages of gray with black only, select None as the CMYK Input Profile.

Color adjustments
Type A

Provides very good color matching at the highest possible processing speed.

Type B

More comprehensive color match but significantly longer processing time.

Override color management in job

Overrides color management settings that MAY be found in the job and uses
the MP-RIP color setup instead. If not selected, MP-RIP uses what color
resources it can find in the job to transform the image.

Save/Save As

Saves the color setup to the Color Setup Manager. If you don not click OK in
the Color Setup Manager dialog, you will lose the setup. Save As allows you
to name the setup.

Cancel

Cancel changes and exit.

Color Setups
Item

Definition

Color Setups

42

MicroPress Color

Provides excellent overall color. Uses MicroPress Default RGB and MicroPress Default CMYK to match job CMYK and RGB to the devices output profile. Default setting.

MicroPress Saturated Color

Provides saturated color for dull, flat originals. Uses MicroPress Saturated
RGB and MicroPress Saturated CMYK with the devices output profile.

PrintStation Color

Uses the PrintStations native CMYK color for CMYK images and MicroPress
Default RGB for RGB images.

SWOP Color

Emulates a typical offset press. Uses Commercial A CMYK Input Profile and
T/R Systems MicroPress Default RGB profile for RGB use.

Loading the Color Setup into the RIP

1

Select MP-RIPPage Setup Manager and choose the virtual printer

for the color setup.
Load the color setup in the Color: box.
Press OK. The virtual printer will now
run the ICC Profile Processor using
the color setup in all subsequent jobs.

Install ICC Profile

ICC profiles are installed as "Input Profiles" that translate color data to the RIP from images
created on RGB devices (e.g., scanners and monitors) and CMYK images intended for printing or proofing devices. Note: You can install any ICC 3.0 compliant profile.
Profiles are also installed as "Output Profiles" that translate color data from the RIP to output
devices such as TIFF files, monitors, or printers. You specify whether a profile is used for
input or output (or both) during installation. To change a profile's type, reinstall it. Note: The
Emulation type is not used in the ICC Profile Processor. To emulate a device, see the section Emulation/Proofing.

Select the profile from the Install ICC profile dialog. (MicroPress ICC profiles are in the MicroPress\Rip\trsysm01\Icc folder.)
Select the profile and press the Select button.
Note: Be sure the device listed in the For Device: box
is correct.

Specify options for the profile according to the following table. When complete, click
Install to load. Repeat this procedure for additional profiles and devices.

Item

Definition

Name

ICC profile being installed (you can edit this name).

ICC Profile Information

File details of the ICC profile in the Name box.

43

Item

Definition

Input Profile

Installs the ICC profile as an input profile (e.g., MicroPress Default RGB).

Named colors

Available if you install a profile specifically created for named (spot) colors.

Device Link Profile

Available if you install an ICC device link profile, which connects two ICC profiles together
(input to output) and performs color translations directly.

Emulation

Not available.

Device Profile

Installs the ICC profile as a device (or output) profile. You must choose a device in the For
Device field.

For Device

Sets the output device associated with the device profile.

Resample on Install

Resampling may reduce the size of the profile and save disk space, but may also result in
less accurate color reproduction. Dont select unless disk space is an issue.

Output
Contains commands for controlling calibration and trapping. Additional items for media and
cassette management are not applicable with MicroPress.

Media Manager and Cassette Manager

MP-RIP was designed to handle media independently of the Media and Cassette Managers.
As a result, these options are not applicable with MicroPress devices.

Trapping Manager
Installation
You must enable trapping management features by password.
1 Select MP-RIPConfigure RIP Click Extras
2 Highlight the TrapWorks" option. Press the Add button.
3 Enter password and click OK. Once entered, the MicroPress RIP creates a "Trapping Manager" option on the
Output menu. Trapping configurations are created in this
manager.
Trapping Introduction
Trapping compensates for registration errors in the printing process. TrapWorks is a powerful
tool that performs trapping in the RIP on all jobs from any application or platform. Once configured, running TrapWorks is as easy as choosing a different page setup in the RIP.
The sections below discuss errors due to misregistration and various ways of correcting them
as useful background information for setting up TrapWorks without prior trapping experience.
To immediately configure a trapping setup, go to the section Creating Trapsets.
Misregistration and Visible Errors
Color objects may share boundaries that mark a change from one color to another. For
example, a change on the border between yellow and magenta objects. Ideally, the transition
gives a crisp border. However, with any real machine or process, some error occurs. The
magenta ink may print slightly off the yellow border, leaving a noticeable white streak. Or the
magenta may overlap the yellow, leaving a red mark. Fringes of different colors may be seen
where colors mix in unintended combinations. This is misregistration.

44

The graphic shows the simple example. A magenta letter A prints

on a yellow background. The image is separated during the printing process and recombined on paper in a misregistered
state.The diagram magnifies both error types. A typical error is less
than 1/100th of an inch. Trap widths in the 0.003 inch through 0.006
inch range are common. The exact width to use depends on tolerances
throughout the process from imaging to final printing.

The rightmost part of the graphic above shows both common cases: a white gap and an
unintentional superimposition of inks. To reduce the appearance of misregister, a thin border
is generated at object boundaries for both magenta and yellow separations.
Increasing Border Width: Printing beyond the ideal boundary is the fundamental premise of
trapping as dark lines are much less offensive than white gaps. Adding more yellow at 100%
increases the width of the red fringe, but not markedly. In a real application, adding a yellow
screened to less than 100% will reduce the vividness of the red.
Spread Light Colors under Dark Colors: To further minimize the visual impact of the trap,
consider spreading the lighter color under the darker. In the example, yellow is likely lighter
than magenta, but it can be more difficult to decide between other combinations. Consider
areas of cyan and red: if the red is very dark, the cyan spreads under it; if the red is light, it
spreads into the cyan area. TrapWorks uses the term luminance to describe the lightness or
luminosity of a color. For each color, TrapWorks calculates a luminance value that matches
the colors perceived lightness, using a formula that relates luminance to the strengths of the
process inks representing the color.
Choking: Alternatively, look at the knockout areas on the two separations and consider
"choking" or shrinking the knockout in the yellow to make it smaller.
Creating Trapsets
A trapset is the set of parameters that controls trapping. The
Trapping Manager dialog displays available trapsets. You
can create, save, and manipulate trapsets as you do page
setups and calibration sets. You can create as many trapsets
as you like, but each uses memory and you can install only
one per page setup. You can use a single trapset with several page setups. TrapWorks can accept jobs with traps created in illustration or page layout software. Select Output
Trapping Manager.
Item

Definition

Name

Name of the trapset; can be edited; limited to 32 characters.

Limit

Displays the number of objects to trap in a job. If blank, unlimited objects are allowed.
Number is specified in the Edit Trapping Parameters, Options dialog.

Auto Choke

Displays whether the "Auto choke superblack" option is enabled.

Trap Color

Displays the "Trap Color" selection for the trapset.

Edit

Edits a selected trapset.

New

Creates a new trapset.

Copy

Copies a selected trapset.

Delete

Deletes a selected trapset.

OK

Saves and exits.

Cancel

Exits without saving.

45

Edit Trapping Parameters Dialog

These controls determine the dimensions and colors of traps to
hide misregistration errors. In the Separations Setup dialog , you
can specify colors that should not be trapped.

Item

Definition

Name

Name of the trapset (limited to 32 characters).

Centerline luminance threshold

Determines whether
centerline traps are
generated. Traps are usually
made by spreading lighter
colors under darker ones. If
enabled, and the luminance of
the two colors is within the
percentage difference in the
text box, then a centerline trap
is generated. Setting a small
threshold provides limited centerline trapping. In a centerline trap, both objects
are spread half the distance, producing a trap centered on the boundary.

Max trap width/stroke width ratio

Ensures trap width is never more than a certain percentage of a line's width.
Useful because choking might make a line too thin or expand a character
enough to visibly change its shape, especially with very fine detail in designs
and moderately large traps.

Auto choke superblack

Controls the behavior of objects containing both black and some additional tint.
Adding a tint is often used to generate a rich, dark black, but may, with
misregistration, yield a fringe of color around the object. Check this box to
choke the colored separations back, so that the edge of the object is not
"superblack," but still looks black, even in cases of registration error.
TrapWorks excludes one special case from treatment as superblackwhen
the color is specified as 100% of all process colorsbecause they are almost
certain to be some kind of registration mark. TrapWorks traps only superblack
objects where one of C, M, or Y is less than 100%.

Trap widths

Holds control settings for the width of a trap when generated, each setting
corresponding to a situation where special treatment is desired. Values
entered depend mostly on printing process error.

46

Normal trap width

Sets overall trapping width. Use generally except for special cases below.

Black trap width

For black objects where a trap will, at worst, generate a superblack.

Image & vignette trap width

Alters the weight of a trap against an image or vignette.

Text < __ pts

trap width

Set separate trap width for text, defined as any text below the point size
entered in the text edit box. Ensures that fine serifs and similar decorations are
not lost, while allowing full-sized trap for heavier type.

Units

Specifies units used for all settings.

Item

Definition

Trap Thresholds

Determines how large a color change requires trapping. RIP generates a trap
for each separation when the two objects have more than a certain percentage
of change, as long as at least two separations are changing by that threshold
amount in opposite directions. E.g., if color changes from a light red to a dark
red, no trap is needed. If color changes from yellow to magenta, a trap is
needed.

Cyan

Threshold percent for cyan.

Magenta

Threshold percent for magenta.

Yellow

Threshold percent for yellow.

Black

Threshold percent for black.

Objects which intersect images/

vignettes

Trapping against images or vignettes is required at boundaries with other

objects and superimposed graphic objects or textual matter. Images and
vignettes contain many colors, so RIP treats each as a solid color and asks
you to specify if the trap should spread, choke, etc. The solid color used in
place of the real colors should be of a roughly average density and neutral
color. You can change the default color to create a better equivalence from the
Image Colors panel in the Trapping Options dialog.

Spread

Generates traps by spreading the object into the image/vignette area; default
method since the precise color of a given area of an image is not known.

Choke

Generates traps by choking. Choked objects print in a knockout (from the

image/vignette), and the trap overprints the image/vignette in the trap color
calculated from the object color and equivalent image/vignette color.

Centerline

Generates traps using the centerline method.

Automatic

Generates a choke or spread trap automatically by comparing the object color

and the declared Image Color from the Trapping Options dialog.

None

Leaves objects untrapped against images.

Text which intersects images/

vignettes

Controls the trapping of text against images and vignettes. Such text may
spread, choke, be centerlined, have an automatic policy depending on the
declared Image Color, or have no trapping.

Trap color

InstructsRIP to print traps in three different color modes.

Normal

Prints a trap exactly matchings the color of the objects being trapped (i.e., has
the ink density of the stronger object in each separation). Use with normal
output.

Reduce

Causes dark fringes to show less although misregistration is then visible (but
less than without trapping). Color information is taken from the Trap
reductions section of the Trapping Options dialog. Use with normal output.

Options
Trap reductions

Specifies percentage by which to reduce each separation. Default values

reduce trap colors by 10%, so that the trap between an 80% cyan object and a
100% yellow one is 72% cyan and 90% yellow. This control operates only
when Trap color is set to Reduced.

Image Color

Determines the color used when trapping images or vignettes. Default is a

neutral gray determined to give good overall results; you can change default to
create a better equivalence to the image or vignette in the job. Chosen color
determines a choke or spread trap for objects or text that intersect images or
vignettes.

47

Item

Definition

Highlight Color

Allows you to specify a color for all traps. More useful in proof prints where it
can help identify where traps are generated. In this case, a very visible color
should be used. Default is bright red. You can increase the Trap widths values
to improve trap visibility in proof prints.

Do not trap jobs with more than ____

items

Sets a limit on the number of objects RIP will trap. RIP Monitor window reports
the number of objects in a trapped job. This limit prevents the RIP from
spending excessive time trapping complex jobs. Default value is arbitrary and
may not be the best choice for the combination of typical jobs and system
capabilities.

Special Colors
TrapWorks can trap special (spot) colors by using their CMYK equivalence values to estimate relative luminance against process colors. It then decides which color to spread at each
boundary. To do this, specify an ink as one of the following types: Normal, Opaque, or
Transparent from the Edit Separation dialog in the Separation Setup dialog. Normal inks
mix the same way as process colors. Opaque ink is absolutely opaque, so any other ink may
spread under it. Transparent ink is effectively an overprint, so it should not be choked or
spread, and it does not obscure objects printed under it. The category names Opaque and
Transparent are typical. Other overprinting needs may fall into one of these categories.

Troubleshooting
This Error

Indicates

Missing or disabled menu or

dialog box options

Output, Trapping Manager menu item appears only when TrapWorks is enabled.The Ink
type control in the Separation Setup operates only when TrapWorks is enabled. See
Trapping Manager, Installation section on how to enable TrapWorks.

Visible colored fringes

Check that Trap Color is not set to Highlight in the Trap Specifications dialog box.

Images are trapped too heavily Try reducing the trap width, or choose Reduce in the Trap Color menu of the Trap
Specifications dialog, or produce the job without trapping. The most appropriate choice
varies by job and output process.
Memory exhausted
Message may appear in a dialog box prior to the RIP quitting. Assign more memory to the
Configure MicroPress RIP with RIP and retry the job, or set a limit on the trapset for number of objects to trap.
more memory

Limitations
TrapWorks can trap most kinds of fonts, including Type 3, Type 4, and Type 0 (composite
fonts, for example: Kanji). TrapWorks cannot handle a small number of items/conditions:
Patterns: cannot trap patterns.
Image masks: cannot trap objects using PostScript language imagemask operator.
Painting to disk. With trapping on, paint-to-disk becomes a PostScript language vmerror (warning message gives error instead of a partial paint).

Calibration Manager
Calibration Manager contains all RIP calibration sets and Tone Curves for every MicroPress
device.
Calibration Sets

48

These are linearization curves that ensure a 1:1

response between gray values requested in a job and
halftone values printed. Used to correct halftone
printers such as BiLevel, QuadLevel, and Monochrome. The graph shows an example of a typical
response seen from a non-linearized imagesetter.
The curved line is the imagesetters response. The
straight line is the desired 1:1 response. If a 50% tint
is sent to the imagesetter, a 30% tint is produced on
paper. To solve this problem, a linearization curve is
loaded into the RIP that defines the screen percentage to create based on the screen percentage
requested. In this example, the RIP would create a
higher screen percentage (60-70%) which, when
printed, produces a 50% screen on paper. Note: Continuous tone devices (Contone, Gray) are linearized using Gammatic. Since Tone Curves require a
calibration curve to enable their use, EnableToneCurves is provided for Contone and Gray printers.

Tone Curves
Tone Curves are adjustment curves that modify the output of a printer currently using a calibration set. Used with both halftone and contone printers. For example, if a monochrome
printer using the Linear Monochrome calibration set produces dark output, apply the Tone
Curve Light+10% to lighten output by 10%. Where it may seem effectively the same as
modifying the calibration set, the power of Tone Curves is five-fold:
1
2
3

Available to all printer types.

Curve effect is the same, regardless of printer type.
Standard calibration sets (linearization curves) remain unaffected, providing a consistent baseline from which to work.
4 Since the printer is already linearized using the calibration set, Tone Curve values are
absolute, meaning a 5% increase in tone curve value will create a 5% decrease on
paper.
5 Can be used with the ICC Profile Processor to provide color adjustment capability and
color matching.
Using Tone Curves with Contone or Gray Printers: Contone and Gray printers are linearized by Gammatic and do not require a calibration set. However, since Tone Curves are only
effective when a calibration set is loaded, a special calibration set called "EnableToneCurves" is loaded to enable Tone Curve use with these printers.
When to use Tone Curves: A Tone Curve modifies all jobs sent through the RIP. For halftone printers, this is the only method available for adjusting jobs. Contone or gray devices
can use both Tone Curves and PSM ColorCurves. ColorCurves are applied to individual PostRipped jobs so they don't affect other jobs or jobs being sent through the system (see the
PrintStation Manager Reference Manual). If you consistently use a particular ColorCurve for
adjustment, consider creating its Tone Curve equivalent and load it into the RIP to be automatically applied.

49

Calibration (Dot Gain) Manager Dialog

Default calibration sets provide the linearization needed for most work. When
modifying or creating a calibration set,
create a 1:1 response. To vary final output from 1:1, use a Tone Curve. Before
modifying an existing calibration set or
Tone Curve, copy it from the Calibration Manager dialog and edit the copy.
To create a new calibration set, you
must print a calibration set target. Follow the instructions in the Print Calibration section. Since Tone Curves
represent the % deviation from a 1:1
response, enter their values manually.
Item

Description

Device

Selects device. To edit/create Tone Curves, select "Tone Curves."

Color Space

Selects color space for the curve.

Name

Name of the curve.

Resolution

Resolution of the virtual printer (sets warning criterion)

Dot shape

Dot shape acceptable for use with the curve. "(Any)" means the curve will work with all dot
shapes (sets warning criterion).

Freq.

Lpi range for which the curve is considered accurate (sets warning criterion).

Exp.

Not applicable for MicroPress devices.

+/-

Not applicable for MicroPress devices, set Use for Pos & Neg to "Y" (sets warning
criterion).

Profile

ICC profile associated with the device and curve (sets warning criterion)

Status

Not applicable for MicroPress devices.

Edit from uncalibrated target

Edits existing calibration set or Tone Curve.

Edit from calibrated target

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE. If saved, will delete all data from selected calibration set
or Tone Curve.

New

Creates a new calibration set or Tone Curve.

Copy

Copies a selected calibration set or Tone Curve.

Delete

Deletes a selected calibration set or Tone Curve.

Select

Displays the selected calibration set in the Edit Page Setup dialog. If you opened the
Calibration Manager from this dialog, click the Select button to save changes.

OK

Saves and exits.

Cancel

Exits without saving.

50

Edit Uncalibrated Target Dialog

Calibration sets must be made for each virtual printer
even if the set is identical. Tone Curves are available
to all devices. For both calibration sets and Tone

Curves, increasing percentage increases lightness. For calibration sets, another curve may be
required for best results as frequency or dot
shape is changed. Create the set by reading a
target generated at those settings.

Item

Description

Profile

ICC Output Profile associated with the device using the calibration set. Usually, leave the
profile selected.

Resolution

Resolution (horizontal and vertical) associated with the device using the calibration set.

Dot Shape

Dot shape for the calibration set.

Screen Freq:

Screen frequency range for the calibration set.

Exposure

Not used.

Use for Pos & Neg

Always select.

Name

Name of calibration set.

Channel

Sets color appropriate for the data. Monochrome printers have one channel.

Add

Pastes data from a channel into another.

Copy

Copies data from a channel.

Delete

Deletes data from a channel.

Measurements as

Depending on Device, Color Space, or Negative Media, select Positive % dot, %Dot,
or L*.

Negative Media

Select if you are measuring from negative output.

Force solid colors

Forces maximum density job colors to be printed using the maximum colorant available
regardless of calibration set limits. Exact colorimetric match not always possible.

Percentage boxes

Contains values for each percentage. For calibration sets, enter the data obtained from the
Print Calibration procedure into the Calibration Manager (X-Rite step numbers are printed
on the target for convenience). Each value you enter (0100) must be equal to or greater
than the preceding value.

Smooth

Reduces abrupt transitions in the curve.

Extrapolate

When percentage values are missing or if data expressed as a percentage at 50%, click
Extrapolate to calculate the remaining values. Click Clear before entering data to enable
Extrapolate.

Clear

Empties the percentage value boxes. Click before entering data to enable Extrapolate.

Reset

Resets all data to default configuration.

Import

Imports data from a file rather than typing numbers into the boxes.

OK

Saves and exits.

Cancel

Exits without saving.

51

Table of Calibration Sets and Tone Curves

Tone / Press Curves

Explanation

Calibration Sets

Explanation

Light-10%
Light-15%
Light-25%
Light-35%

From the curves 50% point,

the dot is decreased (-) by
the % shown. 0% and 100%
are unchanged.

BiLevel @120 dpi

Linearization for BiLevel

printers.
Linearization for QuadLevel
printers.

Dark+10%
Dark+15%
Dark+25%
Dark+35%

From the curves 50% point,

the dot is increased (+) by
the % shown. 0% and 100%
are unchanged.

Linear @ 85 dpi
Linear @ 105 dpi
Linear @ 120 dpi
Linear @ 140 dpi

Linearization for
Monochrome printers (select
depending on screen dpi
selection in Style drop box).

HighContrast-8%+8%
HighContrast-15%+15%
LowContrast+8%-8%
LowContrast+15%-15%
HighKey0+8%
HighKey0%+14%
HighKey-4%0%
HighKey-4%+8%
HighKey-4%+14%
LowKey+8%0%

Dot is decreased (-) or

increased (+) by the
amounts shown at the 25%
and 75% curve locations
respectively.
The 0%, 50% and 100%
curve locations remain
unchanged.

Linear @ 175 dpi

Linear @ 175 UV dpi

Linearization for wide format,

BiLevel printers. Select the
UV version curve when UV
printing inks are used.

DocuLike

A lighter, open rendering

(less dot %).

EnableToneCurves

Allows Tone Curve use if

above calibration sets are not
used.

QuadLevel @ 120 dpi

Loading a Calibration Set

Calibration sets are loaded from the Calibration box in the Page Setup of the virtual printer.
All MicroPress virtual engines have pre-loaded calibration sets.
Loading a Tone Curve: Tone Curves are loaded from the Tone Curves box in the Page
setup of the virtual printer. Tone Curves are effective only when a calibration set is loaded
into the Calibration pull-down box in the RIP page setup. RIP ships with pre-defined Tone
Curves.
Using the "ToneCurveThumbnails" RIP feature
"User Adjust" is the process of changing a job's rendering in order to suit a users' preference. Both B&W and color jobs may need adjustments in order to satisfy a customer. Tone
Curves are one of the tools created for this purpose. The best method for determining the
ideal adjustment is to enable the "ToneCurveThumbnails" feature in the RIP page setup of
your device. This feature, available to every printer type, creates a job "proof sheet" that
shows the job rendered using each Tone Curve in the library. For example, to determine the
best possible rendering of a page with continuous tone images, enable "ToneCurve Thumbnail" in the feature box of the Page setup, and send a single page of the job through the RIP.
The RIP will reduce the page to thumbnail size and process it through the entire library of
Tone Curves. The thumbnail images are then printed, 9 images per page, with the Tone
Curve name printed under each rendering. Simply choose the preferred Tone Curve, load it
in the Tone Curve box, disable the "ToneCurve Thumbnails" feature and RIP the job. This
powerful tool can be used with color/B&W, contone, or halftone devices.
Note: The RIP is processing the page multiple times, once for each Tone Curve. Depending on the image size,
processing may take a few minutes. Time saved in finding the best rendering for your job justifies the wait.

52

Print Calibration
Print Calibration Dialog
Print Calibration prints a linearization target to the
selected virtual printer. Targets are read using a densitometer. Targets work with any densitometer (e.g.,
X-Rite DTP51, 36, or 32). Set the instrument to read
positive dot coverage in percentage terms. DTP
instruments can be programmed using the DOT
MC or DOTCMYK program listing in this chapter.
Select a virtual printer and click Print uncalibrated
target. The target prints to the selected virtual printer
without using a calibration set. Any calibration set
loaded for that printer is ignored. If youre using a
DTP instrument, click pap to display the installed
programs. Click "other" until the DOT program appears. Read the target by passing it through
the DTP instrument. The DTP program stores the values in the "data" window of the instrument. To find it, click p1 once (to go to p2), then click data.
If youre using another densitometer, read each patch and record the dot percentage value.
The target will print to one PrintStation. You can consider this representative of your entire
system, or you can reprint the target from PrintStation Manager to average other engines.
The calibration set you create will be a single curve representing all available PrintStations.
Item

Description

Print uncalibrated target

Prints the linearization target to the selected virtual printer without using a calibration set.
Select to print a linearization target when creating a calibration set.

Print calibrated target

Prints the linearization target to the selected virtual printer using the loaded calibration set.
Select to verify linearization of a virtual printer.

Print uncalibrated press

target

Not used

Print calibrated press target

Not used

Print exposure sweep

Not used

Cancel

Cancels and exits

DOT MC, DOTCMYK and DOT RGB Program Listings

If you have an X-Rite DTP strip reading instrument, enter the following programs into the
instrument to read MicroPress Dot Linearization targets. 51 means DTP51. 32/36 means
DTP32 or DTP36. Click the p1 twice to go to page 3. Go to the edit menu.
Menu Item

DOT MC

DOTCMYK

EDIT MENU

pap

pap

PAP EDIT

press other to find a location to enter

the program, then press go to start

NAME

use arrow keys to name the

program DOT MC, then next

use arrow keys to name the program

DOTCMYK, then next

# OF PASSES

1, next

4, next

OTHER OPTIONS?

options

options

N-FACTOR

1.000, next

1.000, next

OUTPUT ORDER

fwd, next

fwd, next

MIN / MAX

off, next

off, next

MINUS PAPER

off, next

off, next

53

Menu Item

DOT MC

DOTCMYK

EXTRA STEPS

off, next

off, next

PASS 1 NAME

BLK, next

CYN, next

MEASURE TYPE

+dot, next

+dot, next

COLOR

blk, next

cyn, next

STEPS / PASS

23, next

21, next

STOP LOCATION

20, next

30, next

DATA OUTPUT

51=Y, 32/36=vis, next

51=X, 32/36=cyn, next

PASS 2 NAME

MAG, next

MEASURE TYPE

+dot, next

COLOR

mag, next

STEPS / PASS

21, next

STOP LOCATION

25, next

DATA OUTPUT

51=Y, 32/36=mag, next

PASS 3 NAME

YEL, next

MEASURE TYPE

+dot, next

COLOR

yel, next

STEPS / PASS

21, next

STOP LOCATION

20, next

DATA OUTPUT

51=Z, 32/36=yel, next

PASS 4 NAME

BLK, next

MEASURE TYPE

+dot, next

COLOR

blk, next

STEPS / PASS

21, next

STOP LOCATION

15, next

DATA OUTPUT

51=Y, 32/36=vis, next

EDIT COMPLETE

save

Media Monitor
The MP-RIP was designed to handle media independently of the Media Manager, so the
Media Monitor is not applicable with MicroPress devices.

Hold and Reprint

This option allows the reprint of the interpreted page before the entire job is complete.
Although this can be used to print more copies of a page or job, the versatile options available in PrintStation Manager make this option less effective. If you select the Hold and
Reprint option, a dialog displays at the end of each processed page asking if the page
should be reprinted. "Yes" will reprint the page and redisplay the dialog box, "No" will delete
the page buffer and interpret the next page.

54

Fonts
The Fonts menu contains commands for installing, deleting, and proofing fonts within the
RIP. All fonts the RIP uses to process jobs must be installed to disk or embedded in the job.
The RIP provides tools to install fonts, list currently installed fonts, and print or display a proof
of installed fonts.
Supplied Fonts
The MP-RIP comes with the 35 standard PostScript printer fonts, plus several special-purpose fonts you can install from "\MicroPress\Rip\Trsysm01\SW\Fonts" folder.
HP Times-Roman and HP-Courier fontsused for PCL emulation. PCL is HewlettPackard's Printer Control Language.
Stick fontused for HPGL emulation. HPGL is a plotter language. The MP-RIP supports HPGL2 with this font.
The NotDefFontused by composite fonts.
Types of Fonts
You can use several different font types with MP-RIP:
Type 1the most common font; can contain hints, or metrics, that vary with the size of
the characters and improve output quality on low-resolution devices (< 600 dpi).
Type 3 and Type 4
Type 0 (composite)special fonts designed to support large character sets such as
Japanese or Chinese; can include many Type 1, Type 3, or Type 4 fonts and may
require special installation procedures. See Appendix D, Composite Fonts.
Note: MP-RIP converts Type 1 fonts (and those contained within composite fonts) into the DLD font format, which
stores font data more efficiently. Font operations are much faster and use less virtual memory.

Pre-Loading Fonts
Use this method to pre-load composite fonts, if they have been installed according to the
instructions in Appendix D, Composite Fonts. The RIP always pre-loads the 35 standard
fonts. If you use other fonts frequently, the RIP can pre-load them at start-up as well. Start-up
will take slightly longer but the fonts will be in memory when needed, saving processing time.
To pre-load a font, use a text editor to edit the "C:\MicroPress\Rip\Trsysm01\SW\Sys\HqnStart" file. Look for the following segment:
% The remaining fonts are also loaded up on startup but need not be.
/AvantGarde-Book HQNloadfont
/AvantGarde-BookOblique HQNloadfont
/AvantGarde-Demi HQNloadfont

Add a line of PostScript code for each font to pre-load. For example,
/ZapfChancery-MediumItalic HQNloadfont
/ZapfDingbats HQNloadfont

loads Zapf Chancery Medium Italic and Zapf Dingbats.

Substituting Fonts
The RIP substitutes Courier for any font not installed or embedded in the job. Substitution is
controlled from the check box Abort the job if any fonts are missing in the Page Setup
Options dialog. A font substitution table substitutes specific fonts for missing fonts.
TrueType System Font
HelveticaNeue-Bold
HelveticaNeue-Roman
HelveticaNeue-Italic
HelveticaNeue-BoldItalic
FranklinGothic-Demi
TimesNewRoman

Substitute Postscript Font

Helvetica-Bold
Helvetica
Helvetica-Oblique
Helvetica-BoldOblique
Helvetica-Bold
Times-Roman

TrueType System Font

BookAntiquaBoldItalic
BookAntiquaBold
BookAntiquaItalic
BookAntiqua
BookmanOldStyleBoldItalic
BookmanOldStyleBold

Substitute Postscript Font

Palatino-BoldItalic
Palatino-Bold
Palatino-Italic
Palatino-Roman
Bookman-DemiItalic
Bookman-Demi

55

TimesNewRomanBold
TimesNewRomanBoldItalic
TimesNewRomanItalic
ArialBoldItalic
ArialBold
ArialItalic
Arial
ArialNarrowBoldItalic
ArialNarrowBold
ArialNarrowItalic
Arial

Times-Bold
Times-BoldItalic
Times-Italic
Helvetica-BoldOblique
Helvetica-Bold
Helvetica-Oblique
Helvetica
Helvetica-Narrow-BoldOblique
Helvetica-Narrow-Bold
Helvetica-Narrow-Oblique
Helvetica-Narrow

BookmanOldStyleItalic
BookmanOldStyle
AvantGarde
AvantGardeItalic
AvantGardeBold
AvantGardeBoldItalic
CourierNewBoldItalic
CourierNewBold
CourierNewItalic
CourierNew

Bookman-LightItalic
Bookman-Light
AvantGarde-Book
AvantGarde-BookOblique
AvantGarde-Demi
AvantGarde-DemiOblique
Courier-BoldOblique
Courier-Bold
Courier-Oblique
Courier

A font substitution table can be made to substitute other specific fonts for missing fonts. To do
this, use a text editor to edit the "C:\MicroPress\Rip\trsysm01\SW\procsets\hqnFontSubstitution" file. Find the following segment:
userdict /HqnFontSubstDict <<
%**************************************************************
% Add or change any mappings here. Each line should contain
% two PostScript name objects. The first is the name which is
% to be substituted from and the second to be substituted to.
% The same installed font may be used for several 'virtual'
% fonts, but only one entry for each virtual font should be
% included.
%**************************************************************
% /Ryumin-Light-83pv-RKSJ-H /HonMinchoBT-83pv-RKSJ-H
% /GothicBBB-Medium-83pv-RKSJ-H /HonMinchoBT-83pv-RKSJ-H
%**************************************************************

The format of the font substitution table is missing-font-name substitute-font-name. For

example:
% fonts, but only one entry for each virtual font should be
% included.
%**************************************************************
/HelveticaNeue-Bold /Helvetica-Bold
/HelveticaNeue-Roman /Helvetica
%**************************************************************

In this case, if a job needs HelveticaNeue-Bold, which is not available, Helvetica-Bold will
substitute. The / is required. It tells the RIP that HelveticaNeue-Bold and Helvetica-Bold are
font names. Do not include the "%" character at the beginning of the font name lines. This
character would make the line a comment that the RIP ignores.

Install Fonts
You cannot install composite fonts using Install
Fonts. See Appendix D, Composite Fonts.
1 Select FontsInstall Fonts from the
main menu to install fonts into the RIP.
2 Select a font.
3 Click Install to install. Selecting a nonfont file will not harm the RIP or the file.
All installed fonts are placed in the
"Fonts" folder. Type 1 fonts will be converted into DLD format. A copy of the
font is installed, so original fonts remain
intact.
The RIP supports the use of fonts with single-byte PC format (TrueType fonts or OpenType
fonts with TT outlines) but does not support double-byte fonts (Macintosh format, resource
fork fonts, or OpenType fonts with CFF outlines). The use, proofing, or deletion of installed
fonts is the same as for any other installed font.
56

There are some circumstances where special handling may be required to install a font:
Microsoft Windows handles the \Windows\Fonts folder and its contents specially. To
install a font found in this folder, make a copy of the font and install the copy into the
RIP. The copied font can then be discarded.
When installing large TrueType fonts, the RIP may report an error related to virtual
memory. Here is a typical error report of this type:
%%[ Error: limitcheck; OffendingCommand: readstring; File: %disk0%tmp/fontlist ]%%
%%[ Error: font %D%/ fontname.TTF did not load - it may be an invalid font or require a font
downloader or be of an unsupported type ]%%

Use the Configure RIP menu command to increase the printing band size and install
the font. Once installed, restore the settings to normal, although expect heavy virtual
memory use when a large font is loaded to a job. Temporary settings to install a large
font would be: Memory for RIP = 100 MB, Printer buffer = 24 MB, and Band size for
printing buffer = 6 MB.

List Fonts
Select FontsList Fonts to display a list of all currently installed fonts in the MP-RIP Monitor window. The file "C:\MicroPress\Rip\Trsysm01\SW\Logfile" lists installed fonts.

Proof Fonts
Select FontsProof Fonts to view font appearance. The RIP produces the proof through
the selected page setup.
Select as many fonts as desired. By default, proofs are a sample of the character set. To
proof the complete set, select the Proof fonts in long format check box.

Delete Fonts
Select FontsDelete Fonts to remove fonts.

Print File
Select Print File from the MP-RIP menu to pull-down the
Print File menu. Because multiple files can be selected and
placed in the queue for printing, Print File contains commands to control them.

Kill Current Job

Terminates the current job. Other queued jobs will continue to print.

Stop Printing File

Completes the current job, then terminates all other queued jobs.

Abort Printing File

Terminates the current job and all other queued jobs.

57

Input Queue
Starting inputs enables the RIP to receive jobs from configured
and enabled inputs. The Input Queue menu appears when
inputs are started. The Input Queue menu has three options. To
start inputs, select MP-RIP
Start from the menu or click Control-I or click the Start Inputs button.

Kill Current Job

Terminates the current job.

Stop Input Queue

Turns inputs off when the current job is finished.

Abort Input Queue

Aborts the current job and turns inputs off.

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Appendix A, Troubleshooting
The following sections list various warning messages that may appear in the MP-RIP, RIP
Monitor window, or Output Controller.

Warning Messages
Problems starting the MicroPress RIP
Message

Problem

Things to try

MicroPress RIP failed on boot-up.

Error occurred during start-up.

Reset RIP to factory defaults.

MicroPress RIP startup failed.

Error occurred during start-up.

Reset RIP to factory defaults. Reboot the

machine. If problem persists, re-install RIP.

Dongle not plugged in or invalid.

Fatal error: Fatal security device
failure

Problem with dongle.

Check that the Sentinel device drivers have been

installed and started. If problem persists, shut the
MicroPress server down and restart. If problems
persist, dongle may have failed or be invalid.

Problems Involving Memory or Disk Space

Problems with Resources
Message

Problem

Things to try

Could not access a resource

for the current plug-in device
driver.

Plug-in driver for the current

device may have been moved.

Reset RIP to factory defaults.

Could not access a Setup

resource.

Setup file is corrupted or

missing.

Reset RIP to factory defaults.

There are no devices installed

in the setup file.

No devices are installed in the

Devices directory.

Re-install RIP.

Message

Problem

Things to try

Could not open the newly

created MicroPress RIP setup
file.

Too many other files open.

Close some files.

File too deeply buried inside.

Move it somewhere else.

Filename is too long.

File to be accessed should be moved up in the file

system to shorten the pathname.

Incompatible version of the

MicroPress RIP setup file
used/Old MicroPress RIP
Setup file used.

Setup file being used is

associated with a different
version of software.

Find and install a copy of the correct setup file

supplied with the RIP version running (this must be
placed in the SW directory) or re-install RIP.

Problem finding file may be

disk is damaged.

RIP cannot find a file.

Try running a disk repair utility, e.g., CHKDSK for

NT.

Problems with Files

Problems with Networks

Network troubleshooting can be a difficult. Consult your network administrator for help.
Message

Problem

Things to try

Fatal AppleTalk Error.

AppleTalk timeout.

Sending application took longer to send

data than the timeout specified in
AppleTalk Configure.

Verify network connections. If problem

persists, increase the wait timeout.

59

Problem
MicroPress queues fail to
publish on the network

Things to try

Are inputs started? (Press Start Inputs icon).

Is MicroSpool started?
Ensure that the network cable is connected correctly to the MicroPress server.
Check for MicroPress printers in the Windows NT Print Manager. If not present, see
Appendix C, Resetting/Creating Virtual Printers on page 62.

RIP Monitor Warnings

Problems Involving Disk Space
Message

Things to try

System warning Insufficient Disk

Workspace.

Create free disk space to process job that triggered warning.

Error VMerror Offending

Command: renderbands.

Appears after a partial paint fails (a job fails while being processed in the RIP). Make sure
that compression is turned on in Configure RIP. If problem persists, create free disk
space.

System Warning: Free disk

space below requested
limit.

Not a fatal error. It might happen while the RIP is outputting pages. After output, buffers are
deleted automatically and the RIP continues with its current job.
If no pages are waiting to be output, free up disk space by:
Deleting files.
Turning on page compression in the Configure RIP dialog.
Reconfiguring the PageBuffers workspace to another disk with more free space.
Ensuring no pages are locked in the Output Controller.

Problems Involving Fonts

Message

Things to try

Error: invalidfont; Offending

Command <command>.

Verify font has installed correctly.

Try proofing the fonts using the Proof Fonts option on the Fonts menu. If the font fails to
proof it may be corrupt. If the fonts proof correctly, the job itself may be corrupt.

<FontName> Font not

found; using Courier.

Font specified in the PostScript language file is not actually loaded into the RIP (Courier is
default font).

Courier Font not found;

using Courier.

RIP has no fonts loaded. Use Install fonts to install fonts - the minimum font set that must
be installed is Courier, Times Helvetica, and Symbol.

Problems involving Files

Message

Reason

Error in config file

RIP failed to finish interpreting the file. This message occurs when attempting to print a
TIFF file that is corrupt, unsupported, or of an unrecognized type, or if a file is locked by
another application. Close the file and try again.

Inappropriate compression

Occurs when attempting to print a file in an inappropriate compression format. E.g., a color
or grayscale TIFF file with CCITT compression. CCITT compression is only suitable for
monochrome TIFF files.

60

Message

Reason

open: the TIFF 6.0 or TIFF/

IT file is either corrupt,
unsupported, of an
unrecognized type or the
appropriate file type is not
enabled in Configure RIP /
Extras

This message displays if attempting to image unsupported TIFF/IT data types or to image
files that do not conform to the TIFF/IT-P1 profile. If attempting to print TIFF/IT-P1 files
when the TIFF/IT option is not enabled, then the TIFF 6.0 input option may attempt to
process the parts of the file that it recognizes as TIFF. If this message appears then the
TIFF 6.0 input option does not recognize any part of the file as TIFF.

Using correction for

FreeHand set color
problem.

FreeHand uses the set color operator in a manner that causes problems for a Level 2 RIP.
The RIP catches and corrects this problem.

Using correction for

PhotoShop undefined
problem.

Adobe PhotoShop produces PostScript language that does not follow recommendations in
the "Red Book," and that causes problems with the efficient method of halftone generation
the RIP uses. The RIP catches and corrects this problem.

Appendix B, Backup and Restore the MicroPress RIP

Backup the MicroPress RIP Configuration
You cannot restore RIP configurations unless a Backup operation, described below, was
performed. Perform Backup operations any time RIP configurations have changed.

Depending on user needs or job requirements, you can modify factory default RIP settings
(e.g., page setups, custom ToneCurves (user created), color setups, resolution, screen frequencies). Backing up the RIP configuration will save this information and ensure custom
settings are preserved (in the Config.ps file). Processing this file through the RIP restores
the last back-up configuration. Restoring a configuration does not delete existing page setups, but restores those with identical names to their backup configuration. You can also use
this procedure to install the custom configuration to a future RIP version. To backup the current RIP configuration:
1 Select MP-RIPPrint File.
2 From the Print File dialog, go to the following directory: C:\MicroPress\Rip\Trsysm01
\Utilities
3 Select "BackupConfiguration.ps" file.
4 Click OK.
The RIP will create the file "Config.ps," store configuration data in it, and place it in the
above named directory. Consider moving or copying this file to a non-MicroPress folder
to avoid overwriting it when upgrading, or to ensure another backup file exists. Note:
Perform a backup operation after installing such RIP options as ICC Profile Processor,
TrapWorks, or HDS. Otherwise, they will restore uninstalled.

Restore the MicroPress RIP Configuration

The RIP restores configurations using the file "Config.ps." Restoring a configuration will not
delete existing page setups, but will restore those with identical names to their backup configuration. To restore a saved configuration, follow these steps.
1 Select MP-RIPPrint File.
2 From the Print File dialog, go to the directory containing the file "Config.ps," created
when running the backup routine above. By default, the RIP places this file in the
C:\MicroPress\Rip\Trsysm01\Utilities folder (though its best to store "Config.ps" file in

61

3
4
5

another location).
Select the file "Config.ps" (created using the backup step described above; if the file
does not exist, you cannot restore).
Click OK.
Shutdown and restart the RIP.

Backup RIP Fonts

You cannot restore fonts unless a Backup operation, described below, was performed.
Perform Backup operations any time fonts are added to the RIP.

This operation saves RIP fonts to a file called "Fonts.ps." Processing this file through the RIP
will restore fonts added or deleted since the last backup. You can also use it to load the current font set to a future RIP version.
To backup current RIP fonts:
1 Select MP-RIPPrint File.
2 From the Print File dialog, go to the following directory: C:\MicroPress\Rip\Trsysm01\
Utilities
3 Select "BackupFonts.ps" file.
4 Click OK.
The RIP will create the file "Fonts.ps" and store it in the above named directory.

Restore RIP Fonts

The RIP restores fonts using the file "Fonts.ps." Restoring fonts will not delete existing fonts.
To restore fonts, follow these steps:
1 Select MP-RIPPrint File.
2 From the Print File dialog, go to the following directory: C:\MicroPress\Rip\Trsysm01\
Utilities
3 Select the file "Fonts.ps" (created using the backup step described above; if the file
does not exist, restoration is not possible).
4 Click OK.

Appendix C, Resetting/Creating Virtual Printers

Resetting All Virtual Printers
You can reset the entire virtual printer configuration to factory defaults using the PrintStation
Manager Configuration application. Although new virtual printers can be added using
this method, all printers are reset to factory defaults in this process. In addition, virtual
printers not selected for "Autoconfig RIP" are deleted. To add a virtual printer without
affecting existing printer configurations, follow the section Creating a Virtual Printer on
page 63. For more information about creating a virtual engine, see the PrintStation Manager
Configuration Reference Manual.
To reset all virtual printers to factory defaults, or to add virtual printers while resetting or deleting other printers:
1 Shut down the RIP.
2 Start the PSM Config utility (StartProgramsMicroPressPrintStation Manager

62

Configuration). The PSM Configuration dialog appears.

To add new virtual engines, follow the procedures in the PrintStation Manager Configuration Reference Manual.
To reset existing virtual printers, select VE
Name check box for the virtual printer and the
"Generate RIP Autoconfig on exit" option, then
Exit.
To delete existing virtual printers, deselect VE
Name check box for the virtual printer and the
"Generate RIP Autoconfig on exit" option, then
Exit.
Restart the RIP and Start Inputs. On the MP-RIP dialog that appears:
Select Yes to write the new configuration data and automatically shut down.
Restart the RIP and Start Inputs to reset all virtual printers.

Note: Make sure the name of the virtual engine is exactly the same as in the RIP. Both PSM Config and MP-RIP
are case sensitive when naming virtual engines and PrintStations.

Creating a Virtual Printer

To create a virtual printer without changing other virtual printer configurations:
1 To create a virtual engine follow steps listed the PrintStation Manager Configuration
Reference Manual. DO NOT SELECT "Generate RIP Autoconfig on exit" when
exiting the PrintStation Manager Configuration dialog.
2 Select MP-RIPExecutive from the main menu.
3 On the "Input>" line, type _TRaddve (case-sensitive) and press Enter.
4 A list of available virtual engines is listed. Enter the
type desired.
5 Enter the virtual engine name. This name is casesensitive and must match the virtual engine name
in the PrintStation Manager Configuration utility.
6 Enter the number corresponding to the desired
paper type. The RIP installs the virtual printer and
automatically shuts down.
7 Restart the RIP.

Virtual Printer Configuration

During MicroPress software installation, or when running the "_TRaddve" command, virtual
printers are created and configured in the RIP and in MicroSpool. Certain virtual printers are
also given queues in both MicroSpool and WindowsNT Print Manager. Some virtual printers
are not given queues (e.g., QuadLevel, Gray, and Monochrome in some circumstances). You
must manually create queues for these. This section explains the manual configuration process.* = Automatic queues created only when B&W engine types are not connected.

63

Enabling QuadLevel
QuadLevel is an alternative printing queue available
only to the PrintStation 312 and PrintStation Cii. For
these PrintStations, QuadLevel is designed to provide
the highest possible text quality with an improved color
halftone improvement over BiLevel. QuadLevel is
already installed in the MicroPress server.
Note: QuadLevel requires licensing. Please contact your dealer to
obtain a new license number if necessary. Refer to the topic
Licensing in the PrintStation Manager Configuration documentation for the steps to enter the license number.

Provide your dealer with the serial number listed near the top of the Configured Options
dialog to obtain the license. Once entered, QuadLevel is enabled. Create a queue using the
MicroSpool Configuration utility.
Creating Queues Manually
To create a virtual printer's MicroSpool and WindowsNT Print Manager queue, start the
MicroSpool Configuration utility (Start, Programs, MicroPress, MicroSpool Configuration) and follow the procedure outlined in the MicroSpool Configuration Reference Manual.

Appendix D, Composite Fonts

Installing/Removing Composite Fonts
The RIP provides full support for composite fonts. Because of their size, composite fonts cannot be installed like Type 1 fonts and require other special treatment. Lacking a current industry standard, composite fonts are varied and installation procedures will vary as well. Almost
all composite fonts now come with their own Apple-Talk installers, but a small number still
ship as a collection of self-installing PostScript-language files. Contact the font supplier for
the best information about installation to the MP-RIP. FireWorks, the MicroPress font downloader, helps with installing composite fonts. (For information about FireWorks, contact
your vendor).
Composite fonts can be pre-loaded. Pre-loading slows down RIP start-up, but saves a great
deal of time when processing jobs with composite fonts. Follow steps in "Preloading Fonts"
section of this manual.
It is best to remove composite fonts with the font downloader supplied with it. This ensures
removal of the leaf fonts and, in some cases, is the only way to recover a font license if the
license restricts you to a fixed number of installs.
Using Composite Fonts Efficiently
Usually very large, composite fonts can consume much computer time and memory. When a
character is encountered in a job, the RIP must find its definition in the composite font, then
convert it into a bitmap before printing or previewing. If the RIP does this for every character
in the job, it will be very slow.
The RIP minimizes the amount of character conversions by storing conversion results in a
RAM cache store. Thus, the first time the RIP encounters a character, it converts it into a bitmap and stores it in the cache for subsequent lookup (without conversion). This significantly
improves performance.
The MP-RIP can cache more character data if more memory is available. Experiment with
memory allocation, as requirements depend on fonts and job types. Allow a range of 1632
MB.

64

Appendix E, Setting Print Options for Individual Pages in a Document

Most applications and PostScript drivers do not allow changing print options for individual
pages in a document (e.g., pulling paper from a different tray, folding, do not duplex this
page). So the RIP uses EPS files with embedded PostScript commands to provide desired
capability. Simply insert the appropriate EPS file provided with the RIP on the page to enable
the selected option for a page.
EPS files for the PC are found in the MicroPress folder \MicroPress\mspool. The files are
named PCprint option name.eps. For example, PCMediaSelectTray0.eps will pick paper for
this page from tray 0. EPS files for the Macintosh are found on the MicroPress CD in the
folder MicroPressMac. The files are named mcprint option name.eps. For example, mcInsert.eps is used to add an insert sheet. EPS files provided:
EPS File

Description

MediaSelectTrayx

Pull paper for this page from Tray x, where x ranges from 05 (see table below).

Insert

Used to add an insert sheet.

TabPage

Used to print Tab Pages. It pulls the paper from Tray 1, sets simplex lock and adjusts the
margins to print the tabs. A special tray may be required for some engines.

SimplexLock

Used to prevent the page from being duplexed.

Appendix F, B/W and Color Splitting

Black and White Color Splitting allows black and white pages in a job to be printed on one
engine while the color pages are printed on another. Some engines have the capability to reassemble the two jobs by inserting the pre-printed pages in the correct location while printing
the other pages. To prepare the RIP for splitting jobs, see the following steps.
1 Click the Stop Inputs icon from the MP-RIP button bar.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Click the Page Setup Manager icon from the MP-RIP button bar.
Choose a Color Page Setup.
Click Enable Feature.
Select SplitColorJob and click OK.
In the MP-RIP menu, select Input Controller.
For the Page Setup selection choose a Monochrome Page Setup.
Enter a Name, choose the Type, and Page Setup and click OK.
On the Input Controller dialog, click On. Click the x in the upper right-hand corner to
close the dialog.
10 Click the Start Inputs icon from the MP-RIP button bar.
To use, print a job to the Color Page Setup selected in Step 2. The color pages will be processed by this Page Setup and the B&W pages will be processed by the Monochrome Page
setup selected in Step 7.

65

Appendix G, Glossary
This glossary briefly describes important terms and concepts about the RIP. Italics indicate
terms with their own entry in the glossary.
Term

Definition

AppleTalk

Communication network protocol allowing Apple and non-Apple devices share over
LocalTalk or Ethernet systems.

aspect ratio

Height-to-width ratio of a page.

black generation

Process of adding black to images in variable amounts to achieve the desired printing
effect.

choke

Process of overprinting a small border on a graphic to make it appear smaller. See the
Trapping Manager section.

CMYK

Color representation scheme (or color space) where cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are
combined to create full-color images.

color separation

Monochrome image that describes a component of a color image that has been described
using a particular color space. In printing, images are typically depicted in the CMYK
space, leading to four separated pages for each full-color page.

color space

Representation scheme for color images, such as CMYK or RGB. Colors are represented
as a combination of a small set of other colors, or by other parameters (e.g., hue,
saturation, brightness - HSB).

composite font

Font that consists of more than 256 characters; indispensable for producing images that
contain, e.g., Japanese text. They need to be treated differently from ordinary fonts.

RIP

The MicroPress RIP PostScript language compatible interpreter; the RIP is the program
that converts PostScript language page descriptions (input) into bitmaps (output).

crop marks

Marks printed near the edges of an image to indicate where the paper should be trimmed.

current device

Output device to which the RIP sends its output; the device specified in the current page
setup.

device driver

Object code file that lets the RIP communicate with the PSM. Any output device can be
linked with the RIP via an appropriate device driver.

DLD font

Proprietary font format, into which most fonts used with the RIP can be converted.
Operations with DLD-formatted fonts can be performed significantly faster than with their
normal font descriptions.

dot gain

Printing effect that results in dots being printed larger than they should be; results from
inks spreading on the printed page and if not compensated leads to a darker appearing
image.

dot shape

Shape in which dots on the image are generated. See Separations Manager section.

dpi

Dots per inch. A measure of the resolution of an output device.

Encapsulated PostScript
(EPS)

A subset of the PostScript language that allows images to be described in a format that
can be imported into other documents. EPS images are independent of the format of the
document, and may be imported into documents using a wide variety of applications, from
within the application itself, or into other PostScript language page descriptions.

executive

Special mode in the RIP that allows PostScript language code to be typed in to preview
the interpreted results. Use this mode only to become familiar with the PostScript
language.

feature

Section of PostScript language code that may be automatically interpreted with any job,
via the Page Setup dialog "Feature" box.

66

Term

Definition

font

Set of type characters for use in a text printing job. Fonts typically contain alphabetical and
numerical type, as well as common symbols (e.g., punctuation marks). The RIP ships with
35 industry standard fonts.

halftone

Complex image that has been broken down into a series of very small dots in order to
reproduce it. A newspaper photograph is a good example of a halftone image. See
Separations Manager section.

halftone cell

Single dot in a halftoned image.

hard copy

Physical copy of a document, on media such as paper or film.

hinted font

When previewing images on a low-resolution screen (or

printing them on a low-resolution printer), text can look odd
when rendered because of the size of the output pixels. Hinted
fonts improve the appearance of low-resolution text. A simple
example is shown in the diagram. With hinting (left) and without (right).

HPS (Harlequin Precision

Screening)

Proprietary technique for reducing the effect of moir interference and improve the quality
of a color separated image when using halftones. See Separations Manager section.

input plugin

Device driver that controls an input device connected to the RIP. Several input plugins are
provided as standard with the RIP. Input plugins have several uses but are used primarily
as methods for sending input to the RIP (e.g., via a spool folder). They can also be used
as PostScript devices, data manipulation filters, or to perform asynchronous actions.

keyboard accelerator

Set of key presses which have the same effect as a mouse-based operation (e.g.,
selecting a menu item) while consuming less time to perform.

lpi

Lines per inch. A measurement of halftone screen frequency, or the number of halftone
dots or lines per inch used to produce an image on a display or printer. Although a print
engine may have a resolution of 600dpi, it is rare that it can produce a halftoned image
using a line frequency higher than 175lpi.

media

Various materials (e.g., paper or film) used in producing hard copy.

mirrorprint

Page Setup dialog option that allows you to produce a mirror-image copy of your job. See
Page Setup Manager section.

moir pattern

Undesirable printing effect that occurs when color separations are printed with incorrect
screen angles or composite images are double screened; can be minimized by using
correct screen angles. See Separations Manager section.

output device

Computer peripheral (e.g., imagesetter, laser printer) capable of producing printed copy of
a document.

output plugin

Device driver that controls an output device connected to the RIP. The RIP ships with
several output plugins).

page buffer

File on disk used to store a page of interpreted output before it is printed or previewed.
Depending on the page buffer mode running, buffers are immediately erased or retained
on disk (to allow reprinting).

page
imposition

Process of printing several pages on one sheet of media, to minimize the required amount
of trimming. For example, a four page A5 pamphlet could be produced on a sheet of A3 as
shown at left. To produce the pamphlet:
1 Cut the paper along the horizontal line
2 Place the pages with the backs toward each other and in the right orientation, then fold
along the vertical line
This is much simpler than producing and trimming each page separately and rearranging
them in booklet form. Imposition is dealt with in the PostScript Extensions provided by the
RIP and as an option in the PrintStation Manager.

partial page buffer

Incomplete page buffer. A partial page buffer does not yet contain all of the details of the
page being rendered.

pica

Unit of measurement in printing. Usually equals 12 points or 0.166 inches.

67

Term

Definition

pixel

Single element of a display or image.

point

Unit of measurement used in printing. Equals 0.01384 inches.

precision screening

Name given the set of controls governing the use of HPS. See Separations Manager
section.

prep file

PostScript language header file interpreted before the main job in order to provide a
standard setup for use by a range of jobs.

preview

To view an interpreted job on the screen before producing a hard copy.

PrintStation

Physical printing engine or printer that can be combined with others to create a virtual
engine.

Proof

Preview or hard copy of an image or font character set.

Raster Image Processing

See RIP.

Rendering

Refers to the process of creating a bitmap image from the interpreted page description;
the bitmap can be used by the output device to produce a visible image.

Resolution

Degree of detail with which a print engine or display can produce an image, usually
measured in dots per inch (dpi). Typically called the addressable, or device resolution. The
higher the resolution, the greater the detail in which the image will be reproduced. The
resolution of a display is usually 72 dpi, whereas print engines can have resolutions closer
to 600 dpi.

RGB

Color representation scheme (or color space) where separations in red, green, and blue
are overlaid to create full-color images. Computer monitors and televisions (and some
printers) use the RGB scheme.

RIP

Raster Image Processor. Standard term for programs or devices that take an image of
some description and convert it into a bitmap for display on a computer screen or output
on an imagesetter.

roam

To preview interpreted jobs in the Output Controller.

rosette

Pattern in which halftone cells are arranged in a separated image, as shown in the figure
on the left. The MP-RIP produces rosettes that either have dark centers (as in the
diagram) or clear centers (as in the diagram but with center dot removed).

screen angles

Angles at which the halftone screens are placed in relation to one another.

screen frequency/ruling

Density of dots on the halftone screen, commonly measured in lines per inch (lpi);
sometimes called 'raster' or 'mesh'.

throughput

Generally, the efficiency with which images are interpreted and produced. Another term for
Multiple (Parallel) mode, where interpreting and output are carried out in parallel, and the
Output Controller is used for managing print jobs.

trapping

Techniques used to tackle undesirable printing effects caused by misregistration of printed

separations, optical effects, etc. See spread and choke and the Trapping Manager section.

Virtual Engine

Collection of one or more PrintStations created in the PrintStation Manager Configuration

application.

virtual memory

Disk memory used as an extension to RAM.

Virtual Printer

Set of characteristics created in the RIP application that define the output settings applied
to incoming jobs.

68