ECRM RIPMate ™ ProofMate (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers ™ Version 1.
Copyright and Trademarks Harlequin RIP: ProofReady Plugin for HP Printers Version 1.0 November 2002 Part number: HQ-1.0.4-PROOFREADY-HP-ECLIPSE Copyright © 1992–2002 Global Graphics Software Limited. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Global Graphics Software Limited.
Contents 1.1 Introduction 1 Requirements 2 Capabilities of the plugin Limitations 3 3 1.2 Software installation 3 Installing the operating system support software and printer 3 Installing the RIP and the ProofReady plugin 4 Using the installer 5 1.3 Connecting to the printer 1.4 Getting started 7 9 Entering passwords 9 Creating device types 11 Creating a page setup 11 1.5 Supplied profiles 18 Halftone screen selection 1.
1.7 Routine use 34 Page setup controls 34 Roaming page buffers 39 1.8 Color management 39 Calibrating the printer 40 Creating and installing ICC profiles 44 1.9 Creating a HIPP or ColorPro color setup 46 1.10 Using the Harlequin Full Color System (HFCS) 1.
1 ™ ProofMate (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers 1 This document describes the ProofMate (ProofReady) plugin version 1.0r4, for use with a Harlequin RIP, version 5.3 or later. This plugin is provided with pre-configured color setups and calibration profiles that enable instant color management, hence the name ProofReady.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers • HP DesignJet 2000CP/2500CP • HP DesignJet 3000CP/3500CP All of the printers can be used with sheet-fed or roll-fed media. 1.1.1 Requirements If you intend to produce large format or high-resolution pages you may need to add extra physical memory (RAM) and you must allow sufficient disk space. To use the Multiple (Parallel) mode of the RIP with large files, use a computer fitted with at least 128 MB of RAM.
1.2 Software installation • A choice of resolution for the output page image for all media sizes and types supported by the model of printer in use • User choice of output quality • Availability of Harlequin screening techniques • Preview of the screened output • Ability to perform post processing 1.1.3 Limitations The plugin cannot be run on a Macintosh computer that has NuBus slots only. This limitation is typically restricted to Macintosh computers that were manufactured before 1996. 1.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers There is one exception: • You must install Windows printer drivers on a PC print server if you wish to use the print spooling facility provided by Microsoft Windows. There are advantages and disadvantages to using this output method. See “Sending files to a printer using Windows printer drivers” on page 58 for details. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations about the order of installing hardware and software.
1.2 Macintosh Software installation Double-click the icon of the drive that holds the plugin. Open any folders necessary until you can see the plugin folder: hprtl. 5. Install the plugin into the following folder: PC Open the folder containing the RIP application and the SW folder. Click Next. The installer copies the files and exits.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Classic Macintosh Double-click the icon of the drive that holds the software. Run install-macos9 at the top-level of the distribution. Mac OS X Double-click the icon of the drive that holds the software. Run install-macosx at the top-level of the distribution. 2. Check the default location of the Destination Folder.
1.3 Connecting to the printer If you have correctly installed the plugin, a line similar to the following will appear in the RIP monitor when you next start up the RIP: % ProofReady - HP : Plugin Version 1.0r4 - Copyright (c) 1999-2000 Harlequin Limited. All Rights Reserved. Note that you must set appropriate configuration options for the RIP using the guidelines given in “Requirements” on page 2. If your computer is already connected to your output device, refer to “Getting started” on page 9.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Platform 1050C 1055CM 2000CP 3000CP 2500CP 3500CP Macintosh PowerPC pre G3 A, B, (D) (A), B, (D) A, B, (D) G3/G4/iMac A, B, (D) (A), B, (D) A, B, (D) Windows ME A, B, C (A), B, C A, B, C Windows 98 A, B, C (A), B, C A, B, C Windows NT A, B, C (A), B, C A, B, C Windows 2000 A, B, C (A), B, C A, B, C Pentium PC If you are connecting to the printer using a parallel printer port then in the BIOS setup of your PC ensure the parallel
1.4 Getting started box. You can then create a page setup, as described on page 11. In some cases you may need or wish to create device types. See “Creating device types” on page 11 for details. If you have installed the plugin into earlier versions of the RIP, or you have not been supplied with password files, you must enable the devices and color management by following the steps in “Entering passwords”. 1.4.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Each device has multiple device types, which specify the use of different features such as roll-fed or sheet-fed media handling. The first time you enter a password for a series of HP printers, the RIP and the plugin should make available all supported device types in the Device menu in the Page Setup dialog box. You can then create a page setup for a device type as described in “Creating a page setup” on page 11.
1.4 Getting started 1.4.3 Creating a page setup Once your desired device types are available for selection in the Page Setup dialog box, you can create a page setup for the device. The way in which you create a page setup depends on the Harlequin RIP version that you are using. In the Eclipse Release or later of the Harlequin RIP, instant color management is possible by simply selecting a ProofReady profile. See Section 1.4.3.2 on page 15 for details.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers For each numbered step of the procedure the corresponding numbers in Figure 1.2 highlight where choices are made in the New Page Setup dialog box. 1 2 4 3 6 5 7 8 9 10 Figure 1.2 Creating a page setup in pre Eclipse Release RIPs À Á Open the Page Setup Manager and click New. Choose the device required from the Device menu. Note: If the device you require is not in the Device menu, see “Creating device types” on page 11.
1.4 Getting started Ä Choose CMYK Composite from the Style menu if you are using a color device. If using a monochrome device, choose either Monochrome or CMYK Separations. Å For color devices, check in the Edit Style dialog box that screening is set to its default value of HDS Super F. To open the Edit Style dialog box, click the Separations Manager icon. Click Edit in the Separations Manager and check the screening option in the Dot shape menu. Click OK twice to return to the Page Setup dialog box.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers 1.4.3.2 Creating a page setup in Eclipse Release or later RIPs To create a ProofReady page setup in the Eclipse Release or later of the Harlequin RIP, you simply need to select a ProofReady profile, as described in the procedure below. For each numbered step of the procedure the corresponding numbers in Figure 1.3 highlight where choices are made in the New Page Setup dialog box. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Figure 1.
1.4 Â Getting started Click Configure device to modify configuration settings as desired. See “Device configuration” on page 20 for details. If using a supplied profile choose the Best option from the Quality menu, because the supplied profiles were created using this setting. Ã Choose a profile from the ProofReady menu that matches the currently selected ink/paper type. The correct resolution for the profile is automatically selected and should not be changed.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Ç Click Page Layout to specify the positioning of the page, using the margin and centering controls. Note: If you are using a sheet-fed device, you must refer to details on how to control top and bottom margins provided in the Page Layout section on page 36. È Click Save As and enter a page setup name in the Save As text box. Click Save in the Save Setup dialog box and then OK in the Page Setup Manager.
1.5 Supplied profiles 1.5.1 Halftone screen selection The supplied profiles have been generated for use with HDS Super Fine screening. Alternative screen sets are available but they may produce poor color output if used in conjunction with the supplied profiles.. For color output, there are supplied profiles for: HDS Super Fine This is the screen set used to produce the supplied profiles.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers 1.6 Device configuration Figure 1.4 Configure Device dialog box Output Method The options that appear in this menu are the various methods of connecting the output plugin to the physical printer, together with the print to file option. If you choose Network you must specify the correct IP address and port number in this dialog. If you choose File you must specify a valid location to produce the file, as well as a valid file name template.
1.6 Device configuration The initial folder is the SW folder, which is a subfolder of the RIP application folder. Click the Change... button to display the Select Folder dialog box where you can navigate to and select any folder visible to the computer running the RIP. Alternatively, on Windows only, you can edit the text if you know the exact location of an existing folder.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Port Number to either 515 or 9100, depending on whether you wish to communicate with the printer using the LPR (515) or JetDirect (9100) protocol. Note: The LPR protocol does not provide bidirectional communication with the printer. Consequently the printer cannot report error messages when using this protocol. Use the port number 9100 to avoid this.
1.6 Device configuration plex pages containing large areas of fine detail, it may take longer to send a page coded with Run-Length Encoding than to send the same page coded with None. TIFF (Packbits) Encoding is a variant of run-length encoding, which also performs a lossless compression but with a higher compression ratio. This mode therefore allows a more efficient transfer of data than run-length encoding. This mode is the default selection.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Try to use a file name extension that does not clash with any established convention. The extension hpf is a suggestion only and is formed from the initial letters of HP Printer File. Note: This file naming scheme does not provide useful file names derived from job names that contain double-byte characters. 1.6.1.
1.6 Device configuration Tag Description The page number (allocated by the RIP), within the current job. For example: 002. The page number prefix from the page buffer name, such as 1., 2., and so on. The quality setting, such as Fast.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Tag Description Verifies that the file name is a legal file name for the MS-DOS operating system. Verifies that the file name is a legal file name for the Macintosh operating system. Verifies that the file name is a legal file name for the UNIX operating system. Verifies that the file name is a legal file name for Windows operating systems: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000. Table 1.
1.6 Device configuration For example, the template hpf produces a file name of the form DeviceCMYK.hpf for a device using a CMYK color space. The tag can be used to include the name of the separation in a file name, for example Cyan. You can include just the first letter of the separation by using the tag <1colorname>, which truncates the separation name to its first letter. If a composite style is used this is indicated by the string Composite.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers You can use this tag to include the exposure setting of a page in the file name. For example, based on the job details above, the template hpf produces the file name 110.hpf. You can use this tag to include the job number in the file name string. The default length of the number is three digits, so the first job number created with this tag would be 000, unless a different length is specified.
1.6 Device configuration marks cause an error. The maximum length of a file name is thirty-one characters (including the file extension). For example, using the template <28jobname>hpf produces the file name Uncalibrated Target Default.hpf, in which the colon has been removed. You can use this tag to include the page number in the file name string. For example, the template hpf produces a file name of the form 001.hpf.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers would be 0000. The length of the number can be specified, as detailed in the example for the tag . When restarting the RIP, the unique numbering will attempt to restart at its initial value, for example 0000. However, if a file exists with that number, the next available unique number is used. The use of this tag verifies that the file name is suitable for use in the UNIX operating system.
1.6 Device configuration 1.6.2 Post processing The Configuration dialog box has an Output: Post Processing text box in which you can enter commands and their options, in the same way as a command line. These commands are carried out after the page buffer has been sent to the printer or once the output file has been created. The commands available depend on the platform on which you are running the RIP. Note: You cannot perform post processing if you are using a Macintosh computer.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers 1.6.2.1 Post processing substitution codes When using the post processing feature of the HP plugin, the RIP recognizes the substitution codes in the following list. You can insert an integer between the percent character and the letter code, to restrict the maximum number of characters used in the result string. For example, %6j represents the first six characters of the job name.
1.6 Device configuration Post processing substitution codes Description %t The current time in the format HHMMSS, using the 24 hour clock. The default length is 6. For example, a time just after 7:30 pm would be shown: 193211. %x The current file name suffix. For example: hpf. %z The current file name stem. For example: out00001. Table 1.3 Post processing substitution codes 1.6.2.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers acters with a special meaning to your operating system, try surrounding that code with double quotes. For example, use "%f" in the post processing text box rather than just %f. If there are no special characters involved, look at the number of substitution codes that you are using and the length of the command string both before and after expansion of the substitution codes.
1.7 Routine use “Creating a HIPP or ColorPro color setup” on page 46 for details on how to create your own color setup. Style By default, there is only one option in the Style menu in the Separations, Screening & Color section of the Page Setup dialog box when using a color device: CYMK Composite. If using a monochrome device you can choose from the default styles Monochrome or CMYK Separations.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Resolution The Horizontal and Vertical menus offer a list of the resolutions supported by the printer. Choose resolutions that satisfy your desire for speed of output (lower resolution) or quality (higher resolution). Note: If you use a profile based on a specific resolution, ensure the resolution matches. Calibration You can select a calibration profile or calibration set from the Calibration list in the Calibration & Dot Gain section (See Section 1.
1.7 Sheet-fed Routine use When the device is sheet-fed, the origin of the page defined by the job is located at the bottom-left of the sheet. However, in the Page Layout dialog box of some versions of the RIP, only the Top Margin (TM) is editable with a default value of 0.00 inches. If these default settings were applied the job would be located at the top-left of the sheet. To prevent this, the Top Margin (TM) is applied as the Bottom Margin (BM).
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Paper Size Dimensions (inches) Dimensions (mm) A4 Extra 9.15 x 12.47 232.3 x 319.3 B4 10.1 x 14.33 257 x 364 Ledger 11 x 17 279.4 x 431.8 US-B 11 x 17 279.4 x 431.8 A3 11.69 x 16.54 297 x 420 A3 Extra 12.57 x 17.41 319.3 x 442.3 Super A3 13 x 19 329 x 483 B3 14.33 x 20.28 364 x 515 A2 16.54 x 23.39 420 x 594 US-C 17 x 22 431.8 x 558.8 Arch-C 18 x 24 457.2 x 610 B2 20.28 x 28.66 515 x 728 US-D 22 x 34 558.8 x 863.
1.8 Dimensions (inches) Paper Size Color management Dimensions (mm) 36" Roll 36 (wide) 915 44" Roll 44 (wide) 1118 54" Roll 54 (wide) 1372 Table 1.4 Paper sizes and dimensions Make all other settings as normal, following the suggestions in the RIP Manual. 1.7.2 Roaming page buffers You can view page buffers on-screen using the standard RIP tools, but there is one point to consider. When using Roam to preview output, the image displayed has poor color fidelity.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers 1.8.1 Calibrating the printer We recommend calibrating the printer for each device type and paper/resolution that you use. To provide a useful starting point, the plugin is supplied with a number of calibration profiles which define the ideal or ‘reference’ state for the printer. The profiles are installed in …RIP_folder\SW\Config\Devices\DevCalibration\, one for each device type.
1.8 Color management 4. In the Harlequin RIP, click Output > Calibration Manager to open the Calibration (Dot Gain) Manager. In the Manager click Device and select the correct device, and then click New to open the Edit uncalibrated target for… window. 5. In Edit uncalibrated target for…, click Profile and select the correct paper/resolution type. All other options should be left at their default settings (ensure Force solid colors remains unchecked). 6.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers 3. Open the Calibration (Dot Gain) Manager. Select the device and the calibration set you created for the second target. 4. Click the Copy button to create a copy of the profile. Select the copy and click the Edit from calibrated target button. 5. Name the profile HP Heavy Coated 300-F, to indicate it is the final calibration set. Click Import to read the calibration data, and click OK to add the calibration set to the Calibration Manager.
1.8 Color management 6. In the Name field enter a name for the profile, for example HP Heavy Coated 300 and click Import > Import to read the calibration data, and then click OK until all open windows are closed. 7. Modify your page setup so that it uses the named calibration set. 1.8.1.3 Recalibrating the printer You should periodically recalibrate the printer to ensure consistent output results, as follows: 1. Click Output > Print Calibration to open the Print Calibration window.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Pre Eclipse Release RIPs In this case both the Color and Calibration menu options in the page setup must be set to (None). Eclipse Release or later RIPs In this case both the ProofReady and Calibration menu options in the page setup must be set to (None), and you must choose (No color management) from the Color menu. Note: The printer in this ‘raw state’ may not be a suitable basis for creating profiles.
1.9 Creating a HIPP or ColorPro color setup Having created the ICC profile, install it using the menu option Color > Install ICC Profile. In the Linear Calibration From menu in the Install ICC Profile dialog box choose either: • Linear if the page setup you used contained no color management data (raw state); or • The name of the calibration profile or calibration set that you used in the page setup (golden state). You can create a color setup using this profile, see Section 1.9 for details. 1.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers 6. Choose (->Default) from the ICC Rendering Intents or Main intent menu, depending on your RIP version. 7. Set the remaining options as desired. For details of these options see the Harlequin Color Production Solutions User’s Guide or the Harlequin ColorPro User’s Guide. ™ 8. Click Save As to save this color setup. 9. Enter a name for the color setup in the Save As text box in the Save Setup dialog box.
1.11 Troubleshooting and tips 1.11.1 Miscellaneous messages The following is a general list of error messages or warnings that may appear in the RIP monitor window: %%[ Error: VMerror; OffendingCommand: pagedevice ]%% When printing using large paper sizes or high resolutions a VM Error may occur. Some jobs may suppress the VM Error and print using the default page size specified in the Page Layout dialog box, so that the output appears clipped.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers memory left for system to 10000 KB. You may need to set a higher figure for large page sizes. On Macintosh computers, depending upon when the memory shortage is detected, you may also see the operating system display a warning dialog box or the computer may hang before being able to display a message. 1.11.
1.11 Troubleshooting and tips Waiting for response from the device This message appears when the RIP is attempting to get status information from the printer. If this message occurs several times in a row, check the status of the printer. Note: This message may occur several times if the printer uses a long drying time. Check that the specified drying time has elapsed before checking the general status of the printer.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers Job output for "job name", filename "full path name of output file", finished on
1.11 Troubleshooting and tips Job output for "job name" is aborting - Printer will print data that it has already received. This message can appear during printer output. It is not a separate error, only an indication of how the RIP and the printer are recovering from an error reported in an earlier message. If the RIP aborted due to a problem with the parallel (LPT1) connection method, you may be prompted to retry or cancel the job.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers particularly if you have a RIP security dongle attached to the same port. If the port is also in use for a dongle, move the printer to another parallel port. Finally, try a new bidirectional parallel printer cable. Poor or erratic image quality Try to localize the problem. If there are any error or warning messages look at their causes and try the associated cures.
1.11 Troubleshooting and tips File stem too long for target platform This message appears when the file name stem is too long for the target platform. To prevent this error, restrict the length of the stem by reducing the fixed text, or by using truncated tags. The example for the tag in “Examples of tag usage” on page 26 demonstrates truncation. Extension too long for target platform This message appears when the file name extension is too long for the target platform.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers An extension is required but not found This message appears when a file extension is expected but is not specified in the template. For example, if using the tag, a file extension must be given. File requested is not writeable This message appears when trying to write to a file that already exists and that has read-only access. If you wish to overwrite the file, you must change the file permissions to provide write access.
1.11 Troubleshooting and tips 1.11.5 Parallel port performance and reliability We are aware of several problems with parallel port behavior when working with built-in parallel ports on PC platforms — where the hardware implementation and supported modes of operation have changed greatly over the development history of the PC. For built-in parallel ports, there are different issues under Windows NT as opposed to Windows ME, Windows 98 and Windows 2000.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers You must also tell your supplier the platform for which you require the password or password file. The platform is the combination of operating system and processor type. For example, you might specify Windows NT, and Intel processor (CPU). Once you have a valid password or password file, follow the relevant steps: Password file Copy the password file into the Passwords folder, which is a subfolder of the SW folder. See the RIP Manual for further details.
1.11 Troubleshooting and tips Note: You cannot send output files to a printer directly connected to a Macintosh computer. This is because Macintosh computers do not send printer files directly to a printer. Instead, Macintosh computers use an application associated with each file type. 1.11.8.1 Installing the Windows shared printer You or your system administrator must install the appropriate Windows printer on the print server.
1 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers The RIP displays a message confirming the creation of an output file in the RIP monitor window. For example: Job output for "1. Test.ps", filename "\\PCPrintserver\HP2000CP", finished On Wed Oct 04 11:40:58 2000 This message includes the name of the print server and the share name of the printer. The RIP does not report the progress of the job; the print server provides this information. 1.
1.12 Related documentation AG50241 Rev.
1 58 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers AG50241 Rev.
1.12 Related documentation AG50241 Rev.
1 60 ProofMate™ (ProofReady) Plugin for HP Printers AG50241 Rev.
