Thank you for choosing ONYX.

To ensure proper installation and setup, please read through this guide and keep it for future reference.

This document and the software described in it are protected under the End User License Agreement and are copyrighted by ONYX Graphics, Inc. with all rights reserved. Information in this document, and in all other documents or help systems pertaining to this software, is subject to change without notice. No part of this publication or the software may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) for any purpose without the express written permission of ONYX Graphics, Inc. ONYX Graphics, Inc. may have patents, patent applications, copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights pertaining to subject matter in this or other documents. Unless expressly provided in a written license agreement from ONYX Graphics, Inc., the furnishing of this or other documents does not give you any license to these patents, copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property. PANTONE Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may not match PANTONE-identified standards. Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. PANTONE and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. Pantone, Inc., 2006. Pantone, Inc. is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to ONYX Graphics, Inc. to distribute for use only in combination with RIPCenter, PosterShop, or ProductionHouse. PANTONE Color Data and/or Software shall not be copied onto another disk or into memory unless as part of the execution of RIPCenter, PosterShop, or ProductionHouse. Cos.jar End User License The source code, object code, and documentation in the com.oreilly.servlet package are licensed by Hunter Digital Ventures, LLC. 19942010 ONYX Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved. The ONYX logo and ONYX glyph are registered trademarks of ONYX Graphics, Inc. The names of actual companies and products mentioned in this or other documents, as well as mentioned or shown in the software itself, may be the registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective owners.

You can set your language settings by clicking File > General Settings... and then changing your language in the Language option.
In order to receive the most efficient support, please be at your computer with the software available. When e-mailing, please include your contact information, key number, and a brief description of the problem.

Language Settings

Support Information
For more information about the program please refer to Online Help (http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10). For troubleshooting tips see Service Center at www.onyxgfx.com/service.

Minimum System Requirements

Operating System
Windows XP Pro 32-bit and 64-bit with the latest service pack, or Windows Vista Business/Enterprise 32-bit and 64-bit with the latest service pack, or Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate, 32-bit and 64-bit with the latest service pack

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium IV 3+ GHz AMD Phenom, Athlon X2, Athlon 64/Opteron 2+ GHz Dual-core CPU or two single-core CPUs when multiple RIPs are used

Storage
50 GB of hard drive space (SATA recommended) 2 GB RAM per CPU (especially important for ProductionHouse)

Video
For current optimal and minimum requirements or information on running your ONYX RIP on a Mac please visit the Service Center at www.onyxgfx.com/service.

1280 x 1024 16-bit color USB Port for Security Key (dedicated) DVD-ROM drive

Hardware

Anti-Virus Software

Several types of Anti-Virus software (including Symantec/Norton AntiVirus and McAfee Anti-Virus) running real-time scans on your ONYX station can cause problems running the software such as slow rip times, failure to save printer settings, and issues with color device readings not being accepted by Media Manager. To resolve this issue, go into your Anti-Virus control panel (for Symantec/ Norton its under Real Time Scanner) and disable any scans on the ONYX folder.

ii

Introduction

How to Use This Manual

Figure iHardware Key Permissions

This manual will help you understand how to use the various features of your software. Due to the complexity of the product, this guide does not fully describe all the possible software features. If you do not find a particular topic in this guide please refer to Online Help (http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10) and Service Center at www.onyxgfx.com/service Some features described in this guide may not be available in your software package. Check your Hardware Key permissions to view which applications and features you can use. To check your Hardware Key permissions:
1. Run the software. 2. Select File > View > Hardware Key from the File menu to display the Hardware Key dialog (see Figure i).

If you have any questions about which features and applications are included in your software package, contact your sales representative.
This icon directs you to other sources of information or help.

Manual Icons
This manual uses icons to help you find important information quickly. These icons are displayed at the left with a description of their purpose. The arrow icon (above) indicates steps or instructions.

This icon shows important suggestions, tips, or ideas.

Quick Tips

This icon shows warnings, cautions, and critical information.

1. Embed ICC Profiles when saving your image in your graphic application. This helps guarantee better color. 2. Copy your files to your local system for faster processing. 3. When saving .eps files, make sure that the printer and screen fonts are included with your file. 4. Keep your printer maintained properly by running daily maintenance. Print a warm-up job to check that there are no areas of over- or under-inking. 5. Recalibrate your media to provide up-to-date printer performance information.

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Contents
User Guide
RIP-Queue Navigation 1

Ch. 1: Setup & Printing

Objectives 2 Installing Your Software 2 Installing Your Printers 3 Configuring Your Printers 3 Setting Up Your Media 4 Opening an Image 4 Printing an Image 5 Virtual Printers6 Job Status6 Setting up Contour Cutting 6 Using Quick Sets 7 Creating a New Quick Set7 Advanced Quick Set Options9 Managing Quick Sets13 Using Hot Folders 14 Troubleshooting Hot Folders15

Ch. 2: Preflight
Objectives 16 What is Preflight? 16

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Contents

Opening Images in Preflight 16 Modifying Basic Job Options 17 Printer & Media Tab 18 Preview & Size Tab 18 Cropping Your Image18 Cropping Using Origin and Size Values19 Rotating Your Image19 Tiling Setup Tab 19 Enabling Tiles20 Printing with Tiles20 Adjusting Tiles20 Overlapping Tiles20 Setting Weld Overlap21 Color Correction Tab 21 Primary Color Levels21 Color/Gray Levels22 White/Black Limits23 Color Replacement25 Spot Layer Tool25 Filters25 Print Tab 25 Print Setup25 Setting Workflow Options25 Marks Options27 Output Options28 Manage Printers 29

Advanced Guide
Ch. 3: Media Manager
Objectives 32 What is Media Manager? 32 The New Media Manager 33

Ch. 4: Workflow & Hardware Key

Objectives 34 What is the ONYX Workflow? 34 Original Image File34 Quick Sets Apply Settings35 Images with Settings Become Jobs35 Processing Jobs35 Ready to Print36 Printing Jobs36 Reprinting Jobs36 Hardware Key 36 Updating Your Hardware Key36

Ch. 5: Printing & Job Management

Objectives 38 When are Jobs Printed? 38 Holds38 Media38 Page Size39 Printer Online39 Triggering40 How Are Jobs Printed? 40

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Contents

Job Options40 Printer Settings40 Placement Strategies 41 BestFit41 Conserve Media42 Group Jobs Together42 Print Jobs Individually42 Fotoba Cutter Marks 42 Aborting a Print 44 Reprinting a Job 43 Managing Jobs 44 Changing Size (Magnification)45 Changing the Media45 Changing the Hold Status46 Changing the Number of Copies46 Modifying the Workflow Options47 Modifying the Marks Options47 Controlling Jobs 47 Viewing a Job47 Changing a Jobs Order47 Sending a Job to Preflight48 Reprinting a Job48 Selecting Tiles to Print48 Changing the Printer Settings for a Job48 Copying a Job to a Different Printer48 Deleting a Job49

Ch. 6: Virtual Printers & Other Systems

Objectives 50 Using the Virtual Printer 50 Printing from Other Windows Systems50

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Mac OSX (10.2.8 or earlier)51 Mac OSX (10.3.x+) with Windows Printing52 Mac OSX (10.3.x+) with Printservices for UNIX54 Installing Printservices for UNIX55 Using the Web Portal (HTTP Access) 56 Changing the Web Portal Port57 Submitting a Job Using the Web Portal57

Ch. 7: Managing Printers

Objectives 58 Configuring Printers 58 Configuring the Printer Port58 Using Printer Pools60 Managing Media61 Managing Page Sizes62 Renaming a Printer62 Changing the Base Folder63 Ink Calculation64 Managing Printers 65 Activating a Printer65 Deactivating a Printer65 Deleting a Printer66 Creating a PrnInst66 Duplicating a Printer66

Ch. 8: Proofing
Objectives 68 What is Proofing? 68 Proofing Basics 68 Before Proofing 69 Comparing Printer Gamuts69

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Contents

Configuring a Proofing Printer72 Printing a Proof72 Verify the Proof 74 Visual Tolerance Chart74 Verification Strip75

Ch. 9: Color Management & ICC Profiles

Objectives 76 What is Color Management? 76 What is an ICC Profile? 76 Color Theory 76 RGB76 CMYK77 Device-Dependent Color Spaces77 Device-Independent Color Spaces77 ICC Profiles78 Input Profiles79 Output Profiles79 Rendering Intents79 L*a*b* Image Files80 Embedded Profiles80 Color Matching Table81 Color Management Options 81 Setting a Color Management Option in a Quick Set82 Setting a Color Management Option in Preflight82 ICC Profile Setup82 Saving Custom Color Management Settings84

Ch. 10: Contour Cutting

Objectives 86 What is Contour Cutting? 86

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How do I use Contour Cutting? 86 Preparing a File for Cutting 87 Defining the Cut Path in Illustrator87 Creating a Quick Set for Contour Cutting 88 Contour Cutting Workflows 89 Print and Cut on the Same Device89 Print on Any Printer and Cut on the I-Cut89 Print on Any Printer and Cut on a Separate Cutter90 Using CUT-Server 91 What is CUT-Server?91 Configuring CUT-Server91 Navigating through CUT-Server91 Workflow Options for Adding Cut Files92 Cutter Settings93 Cutting Workflow93 Layer Settings94 Application Settings95

Ch. 11: Layout Front-end

Objectives 100 What is Layout Front-end? 100 Using Layout Front-end 100 Application Settings101 Image Tools Tab101 Page Tools Tab102 Images Tab102 Printer & Media Options103 Jobs103

Glossary 106 Index 132

Contents

User Guide for X10 Workflow Products

RIP-Queue Navigation
The main RIP-Queue window is divided into five main areas: Printer Area (see 1) Jobs Ready to Print Area (see 2) Buffered Jobs Area (see 3) Information Area (see 4) Console (see 5) Each area provides information relative to the area on the status of your printers, jobs, or software. You can modify many settings by right-clicking in each area.

3 5

1
These objectives may be covered in greater detail in other chapters and the Online Help (http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ rip-queue)

Setup & Printing

Objectives
This chapter takes you through the basics of installing your software and printing. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to do the following: Install the software and printers Setup your printer Print an image Setup contour cutting Use a Quick Set Use Hot Folders

Installing Your Software

If the software installation does not begin automatically, browse to your DVD drive and double-click it.

To install the software:

1. Log on to your computer with Administrator Privileges. 2. Plug-in your Hardware Key to your computer. 3. Insert the Program Disk into your DVD drive. Once the Install window opens, review the install location, and click Next. 4. Read the License Agreement, check that you agree, and click Install. This begins the install (see Figure 1). 5. If a previous installation is detected, you will be given the option of importing printer settings from the previous install (Figure 2).

Figure 1Install Screen

Only settings from the most recent install will be imported. For instance, if you have both 6.5 and 7.3.2 installed on the same system, only the settings from the 7.3.2 install will be considered. If you choose to import previous settings, the following will be automatically transferred to the new install:

Printer activity state Printer medias and modes Custom printer page sizes Printer port settings Printer Quick Sets
Figure 2Import Settings The following will not be imported from previous installations:

Custom ppd locations

Setup & PrintingUser Guide

 Changes to Base Folder (location of Input and Work folders) PrintMetryx account settings PostScript RIP settings (jaws.cfg) Printer placement settings
6. Once the install is complete, click Finish to exit the installation.

Installing Your Printers

To download new media profiles, go to http://www.onyxgfx.com, click Downloads, and then click Profiles. Download the ONYX Driver and Profile Download Manager to get ONYX RIP printer drivers and profiles. Printer Install dialog will appear every time you open the ONYX product if no printers are installed.

Your Hardware Key determines which printers are available to you. If the printer you want is not available, contact your sales representative for a Key Update. While you install the software only once, you can install additional printers and media at any time. You can open the Printer Install dialog by clicking Show Options at the end of installation. If you need to install printers later, insert your Program Disk into the DVD drive. The Printer Install dialog will open automatically. To install printers:
1. In the Printer Install dialog, select the printers and media that you would like installed and click Install. 2. Once the install is complete, click Finish. The program will open automatically.

Each time you install or add a printer, the Configure Printer dialog will appear. This dialog only displays valid configuration options for your printer. If you do not know the type of port your printer uses, contact your printer manufacturer or your network administrator. If you need to reconfigure a printer, click Configure Printer on the main toolbar to open the Configure Printer dialog. There are many types of ports available, but the most common are TCP/IP, USB, and Firewire. To configure a TCP/IP printer:
Figure 3Configure Printer Port: TCP/IP 1. In the Configure Printer dialog, click the Device tab. Select the printer you want to configure, and click Configure Port. This opens the Configure Printer Port dialog. 2. Select TCP/IP, and click Configure (see Figure 3). 3. Enter your IP Address and change the Data Type to <Port9100>. Port9100 is the most commonly used port. For information on other port types, see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ rip-queue

Configuring Your Printers

4. Click Test to verify that the IP address is valid. Click OK to finish.

To configure a USB printer:

1. In the Configure Printer dialog, click the Device tab. Select the printer you want to configure, and click Configure Port. This opens the Configure Printer Port dialog. 2. Select USB Printer, and click Configure. 3. Select your USB device from the available options, and click OK (see Figure 4).

To configure a Firewire printer:

1. In the Configure Printer dialog, click the Device tab. Select the printer you want to configure, and click Configure Port. This opens the Configure Printer Port dialog. 2. Select Firewire Printer, and click Configure. 3. Select your Firewire device from the available options, and click OK (see Figure 4).

Figure 4Configure Printer Port: USB or Firewire

Setting Up Your Media

To setup media:

After youve configured your printer, verify that the media settings in the program match the media that is currently loaded in your printer.

1. If you have not already done so, load the media into your printer following your printers instructions. Figure 5Change Media and Placement 2. In the program, highlight the printer in the Printer area (top-left corner). The media and settings are displayed to the right of the printer. 3. If the information in the program matches your media, you are ready to print. If not, click Change on the right-side of the main screen. This opens the Change Media and Placement dialog (see Figure 5). 4. Use the drop-down arrows to select the options that match the media and page size options that you want to use. Click Setup to configure your placement options. 5. Click OK to complete setup.

Opening an Image

There are several ways to open an image. To open an image using RIP-Queue:
Figure 6Open an Image 1. Click Open on the toolbar, or click File > Open. This displays the Open dialog.

Setup & PrintingUser Guide

2. On the left-side of the dialog (see Figure 6), select which printer you want to use from the drop-down menu. If you have already created Quick Sets, select your Quick Set. If you have not, leave this setting as Default. 3. If you want to preview your image, check the Open in Preflight option. 4. On the right-side of the dialog (see Figure 7), browse to your image, highlight it, and click Open. The image will open and move to the Jobs Ready to Print area of the program window.

To open an image using Preflight:

1. In Preflight, click Open on the toolbar, or click File > Open. This displays the Open dialog. 2. On the left-side of the dialog (see Figure 6), select which printer you want to use from the drop-down menu. If you have already created Quick Sets, select your Quick Set. If you have not, leave this setting as Default. 3. If you want to apply the settings you used for your most recent job, check the Apply Settings option. 4. On the right-side of the dialog (see Figure 7), browse to your image, highlight it, and click Open. The image will open in Preflight. From here, you can modify and edit your image.

Figure 7Open an Image

Preflight allows you to edit and modify your image. For more information, see the Preflight chapter.

When you have finished modifying your image in Preflight, you can send the image to RIP-Queue by clicking File > Submit.

To help create an efficient workflow, RIP-Queue automatically prints jobs after they are processed.

Once you have opened an image into RIP-Queue and setup your printers and media, you are ready to print. Printing is simpleClick on the image you want to print and drag it into the Jobs Ready to Print area of your window. However, the job will not print if the media settings for the job do not match the media settings for the printer. If the media do not match, the job remains in the Waiting for Media state until you change the media type for the printer or the job so they match. To change the media for a job:
1. Highlight the job in the Jobs Ready to Print area. This displays information about the job in the Job Information area on the right.

Printing an Image

Figure 8Job Properties Remember, if you make any changes, you must reprocess the job before you print it.

2. Click Change. This opens the Job Properties dialog (see Figure 8). 3. Change the Media Configuration Name, Media, or Page Size to match the media that is currently loaded in the printer. Make sure that this media matches the media settings for your job. 4. Click OK.

Whenever you change the media for your printer, always make sure to change the media settings in RIP-Queue. Doing this will prevent any problems with printing on incorrect media.

Once the Media for the job and the printer match, your image is ready to print. If your job does not print automatically, verify again that your media match. If they match, you may need to select your printer and click the Print Now button located on the right-side of your screen.

Virtual Printers
You can also print to RIP-Queue using Virtual Printers. A Virtual Printer is a RIP-Queue printer that is used as a Windows printer. When you install a printer, RIP-Queue automatically creates a Virtual Printer that can be used from any application. This lets you print to RIP-Queue from graphic design programs, word processors, internet browsers, or any other application. To use the Virtual Printer, click File > Print in your application, and select the RIP-Queue virtual printer (see Figure 9).
Figure 9Virtual Printer

Job Status
The icons located in the Printer Information area of the window indicate the status of the print. There are three different statuses: Online, Offline, and Hold. Onlineindicated by a green sphere (see Figure 10). Clicking the purple button will send the printer offline. Offlineindicated by a red sphere (see Figure 11). Clicking the purple button will send the printer online. Holdindicated by a hand (see Figure 12). The hold status shows that there is something stopping the print from continuing. Often this is an incorrect media setting or a Wait for Operator hold. If the hold is a Wait for Media hold, change your media settings. Otherwise, click the Print Now button.

Figure 10Online

Figure 11Offline

Figure 12Hold

Setting up Contour Cutting

To set up contour cutting:
1. Create a cut path in a vector-based drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. 2. Create a special Quick Set that uses the cutter path prefix and sets the marks for your specific cutter. This creates the cut file from the cut paths in the image and sets up the print with a barcode and registration marks. For more information see Contour Cutting Chapter of this guide and Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue

Setup & PrintingUser Guide

Figure 13Cookie Cutters & Quick Sets

A Quick Set is a tool that automatically applies certain settings to your jobs. Using Quick Sets is similar to using a cookie cutter. Cookie cutters create cookies with particular shapes in an efficient manner. Just as it would take a very long time to cut out perfect star patterns for each cookie using only a table knife, it would also take a very long time to set all your job settings or options for each image. More importantly, you can use different Quick Sets to apply different settings or options to different jobs much the same way you would use multiple cookie cutters to create different cookie shapes (see Figure 13). Once you create and apply Quick Sets to your jobs, each job will have the correct settings right from the beginning. When you open an image, you select which Quick Set to apply. If you need to modify a particular setting, you can do so in RIP-Queue or Preflight. If you dont need to modify any settings, you can go ahead and print. If you develop your Quick Sets well, you can dramatically increase your productivity.

Using Quick Sets

Creating a New Quick Set

Figure 14Quick Sets New

To create a new Quick Set:

1. In your program, highlight your printer, and click Configure Printer. This opens the Printer Configuration dialog. 2. Click the Quick Sets tab, then New (see Figure 14). This opens the Edit Quick Set dialog. 3. Set the options you want to use for this Quick Set. Click Advanced... if you want to set advanced options. 4. Click OK.

Edit Quick Set Options The Edit Quick Set dialog allows you to setup your Quick Sets to match your workflow needs (see Figure 15). The dialog lets you set the following options: Quick Set Namethis option determines the Quick Set name. Use a name that accurately represents your settings. Media and Page Sizethis option automatically assigns the current media and page size for your printer to your jobs. If you do not use this option, you can specify your own settings in the Edit Quick Set dialog. Make sure that your settings match what is in your printer. Print Modethe Print Mode consists of a predefined group of settings that make up a mode. Modes are specific to the printer and

Figure 15Edit Quick Set

To learn more about profiles, see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/ x10/mediamanager

The Sizing Rule can be restricted to the size of the media page. If the image does not fit on the page, the image will be shrunk to fit that page size unless you have Tiling enabled. For more information on Tiling see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ rip-queue

The Media Options button is only active when the Get Media and Page Size From Printer option is not activated.

Figure 16Cutter Selection

consist of a variety of settings. Color Managementlets you set which profiles your jobs will use. You can select from the drop-down list or click Change Profiles to set up your own. Sizing Rulethis option determines the size of the printed image. You can choose from Source Image, Width, Height, Pixel Based, or Magnification. Source Image maintains the size (or factor of the size) that the image file specifies. Width sets a standard width for each job. Height sets a standard height for each job. Pixel Based sizes the image by pixels. Magnification takes any of the previous settings and enlarges (or reduces) the image by that factor. If your image is larger than your page size, it is automatically reduced. Media Optionsclick this button to open the media specific printer options for the media. If your printer provides such options, Media Options button will appear next to the Media Configuration Name option. Cutter options: Cutter Selectionthe drop-down list contains the names of all cutters or cutter families supported by RIP-Queue (Figure 16). The By Printer option is for use with printers that have an on-board cutter. When this option is selected, RIP-Queue will print the image and then immediately send the cut commands to the device. A cut file is not generated. For all other selections, a cut file is generated for CUT-Server. CUT-Server is used to manage and send the cut data to the specified cutting device. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/cutserver Use Cutter Path Prefix. In order for spot colors to be interpreted as cut paths, the name of the spot colors in the PostScript files must be defined in the Use Cutter Path Prefix option. The name entered in the Use Cutter Path Prefix field must have a prefix identical to the name of the spot colors in the file. For example, if CutContour was entered in the Use Cutter Path Prefix field, spot colors named CutContour1, CutContour2, etc. would be converted into cut paths. However, spot colors named 1CutContour, 2CutContour, etc. would not be converted. Add PDF Trim Box to cut pathsthis option works only with PDF files and creates a cut path around the image according to the border of the PDF. Generate Tile Outline Cut Paththis option generates a cut path around the outside edge of each tile.

Chapter TitleUser Guide

Figure 17Image Options

Figure 18Operator Instructions

Figure 19PrintMetryx

Image Options The controls in this group allow you to set the default parameters instructing RIP-Queue how to print all of the images processed with this Quick Set (see Figure 17). Number of Copiesthis determines how many copies will be made of the job. To allow the number of copies to be specified by the PostScript file, set this option to Auto. Print Reflectionthis option prints the job as a mirror-image of the original image file. This option is typically used when printing on backlit media. Rotateyou can rotate your image by 0, 90, 180, or 270 by clicking the appropriate option. Rotating an image may improve nesting by maximizing media usage. Operator Instructions The controls under this heading allow you to set the defaults telling RIP-Queue whether to wait for operator interaction or not, and the default operator name attached to each job (See Figure 18). Hold for Operatorthis option stops a job from printing until an operator chooses to print the job. Default Operator Nameit is the User name attached to each job. If you have many different users sending jobs from various systems, consider setting the Default Operator Name for each system. PrintMetryx This option is only displayed if you have signed up for PrintMetryx and enabled it (Figure 19). If PrintMetrix is enabled, the only control is the Keyword button which when clicked will display the keywords you have set up within PrintMetryx. Here you can only select the keywords to be actively used. You can add/modify keywords within PrintMetryx. For more information see PrintMetryx Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/printmetryx

For more information on Advanced Quick Set options, see the Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ rip-queue

Advanced Quick Set Options

Advanced Quick Set options let you control the settings that are typically only modified for uncommon situations or non-standard workflows. To access these options, click Advanced in the Edit Quick Set dialog. Output The Output tab of the Advanced Quick Set options controls how RIP-

Queue processes jobs (see Figure 20). You can set the following options: Outputthis option determines what type of image output will be processed. You can choose from Color, Grayscale, and Separations. Rotatethis option allows you to rotate your image by increments of 90. Imagethis option allows you to set the number of copies you would like to print as well as print reflections (a mirror image of the original file).
Figure 20Output Options Processing only affects raster (pixel based) images.

Processingthis group of options determines your processing settings. You can set the program to Perform Image Processing During Print Stage, Process with Interpolation, Process to allow rotation during print stage, and Calculate Ink Usage. These options improve your workflow and help you be more efficient. Bit Depth combo box allows you to select the processing method you would like to use. In most situations 8-bit processing provides good results, however, 16-bit processing gives noticeable improvement in large images with a gradient in one color over a large area. Please note that 16-bit processing does slow processing down considerably. To select processing method:
1. Click Edit Quick Sets. On the Edit Quick Set dialog click Advanced. The Output tab will be displayed (Figure 20).

Figure 21Bit Depth combo box

2. At the bottom of the Processing options group Bit Depth combo box is displayed (Figure 21). Choose the processing method you would like to use from the drop-down menu. Click OK.

Tiling The Tiles tab lets you separate a job into two or more pieces (see Figure 22). Typically, you use this option to print images larger than your media or for display and mounting purposes. This option should only be used if you want your Quick Set to tile every image the same way. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue
Figure 22Tiles Options

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Setup & PrintingUser Guide

Marks Marks are special lines that are printed to aid in trimming, measuring, or welding the image after it was printed (see Figure 23). The Marks tab allows you to set various types of marks as well as the Print Label. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ rip-queue
Figure 23Marks Options

Crop The Crop option lets you set a pre-defined area of each image that will not be printed (see Figure 24). This option should only be used if you want your Quick Set to crop every image the same way. PostScript Halftone The PostScript Halftone options determine how your halftone screens are processed (see Figure 25). These options only apply to PostScript images using the Halftone Dot Pattern. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue PostScript File The PostScript File tab controls the file name and separation options that pertain to PostScript files (see Figure 26). If you do not use PostScript files, these options are not used. File Name Selectionthis option determines whether you use the image file name or the files embedded title as the name of the image in RIP-Queue. Use Cutter Path Prefixthis option defines the spot channel name prefix of a PostScript file that has been prepared for contour cutting. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue Separationsthis option determines how RIP-Queue processes and prints separations. These options must be configured properly for the image to process correctly. This option should only be used if your Quick Set uses separated PostScript files with the same options every time. Auto Detectthis option automatically detects the configuration of a PostScript Separated file. PostScript The PostScript tab controls the job options that pertain to PostScript

Figure 24Crop Options

Figure 25PostScript Halftone Options

Figure 26PostScript File Options

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Using a duplication factor of 2 or higher can greatly reduce processing time, but may cause image degradation.

Figure 27PostScript Options

Figure 28Anti-Aliasing (leftanti-aliasing applied)

Figure 29Workflow Options

files (see Figure 27). If you do not use PostScript files, these options are not used. Page SizePostScript files use an element called a bounding box. This is a specific rectangular area of an image. Usually, the bounding box is the same size as the image; however, some images use a larger box for margins or a smaller box for cropping. To print the area defined by the bounding box, select the Only Use Bounding Box option. Warning Leveluse this option if you want the program to abort the job if you have a missing font. If you disable this option, the job will be processed with a substitute font. Two Stage Processingthis option converts your PostScript file to a raster image. You can then further modify the raster image. The Pixel Duplication option processes the image at a smaller resolution and then copies the pixels to achieve the correct output resolution. Anti-Aliasingthis option smooths areas in your image that appear jagged. This can improve the appearance of low resolution images (see Figure 28). Spot Color Replacementthis option lets you apply the spot color specifications defined in the Color Matching Table. The Table allows you to share colors you created in your graphics creation program with your printer. Override Default PostScript Settings. While most images will process correctly with the default settings, it sometimes becomes necessary to override these settings to get the desired output. This option lets you modify the settings for a specific Quick Set without changing the default settings and behavior of the overall product. The RIP engine has several options that may be enabled and/or modified to define how the image will process (Figure 29). For more information on PostScript RIP options, see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue or Service Center at www.onyxgfx.com/service Submit Pages as Individual Jobs - this option enables RIPQueue to separate individual pages of a PDF document into separate jobs in the queue. Workflow The Workflow tab determines how images and jobs are handled (see Figure 29). For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue

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Setup & PrintingUser Guide

Figure 30Display Options

Display The Display tab allows you to set the Color Display settings for a job (see Figure 30). Use these options to modify how the program displays color information. Color Displaythese options set the display you want to use for sample point values. They do not affect the display for Color Correction tools. Color Correction Tools Displaythis option determines if you use CMYK values (0-255) or percentages (0-100). This becomes the default setting for the Primary Color Curves and Color Replacement dialogs in Preflight. Color Correction The Color Correction tab assigns a Color Correction Filter to all jobs using a particular Quick Set (see Figure 31). Click Import to add an additional filter. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue

Managing Quick Sets

Figure 31Color Correction Options

Managing Quick Sets alters the printer setup. Because of this, the program cannot process or print jobs while you modify the Quick Sets. Make sure that you are not processing or printing a job before managing Quick Sets. To edit a Quick Set:
1. In the printer area of the main window, highlight the printer that uses the Quick Set that you want to modify. 2. Click Edit Quick Sets in the toolbar. This opens the Edit Quick Sets dialog. 3. Highlight the Quick Set you want to modify, and click Edit. 4. Modify the Quick Set options.

Editing a Quick Set in this manner does not interrupt processing and printing.

To rename a Quick Set:

1. In the printer area of the main window, highlight the printer that uses the Quick Set that you want to rename. 2. Click Configure Printer on the toolbar. This opens the Configure Printer dialog (see Figure 32). Figure 32Configure Printer Dialog 3. From the Quick Sets tab, highlight the Quick Set you want to rename, and click Edit. 4. Change the name of the Quick Set. The Default Quick Set cannot be renamed.

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To copy a Quick Set:

1. In the printer area of the main window, highlight the printer that uses the Quick Set that you want to copy. 2. Click Configure Printer on the toolbar. This opens the Configure Printer dialog (see Figure 33). 3. From the Quick Sets tab, highlight the Quick Set you want to copy, and click Copy. A new Quick Set with the same name plus a number appears in the Quick Set list. To change the name, click Edit.

To delete a Quick Set:

1. In the printer area of the main window, highlight the printer that uses the Quick Set that you want to delete. 2. Click Configure Printer on the toolbar. This opens the Configure Printer dialog (see Figure 33). 3. From the Quick Sets tab, highlight the Quick Set you want to delete, and click Delete. You cannot delete the Default Quick Set.

To export a Quick Set:

1. In the printer area of the main window, highlight the printer that uses the Quick Set that you want to export. 2. Click Configure Printer on the toolbar. This opens the Configure Printer dialog (see Figure 33). 3. From the Quick Sets tab, highlight the Quick Set that you want export, and click Export. 4. Browse to the location where you want to save the Quick Set, specify a name for the Quick Set, and click Save.

To import a Quick Set:

1. In the printer area of the main window, highlight the printer that will use the Quick Set that you want to import. 2. Click Configure Printer on the toolbar. This opens the Configure Printer dialog (see Figure 32). 3. From the Quick Sets tab, click Import. 4. Browse to the Quick Set you want to import, and click Open.

Using Hot Folders

Figure 33Hot Folders

A Hot Folder is a special folder that automatically assigns Quick Set options to a job. Each Quick Set you create has a corresponding Hot Folder that is automatically created. When the program is running, RIP-Queue constantly monitors all of your Hot Folders for image files. When an image is placed into a Hot Folder, the program moves it out of the Hot Folder and into the queue where the image is processed and printed us-

14

Setup & PrintingUser Guide

ing the Quick Set options associated with that Hot Folder. Hot Folders are located in the Input folder in your program files. Because RIP-Queue automatically shares the Input folder, you can copy image files into a Hot Folder from any network system (Windows, Mac, Linux, and so forth). RIP-Queue then processes and prints each image using the Quick Set properties of that Hot Folder. To drop images into a Hot Folder:
1. Open the folder where your images are located. Copying files into the Info Folder or modifying the files that already reside in the Info Folder can cause errors in RIP-Queue. 2. Copy them by right-clicking on them and selecting Copy. 3. In your program files, find the Input folder, and select the printer you want to use. This opens the Hot Folders associated with that printer (see Figure 33). 4. Paste your image files directly into the Hot Folder you want to use. The images appear in RIP-Queue and begin processing according to the properties of that Hot Folders Quick Set.

The Info Folder is not a Hot Folder. It is a special RIP-Queue folder that contains printer configuration settings.

Troubleshooting Hot Folders

If RIP-Queue does not automatically process images dropped in a Hot Folder, check the following: Does your Hardware Key have Hot Folders enabled? Check the Hardware Key using the Hardware Key dialog (File > View > Hardware Key) and verify that Hot Folders is enabled in your Key tree. If it is not, contact your sales representative for an update. Are the images valid (supported) image files? Try opening them in RIP-Queue using File > Open. Is RIP-Queue running? The Hot Folders are only active when the RIP-Queue application is running. Are the image files read-only? RIP-Queue cannot process readonly images. To remove read-only restrictions from a file:
1. Highlight the image files in Windows Explorer. 2. Right-click the files. 3. Select Properties. 4. Uncheck the Read-Only checkbox.

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2
If you do not have Preflight, contact your sales representative for a Key Update.

Preflight
Objectives
This chapter will take you through the basics of using Preflight. By the end of this chapter, you will have an understanding of the following: Opening images in Preflight Modifying basic job options Adjusting color using Color Correction Modifying the image setup Using the Printer Manager

Preflight allows you to view and modify jobs before they are printed in RIP-Queue. Preflight is not a required step to process and print a job, but it is a useful tool when jobs need to be modified. Preflight can also import images directly from a scanner or digital camera and preview color corrections and ICC profiles.

What is Preflight?

Opening Images in Preflight

You can bring an image into Preflight using any of the following ways: File > Open in Preflight File > Open from RIP-Queue Import into Preflight Preflight button in RIP-Queue To open an image using File > Open in Preflight
1. Select Open from the File menu. This displays the Open dialog. 2. Browse to and highlight your image. 3. Choose a printer from the Printer drop-down menu. 4. Select a Quick Set from the Quick Set drop-down menu. 5. Click Open.

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PreflightUser Guide

To open an image using File > Open in RIP-Queue

1. Click File > Open from the File menu. This displays the Open dialog. 2. Browse to and highlight your image. 3. Choose a printer from the Printer drop-down menu. 4. Choose a Quick Set from the Quick Set drop-down menu. 5. Click the Open in Preflight option in the lower left corner of the dialog. 6. Click Open.

The job opens in Preflight and displays in the Jobs Ready to Print area of the RIP-Queue window with a status of Busy. Once you submit the job from Preflight, RIP-Queue will process and print it. To open an image by importing it into Preflight
1. Click File > Twain32 > Select Source from the File menu. This opens the Select Source dialog. If your device is not listed, reinstall the Twain drivers for your device. For more information, see your devices user manual. 2. Highlight the device you want to use, and click Select. This becomes your default source. You can change it by selecting a different device. 3. Click File > Twain32 > Acquire to display the Acquire Twain dialog. 4. Browse to and highlight your image. 5. Choose a printer from the Printer drop-down menu. 6. Choose a Quick Set from the Quick Set drop-down menu. 7. Click Open.

To open an image using the Preflight button in RIP-Queue

1. Highlight the job in RIP-Queue. 2. Click Preflight on the right-side of the program window.

RIP-Queue sends the job to Preflight along with the job settings, and the job displays in the Jobs Ready to Print area with a status of Busy. Once you submit the job from Preflight, RIP-Queue will process and print it.

Modifying Basic Job Options

Preflight allows you to modify many of the characteristics of your job using the tabs across the top of the Preflight window. These tabs are Printer & Media, Preview & Size, Tiling Setup, Color Correction, and Print. After you have modified your job, click the Print tab and Submit to send the job back to RIP-Queue for printing.

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Printer & Media Tab

The Printer & Media tab is used to set your media and mode (see Figure 1). You can also see which printer you are using and some basic information about your job. To change the media for a job:
1. Click the Printer & Media tab. 2. Use the drop-down arrows to change your Media Configuration and Media Name.

To set your mode:

1. Click the Printer & Media tab. 2. Use the drop-down arrows to set your Print Mode settings. Print Mode includes your resolution, dot pattern, and color management settings.

The Color Management setup of a job allows you to control whether or not the program applies ICC Profiles to the job. It also allows you to select which ICC Profile, if any, the program applies for each color space. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/preflight To set a Color Management option:
1. Select the Printer & Media tab. 2. Under Mode, choose the Color Management option that best fits your workflow. 3. If you want to customize the profile setup, click Change Profiles. This opens the ICC Profile Setup dialog (see Figure 2). Select the input profiles, output profiles, and rendering intents you want to use, and click OK.

Figure 1Printer & Media Tab

Preview & Size Tab

Cropping Your Image

The Preview & Size tab allows you to crop, size, and rotate your jobs.

Cropping an image selects a rectangular portion of the image to print. The portion not included in the rectangular area is not printed. You can crop an image using your mouse or Origin and Size values. To crop an image using your mouse:
Figure 2ICC Profile Setup 1. In the Preview and Size tab, place your cursor on the edge of your image. The cursor will change into a line with two opposing arrows.

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PreflightUser Guide

2. Click and drag the dotted line until it defines the area you want to print. You can move the print area by clicking inside the box and dragging it to a new location. 3. Click Apply.

Cropping Using Origin and Size Values

Using Origin and Size values to crop your image lets you specify an exact width, height, or magnification for your image (see Figure 3). Each of these values can be locked to a specific size. To lock a value, click on the checkbox next to each value. You can also use the Size values to enlarge or shrink your image. To crop an image using origin and size values:
Experiment with locking and unlocking the value checkboxes to see what different effects you can create. You can lock more than one box at a time. 1. In the Preview and Size tab, lock any values that you want to remain fixed. 2. Enter the values that you want to modify in the appropriate boxes.

Figure 3Crop Using Origin and Size Values

To change the size of a job:

1. Select the Preview & Size tab. If you want to create an image larger than your page size, enable Tiling in the Tiling tab. See the Tiling section of this chapter for more information. 2. Choose your Maximum Print Area by clicking the down-arrow and selecting the size you want. Maximum Print Area determines the printable area that will be assigned to the job. Typically it is the page size of the media loaded into the printer. 3. Click OK. 4. Change the width, height, or magnification of your image. When you modify one value, the other values will change to maintain the image proportions. If you want to lock any value, click the Lock box next to the value.

Rotating Your Image

You can rotate your image by 90 increments using the Image Setup area of the Preview and Size tab. To rotate an image, select the rotation you want to use, and click Apply. You can also flip an image by selecting Image Flip (see Figure 4).

Figure 4Rotate or Flip an Image Rotating and flipping images can take several minutes depending on the size of the file.

The Tiling Setup tab in Preflight lets you set tiling options. Tiling separates a job into two or more pieces and lets you print an image larger than your page size or break an image into specific sizes for display or mounting purposes.

Tiling Setup Tab

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Enabling Tiles
To enable tiles, select the Tiling Setup tab, and check the Enable Tiling option. Activating this option allows you to choose any width for your image. If you disable tiling, Preflight restricts the image to a single tile where the maximum width is equal to the Maximum Print Area selected for your job. You can set the tile width and height in the Default Tile area by entering values into the Width and Height fields or using the down arrows.

Printing with Tiles

If tiling is enabled and your output exceeds the maximum print width or height of your printer, the program will automatically break the image into tiles. Because each tile is considered a separate piece, you can print or re-print any tile you want. You can even process tiles individually by clicking the Rip Tiles Individually checkbox. To print specific tiles:
1. After enabling and setting up your tiles, click Tile Setup from the Print tab. This opens the Tiles dialog. 2. Select the tiles you want to print, and click OK (see Figure 5). By default, all the tiles are selected for printing.

Adjusting Tiles
When you choose a print size larger than the maximum page size for your printer, the image preview displays dotted tile lines inside the image. You can adjust these lines to create tiles of varying size. Making adjustments to a single tile affects all the tiles in that same row or column. To create custom tiles:
1. In the Tiling Setup tab, enable Tiles, and click on the tile you want to adjust. 2. In the Custom Tile area (see Figure 6), enter the new Width and Height values for the tile. You can also click on the tile line in the image and drag it to a new location.

Figure 5Tile Dialog

If you want to cancel any adjustments, click Reset All Tiles at the bottom of the Tile Setup tab. This restores all tiles to the default values listed for the Default Tile.
Figure 6Custom Tile Remember that changing a tile line affects all the tiles in that row or column.

Overlapping Tiles
You can set tiles to overlap between connecting tiles. This adds a repeated portion of the image between the tiles and makes it easier to properly align the printed tiles.

20

PreflightUser Guide

Overlap has the following attributes: Applies to every tile Works the same both vertically and horizontally Is applied when the image is printed Available only if the image has more than one tile Does not affect tile size; tiles are measured from the center of the overlap to the center of the next overlap. To set an overlap:
1. In the Tiling Setup tab, select the Overlap option (see Figure 7). 2. Enter the overlap value, or use the up and down arrows to set your value.

The overlap is divided equally to both sides of the tile. If you set your overlap to one inch, each inside edge of the tile will print half an inch of the adjoining tile. Outside edges will have no overlap.
Figure 7Overlap

Setting Weld Overlap

Welding is the process by which tiles are joined together. This can become difficult if there is ink on the portion of the media you want to weld because the ink inhibits the adhesive from making a perfect bond. The Weld Overlap option reserves a small portion of the overlap area as blank and does not place any ink in this area. This leaves a clean surface on which to apply the welding adhesive. You can activate Weld Overlap by selecting the Weld Overlap option in the Tiling tab.

Weld Overlap is only available if your overlap is set to at least half an inch.

The Color Correction tab allows you to adjust the color in your image using several tools: Primary Color Levels, Color/Gray Levels, White/Black Limits, Color Replacement, and Spot Layer. It also allows you to apply color correction filters and view different color correction options.

Color Correction Tab

Primary Color Levels

The Primary Color Levels tool allows you to modify the amount of saturation each primary color channel uses. You can access this tool by clicking Tools in the Color Correction tab and then selecting Primary Color Levels.

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Adjusting Saturation You can adjust the saturation of each primary color channel by moving the saturation sliders left or right (see Figure 8). This tool modifies the values in the mid-range more than those at the extreme high or low. This creates a smooth curve that bows from the normal values. As you modify each saturation value, your preview image will change to reflect your modifications. Primary Color Curves The Primary Color Curves tool allows you to modify the amount of ink printed at any specific level. This differs from the Color Levels tool in that Color Curves lets you modify specific areas of color such as highlights and shadows. Color Levels on the other hand affects the entire range of color equally. Click Primary Color Curves in the Color Correction tab to open this tool (see Figure 9). This tool displays a curve for each primary color. The two axes for CMYK color correction curves represent input and output color densities. The x-axis represents input density and the yaxis represents output density. These values, based on the location of the cursor, are shown above the curve window as Before and After values respectively. To modify a Primary Color Curve:
1. In the Edit Channel window, mark each color that you want to modify. You can modify multiple colors at the same time, or you can modify individual colors (see Figure 9). Figure 9Primary Color Curves You should not use the Primary Color Curves tool for color replacement. 2. Click and drag in the curve window to create your curve. Depending on your settings, you can create several types of curves. For more information on Primary Color Curves see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/preflight

Figure 8Saturation

Color/Gray Levels
Color/Gray Levels only modify the K value of a color sample. If there is no K present, this tool will have no effect.

The Color/Gray Levels tool allows you to adjust the color composition of an image by altering the contrast, brightness, and saturation of your colors and the highlights, mid-tones, and shadows of your grays. Click Tools in the Color Correction tab and then select Color/Gray Levels to open this tool (see Figure 10). Color Levels Color Levels allow you to modify the attributes of all the colors in your image. These controls are similar to the controls on your television set.

22

PreflightUser Guide

They do not change the actual color, but they can shift the color from light to dark and dark to light. There are three controls: Contrast, Brightness, and Saturation. Contrastthis control adjusts the contrast of your image, making darks darker and lights lighter. Increasing the contrast increases the difference between your dark and light values; decreasing the contrast decreases the difference. Brightnessthis control adjusts the brightness of your image by changing the amount of K in all the colors of your image. Increasing the brightness lowers the amount of K; decreasing the brightness raises the amount of K. Saturationthis control adjusts how much color there is in your image. Increasing the saturation adds more color to your image; decreasing the saturation reduces the amount of color. This tool does not affect the amount of K in your image.
Figure 10Color/Gray Levels

To modify Color Levels:

1. Click Tools > Color/Gray Levels in the Color Correction tab. This opens the Color/Gray Levels tool (see Figure 10). 2. In the Color Levels area, click and drag each value to your desired value, or enter the value into the value box.

Gray Levels Gray Levels allow you to modify the K level of an image in three different ranges: highlights, mid-tones, and shadows, by changing the amount of K in an image. Increasing the value increases the amount of black; decreasing the value decreases the amount of black. Highlightsthis control adjusts the amount of black in the lighter tones of your image. Mid-Tonesthis control adjusts the amount of black in the middle tones of your image Shadowsthis control adjusts the amount of black in the darker tones of your image.

White/Black Limits
The White/Black Limits tool lets you clean up your image without introducing contrast. This tool was developed primarily to clean up scanned images. When an image is scanned, the white and black values do not appear as true white and black. Setting White/Black Limits fixes this prob-

23

lem and balances the other colors. Because White/Black Limits control the lightness of the color value averages instead of controlling the inks, this tool uses RGB values instead of CMYK. Color Limit The Color Limit tool automatically sets the White and Black limits from a selected color range (see Figure 11). Click Tools in the Color Correction tab and then White/Black Limits to open this tool. Select the Color Limit option and click the A button. This will automatically set the Color Limit. You can also adjust the color limit by entering values into the number boxes, or by using the up and down arrows. Clicking the A button takes the average of all RGB values in the image and moves the white and black points in 5% of the total pixels in the image. This means that the lightest 5% of pixels are all set to white, and the darkest 5% of all pixels are set to black, effectively reducing the gamma range by 10%. White Limit The White Limit lets you manually set the white point of your image by selecting the pixels in your image that best represent white (see Figure 12). Click Tools in the Color Correction tab and then White/Black Limits to open this tool. Select the White Limit option, and click the Sample button. With your cursor, click the lightest point of your image or on a color that you want to make the lightest point. This will change all the colors equal to or lighter than the color you selected to white. You can also modify the White Limit by entering values into the R, G, and B boxes, or by using the up and down arrows. Black Limit The Black Limit lets you manually set the black point of your image by selecting the pixels in your image that best represent black (see Figure 13). Click Tools in the Color Correction tab and then White/Black Limits to open this tool. Select the Black Limit option, and click the Sample button. With your cursor, click the darkest point of your image or on a color that you want to make the darkest point. This will change all the colors equal to or darker than the color you selected to black. You can also modify the Black Limit by entering values into the R, G, and B boxes, or by using the up and down arrows.

Figure 11Color Limit The Color Limit, Black Limit, and White Limit tools are additive tools. If you use these tools together, your image can become much darker or lighter than intended.

Figure 12White Limit

Figure 13Black Limit

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PreflightUser Guide

Color Replacement
The Color Replacement tool allows you to change the colors of a job by substituting one color for another (see Figure 14). Click Tools in the Color Correction tab and then Color Replacements to open this tool. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/ x10/preflight

Spot Layer Tool

The Spot Layer Tool allows you to use Specialty Inks such as White ink. You can also use this tool for Knockouts. Click Tools in the Color Correction tab and then Spot Layer Tool to open this tool. For more information see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/preflight

Filters
Figure 14Color Replacement An empty filter is automatically created when a job is first opened in Preflight.

A color correction filter is a file that modifies the color of a job. Think of a filter as a pane of colored glassif you place it on top of the image, it changes the colors in the image. A job can only have one color correction filter applied, but that filter can contain multiple filters. Each filter can have one or more color correction tools. If it has none, it is an empty filter. To create a filter:
1. Click File > Filter Manager (see Figure 15). 2. Click New. 3. Enter a name for your filter. 4. Click Close.

Print Tab
Print Setup
Figure 15Filter Manager

Print Setup allows you to set Workflow, Marks, and Output options. These options determine how the program will process and print your jobs. To access these options, select the Print tab, and click Print Setup.

Setting Workflow Options

Workflow Options allows you to set the following workflow options (see Figure 16): After Processing
Figure 16Workflow Options

Delete Source Imagethis option deletes the source image after

25

processing. This does not delete the job, and you can still reprint the job. However, you cannot reprocess the job. After Printing Archive Job as Space Allowsthis option moves printed jobs to the Recycled Jobs area. These jobs will be deleted as needed to obtain additional hard disk space to process incoming jobs. Archive Jobs Indefinitelythis option moves jobs to the Recycled Jobs area. Even if additional hard disk space is required, archived jobs will not be deleted. Delete Jobsthis option automatically deletes jobs after they are printed. You cannot retrieve, restore, or reprint deleted jobs.
For more information on proofing, see the Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ preflight

Job Creation Preview Image Before Processingthis option automatically creates a preview of your jobs before they print. Make Copy of Imagethis option copies the source file to the work folder instead of referencing the location of the image. If you are dealing with extremely large files, you may want to disable this option. Create Proof Automaticallythis option automatically sends a copy of the job to a different printer as a proof. To use this feature, you must have the Proof Workflow feature on your Hardware Key, and you must configure a proofing printer. Contact your sales representative if you do not have this feature. Process/Print Options Reprocessthis option reprocesses the job each time it is printed. Printthis option prints the job without reprocessing. Operator Hold for Operatorthis option will stop a job from printing until an operator chooses to print the job. Each job will appear in the Jobs Ready to Print area of the program with a hold status. You can print the job by highlighting it, and clicking the Hold icon. Default Operator Namethis option allows you to set user names for each job. RIP-Queue displays the user name in the User column of the queue. If you have multiple users sending jobs from various systems, this helps you determine where each job is coming from.

Figure 17Marks Options

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PreflightUser Guide

Marks Options
Marks are special lines that print with the image to aid in trimming or measuring the final output. The Marks option also lets you set Print Label options (see Figure 17). Registration Marks Registration Marks print a crosshair at each corner of the image. These help ensure that the image is straight on each side when trimming. Tile Dotted Overlap Tile Dotted Overlap marks are used when tiling an image with an overlap. These marks show where the overlap begins and ends to help you combine tiles easily. When piecing the tiles together, the Tile Dotted Overlap Mark of one tile overlays the corresponding mark on the adjacent tile. Zero-Line Tile Marks Zero-Line Tile Marks print a black crosshair with a white inner portion in the middle of the tile overlap area (see Figure 18). Crop Marks Crop Marks are quarter-inch right-angle marks that are placed on the edges of each corner of the image. Because that same area is used for Registration Marks, Crop Marks do not have any effect if you are already using Registration Marks (see Figure 19). Crop Outline Crop Outlines are a solid line (1 pixel wide) printed on the border of an entire image. Because Crop Outlines use the same area as Crop Marks, Crop Marks do not have any effect when using Crop Outlines (see Figure 20). Print Label
Figure 20Crop Outlines

Figure 18Zero-Line Tile Marks

Figure 19Crop Marks

For more information on the Print Label and Contour Cutting features, see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx. com/x10/preflight

The Print Label option allows you to print job information at the end of the printed image. For example, the print label can contain information such as the date when the job was processed and printed; the type of ink, media, media configuration, and resolution; and the name of the file. Check the Use Large Text option to print the label using 22.5 pt. font instead of the default setting of 7.5 pt.

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Contour Cut Paths Enable the Generate Tile Outline Cut Paths checkbox to cut around the border of an image. The Trim Overlap option cuts on the Zero-Line Tile Mark if you have tiled your image using an overlap. These features only apply if you are using a contour cutting device.

Output Options

The Output tab controls how RIP-Queue processes jobs. This tab is divided into three sections: Output, Image, and Processing (see Figure 21). Output The Output section determines the type of image output that RIPQueue processes. You can choose any of the following options: Colorthis option, the default, creates color output. Grayscalethis option creates black and white output using only the black channel of your printer. Separationsthis option creates a black and white representation of each color channel. If the primary color setup is CMYK, Separations will print four images; if you configure your media for CMYKOG, Separations will print six images. Image The Image section allows you to print the job as a mirror image of the original file. This option is typically used when printing on backlit or transparent media. Processing
Processing options are only available if you are modifying a raster image.

Figure 21Output Options

Printing in Grayscale can create a speckled appearance to your image. To fix this, convert your image to grayscale using an image editor program and then print it using the Color output option.

The Processing section allows you to control how the image is processed. Perform Image Processing During Print Stage (Rip & Print on the Fly)this option processes the image while the data is being sent to the printer. If you disable this option, the image will be processed first and then sent to the printer. Use the Print Jobs Individually placement strategy when this feature is enabled. Process with Interpolationthis option softens jagged edges of low-resolution images. Although this option will not adversely affect high-resolution images, it does increase the processing time. Process to allow rotation during print stageThis option automatically rotates images for a job to create the best fit to save media. Calculate Ink Usagethis option calculates the amount of ink that is used for a job

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PreflightUser Guide

 Bit Depth combo box allows you to select the processing method you would like to use. In most situations 8-bit processing provides good results, however, 16-bit processing gives noticeable improvement in large images with a gradient in one color over a large area. For more information on different processing methods please see Edit Quick Sets section of this Guide or Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue

Manage Printers
Figure 22Printer Manager Adding a printer is not the same as installing a printer. To learn how to install a printer, see chapter 1.

Because Preflight does not print directly to a printer, use Printer Manager to add or delete RIP-Queue printers for use by Preflight. Click File > Printer Manager to open the Printer Manager (see Figure 22). When you install printers, RIP-Queue automatically adds printers to Preflight. Use Printer Manager to add RIP-Queue printers from a remote system, or to re-add printers that have been previously deleted. To add a printer:
1. In the Printer Manager, click Connect. This opens the Browse Printers dialog. 2. Browse to the Input folder for the printer you want to add, highlight the name of the printer, and click Add (see Figure 23).

To delete a printer:
1. In the Printer Manager, click Delete. This will remove the printer. 2. Click Close.

Figure 23Browse Printers

Deleting a printer from Preflight does not remove that printer from RIP-Queue. However, deleting a printer from RIP-Queue removes the printer from Preflight.

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Advanced Guide

31

Media Manager
Objectives
This chapter briefly describes the new X10 Media Manager. By the end of this chapter, you will have a basic understanding of the following: Overview of the Media Manager Purpose of the Media Manager

What is Media Manager?

Media Manager is a set of tools for creating, modifying, analyzing and managing the media and print modes used in your printing workflow. Media Manager provides quality and consistency by offering a system of controls for your ink and media configurations, calibration, and profile management. It provides more than just a simple solution to consistent color, it allows you full control over managing your output. You control your output through two main functions: Calibration and Profiling. Calibration is the process of synchronizing the media, ink, resolution, and dot pattern combination for your printer to ensure consistent output. Profiling establishes your target outputs density and color to ensure the highest quality prints. Although the initial setup may take time, improved default settings make maintaining good color simple and fast. Media Manager allows you to control the following functions: Manage Mediacreate new media and modify existing ones. Manage Modesset the ink type and configuration used by your media and printer. Configure Printer Capabilitiescontrol the use of dot patterns and resolutions as well as enable the use of additional ink colors. In addition, Media Manager gives you absolute control over your color through profiling. Profiling involves going through a series of four basic steps to create a profile. These steps set the Ink Restriction, Calibration,

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Ink density is the intensity of ink in one area. It can be affected by resolution, dot pattern, and ink restrictions.

Ink Limit and ICC Profile for the media. Ink Restrictionensure that the proper amount of ink is placed on the media and prevent over-saturation of ink combinations. Calibrationdetermine the exact ink density for your printer. Ink Limitprevent over-saturation of four-color combinations. ICC Profileuse or create specific color information for each media, ink, resolution, and dot pattern combination. Media Manager provides further output control by supporting the following: Create Screens for Press Proofingcustomize screen dot patterns for color proofs and dot simulation. Import and Export ICC Profilesuse ICC Profiles from other applications or import and export previously created ICC Profiles. Manage Color Measurement Devicesselect from an extensive list of supported color measurement devices. View Measurement Dataview one or more patch measurements as Spectral or Colorimetric plots (Status T Density, Spectral, L*a*b*, L*c*h*).

Figure 1Media Manager

Figure 2Black Diamond Icon

In the past, profiling had the potential to consume a lot of time and material. In Media Manager X10 the workflow has been simplified to reduce the waste of time and material by including device appropriate default settings, adding software assisted Ink Restrictions, and allowing uninterrupted access to printer configuration settings while profiling. In X10 Media Manager all advanced settings are automatic, but optionally configurable, and are clearly identified with a black diamond (Figure 2). In many cases profiling is as easy as Print, Read, Next. X10 Media Manager has improved step-by-step help (Tips) as well as improved Online Help (http://help.onygfx.com/x10/mediamanager) If you do not have Media Manager, contact your sales representative for a Key Update. You can open Media Manager by clicking Media Manager on the RIPQueue toolbar.

The New Media Manager

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Workflow & Hardware Key

Objectives
This chapter will take you through how an image is printed and discuss your Hardware Key. By the end of this chapter, you will have an understanding of the following: ONYX Workflow Hardware Keys

Figure 1Simple Workflow

Figure 2Detailed Workflow

Workflow is the process an image follows from the original file to the printed job. RIP-Queue uses many different ways to reach those results, and although the end result is a printed image, your actual workflow depends on the type of printer, desired output, and the image itself. The most basic workflow is opening an image in RIP-Queue and printing (see Figure 1). Of course, the actual process of how images become ready for printing is much more intricate. Before you can print an image, you need to provide specific information to RIP-Queue about how the image should be printed. Following are several questions that should be answered: What size should the printed image be? What resolution should the final output have? What type of media will the printer use? Should the image use ICC profiles? These and similar questions (known as Job Settings) determine how an image is printed. Once your image has job settings, RIP-Queue can process it and send it to the printer (see Figure 2). Following is an explanation of each step in a basic workflow process. These and other topics are covered in greater detail throughout this manual and Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/rip-queue

What is the ONYX Workflow?

Original Image File

Figure 3Original Image File

An original image file is only an image file and has no RIP-Queue settings associated with it (see Figure 3). Before RIP-Queue can use the

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image file, you must define those settings. You can apply those settings using Quick Sets.

Quick Sets Apply Settings

In a basic workflow, a Quick Set applies the job settings, but you can change these options manually if you want (see Figure 4). Whenever a job enters RIP-Queue, a Quick Set is applied to the image even if it is only the generic Default Quick Set. Because different types of images need to be processed differently, you can create Quick Sets to match your needs.

Figure 4Quick Sets

Images with Settings Become Jobs

After the Quick Sets are applied, the image file becomes a job (see Figure 5). A job is an image combined with the RIP-Queue settings necessary to print the image. When you apply settings to a job, the image itself is not modified, but the job is. Once the image becomes a job, it is moved into RIP-Queue where it is ready to be processed. If you need to modify any of the job settings, this is the most efficient time to do it. While you can modify a job after it has been processed, you will need to reprocess the job for the changes to take effect.

Figure 5Image with Job Settings

Processing Jobs
The job settings determine how each job is processed (see Figure 6). Processing a job can take several minutes depending on the job settings and the original source file. For example, an image that is 2 by 3 would take only a few seconds to process, but an image that was 200 by 300 would take much longer. Ripping
Raster files must still be ripped because the processed raster data is different than the original raster data.

Figure 6Processing Jobs

The method by which jobs are processed is called Ripping. The word RIP is an acronym that means raster image processing or raster image processor. Raster data, a collection of dots that make up an image, is the type of data that is sent to the printer. When a job is processed, the original image data is read and output data (processed data) is created according to the job settings. PostScript Files PostScript files (*.ps, *.eps, and *.pdf) are different than raster files because they are not comprised of pixels or dots. Instead, they are a set of instructions that describe how to create raster data. When PostScript files are processed, they are read instructions first. This is called

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interpreting. After the file is interpreted, RIP-Queue then creates raster datarendering.

Ready to Print
Once RIP-Queue processes the job, it is ready to print (see Figure 7). At this stage in the workflow, you can still modify the job settings, but certain job settings, like media, page size, and resolution, require that you reprocess the job for the changes to take effect. Other job settings, like number of copies, can be modified without reprocessing.

Figure 7Ready to Print

Printing Jobs
By default, images are printed in the order they are received (see Figure 8). Therefore, a job cannot print until the previous job finishes printing. Depending on your settings, a job may wait until other jobs are also ready or until you manually start the printing. You can configure the printer to start printing automatically, when a certain percentage of the media is used efficiently, or when a time-out value has passed.

Figure 8Printing

Reprinting Jobs
Once RIP-Queue prints the job, it moves the file to the Buffered Jobs area of the queue (see Figure 9). You can reprint jobs in this area at any time, or you can modify the job, reprocess it, and then print. Because the processed data has been created for files that were printed, you can reprint a job at any time using the same processed data. Once RIP-Queue creates the process data, you can even print jobs that no longer have the original source image. However, you can only reprocess a job if you still have the original source image.

Figure 9Reprinting

Hardware Key

The Hardware Key determines the actual functions and features you can use in your program. The Key is a physical plug that came with your software (see Figure 10). Your Key contains information that specifies exactly which features, printers, and capabilities you are able to use.
Figure 10Hardware Key For information on checking your Hardware Key permissions, see the Introduction to this manual.

Updating Your Hardware Key

If your Key does not list the features or printers that you want to use, you can get a Key Update File from your sales representative. A Key Update is a small file that adds permissions to your Hardware Key.

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To update your Key:

1. Run WinKey by choosing Whats On My Key from the Windows Start menu. 2. Click File > Update. 3. Browse to the Key Update File (extension *.key). 4. Select the Key Update File, and click Open.

If the Key Update adds a new feature or capability, you may need to reinstall the software for that feature or capability to take effect. If the Key Update only adds permissions for an additional printer, you only need to install the new printer.

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Printing & Job Management

Objectives
This chapter will take you through printing. By the end of this chapter, you will have an understanding of the following: How jobs are printed Placement Strategies Job Management

When are Jobs Printed?

RIP-Queue is designed to print your jobs automatically once certain conditions are met. These conditions include making sure you are using the correct media, ensuring that the printer is online and not currently printing, and making sure that all holds are turned off. If any condition is not met, the job will not print.

Holds
RIP-Queue will not print jobs that are On Hold. A Hold lets you review a job before it is printed. After it is reviewed and modified, you can remove the Hold. To change the Hold status of a job:
1. Highlight one or more jobs in the Jobs Ready to Print area. 2. Click the Hold button (the hand icon). This will remove the Hold and, if all other conditions are met, print your image.

Media
Every job has a media associated with it. The media controls the output profiles and printer settings and is the most important job setting besides the printer itself. Every printer also has a media associated with it. The media associated with the printer represents the media that is physically loaded in the printer. Because your software will print automatically, make sure that the media designated in RIP-Queue matches the media that is actually in the printer. Failure to do so can cause your jobs to print on incorrect media.

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If the media for the job and the media for the printer do not match, RIP-Queue will not print the job. The job will have a Wait for Media status (see Figure 1). Once you change the media so they match, your job will print.
Figure 1Wait for Media

To change the media for a printer:

1. Highlight the printer in the Printers List area of the program window. 2. Click Change in the Printer Information area on the right-side of your screen. This opens the Change Media and Placement dialog (see Figure 2). 3. Use the drop-down menus to select the Media that is currently loaded into your printer. 4. Click OK.

Figure 2Change Media and Placement Changing the media for either your printer or job sets a Wait for Media hold. Release the hold to print.

To change the media for a job:

1. Highlight the job in the job list to display the job settings in the Job Information area of the RIP-Queue window. 2. Click Change on the right-side of your screen. This opens the Job Properties dialog (see Figure 3). 3. Change the Media Configuration Name and Media to match the media that is currently loaded into the printer. 4. Click OK.

Page Size
Each image is processed for a specific page size, and a job will not print if the page size is equal to or smaller than the page size currently loaded in the printer. The Maximum Printable Area of a job does not need to be the same as the page size of the media in the printer, but the width and height of the job does need to fit on the page. Tiling lets you print a larger image than your page size by splitting your image into smaller pieces. For more information on Tiling, read the Tiling section in the Preflight chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/preflight

Figure 3Job Properties

Printer Online
The printer must be online before RIP-Queue can print a job. A green icon in the Printer Information area indicates a printer is online; a red icon indicates that it is offline. A yellow icon indicates that a printer is currently printing. Once it finishes, it will go into an online state. Use the online/offline button next to the green or red icons to change the state of the printer.

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Triggering
Triggering is the method by which you allow jobs to print. There are two types of Start Print triggers: Manual and Automatic. Manual Triggeringthis option delays printing until you click the Print Now button in the Printer Information area. Automatic Triggeringthis option automatically prints jobs based on the percentage of the media that will be used or a timeout setting. You can also use the Print Now button to override any delays. To modify the triggering method:
1. Highlight the printer with the triggering method you want to change. 2. Click Change in the Printer Information area on the right-side of your screen. This opens the Change Media and Placement dialog (see Figure 2). 3. Click Setup. This opens the Placement Strategy dialog (see Figure 4). 4. Check or uncheck the Automatically Start Printing option. 5. Click OK.

How Are Jobs Printed?

Figure 4Placement Strategy For more information on Job Options, read the Job Options section of the Managing Jobs chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/ x10/rip-queue

There are two sets of criteria that control how jobs are printed: Job Options and Printer Settings.

Job Options
Job Options control settings that are specific to each job. This includes resolution, media, page size, tiling, marks, and other settings. Job Options do not affect where the job prints on the media, neither do they determine whether the job is nested or grouped with other jobs.

Printer Settings
Printer Settings control settings that apply to the jobs collectively. For example, they control where jobs print on your media and whether they are nested, grouped, or printed with cutter marks. The main printer settings are media currently in the printer, page size currently in the printer, and placement. To access the printer settings:
1. Highlight your printer. 2. Click Change to open the Change Media and Placement dialog.

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Printing & Job ManagementAdvanced Guide

The Media Configuration Name, Media, and Page Size should always match the ink and media currently in your printer. The Placement option controls the placement and grouping (nesting) of your jobs. There are five placement options to choose from. BestFit Conserve Media Group Jobs Together Print Jobs Individually Fotoba & Dicus Cutter Marks Included with the Placement option are other settings that are specific to the type of Placement option you select. These settings control the positioning and grouping of jobs. To modify the Placement specific options:
1. Highlight the printer. 2. Click Change to open the Change Media and Placement dialog. 3. Choose a Placement setting. 4. Click Setup. This opens the Placement Strategy dialog (see Figure 4). 5. Modify the options you want to change, and click OK.

RIP-Queue retains the configuration for each Placement setting, allowing you to switch Placement settings without reconfiguring the Placement specific options each time. The Placement settings and the Placement specific options are also printer specific. In other words, changing the Placement or Placement specific options for one printer will not change those settings for your other printers.

Placement Strategies

Each Placement Strategy uses different algorithms and options that provide various workflow solutions for different situations. The primary difference between each option is speed and unused media. Generally speaking, if you need to print faster, you will include fewer jobs and have more unused media. However, if you can delay printing until multiple jobs are processed and ready to print, RIP-Queue can organize them to effectively use more media.

BestFit
The BestFit placement strategy conserves the most media, but may be your slowest option. BestFit automatically places jobs to use the most

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media possible. RIP-Queue re-arranges and rotates the jobs when necessary. Every time a new job enters RIP-Queue, this strategy rearranges the entire nest to better fit the new job with the existing jobs. Use BestFit if you want to save the most media and do not need to print jobs on a strict priority (first in, first out) basis.

Conserve Media
The Conserve Media placement strategy is very similar to BestFit with some exceptions. Conserve Media does not rotate images for better placement. Conserve Media also prints on a row-based system where the largest image in a horizontal row determines the maximum height any image in that row can be. On the other hand, BestFit does not use rows. RIP-Queue rearranges the jobs when necessary. Every time a new job enters RIP-Queue, the Conserve Media strategy re-arranges the entire nest to better fit the new job with the existing jobs. Use Conserve Media if you want to save media and do not need to print jobs on a strict priority basis.

Group Jobs Together

The Group Jobs Together placement strategy places jobs side-by-side to use more media, but does not rearrange the order of the jobs as does the Conserve Media placement. Use Group Jobs Together if you want to save media and need to print jobs on a strict priority basis.

Print Jobs Individually

The Print Jobs Individually placement strategy prints only one job at a time. Use Print Jobs Individually if you do not want to save media and need to print jobs on a strict priority basis.

Fotoba & Dicus Cutter Marks

Use this strategy to print your images with Fotoba & Dicus Cutter Marks. This strategy will conserve as much media as possible, but also creates spacing between the images for the Marks. Use this option if you need to print your images with Fotoba & Dicus Cutter Marks. Modifying Placement Options Each placement strategy offers a variety of Placement Options. To modify the Placement specific options:
1. Highlight the printer. 2. Click Change to open the Change Media and Placement dialog.

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3. Choose a Placement setting. 4. Click Setup. This opens the Placement Strategy dialog (see Figure 4). 5. Modify the options you want to change, and click OK. Not all strategies will have the same options, for instance, not all options are available when using Print Jobs Individually placement strategy.

Following is a description of the available options for each strategy. Print Triggering Print Triggering controls when RIP-Queue sends the jobs to the printer. You can select Time Based Start, Area Based Start, or Automatically Start Printing, which is the default option. Time Based Startthis option forces RIP-Queue to wait a specified time before printing. Area Based Startthis option forces RIP-Queue to wait until a specified amount of media will be used before printing. Automatically Start Printingthis option sets RIP-Queue to automatically print a job as soon as it is processed. Justification The justification setting determines where the printer places the prints on the media. If you are using a strategy that prints multiple images at a time, the justification applies to the group of images. Offset The offset settings add extra white space to the left or top of the printed jobs. If you are using a strategy that prints multiple images at a time, the offset applies to the group of images. Printing Gutter Printing Gutter determines the size and placement of the gutter. Gutters help make your color consistent by allowing heads to lay down each color of ink on the media before passing over the print. Flip every other tile This option flips every other tile in an image 180 degrees Print Multiple Rows at a Time This option causes RIP-Queue to send all rows to the printer where it prints as one group. Space Between Copies

Both Time and Area Based Starts can be overridden by clicking the Print Now button.

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Set a value for each side of the image to determine how much white space RIP-Queue leaves between images. Percent to cache before printing This option allows you to set when the processed information is sent to the printer. When it is set to zero percent, information is sent to the printer as fast as it is processed. When it is set to 100 percent, information is not sent to the printer until the entire print is finished processing. Cutter Mark Darkness Select a value to set the darkness of the cutter mark, where 1 is the lightest and 4 is the darkest.

Aborting a Print
It can take several minutes for a printer to cease printing when you abort a job.

To abort a print:
1. Highlight the printer on which the job is printing. 2. Click the Abort button in the Printer Information area of the RIPQueue window.

After you abort a print job, the printer automatically goes into an offline state. To turn the printer back online, click the Online/Offline button. When you abort a print, the jobs that were currently printing are sent to the Buffered Jobs area.

Reprinting a Job
For more information on Quick Sets and Preflight, read the Quick Sets section of the Setup & Printing chapter and the Preflight chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ rip-queue

After RIP-Queue prints a job, it sends the job to the Buffered Jobs area. If the job is an Archive job, then it remains in the Buffered Jobs area until you delete it. If the job is a Recyclable job, then RIP-Queue automatically deletes it if you do not have enough hard drive space to process new jobs. You can reprint both Archive and Recyclable jobs. The Quick Set controls whether a job becomes an Archive or Recyclable job. To reprint a job:
1. Click and drag the job from the Buffered Jobs area to the Jobs Ready to Print area. 2. A dialog appears asking if you want to re-process the job. Click No unless you have modified the job in anyway that requires reprocessing. The job appears in the Jobs Ready to Print area and prints according to the Triggering method youve selected.

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Managing Jobs is the process by which jobs are modified in RIP-Queue. Many options cannot be set from RIP-Queue without using Quick Sets or Preflight. If your software does not include Preflight, contact your sales representative for a Key Update. You can modify the following options directly from RIP-Queue: Size (magnification) Media Number of Copies Workflow Options Marks Options

Managing Jobs

Changing Size (Magnification)

When you open a job, RIP-Queue displays the size of that job in the Buffered Jobs area (bottom left) of your window (see Figure 5). This size is determined by the source file of your image unless you use a Quick Set to modify the size automatically. You can also use RIP-Queue to modify the size of your image after opening it in RIP-Queue. To change the size of a job from RIP-Queue:
1. Highlight the job in RIP-Queue. 2. Click Change in the Job Information area. This opens the Job Properties dialog (see Figure 6). 3. From the Basic Properties tab, enter a value in the magnification box, or use the up and down arrows to change the value. The new job size will show under the magnification value box. 4. Click OK.

Figure 5Buffered Jobs Area

When you change the magnification of a job, the Magnification value is reset to 1. For example, if you change the magnification of a 10 by 10 job to a value of 2, RIP-Queue reprocesses the job at the new size (20 by 20) and sets the new size as a Magnification value of 1. To change the job back to its original size, you would enter a Magnification value of .5. If you want to specify the exact dimensions of the image, you must either set a Quick Set to determine the height or width of the image before opening it in RIP-Queue, or you can edit the image in Preflight.

Changing the Media

The media is shown in the Job Information area of your screen (see

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Figure 5). The media setting is comprised of two parts: the Media Name and the Media Configuration. The media name is the name of the media itself. The Media Configuration (the portion shown in brackets) specifies the media or ink setup in the printer. The media of your job must match the media of your printer or it cannot print. To change the media of a job:
1. Highlight the job you want to modify. 2. Click Change in the Job Information area. This opens the Job Properties dialog (see Figure 6). 3. From the Basic Properties tab, select the Media Configuration Name you want to use from the drop-down menu. 4. Highlight the Media Name you want to use. If the media name you want to use does not appear in the list, it may not be available with your media configuration, or it was not installed when you installed your printer. 5. Click OK.

Figure 6Job Properties Dialog

After you have changed the media for the job, RIP-Queue automatically reprocesses the job. Reprocessing ensures that the correct calibrations and profiles are associated with the media.

Changing the Hold Status

The Hold Status determines whether or not the job prints. If a job is on hold, it will not print until you remove the hold. To change the Hold status of a job:
1. Highlight your job in the Jobs Ready to Print area. 2. Click the Hold button (the hand icon). This will remove the Hold and, if all other conditions are met, print your image.

For more information on installing media, read the Installing Your Printer section of the Setup & Printing chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ rip-queue The maximum number of copies you can enter for a job is 9999. Changing the number of copies does not require reprocessing.

Changing the Number of Copies

RIP-Queue displays the number of copies in the Basic Properties tab of the Job Information dialog (see Figure 6) and in the Copies column of the Jobs Ready to Print area of your screen. To change the number of copies of a job:
1. Highlight the job you want to modify. 2. Click Change in the Job Information area. This opens the Job Properties dialog (see Figure 6).

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3. From the Basic Properties tab, enter the number of copies you would like printed in the Copies value box or use the up and down arrows. 4. Click OK.

Workflow Options allow you to control how RIP-Queue handles your jobs. These options are found in the Job Properties dialog under the Workflow tab (see Figure 7). For more information on Workflow Options, read the Setting Workflow Options section of the Preflight chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/preflight

Modifying the Workflow Options

Modifying the Marks Options

Figure 7Workflow Options

Marks are special lines that are printed with an image to aid in trimming or measuring the final output. The Marks tab in the Job Properties dialog allows you to set these marks (see Figure 8). For more information on Marks Options, read the Marks Options section of the Preflight chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/preflight

Controlling Jobs

Figure 8Marks Options

Controlling Jobs helps you more effectively manage your workflow. You can control jobs in RIP-Queue in the following ways: Viewing a Job Changing a Jobs Order Sending a Job to Preflight Reprinting a Job Selecting Tiles to Print Changing the Printer Settings for a Job Copying a Job to a Different Printer Deleting a Job

Viewing a Job
Figure 9Show Jobs For Option

Use the Show Jobs For drop-down box to control how jobs are viewed in the Jobs Ready to Print area of your screen (see Figure 9). You can choose to view all jobs or just the jobs related to a specific printer.

Changing a Jobs Order

Figure 10Job Order

The arrow buttons on the left-side of the Jobs Ready to Print area of your screen control the order in which jobs print (see Figure 10). You can change the order of a job by highlighting it and then using the up and down arrows to change its position in the Queue. Jobs are organized

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by printer and then by order; you can only change the job order for each printer. If you are using BestFit or Conserve Media, RIP-Queue ignores the job order.

Sending a Job to Preflight

To send a job to Preflight, highlight the job and click Preflight on the main toolbar, or click Preflight in the Job Information area of your screen. When a job is in Preflight, its status will display as Busy. It cannot be modified, processed, or printed until it is submitted from Preflight.

Reprinting a Job
To reprint a job:
1. Highlight the job in the Buffered Jobs Area of your screen. 2. Drag the job into the Jobs Ready to Print area, or right-click the job, and choose Process/Print. 3. When asked if you want to reprocess the job, click No unless you have modified the printer or job options.

Selecting Tiles to Print

To select which tiles you want to print:
1. Right-click the job to open the right-click menu. 2. Choose Edit > Tiles. This opens the Tile for... dialog. 3. Highlight the tiles you want to print (see Figure 11). Figure 11Tiles 4. Click OK.

Changing the Printer Settings for a Job

To change the printer settings for a job:
1. Right-click the job to open the right-click menu. 2. Choose Edit > Printer Settings. This opens the Printer Settings dialog (see Figure 12). 3. Modify the Printer Settings you want to change. 4. Click OK.

Changing the printer settings can affect the color quality of the job.
Figure 12Printer Settings

Copying a Job to a Different Printer

To copy a job to a different printer:
1. Right-click the job to open the right-click menu. 2. Select Copy to.... This opens the Copy to... dialog (see Figure

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13). 3. Select the printer you want to copy the job to. 4. Click OK.

Deleting a Job
To delete a job:
1. Highlight the job you want to delete. Figure 13Copy Job Option 2. Press the Delete key on your keyboard, or click the Delete button on the left-side of the job list. This will display a warning dialog (see Figure 14). 3. Click Yes to delete the job.

Figure 14Delete Job

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Virtual Printers & Other Systems

Objectives
This chapter discusses virtual printers, printing from other operating systems, and web printing. By the end of this chapter, you will know how to do the following: Use Virtual Printers Setup non-Windows Operating Systems for printing Print using the Web Portal

Figure 1Virtual Printers To use a virtual printer, you must have Hot Folders enabled on your Hardware Key.

A virtual printer is a RIP-Queue printer that is used as a Windows printer (see Figure 1). When you install a RIP-Queue printer, RIP-Queue automatically creates a Windows printer in the Windows Operating System for that device. When you print a job to that Windows printer, it sends the job to RIP-Queue for processing and printing. You can use any application to print to a virtual printer: graphic design programs, word processors, internet browsers, and so forth. Just choose File > Print in the application, and the application sends the image to RIP-Queue. When RIP-Queue creates a virtual printer, it automatically shares the printer on the network. This means that any computer on the network, Windows or Macintosh, can print from any application to the virtual printer.

Using the Virtual Printer

Printing from Other Windows Systems

To add the virtual printer to your Windows system:
1. From the Windows Start menu, access Settings > Printers > Add Printer. 2. Choose to add a Network printer and browse to the RIP-Queue system. 3. Install the printer.

Once you add the virtual printer to your printer list, you can print from any application directly to RIP-Queue by selecting Print from the File

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Figure 2Printer Dialog If you modify any settings that contradict a setting in the Quick Set, the Advanced Option setting takes precedence.

Figure 3Advanced Printer Options

menu. Be sure to choose the proper orientation, color options, and page size from the Printer dialog (see Figure 2). To configure additional options for your virtual printer, such as the printer specific settings, click Advanced. This opens the Advanced Options dialog (see Figure 3). From the Advanced Options dialog, you can modify the following options: Page (Paper) Size Number of Copies Resolution Scaling TrueType Font Handling Printer Features Some features in the Advanced Option dialog may not have any effect when printing to a virtual printer. For example, RIP-Queue controls halftone creation for the image, so the Halftone Color Adjustment option in the Advanced Option dialog does not affect the color of the printed image. All of the printer options (such as page size, dot pattern, and Hot Folder settings) are based upon a PPD (Printer Profile Description). A PPD is a small text file that describes the features and capabilities of the printer. Some settings controlled by the PPD, such as the Media and Hot Folder, can change when you modify your printer in RIP-Queue. Whenever you modify your printer by installing a new media, changing a Quick Set, or performing other similar tasks, RIP-Queue updates the PPD file automatically. However, most programs obtain the printer information from the PPD file on startup. This means that if you change your printer information, you should restart the programs from which you are printing to take advantage of those changes.

Printing from a Mac OSX (10.2.8 or earlier)

To print from your Macintosh with OSX:
1. Verify that you have Windows/Macintosh connectivity capabilities (such as Windows 2000 Server or PCMacLAN). 2. If your Mac cannot access the RIP-Queue Mac PPD folder (ONYX Graphics\Production House\server\PPD\Mac), than copy the PPDs from the RIP-Queue Mac PPD folder to the Macs hard drive. 3. On the Mac, open Print Center to open the Printer List dialog (see Figure 4). You can find this application on the hard drive in the same location as OSX, under Applications > Utilities.

Figure 4Printer List

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4. In the Printer List dialog, click Add to display a secondary Printer List dialog. 5. Use the drop-down menu to select the protocol that your Mac connectivity package uses to share the printer (usually AppleTalk). 6. Select the appropriate printer from the list (see Figure 5). 7. Use the Printer Model drop-down menu to select ONYX Graphics, and then choose the Model Name that corresponds to the printer name you want to install. If neither ONYX Graphics nor the appropriate Model Name appears, select Other for the Printer Model. Next, browse to the PPDS from the RIP-Queue Mac PPD folder (or from the Macs hard drive if you copied them there), and select the appropriate PPD for your printer from the Choose a File dialog (see Figure 6). 8. Verify that you selected the correct printer name and PPD, and click Add.

Figure 5Select a Printer

Printing from Mac OSX (10.3.x or higher) with Windows Printing

There are three major steps when printing from OSX to an ONYX Virtual printer with Windows Printing: Configure the network Establish a Virtual Printer share name Add the printer on Mac OSX Configuring the Network It is vital that the OSX machine and the PC in which your ONYX Graphics software resides communicate. Configuring the Network ensures that communication across the network can occur. To configure the network:
The Ping utility is a system administrators tool used to see if a computer is operating and if the network connections are intact. A small information packet is sent through the network to an IP Address. The computer that sent the packet waits for a response. If the connections are good, a return packet is sent. If there is no communication between the PC and Mac OSX, consult your network administrator for assistance. 1. Look up the IP Addresses of both the OSX and PC machines (see the Finding IP Addresses section for more information). 2. Open a command prompt by clicking Start > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. 3. Ping from the PC to see if there is communication between the OSX machine and the PC. To do this, in the Command Prompt window, type: ping <IP address of OSX machine>, then press Enter. You can also open a command prompt by clicking Start > Run. In the Run dialog, type: cmd, and then click OK.

Figure 6Select a PPD

Finding an IP Address An IP (Internet Protocol) Address consists of four decimal numbers in

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the range of 0 255 separated by dots, such as 62.223.175.65. When you connect to a network, your PC/Mac may automatically issue a unique IP Address. To locate a PC IP Address:
1. Open a command prompt window (Start > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt). 2. Type: ipconfig. 3. Press Enter, then look for the output section that specifically says IP Address.

To locate a Mac OSX IP Address:

1. Pull down the Apple menu, and select System Preferences. 2. Choose Network. 3. In the Show drop-down list, select the network interface you are using. 4. Click the TCP/IP tab. 5. Locate the IP Address line.

Establishing a Virtual Printer Share Name Creating a Share Name allows you to easily recognize the virtual printer when working from your Mac. To establish the share name:
1. From the Start menu, select Settings > Printers and Faxes. 2. Right-click on the ONYX Virtual Printer, and select Sharing. The Share Name cannot be longer than 12 characters including spaces. 3. In the Virtual Printer Properties dialog, locate the Share Name field and change it so that it is no more than 12 characters long. Then, write down the name located in the Share Name field. 4. Click OK to accept your changes and exit the dialog.

Adding the Printer on the Mac OSX The final step in the OSX/Windows Printing process is to add the printer to the Mac OSX. To add a printer to the Mac OSX:
1. On your PC, copy the PPD located in ONYX Graphics\Production House\Server\PPD\Mac. 2. Paste the PPD somewhere on your Mac. To do this, go to your Mac hard drive and choose Library > Printers > PPDs > Contents > Resources > and select an appropriate language for the folder, such as choosing En.LPROJ for English). 3. On your Mac, open the Printer Utility. To do this, use the Finder

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to select Go > Utilities > Printer Setup Utility. 4. Add a new printer. 5. Select Windows Printing from the first drop-down. 6. Select Network Neighborhood from the second drop-down list. 7. Select the Domain or Workgroup of which the ONYX RIP machine is a member (see Figure 7). 8. Select the name of the PC where the ONYX RIP resides. Figure 7Windows Printing 9. Once the list of available virtual printers appears, select the printer you want to use, and click Choose. 10. From the Printer Model drop-down list, choose Other. Then navigate to the folder where you placed the correct PPD (this is the PPD you copied and pasted in steps 1 and 2). 11. Click Add (see Figure 8).

Now that you have established communication between your PC and Mac OSX, installed Windows Printing, created a share name for the virtual printer, and added the printer onto your Mac OSX, you can print to your ONYX Workflow software through your OSX machine.

Figure 8Add

Printing from Mac OSX (10.3.x or higher) with Printservices for UNIX
There are four major steps when printing from OSX to an ONYX Virtual printer with Printservices for UNIX: Configure the network Install Printservices for UNIX Establish a Virtual Printer share name Add the printer on Mac OSX Configuring the Network It is vital that the OSX machine and the PC in which your ONYX Graphics software resides communicate. Configuring the Network ensures that communication across the network can occur. To configure the network:
1. Look up the IP Addresses of both the OSX and PC machines (see the Finding IP Addresses section for more information). 2. Open a command prompt by clicking Start > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. 3. Ping from the PC to see if there is communication between the OSX machine and the PC. To do this, in the Command Prompt window, type: ping <IP address of OSX machine>, then press Enter. You can also open a command prompt by clicking Start > Run. In the Run dialog, type: cmd, and then click OK.

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Installing Printservices for UNIX

To install Printservices for UNIX:
1. From the Start menu, select Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. This opens the Add or Remove Programs dialog. 2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components (found on the far left of the dialog). This opens the Windows Components dialog. 3. Scroll to Other Network File and Print Services. Activate this setting by clicking the checkbox, and then click Details. This opens the Other Network File and Print Services dialog. 4. Activate Print Services for UNIX, and click OK. 5. In the Windows Components dialog, click Next to configure the change. 6. From the Start menu, select Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. This opens the Services dialog (see Figure 9). 7. Scroll to find TCP/IP Print Server, and then double-click it. This opens the TCP/IP Print Server Properties dialog (see Figure 10). Figure 9Services Dialog 8. From the Startup Type drop-down list, choose Automatic. 9. Click Start to begin Printservices for UNIX. Note that the Status and Startup Type for TCP/IP Print Server have changed to Started and Automatic. 10. During the RIP station set-up, remember to turn off the network firewall or make an exception on port 515 to use this workflow.

Establishing the Virtual Printer Share Name Creating a Share Name allows you to easily recognize the virtual printer when working from your Mac. To establish the share name:
1. From the Start menu, select Settings > Printers and Faxes. 2. Right-click on the ONYX Virtual Printer, and select Sharing. 3. In the Virtual Printer Properties dialog, locate the Share Name field and change it so that it is no more than 12 characters long. Then, write down the name located in the Share Name field. 4. Click OK to accept your changes and exit the dialog. The Share Name cannot be longer than 12 characters including spaces.

Figure 10TCP/IP Print Server Properties

Adding the Printer on the Mac OSX The final step in the OSX/Printservices for UNIX process involves adding the printer to the Mac OSX.

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To add a printer to the Mac OSX:

1. On your PC, copy the PPD located in ONYX Graphics\Production House\Server\PPD\Mac. 2. Paste the PPD somewhere on your Mac. To do this, go to your Mac hard drive and choose Library > Printers > PPDs > Contents > Resources > and select an appropriate language for the folder, such as choosing En.LPROJ for English). 3. On your Mac, open the Printer Utility. To do this, use the Finder to select Go > Utilities > Printer Setup Utility. 4. Add a new printer. 5. From the Printer Model drop-down list choose Other, then go to the folder where you placed the PPD (this is the PPD you copied and pasted in steps 1 and 2). 6. Select LPR as the Printer Port. 7. For the Queue, choose the Share Name of your virtual printer. You can change the Share name if you like. 8. In the IP Address field enter the IP address of the RIP station, not the IP address of the printer.

To use the Web Portal, you must have that feature included with your software. Contact your sales representative for a Key Update.

Now that you have established communication between your PC and Mac OSX, installed Printservices for UNIX, established a share name for the virtual printer, and added the printer onto your Mac OSX, you can print to your ONYX Workflow software through your OSX machine.

Figure 11RIP-Queue Console

The Web Portal allows you to send jobs to RIP-Queue from a remote computer on your local network through your web browser. This includes sending images to print from Macs. In the Web Portal you can view the Active Jobs (equivalent to the Jobs Ready to Print area of the RIP-Queue window), the Inactive Jobs (equivalent to the Buffered area of the RIP-Queue window), and even control some job options like number of copies, magnification, holds, and marks. To launch the Web Portal:
1. Open RIP-Queue. In the bottom right corner of the window, the message Starting HTTP service on port 80 displays in the RIPQueue console (see Figure 11). 2. Open your internet browser. 3. In the address bar of your browser, type http:// followed by the name of the machine on which RIP-Queue is running. For example, http://Katherine2. If you have changed the port number in RIP-Queue, you must follow the name of the machine with a colon, then the port number (for example, http://Katherine:8080 or http://Katherine:1300).

Using the Web Portal (HTTP Access)

Figure 12Web Portal

4. Press Enter. This will open the Web Portal (see Figure 12).

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Changing the Web Portal Port

The Web Portal uses port 80 by default; however, if a service is already using that port, RIP-Queue displays an error in the RIP-Queue console. To resolve this issue, change the port number in the General Settings of RIP-Queue. To change the RIP-Queue Web Portal Port:
1. In RIP-Queue select General Settings from the File menu to open the General Settings dialog. 2. In the General Settings dialog, enter a new port number into the Port field (e.g. 8080 or 1300). 3. Click OK.

Submitting a Job Using the Web Portal

To submit a job using the Web Portal:
1. In the Web Portal, click Browse in the Submit New Job area. This opens the Choose File dialog (see Figure 13). 2. Browse to the file you want to submit, and click Open. Figure 13Choose File 3. In the Web Portal, select the printer you want to use and the Quick Set you want to apply to the image. 4. Click Submit New Job. 5. Once RIP-Queue finishes processing the image, click Home on the Web Portal page to refresh the page and display the updated Active jobs. Depending on the image size, it can take several minutes for the job to display in the Active Jobs list.

If the newly submitted job does not appear in the Active Jobs list, check the RIP-Queue Console (located in the bottom right corner of the RIPQueue window) for information about the image. Once you submit a job to RIP-Queue using the Web Portal, click the job name to display the Edit Job dialog (see Figure 14). In this dialog you can choose to modify job options such as holds, number of copies, and magnification. Placing a checkmark in the box next to the job name allows you to control the job by deleting, moving, holding, or making the job inactive (moving the job directly to the buffered area without printing). Clicking Refresh on your internet toolbar repeats the last action you performed in the Web Portal. To refresh the Active Jobs list, click Home on the Web Portal page (not on your browser toolbar).
Figure 14Edit Job

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Note to Windows Vista Users: If you have any trouble managing your printers, see the information on page 105.

Managing Printers
Objectives
This chapter shows you how to configure and manage your printers. By the end of the chapter, you will know how to do the following: Configure your printers Manage RIP-Queue printers

Figure 1Configure Printers

Configuring printers allows you to set preferences for each of your printers. You can determine printer ports, folder settings, and other options. The Configure Printer dialog allows you to control many of your printers variables such as Quick Sets, Media, etc (see Figure 1). It also allows you to configure how RIP-Queue sends data to your printer. You can access the Configure Printer dialog in one of three ways: Highlight the printer in RIP-Queue, and click Configure Printer on the toolbar Highlight the printer in RIP-Queue, and choose Configure Printer from the Setup menu From Printer Manager, select your printer, and click Configure Each method brings up the same Configure Printer dialog, with the same options and features.

Configuring Printers

Configuring the Printer Port

The printer port is the method by which RIP-Queue communicates with the printer. To change the printer port for your printer:
1. Select the Device tab on the Configure Printer dialog. 2. Highlight the printer you want to configure from the Printer list. 3. Click Configure Port to display the Configure Printer Port dialog (see Figure 2). 4. From the Configure Printer Port dialog, choose the printer port you want to print with, and then click Configure to modify the port options.

Figure 2Configure Printer Port

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To learn more about the printer ports, see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx. com/x10/rip-queue

Depending on your printer, you can use any of the following types of ports: TCP/IP USB Firewire LPT SCSI VideoNet VPT Print Forwarding Print to Windows Printer Driver Print to File The following ports are not tangible printer ports, but are alternative methods to send jobs or prints to the printer: Print Forwarding Print to Windows Printer Driver Print to File Print Forwarding This port forwards print jobs to another RIP-Queue system. This allows you to use one system to process the data, while another system sends the data to the printer. To use Print Forwarding:
1. Highlight the Print Forwarding port on the Configure Printer Port dialog, and click Configure. This opens the Browse for Print Server dialog (see Figure 3). 2. Browse to the input folder of the desired RIP-Queue printer. This should be the printer to which the prints will be forwarded. In most cases, this is on the network within a shared folder called CONNECTINPUT. 3. Highlight the desired input folder. This usually has the same name as the printer. The text This is a valid Print Server Folder appears at the bottom of the Browse for Print Server dialog, and the OK button is enabled.

Figure 3Browse for Print Server

4. Click OK in both the Browse for Print Server dialog and the Configure Printer dialog.

If Print Forwarding does not display in the list, then either your printer driver does not support Print Forwarding or you do not have Printer Forwarding available on your Hardware Key. If your Hardware Key does

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not have Print Forwarding, contact your sales representative for a Key Update. Print to Windows Printer Driver You may want to use Print to Windows Printer Driver with certain printers that have printer ports or features that RIP-Queue may not support. To use the Print to Windows Printer Driver:
If Print to Windows Printer Driver does not display in the list, then your printer driver does not support this option. 1. Highlight the Print to Windows Printer Driver port on the Configure Printer Port dialog. 2. Click Configure. This opens the Select Other Printer dialog which lists all the available Windows printers (see Figure 4). 3. Choose the Windows printer that matches the RIP-Queue printer. You can also browse to a network printer by clicking Browse. 4. Click OK on both the Select Other Printer dialog and the Configure Printer dialog.

Print to File Some printers cannot communicate directly with RIP-Queue, but instead use an output file to retrieve the image data. You can also use the Print to File option for troubleshooting purposes. To use the Print to File port:
1. Highlight the Print to File port from the list of ports on the Configure Printer Port dialog. 2. Click Configure. This opens the Select Print File dialog (see Figure 5). If the Printer Port dialog does not display Print to File, then your printer does not support this option. 3. Browse to the location where you want to save the output file. 4. Type a name for the output file. If you want to use a file extension other than the one show by default, choose the appropriate extension from the Save as Type drop-down menu. 5. Click Save. RIP-Queue automatically creates the output file as a placeholder. The software does not save the actual printer output until the printer prints a job. Figure 5Print to File 6. Click OK.

Figure 4Select Other Printer

Using Printer Pools

A Printer Pool is a RIP-Queue printer that has two or more physical printers. Printer pools are an effective tool when printing high-volume jobs. When two physical printers are configured as a printer pool, and each printer has the same media loaded, RIP-Queue automatically sends jobs to the first printer that is ready.

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If you cannot increase the number of physical printers, you do not have sufficient Key permissions. Contact your sales representative for a Key Update.

You can also have each physical printer loaded with a different media. This allows incoming jobs to be sent to the same printer (acting as a printer pool), but without needing to wait for the media to be changed on the printer. The Physical Printer column in the Configure Printer dialog shows the physical printers associated with the RIP-Queue printer. To increase the number of physical printers, modify the value in the Number of Physical Printers field.

Managing Media
Use the Media tab of the Configure Printer dialog to import and delete media or to change the media specific options. Changing the Media Specific Options Media options are specific settings that control how the printer functions when using that media. These settings can control the number of passes, pass direction, head temperatures, and so forth. To change the media specific options:
1. Choose the Media tab of the Configure Printer dialog. 2. Select the correct Media Type (Media Configuration) from the drop-down menu. 3. Select the correct Media from the list. 4. Click Options to display the Printer Options dialog (see Figure 6). 5. Modify the media specific options. 6. Click OK.

Figure 6Printer Options

If the Options button is disabled or does not appear on the Media tab of the Configure Printer dialog, then your printer does not support software-controlled media specific options. Change the options on the physical printer to modify how the jobs are printed. Changing the media specific options for a printer can affect the color quality of the profiles associated with that media. You should re-profile the media if you make significant changes to the media specific options. To import a media:
1. In the Media tab of the Configure Printer dialog, click Import. This displays the Open Media Library dialog. 2. Browse to and highlight the media library (.oml) file which contains the media you want to import, and click Open. This displays the Import Media dialog.

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3. In the Import Media dialog, place a check mark in the checkbox next to the media you want to import, and click Import.

To delete a media:
1. Go to the Media tab of the Configure Printer dialog. 2. Select the Media Type (Media Configuration) from the drop-down menu. 3. Highlight the Media you want to delete, and click Delete.

Managing Page Sizes

The Page Sizes tab of the Configure Printer dialog shows the available page sizes for the printer (see Figure 7). You can add, edit, or delete page sizes using this tab. You can only edit Custom or Standard page sizes. To add a Page Size:
1. Click Add on the Page Size tab of the Configure Printer dialog. This opens the Add Page Size dialog (see Figure 8). 2. Choose Roll or Sheet as the page size type. 3. Choose the units of measurement (English or Metric) you want RIP-Queue to display for the page size. 4. From the Standard Page Sizes list, highlight the page size you want to add. You can choose Custom if you want to define the width and height of the page size, or you can choose a predefined size from the list. If you choose a pre-defined size, specify the margins for each side of the page. 5. Enter a name for the page size. 6. Click OK.

Figure 7Page Sizes

Figure 8Add Page Sizes

To edit a Page Size:

1. Highlight the Page Size you want to edit, and click Edit on the Page Size tab of the Configure Printer dialog. This opens the Edit/Add Page Size dialog (see Figure 8). 2. Change the options for the Page Size. 3. Click OK.

To delete a Page Size:

1. Highlight the Page Size you want to delete. 2. Click Delete.

Renaming a Printer
You can rename your printer to help identify your printers.

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To rename a printer:
1. Go to the Properties tab on the Configure Printer dialog. 2. Enter a new name for the printer in the Printer Name field. 3. Click OK.

Changing the Base Folder

RIP-Queue uses two special folders to manage jobs: Input Folder Work Folder Input Folder
For more information on Hot Folders, read the Using Hot Folders section of the Setup & Printing chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/ripqueue

RIP-Queue uses the input folder to receive incoming image files. It also contains the Hot Folder for each Quick Set. You can automatically send an image to RIP-Queue by copying the image into the input folder or any of the subfolders that represents a Quick Set. When RIP-Queue is running, it automatically moves images from the input folder (and Hot Folders) to the work folder where they are kept for processing, printing, and archiving. Work Folder The work folder is where RIP-Queue keeps the image files for processing, printing, and archiving. RIP-Queue also uses the work folder to keep system files that control the state of the printer. Another folder, called the Base Folder, is the parent directory of both the input folder and the work folders. The Base Folder is the RIP-Queue program folder by default. You may want to change the Base Folder to a different hard drive to allow faster access time to the image and job files found in the input and work folders. To change the Base Folder:
1. Select the Properties tab from the Configure Printer dialog. 2. From the Base Folder location of the Properties tab, click Change. This opens the Browse Folders dialog (see Figure 9). 3. Browse to the location of the folder you want to use as the Base Folder, or click New Folder to create a new folder. 4. Select the folder you want to use. 5. Click OK.

Because the input and work folders can contain many large files, changing the Base Folder can take several minutes.
Figure 9Browse Folders

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Ink Calculation
Use the Ink Calculation tab of the Configure Printer dialog to define the Reporting Unit (cost per unit) and if necessary, adjust the Correction Factor (ink drop volume). Each Resolution/Ink Type combination can be defined and the reporting values adjusted per ink channel. Define the Reporting Unit Before you configure your reporting units, determine the volume of your cartridge and divide it by the cost of the cartridge. The Cost/Volume = the custom unit per volume measured. To define the reporting unit:
1. In the Ink Calculation tab of the Configure Printer dialog, select the Resolution and Ink Type you want to use (see Figure 10). 2. Select the Reporting Unit Type from the drop-down menu. 3. Calculate the cost per unit. (e.g., 680ml cartridge that costs $239.99 = $.35/ml) 4. Enter the cost per unit for each ink channel by clicking in the field and typing in the cost. Figure 10Ink Calculation

Adjust the Correction Factor Each printer has a built-in default factor to determine ink usage per drop. The default is set at 1 and takes into consideration known variables for the device in an ideal working environment. When you print a job using the default factor, the values reported reflect ink calculations based on the printer manufacturers specifications and are interpreted internally by the RIP-Queue which reports the data. Because the reported data does not take into consideration variations in the printer or working conditions, with some work on your part, it can be fine-tuned to more accurately reflect your conditions. To fine tune your correction factor, compare other known values with the reported values from RIP-Queue to find the new correction factor. Here are some simplified examples for fine tuning your correction factor if the reported data is different from the known data. In each case, dividing the known factor (X) by the reported factor (Y) will give you your specific Correction Factor. The printer reports how much ink is being used as a known value (X). In RIP-Queue, compare the known value to the reported usage by print job (Y). Install a new ink cartridge with known volume (X) and print until

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its empty. In Rip-Queue, print the job log and manually calculate the total ink reported (Y) by adding up the ink used for all the jobs printed with that ink cartridge. Physically weigh an ink cartridge before and after it prints. Convert the mass to volume to get the exact known consumption (X). In RIP-Queue, compare that to the reported usage by print job (Y).

Managing Printers

Use the Printer Manager to perform the following tasks: Configure a Printer Activate a Printer Deactivate a Printer Delete a Printer Create a PRNINST Duplicate a Printer To open the Printer Manager, choose Manage Printers from the File menu (see Figure 11). Before you manage your printer in RIP-Queue, make sure no jobs are processing or printing. Because the printer management options affect how RIP-Queue is configured, all processing and printing stops when you access the Printer Manager.

Activating a Printer
Figure 11Printer Manager

The Printers list in the Printer Manager dialog shows all the printers installed on your system. An active printer contains a check mark in the box next to the printer name. You can only activate a certain number of printers based on your program. RIP-Queue displays the number of active printers allowed at the bottom of the Printer Manager dialog, as well as in the Hardware Key dialog (see Figure 12). To increase this number, contact your sales representative for a Key Update.

Deactivating a Printer
To deactivate a printer in the Printer Manager, remove the check mark from the checkbox next to the printers name. When you deactivate a printer, RIP-Queue retains the printer port settings, Quick Sets, and jobs assigned to that printer; however, the printer will not appear in the Printers list of the RIP-Queue window. If you reactivate a printer, RIP-Queue restores all the settings and jobs to the state they were in when you deactivated the printer.

Figure 12Hardware Key You may want to deactivate a printer if you do not have enough active printer permissions for all your printers.

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Deleting a Printer
Deleting a printer removes all jobs associated with that printer.

If you want to permanently delete a printer from your system, highlight the printer in the Printer Manager, and click Delete.

Creating a PrnInst
A PrnInst is a RIP-Queue Printer Installation file. PrnInst files include all the files necessary to install a printer in RIP-Queue, such as the profile library information (medias and profiles), Quick Sets, and system files (such as .dlls). You may want to use the create PrnInst feature for several reasons: Backing up your printer settings Backing up your media profiles Installing a copy of the printer on a different RIP-Queue system Distributing a custom-made printer installation To create a PrnInst:
1. In RIP-Queue, select Printer Manager from the File menu. This opens the Printer Manager dialog (see Figure 11). 2. In the Printer Manager dialog, highlight the printer for which you want to create a PRNINST. 3. Click Create PrnInst. This opens the PRNINST Options dialog. 4. In the PRNINST Options dialog, select the options you want to include with the new PrnInst file by placing a check mark in the checkbox next to the desired option. Click Next to open the Save As dialog. 5. In the Save As dialog, enter a name for the new PrnInst file in the File Name field, and click Save.

Duplicating a Printer
Use the Duplicate option to create a new printer that is an exact copy of an existing one. This option is useful if you have more than one printer of the same type. Duplicating a printer is different than printer pooling. The printers in a pool share the same profile library and Quick Sets, and anytime you add or modify a media or profile, it applies to all the printers in the printer pool. Duplicate printers are completely separate printers, each with distinct profile libraries and Quick Sets. If you add or modify a media, profile, or Quick Set to either of the duplicate printers, the printers are no longer identical.

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To duplicate a printer:
1. In Printer Manager, right-click the printer you want to duplicate to display a list of options. 2. Choose Duplicate from the list of options.

After RIP-Queue duplicates the printer, verify that the new printer is active by making sure the checkbox next to the printer name contains a check mark. Duplicating a printer can take several minutes.

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To use Proofing, you must have that feature enabled on your Hardware Key. Contact your sales representative for a Key Update.

Proofing
Objectives
This chapter will show you how to setup proofing. By the end of the chapter, you will know how to do the following: Compare printer gamuts Configure proofing printers Verify the proof

What is Proofing?

Proofing is the process of simulating the output of one printer on another device. This concept has long been used in traditional printing industries like commercial offset printing where getting ready to print is very labor intensive and expensive. These industries use a small, inexpensive printer to proof or simulate the way a printing press images color.

Proofing Basics

One of the primary purposes of printing a proof is to give you an idea of what the final output will look like. Proofs can help you identify problems with your image without having to print the final product. While at times you may require a press proof (an exact copy) of the final output, press proofing involves printing the image to the final media using color reproduction technology. This can take time and be expensive. In most cases, you only need a simulation proof. A simulation proof does not provide an exact copy of the final output, but a representation of the final output. If you determine that a simulation proof is acceptable in your situation, it is important that you understand that the proof may not exactly match the final output and that it may fall short of the original. To proof an image, RIP-Queue requires that you have a minimum of two active printers. One will act as your final output printer; the other as your proofing printer. Your final output printer is the printer on which you will print the final image. The proofing printer is the printer on which you will proof your image. This allows you to review a representation of your image without using the ink and media of the final output printer.

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To proof an image properly, you must meet the following conditions: Your proofing printer should match the color of your final output printer as closely as possible. This depends upon the compatibility of the proofing gamut and the final output gamut. In general, the gamut of the proofing media should completely encompass the gamut of the final output media. If the gamut of your final output media falls outside the gamut of the proofing media, the proofing printer cannot provide an exact color reproduction. You need accurate profiles for both the output printer and the proofing printer. Ensure that you maintain and calibrate both printers regularly to ensure that the target densities are accurate. Ensure that the calibration of your proofing printer is correct by using the Verification Strip and the Visual Tolerance Chart.

Before Proofing

Before you proof an image, ensure that your proofing printer is capable of reproducing the colors of the output printer and determine, in RIPQueue, which printer you will use as your proofing printer. The following sections describe how to set up your proofing process: Comparing Printer Gamuts Configuring a Proofing Printer

Comparing Printer Gamuts

The first step in the proofing process is to determine whether your proofing media completely encompasses the gamut of your final output media. This ensures that your proofing printer can accurately reproduce the colors of your final output printer. To compare your proofing gamut with your final output gamut, use the MediaAnalyzer tool. MediaAnalyzer Tool The MediaAnalyzer tool allows you to visually compare two gamuts at the same time (see Figure 1). The tool contains a Left Configuration, a Right Configuration, and a Gamut Data View in the center where it maps a rough wire frame representation of up to two gamuts on an L*a*b* axis (see Figure 4). This allows you to determine if your proofing gamut fully encompasses the final output gamut. If the proofing gamut does not cover the final output gamut, it cannot accurately reproduce the desired colors.

Figure 1MediaAnalyzer Tool

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To open the MediaAnalyzer tool:

1. Browse to the MediaAnalyzer folder on ONYX Graphics\Production House\preflight directory. 2. Double-click MediaAnalyzer.exe.

To view the gamut from the top, set the a* slider to 85; to view the gamut from the bottom set the a* slider to 265.

The MediaAnalyzer tool can capture gamut configurations from either a measuring device by clicking Measure or by importing the information from an ICC Profile by clicking ICC Import. You can directly load an ICC Profile from a .PrnLib file or from a .PrnInst file. Clicking Save allows you to save a gamut configuration for viewing later. Clicking Load allows you to open a previously saved gamut configuration. Use the options at the bottom of the MediaAnalyzer window to control what data displays in the Gamut Data View. Each slider control allows you to rotate the gamut view along an axis. The L* axis runs vertically in the Gamut Data View while both the a* and b* axis run horizontally. For the most part, you will want to move the L* slider to rotate the view around the L* axis, which allows you to view the various hues. Because MediaAnalyzer provides a 3-dimensional perspective view, the parts of the gamut and L*a*b* axis that are closer to you appear further from the center of the view. Use the MediaAnalyzer tool to analyze your ICC Profiles and compare the color gamuts of your proofing printer and final output printer. The Proofing Printer First, view the gamut for the proofing printer. To view the gamut:
1. Launch the MediaAnalyzer by browsing to your ONYX Graphics > Production House > Preflight directory and double-clicking MediaAnalyzer.exe. This displays the MediaAnalyzer window (see Figure 1). 2. In the MediaAnalyzer window, click ICC Import in the Left Configuration section to display the Open dialog (see Figure 2). 3. In the Open dialog, browse to the ONYX Graphics > Production House > Common Folder. This folder lists all the installed printers with their associated .PrnLib files (see Figure 3). 4. Highlight the proofing printers PrnLib (the printer on which you want to print a proof), and click Open. This displays the Select Profile dialog. 5. Select the desired profile, and click OK. The MediaAnalyzer tool displays a red wireframe which represents the gamut of the proofing profile (see Figure 4).

Figure 2Open

Figure 3Common Folder

The Select Profile dialog displays a list of printer profiles for the selected

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Figure 4Gamut Wireframes

.PrnLib file. Each item in the list represents a separate printer profile and uses this format: MediaConfig~Resolution~PatternID~Name. The PatternID indicates which dot pattern this profile was created for. The Pattern IDs are as follows: 0 = FDRP 1 = FDRP Line 2 = FDRP Plus 3 = Ordered Dither 4 = Screen 5 = Stochastic 6 = Contone 7 = Smooth Screen The Final Output Printer Next, view the gamut of the media you want to proof: To view the gamut:
1. In the MediaAnalyzer window, click ICC Import in the Right Configuration section. This displays the Open dialog. 2. In the Open dialog, browse to the ONYX Graphics > Production House > Common Folder. This folder lists all the installed printers with their associated .PrnLib files. 3. Highlight the final output printers PrnLib (the printer you want to proof), and click Open. This displays the Select Profile dialog. 4. Select the desired profile, and click OK. The Media Analyzer tool displays a blue wireframe which represents the gamut of the final output profile (see Figure 4).

Reviewing the Gamut Data Once the MediaAnalyzer tool displays both gamut wireframes, review the Left and Right Report windows (see Figure 5). The Gamut volume value for the proofing gamut should generally be as big or bigger than the gamut of the media that is being proofed. Use the L* slider to rotate the gamuts and ensure that the blue (proofed) gamut is entirely inside the red (proofing) gamut. Note any places where the blue proofed gamut falls outside the red proofing gamut. This indicates that the proofing media cannot accurately reproduce these colors. It is important to understand the limitations of the proofing media as this sets the proper expectations. In some cases, you may feel that it is acceptable for parts of the final output gamut to fall outside the proofing

Figure 5Gamut Report

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gamut; however, this depends entirely upon your situation and expectations. In general, the proofing process is designed to help you understand the expected output, even if the proof is not an exact replica. Once you determine how your proofing printer and selected media will reproduce the colors of your final output printer and media, you need to configure your proofing printer.

Configuring a Proofing Printer

When you configure a printer for proofing, you select the final output printer and then determine which printer and settings you want to use for proofing. To configure a proofing printer:
1. In RIP-Queue, highlight the printer you want to use for the final output. 2. Click Configure Proofing. This opens the Proof Creation Settings dialog (see Figure 6). 3. Use the Printer drop-down menu to select the printer you want to use for proofing. 4. Select the desired Quick Set for the proofing printer. 5. Set the Maximum Width and Height for the proof. This does not set the actual width and height, it simply sets a limit on the size of the proof. The actual output of the proof will be in proportion to the original job. Figure 6Configure Proofing 6. Enable Proof All Pages if you want to print all the pages of a multi-page document. Disable this option to only print a proof of the first page. 7. Select the desired Rendering Intent using the drop-down menu. 8. Use the Pure Hues area to select which colors you want to exclude from the ICC workflow.

Once you configure your printer, you have completed the necessary setup, and you are ready to print a proof.

Printing a Proof
You can print a proof using any of three methods: From a selected job in RIP-Queue From Preflight Automatically using a Quick Set To print a proof from a selected job in RIP-Queue:
1. Highlight the desired job in the Jobs Ready to Print or the Buffered Jobs Area of the RIP-Queue window.

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2. Right-click the highlighted job, and select Proof. 3. RIP-Queue creates a new job in the Jobs Ready to Print area and appends -Proof to the job name. RIP-Queue also places the original job on hold until you release it (see Figure 7).

Figure 7Proofing Make sure that the job you highlight for proofing is originally set to print on the final output printer.

Depending on the Quick Set and Media Placement settings, the proof image previews, rips, and prints just as a normal job. While you can manage proofs in the same way as any other job, you should not need to open a proof job in Preflight nor should you edit any color management or color correction settings. This defeats the purpose of a proofmimic the output of another printer. However, you can modify the color management, size, etc., of the original job in Preflight. Proofing from Preflight You can submit for proofing any image you modify in Preflight. This allows you to apply changes such as color filters or cropping to an image and then submit those changes to the proof printer before tying up the final output printer. To print a proof from Preflight:
1. Open the desired job in Preflight by right-clicking the job in the Jobs Ready to Print area of RIP-Queue and selecting Edit > Job in Preflight. If you open a job into Preflight using another method, you will not have the option to submit the job as a proof. 2. Use the tools in Preflight to make any necessary crops, edits, or color changes. It is acceptable to make color changes at this point because you are changing the original image before you proof it. However, it is important that you do not open the proof image into Preflight and modify the color. 3. Once you have made the desired changes, click the Print tab in Preflight (see Figure 8). 4. Click Submit Proof. RIP-Queue creates a new job in the Jobs Ready to Print area and appends -Proof to the job name. RIPQueue also places the original job on hold until you release it.

Figure 8Proofing from Preflight

Depending on the Quick Set and Media Placement settings, the proof previews, rips, and prints just as a normal job. After the proof is ready, review the results. If necessary, you can edit the color of the original image again and submit another proof. Do this until you achieve the desired result. Proofing Automatically Using a Quick Set You can create a Quick Set for your final output printer which automatically sends a proof file to the proofing printer. Use this option if you regularly print a proof before printing your final output.

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To print a proof using Quick Sets:

1. Highlight the final output printer in RIP-Queue. 2. Click Edit Quick Set. This opens the Edit Quick Sets window. 3. Highlight the Quick Set you want to configure, and click Edit. This opens the Edit Quick Set dialog. 4. Click Advanced. This opens the Edit Quick SetAdvanced Options dialog (see Figure 9). 5. In the Workflow Tab, enable the Create Proof Automatically check box. 6. Click OK.

Figure 9Proofing Using Quick Sets

Each time you apply this Quick Set to an image, RIP-Queue creates a new job in the Jobs Ready to Print area and appends -Proof to the job name. RIP-Queue places the original job on hold until you release it.

Verify the Proof

In order for your proofing printer to be accurate, it is important that you properly calibrate the proofing media. However, due to environmental variables and printer wear and tear, calibrations tend to drift. In other words, they lose their accuracy. It is important that your proofing printers calibration be accurate to ensure that it is producing the correct colors. Printing a Visual Tolerance Chart (located in the ONYX Graphics\Production House\Samples folder) on the proofing printer immediately after calibrating the proofing media gives you an accurate reference point. When you print a proof, you can ensure that your proofing printer is producing accurate output by checking the Verification strip which prints at the bottom of each proof against the Visual Tolerance Chart. You should print a Visual Tolerance Chart for each media, ink, resolution, and dot pattern that you will be using.

Visual Tolerance Chart

The Visual Tolerance Chart displays several sets of patches along with varying differences of lightness, saturation, and hue which correspond to the patches on the Verification strip (see Figure 10). This helps you to determine if your proofing printers output is accurate. To print a Visual Tolerance Chart:
1. In RIP-Queue select Open from the File menu. This displays the Open dialog. 2. Browse to the ONYX Graphics\Production House\Samples directory.

Figure 10Visual Tolerance Chart

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3. Highlight the file named VisualToleranceChart.tif. 4. In the Open dialog, use the Printer drop-down menu to select your proofing printer. 5. Use the Quick Sets drop-down menu to select the All Profiles Off Quick Set. If you do not already have an All Profiles Off Quick Set, open the Job into Preflight and set your profile selections there. 6. Click Open. The image processes and prints according to your printer and Quick Set settings. Keeping the strips of the Visual Tolerance Chart in an envelope will prevent fading.

Once you print the Visual Tolerance Chart, cut it into strips along the white lines and, using a paper hole puncher, punch holes where indicated by the white circles. Make sure there are no white borders around the holes. Print a new Visual Tolerance Chart each time you recalibrate a media.

Verification Strip
Now that you have printed the Visual Tolerance Chart, you can compare it to the Verification strip which prints at the bottom of each proof to check the accuracy of the media calibration. To verify the calibration of the proofing media:
1. Using strip one of the Visual Tolerance Chart, place the hole of the patch marked with a V over the first patch of the Verification Strip. Make sure that the colors are identical (see Figure 11). Repeat this step, comparing each set of patches in strips one and two of the Visual Tolerance Chart with the corresponding patch in the Verification strip. Figure 11Strip One 2. If your verification strip does not match the patch with a marker (V), use the other patches in the set to determine whether your proof is within the visual tolerance rangelighter/darker, under saturated/over saturated, or a different hue. 3. Using the set of patches on strip three of the Visual Tolerance Chart, place the hole nearest the patch marked with a V over the corresponding patch on the Verification Strip. Make sure that the colors are identical (see Figure 12). The verification patches should match the densest corresponding patch on the Visual Tolerance Chart. 4. Ensure that the last four patches on the Verification Strip are within the color range of the corresponding patches on strip four of the Visual Tolerance Chart (see Figure 13). For example, compare the last yellow patch on the Verification Strip against all the yellow patches on strip four of the Visual Tolerance Chart. The Verification patch should match the patch marked with a V.

Figure 12Strip Three

Figure 13Strip Four

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Color Management & ICC Profiles

This chapter will take you through Color Management and ICC Profiles. By the end of this chapter, you will have an understanding of the following items: Color Management & Color Theory ICC Profiles Color Management Options Profile and Calibration Terminology

Objectives

What is Color Management?

If you are unfamiliar with the theory behind Color Management, read the Color Theory section of this chapter. If you are familiar with Color Theory, skip ahead to Color Management Options.

Color Management determines the color characteristics of your images in RIP-Queue by using color spaces and profiles. Understanding and using proper Color Management will help you achieve quality output color.

What is an ICC Profile?

The ICC (International Colour Consortium) sets the standards for color management in the imaging industry. An ICC profile lets one device know how another device has created its colors and how those colors should be interpreted or reproduced. Simply put, ICC Profiles help ensure that you have accurate color.

Color Theory

Color theory is a set of basic rules for mixing color to achieve a desired result. Because color can be formed using both additive (RGB) and subtractive (CMYK) methods, two different definitions, or color spaces, were developed to describe color.

RGB
RGB color is based on the light spectrum, and it breaks color down into an RGB representation. In other words, all color is defined by a certain amount of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Light emitting devices such

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as TVs and computer monitors function in this manner. If you were to turn your monitor off, you would see black because no R, G, or B colors are present. This would be represented as RGB% 0,0,0. If you were looking at a white screen, this would be represented as RGB% 100,100,100 because each red, green, and blue source is shining at full potential. Other colors are created by combining various amounts of R, G, and B. True white light is composed of a full spectrum of all light colors, but RGB is close enough for most standards. RGB is referred to as an additive color theory because when you add all the colors together, you get white.

CMYK
CMYK color is based on colorants and is referred to as a subtractive color theory because you get white by taking away color. C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) are used to create color. In theory, an equal amount of C, M, and Y would create K (black), but the result in practice is actually a muddy brown. Because of this, K is added to create pure blacks and other dark colors. K is also an economical solution since K ink is less expensive than C, M, or Y. Because RGB color spaces are defined by light and not colorants like CMYK, RGB devices generally have a much larger color gamut. This creates some problems because the color on your monitor can be different than what is printed.

A color gamut is the range of colors that are possible. For example, a color printer has a much larger gamut than a black and white printer because a color printer has more color options.

Device-Dependent Color Spaces

RGB and CMYK are referred to as device-dependent color spaces because the colors defined in these spaces are intrinsically tied to the devices they are defined on. A device may refer to a printer, scanner, monitor, or any device in which color is created. For example, in a television showroom each television has a slightly different color even though they are displaying the same programthey each have their own unique RGB color spaces. Likewise, printers have a unique CMYK color space that varies slightly from printer to printer. Colors that are defined in device-dependent color spaces cannot accurately be changed to any other device-dependent color space in a direct process because they are not compatible (see Figures 1 & 2). Like an interpreter, you need something that can communicate will both RGB and CMYK.

Figures 1 & 2Device-Dependent Color Spaces

Device-Independent Color Spaces

In 1976, a mathematical color space was created that could be used as an

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To ensure consistency, the L*a*b* color space must be viewed in a controlled light or color temperature. If you try to match a 5000 K (D50) light-box to an image on a 6500 K (D65) monitor, the colors will appear different. You can use any light value, as long as you always use the same value in each step of the workflow.

Because the L*a*b* color space is theoretical, it has no gamut limitation. RGB and CMYK each have a restricted gamut and each gamut is different.

Figure 3L*a*b* and Profiles

interpreterL*a*b*. This color space is now the standard method used to interpret between two device-dependent color spaces. Because L*a*b* is not dependent on any color space, it is called a device-independent color space. The L*a*b* color space has three different componentsL*, a*, and b*. L* is the lightness value which ranges from 0 (no lightness) to 100 (maximum lightness); a* determines the red-to-green value and ranges from +128 (red) to -128 (green); and b* defines the yellow-to-blue value and ranges from +128 (yellow) to -128 (blue). Because the L*a*b* space is a fixed standard, any defined value will always be accurate. L*a*b*: 65,5,-110 can be correctly understood by an L*a*b* compatible program or device as the exact shade of blue that it was originally designed as. In comparison, you cannot accurately measure the actual CMYK and RGB color spaces. Once an L*a*b* value is defined, accuracy can be guaranteed within the realms of the L*a*b* spacebut the source and the target of a particular color is almost always either RGB or CMYK. Because each devicedependent space is different, the idiosyncrasies and gamut restrictions must be taken into account before a translation to the L*a*b* space can occur. This is done with a profile (see Figure 3). Profiles can be referred to as ICC Profiles, ICM Profiles, or Color Management Profiles and have either the .icc or .icm extension. RIP-Queue supports both formats, and both formats may be used interchangeably in RIP-Queue.

ICC Profiles
An ICC Profile correctly maps a particular device-dependent color space to an L*a*b* standard. A profile also works in a reverse manner to map an L*a*b* value to a device-dependent space. For example, when you scan an image the original color space (of the scanner) is RGB. Applying a profile to the image correctly converts the RGB data to an L*a*b* color space. Then, applying another profile accurately changes the L*a*b* values to CMYK in order to print the image (see Figure 3). If each profile is accurate, the colors of the printed image match the colors of the original image. It is important to note that profiles are tied to the color space they were created in. That means that the profiles, too, are device-dependent. Therefore, if you create a profile for one printer, it may not be accurate if you use it for another printer. You can apply ICC profiles to either convert a device-dependent color

Use caution when dealing with an input source that has a gamut significantly different than the gamut of the output source because they can be impossible to correctly match.

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Figure 4Conversions using L*a*b* and Profiles

space to L*a*b* or to convert L*a*b* to a device-dependent color space; in other words, you can use most ICC Profiles as either an input or an output profile. The only difference between an input and an output profile is how you use the profile. However, remember that profiles are device-dependent, and using an input profile as the RIP-Queue output profile (or vice-versa) can cause undesirable color changes in your printed image. Input profiles convert the device-dependent color space of the image to L*a*b*, and output profiles convert L*a*b* to the device-dependent color space of the output device or file (see Figure 4). Because the output of RIP-Queue is the printed image, the output profile is the default ICC Profile for the media in the printer.

Input Profiles
Because profiles are device-dependent, you should select appropriate input profiles for both CMYK and RGB color spaces. RIP-Queue also allows separate profiles for images (raster data) and vector objects (PostScript data). You can also choose a profile for one type and choose not to use a profile for another.

Output Profiles
The output profile used in RIP-Queue is the Default Printer ICC profile for the printer, media, dot pattern, and resolution combination you are using.

Rendering Intents
You can also select a rendering intent for the output profile from the ICC Profile Setup dialog. Rendering Intents control how a profile is applied and how the colors are mapped from one gamut to another (how the profile maps colors within the image that are not achievable by the printer gamut). Because printers must take into account gamuts, white point, and other variable factors, rendering intents allow one profile to be used for different circumstances. You can choose a rendering intent for both images (raster data) and vector objects (PostScript data). You can also choose from the following options: Perceptual (Images), Saturation (Graphics), Relative Colorimetric, Absolute Colorimetric, and Poster Color. To choose these options, click on the down arrow for either Images or Vector. Perceptual (Images)this gives your images pleasing color. It adjusts all the colors in the image to control the colors that are outside the gamut of the output profile. Every color changes slightly,

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For more information on Proofing, read the Proofing chapter, or see Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/ x10/mediamanager

but the overall results of your image look pleasing because the relationship between the colors stays the same. This is the default setting for images. Saturation (Graphics)this gives you the best solid hues. It takes all colors and scales them to the brightest saturation possible. This is most suitable for printing when color impact is more important than color accuracy, such as when you want to print vector (PostScript) data with bold and bright colors. Relative Colorimetricthis is used for proofing when you do not want to simulate the final output substrate color. It accurately reproduces the colors within the printers range but does not attempt to accurately render the out-of-gamut colors. This can result in some strange color patterns because the final colors that are out-of-gamut are not reproduced. This setting uses the color of the output media as the white point. When proofing, this proofs only the image, and assumes that the media used is the same as the final media. Absolute Colorimetricthis is used for proofing when you want to simulate the final output substrate color. It accurately reproduces all the colors within the printers range, but adjusts the out-of-gamut colors so that they fall within the range of the printer. This setting simulates the white point of the input profile. For proofing, this proofs both the image and the media. Poster Colorthis rendering intent, created by ONYX Graphics, Inc. to allow for an improved CMYK color workflow, preserves hue and relative saturation by mapping the input CMYK gamut directly to the output CMYK gamut. If the output gamut is larger than the input gamut, the output will be more colorful than the source image. Use this rendering intent with a CMYK source workflow. Using this rendering intent with an RGB source workflow provides the same results as the perceptual rendering intent.

L*a*b* Image Files

Although most images require an input profile to be processed correctly, L*a*b* files (image files with an L*a*b* color space) do not use an input profile. Using L*a*b* files is highly recommended because they avoid an initial conversion from RGB or CMYK, which guarantees more accurate color. RIP-Queue supports both L*a*b* TIFF and PSD files.

Embedded Profiles
Because the input profile of an image should match the output profile of the software or device it came from, many programs facilitate the ap-

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If an image contains an embedded profile, you can still overwrite the embedded profile and use another input profile instead.

plication of profiles by using Embedded Profiles. When an application embeds a profile, it automatically packages the profile with the image. When possible, you should use the embedded profile bundled with an image because it will most accurately interpret your image. For example, if you create an image in Photoshop and save it as a TIFF file with embedded profiles applied, Photoshop encodes the profile into the TIFF file to be used as the input profile in another application. When you bring that image into RIP-Queue, the profile is automatically available for your use. The embedded profile displays in the ICC Profile Setup dialog as Images Embedded Profile. RIP-Queue does not display the actual name of the profile. Because of this, you should always check that the correct profile is defined before you export or save the original image file.

Color Matching Table

The Color Matching Table is a lookup table for named process (spot) colors. For example, if you have a PostScript file that uses a customdefined color called SPOTCOLOR Yellow C, RIP-Queue can use the specific L*a*b* values associated with that color when processing and printing the image. The Color Matching Table only applies when using PostScript files with named process colors. When a PostScript file contains a named process color that is listed in the Color Matching Table, RIP-Queue ignores the vector input profiles and calculates the output color value directly using the L*a*b* value of the process color and the default output profile of the printer. Refer to Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/mediamanager for more information concerning the Color Matching Table.

Color Management Options

You can also access the ICC Profile Setup dialog from Preflight by clicking the Printer and Media tab and then Change Profiles.

Because there are so many different settings that control color, RIPQueue groups these settings into Color Management options to facilitate managing the color settings. When you select a Color Management option in Preflight or in a Quick Set, you do not have to select individual settings, such as the input and output ICC Profiles, because selecting the Color Management option automatically sets those options for you. However, if you do want to change the individual profiles, click Change Profiles from Edit Quick Sets to open the ICC Profile Setup dialog.

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Setting a Color Management Option in a Quick Set

If you want to use a specific Color Management option for future images, edit a Quick Set and select that Color Management option. To access the Color Management option for a Quick Set:
1. Highlight the printer that uses the Quick Set you want to modify. 2. Click Edit Quick Sets on the Toolbar. This opens the Edit Quick Sets menu. 3. Highlight the Quick Set you want to modify, and click Edit. This opens the Edit Quick Set dialog (see Figure 5). 4. Select the Color Management option you want to use. Figure 5Edit Quick Sets 5. Click Change Profiles if you want to select individual profiles using the ICC Profile Setup dialog.

Setting a Color Management Option in Preflight

If you want to specify a particular Color Management option for a single image, open the image in Preflight and change the Color Management option. If you change the Color Management options for a job, you will need to reprocess the job before you can reprint it. To change the Color Management option in Preflight:
1. Open the image in Preflight. 2. Click the Printer and Media tab. 3. Modify the Color Management option in the Mode area (see Figure 6). Figure 6Mode Area 4. Click Change Profiles if you want to select individual profiles using the ICC Profile Setup dialog.

ICC Profile Setup

Use the ICC Profile Setup dialog to specify individual profiles for image and vector aspects of a particular color space (see Figure 7). Depending on the type of image you are working with, different options display in the ICC Profile Setup dialog. For example, if you are working with an RGB image, RIP-Queue disables the CMYK options; if the job is a CMYK image, then it disables the RGB options. PostScript files generally contain more than one data type, so RIP-Queue enables both the RGB and the CMYK sections when you are working with a PostScript file. However, when working with a PostScript file, one or both sections (RGB or CMYK) can be ineffective if there are no such color space elements in the image. RIP-Queue disables both the CMYK and the RGB

Figure 7ICC Profile Setup

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input profile selections when working with L*a*b* data. When creating or editing a Quick Set, RIP-Queue enables all options. You can also set output profile and rendering intents in the ICC Profile Setup dialog. Use the following tabs and options to set the input and output profiles, as well as the rendering intents, for your image: Profiles Tab You can use the Profiles tab to set the following options (see Figure 7): CMYK Image CMYK Vector RGB Image RGB Vector Custom Imagethis option applies a profile to any image format other than CMYK or RGB (e.g., CMYKOG, CMYKRB) Use Embedded Profiles When Availabledisabling this option causes RIP-Queue to ignore embedded profiles. Proofthis option allows you to simulate a specific color space or device. Pure Huesif you want to print your primary process colors without the profiles, click Pure Hues (the button with the colored squares; see Figure 8). Using Pure Hues applies the profile to all the colors except those with the checkbox selected on the Pure Hues dialog. Rendering Intents Tab
Figure 8Pure Hues

It is highly recommended that you do not disable the Use Embedded Profiles When Available option when using TIFF and PSD files.

The Rendering Intents tab allows you to select the rendering intent you want to use (see Figure 9). If you are working with a PostScript file or a Quick Set, you can choose a rendering intent for both image and vector. For information on rendering intents, refer to the Rendering Intents information in the Color Theory section of this chapter. The Proof option is disabled unless a proof ICC is selected on the Profiles tab. Proofing allows you to simulate the rendering intent as if you were printing on another printer. Output Tab The Output tab allows you to set how RIP-Queue will output an image (see Figure 10).

Figure 9Rendering Intents

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Figure 10Output GCR (Gray Component Replacement) is the process of removing the graying component equivalent to the least dominant color, and replacing that with black ink in the black separation.

Outputuse the Output drop-down list to select the output profile you want to use for your image. Advanced Black Generationclick Advanced Black Generation on the Output Tab to access the Advanced Black Generation dialog. This dialog includes both GCR and Gray Balance options. Use the drop-down menus to add GCR tables and Gray Balance profiles for your data type. For GCR options, you can select No GCR Selected, Default GCR, or Custom GCR. For Gray Balance options, you can select No Gray Balance Selected and Default Gray Balance (see Figure 11). Spot Channel Replacementthis option allows you to print separation files with defined spot colors on any printer space (see Figure 12). For example, the spot colors in a CMYKSS file can be converted to CMYK so the file can be printed correctly on a CMYK printer. This option lets you print files designed for a spot color workflow on printers that dont have spot color channels. To use the spot channel replacement tools:
1. From the Output Tab, click Spot Channel Replacement. 2. In the Spot Channel Replacement dialog, highlight the spot color you want to define, and click Edit. This opens the Edit Spot Channel Replacement dialog. 3. Select the desired color space. 4. When you are finished, click OK.

Figure 11Advanced Black Generation Gray Balance adjusts the levels of C, M, or Y to get a balanced gray. ICC Profiles do this automatically, so only use this option if you are not using an ICC Profile.

Saving Custom Color Management Settings

You can save your custom color management settings for future use. While you can only save your settings in a Quick Set, these settings are available for your use in Preflight. To save your custom color management settings:
1. Highlight the printer you want to modify, and click Edit Quick Sets on the toolbar. This opens the Edit Quick Sets dialog. 2. Highlight the Quick Set you want to save your custom color management settings to, and click Edit. This will open the Edit Quick Set dialog. 3. In the Color MAnagement area of the Edit Quick Set dialog, click Change Profiles and adjust the profile settings as desired. Click OK to accept the changes and return to the Edit Quick Set dialog. 4. Once you modify the profiles, click the pull down arrow on the Change Profiles button in the Color Management area of the Edit Quick Set dialog to display a menu. Select Save As... to display

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the Save Color Management Setting dialog (see Figure 13). 5. Enter a name for the custom color management setting, and click OK. Once you have saved a custom color management setting, you can modify or delete these settings.

Figure 12Spot Channel Replacement

Figure 13Save Color Management Setting

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Contour Cutting
Objectives
This chapter will take you through the details of Contour Cutting. By the end of the chapter, you will know how to do the following: Prepare a file for Contour Cutting Modify a Quick Set for Contour Cutting Use Contour Cutting workflows Configure CUT-Server

What is Contour Cutting?

You must have Contour Cutting enabled on your Hardware Key to use the proofing feature. Contact your sales representative for a Key Update.

Contour cutting allows you to print an image and then use a specialized device to cut portions of that image. To do this, you prepare a file with a specialized spot color which acts as a cut path. You then print the job using RIP-Queue. Once RIP-Queue completes the print, the cutting device uses the cut path to determine where the image needs to be cut.

How do I use Contour Cutting?

To use the contour cutting feature, you need to prepare your image file properly. There are three steps to setting up contour cutting. 1. Create a cut path in a vector-based drawing program such as Ado be Illustrator or CorelDRAW. 2. Create a special Quick Set that uses the cutter path prefix. This creates the cut file from the cut paths in the image. 3. Determine your cutting workflow and change your printers setup options accordingly. You must change the setup options to print the file with a barcode and registration marks. Depending upon your equipment, you can use one of three cutting workflows: Print and cut on the same devicethis workflow uses RIPQueue to print and cut. Print on any printer and use the I-Cut digital die cutterthis workflow uses RIP-Queue to print and the I-Cut application to cut.

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 Print on any printer and use a separate cutterthis workflow uses RIP-Queue to print and CUT-Server to cut.

The first step in the Contour Cut process is to prepare your file for contour cutting. To prepare your file, first you must define the cut path in a vector-based drawing program. The cut path can be as simple or complex as you like. Once you create the cut path, assign a spot color to it. This spot color (specifically the name, not the color) is the most important part of preparing the file because it allows the cutter software to determine where the cutter should cut the image. The name you assign to this spot color must have a unique prefix which matches the prefix assigned in RIP-Queue (see the next section, Creating a Quick Set for Contour Cutting, for information on where to set this prefix). In RIP-Queue, the default prefix for the cut path spot color is CutContour. Once you decide on a prefix you can append unique identifiers to the name like CutContour1. When RIP-Queue processes and prints the file, the path with this specially named spot color will not be printed with the rest of the image. RIP-Queue processes the spot color as a cut path and creates a separate cut script file for your cutting device.

Preparing a File for Cutting

Defining the Cut Path in Illustrator

If you need help creating a spot color in your drawing program, see that programs Help Files.

The following steps are specific to Adobe Illustrator; however, many drawing programs use similar steps to achieve the same result. The most important part of creating a cut path is that you must create a spot color named CutContour and that you apply the color to the cut path. To define a cut path in Adobe Illustrator:
1. Open your file in Adobe Illustrator. 2. Create a new layer (Window > Layer > New Layer) and select that layer. With complex artwork, create a new layer for your cut path elements; with simple artwork this is not always necessary. For help on creating layers, refer to the Adobe Illustrator Help. 3. Draw your cut path using the rectangle/ellipse, pen, or pencil tool. Make sure you close all paths.

Assign a Spot Color For RIP-Queue to recognize your cut path, you must assign a unique spot color to the path.

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To assign a spot color to the cut path in Adobe Illustrator:

1. Open the Swatches palette (see Figure 1). If the Swatches palette is not visible, select Swatches from the Window menu. 2. Click the arrow on the upper right corner of the Swatches palette to display a secondary menu and select New Swatch to display the New Swatch dialog, or click the New Swatch icon on the Swatches toolbar. 3. In the New Swatch dialog, enter CutContour as the name for the swatch. Whatever you enter here must match what is entered into RIP-Queue. 4. Select Spot Color from the Color Type drop-down menu (see Figure 2). 5. Use the slider bars to create a CMYK color. The color is not important, only what you name the color. Figure 1Swatch Palette 6. Click OK to close the New Swatch dialog. 7. Select your cut paths and assign the new swatch color to those paths.

Save Your File Now that you have defined the cut path and assigned a spot color to the cut path, save your file in .eps format.
Figure 2New Swatch

Creating a Quick Set for Contour Cutting

Before you can print a contour cut file, you must either modify an existing Quick Set or create a new one for your contour cut files. Using a specialized Quick Set for contour cutting allows you to include additional options such as Tile Outline Cut Paths and Trim Overlap. To Create a Quick Set for Contour Cutting:
1. Open the Edit Quick Set dialog (Figure 3) by either clicking Configure Printer > New or Edit Quick Sets > Edit. Use the first option to create a new Quick Set; the second to edit an existing Quick Set. 2. Select your cutter from the Cutter Selection drop-down menu. If your cutter is not available, select Generic Cutter. 3. Set all the other Quick Set options you want, and click Advanced. This opens the Advanced Options dialog. 4. Select the PostScript File tab (Figure 4) and enable the Use Cutter Path Prefix option. The prefix must exactly match the prefix you entered in step 3 of Assigning a spot color to the cut path (see above). If it does not, you will not be able to create the cut path. Leaving this as the default setting (CutContour) is strongly advised. 5. Select the Marks tab, and select additional options. You can

Figure 3Edit Quick Set

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choose to Generate Tile Outline Cut Paths or use Trim Overlap.

Generate Tile Outline Cut Pathsthis option is useful for multiple copies of a photo that doesnt contain an embedded cut line, or for cutting around the edge of a tiled image. Trim Overlapthis option configures RIP-Queue to place cut lines in the center of the overlap.

Contour Cutting Workflows

Figure 4PostScript File Tab It is imperative that the text in the Cutter Path Prefix field match the prefix you assigned to the cut path spot color, including case and spaces. If this field does not match the prefix you assigned to the cut path spot color, RIP-Queue will not recognize the spot color as a cut path.

Depending on the type of equipment you have, your workflow will fall into one of three categories: Print and cut on the same device Print on any printer and cut on the I-Cut digital die cutter Print on any printer and cut on a separate cutter

Print and Cut on the Same Device

There are many devices which act as both a printer and a cutter. To print and cut a job on the same device:
1. Open the Edit Quick Set dialog (Figure 1) by either clicking Configure Printer > New or Edit Quick Sets > Edit. Use the first option to create a new Quick Set; the second to edit an existing Quick Set. 2. In the Contour Cutting drop-down menu, select By Printer (Figure 5). 3. Click OK. 4. Open your file and apply your Contour Cutting Quick Set. RIPQueue will print the image and automatically cut it.

Figure 5By Printer Option

Print on Any Printer and Cut on the I-Cut Digital Die Cutter
In this workflow, you can print on any printer and then use the I-Cut digital die cutter. When you print an image to cut on an I-Cut digital die cutter, the software automatically prints a barcode which the cutter uses to find the corresponding cut file. To print on any printer and cut using the I-Cut digital die cutter:
1. Follow steps 1 through 4 for the previous workflow, but select I-Cut (Figure 6) instead of By Printer in step 2.

Figure 6I-CUTOption

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2. Once RIP-Queue is done printing, place the finished print on the cutting table. 3. In the I-Cut application, select Options > File Location. 4. Browse your network and select the shared Hot Folder (machine name\cutter\I-Cut). 5. Start the cutting process. The cutter automatically reads the barcode on the image and finds the corresponding cut script file.

Print on Any Printer and Cut on a Separate Cutter

This workflow allows you to print your job on any printer and then cut on any cutting device. To print on any printer and cut on a separate cutter:
1. In RIP-Queue, highlight your printer, and click Change. 2. In the Change Media and Placement dialog (Figure 7), click Setup. 3. Select the General tab, and set the top offset to 2 inches. This adds an extra margin that the cutter needs when moving the media back and forth. 4. Click OK. Figure 7Change Media and Placement 5. Open the Edit Quick Set dialog (Figure 3) by either clicking Configure Printer > New or Edit Quick Sets > Edit. Use the first option to create a new Quick Set; the second to edit an existing Quick Set. Select your cutter from the Contour Cutting dropdown menu. If your cutter is not available, select Generic Cutter (Figure 8). 6. Click OK. 7. Open your file and apply your Contour Cutting Quick Set. 8. Once RIP-Queue is done printing, use CUT-Server to cut the print. For more information on using the CUT-Server, see the Using CUT-Server section of this chapter.

This workflow requires that you have CUT-Server. If you do not, contact your sales representative for an upgrade.

Modifying the Cutter Setting You can change the cutter assigned to a print job by right-clicking on the job and selecting Job Settings. On the Job Settings dialog, you can then select a new cutter or, to turn off cutter marks, select None.
Figure 8Generic Cutter

Job Nesting by Assigned Cutter When Job Nesting is enabled, only jobs with the same cutter assignment will nest together. This assures that jobs intended for a particular cutter will print with the correct marks for that device.

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Using CUT-Server
What is CUT-Server?
CUT-Server is an ONYX application that sends cut information to your specific cutter. RIP-Queue creates the cut information for the CUTServer from the cut path you defined in your graphics application.

How do I use CUT-Server?

CUT-Server only works with the specific cutters listed in the Placement Strategy dialog in RIP-Queue; however, there is also a Generic Cutter option which works with most cutting devices.

Configuring CUT-Server
Once youve run the executable to install the new application, launch the CUT-Server by double-clicking the icon on your desktop or selecting CUT-Server from the Start menu.

Navigating through CUT-Server

The Preview Window (located in the center of the screen) displays a wire outline of the cut file currently selected. You can zoom in or out on the cut paths using the zoom buttons across the top of the Preview Window (Figure 9). The Cutter area (located on the left of the screen) displays all the cutters and cut files currently used by CUT-Server. You can use the Cutter area to select which file you are currently working with. A separate window opens for each cutter. Cut File Tools area is located on the right of the screen. You can use the Cut File Tools to rotate the cut files, choose your cutter settings, and configure cut layers. The Toolbar (located on the top of the screen) allows you to open cut files, modify your settings, and perform other basic operations. The first time you start the application, CUT-Server displays the Add Cutter dialog (see Figure 10). To add and configure a cutter:
1. Click the Manage Cutters button on the toolbar. 2. Using the Type field, select your cutter from the list of available cutters. If your cutter is not available, select Generic Cutter. This cutter works with almost any cutter and provides solid output. Figure 10Add Cutter Dialog 3. Enter a Display Name for your cutter, and click OK. 4. Click the Configure button in the bottom right corner of the Cutter

Figure 9CUT-Server Home Screen

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Panel for the cutter you wish to configure. 5. Under Port Settings, select the port you use. Click Setup to select your port settings. 6. Enable/Disable Auto-forwarding. If enabled, cut jobs are automatically cut as soon as they arrive in the queue. Once cut, the jobs are then archived. 7. In the Device Settings area, you can Add, Delete, and Configure your settings. These settings control your cutter specific settings like knife pressure and speed (Figure 11).

Workflow Options for Adding Cut Files

There are several workflow options for adding cut files to the job list. When you add a cut file using any of these methods, the file will display under the correct device heading. If you add a cut file for a cutter thats not configured, you will be prompted with a message to add that specific cutter. Cut jobs will display in the job list for the intended cutter. Typically, cut files are automatically added to CUT-Server. When an image with cut paths is created in RIP-Queue, RIP-Queue automatically places the cut file in the appropriate CUT-Server folder. When the image is done printing, you can open CUT-Server, verify your settings, and click Cut Now. Cutter Hot Folder This is the most common workflow. Once RIP-Queue processes the image, it creates the cut file and stores it in the Hot Folder for that cutter. CUT-Server recognizes cutter Hot Folders automatically so the job displays in the CUT-Server job list. Opening Cut Files Manually To open a cut file manually, click Open from the tool bar and browse to the cut file. The recognized file extension for cut files is .xml. Use this option if your cut files are stored on a network or other location. Remember to verify all of your settings to ensure accuracy. Scanning a Barcode
Figure 12Scan a Barcode To use Scan a Barcode, your job must be created with an associated barcode. 1. To import a cut file into CUT-Server using Scan a Barcode click the Scan a Barcode button on the main toolbar. This opens the Scan a Barcode dialog (Figure 12). 2. Enter the barcode by typing the barcode in to the field or by scanning the barcode with a barcode reader. 3. Click OK.

Figure 11Edit Cutter Settings Because the settings for each cutter are different, consult the user manual for your cutter for assistance configuring your Port Settings and Device Settings. For more information on cut paths in RIP-Queue, see the RIP-Queue Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/ x10/rip-queue. For the best workflow, verify that all your settings are accurate in both RIP-Queue and CUT-Server.

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Drag and Drop You can drag and drop cut files into CUT-Server. To do this, select the file and drag and drop the file into the application. Custom Hot Folder You can configure custom Hot Folders for CUT-Server to recognize a network folder or another known location. To do this, click Application Settings on the main toolbar. Click Jobs > Add and browse from the Application Settings dialog. Archive The Archive in CUT-Server allows you to store old cut files. After a while, your Cutter area will become crowded with old cut files. Using the Archive allows you to clear that area without deleting cut files. To automatically send cut files into the Archive after cutting, click Preferences > Jobs > Archive Jobs After Cutting. Click Archive on the main toolbar to open the Archive dialog (Figure 13). This dialog lists each of your cutters by name with the associated cut files. You can restore and reuse a cut file by highlighting it and clicking Restore File. If you want to clear your archive, highlight the files you want to remove, and click Delete Files.

Figure 13Archive

Cutter Settings
The Cutter Settings determine which settings, such as knife pressure and speed, you are going to use with your cutter. Use the Cutter Settings drop-down box, located in the Tools area, to select which Cutter Setting you want to use.

Figure 14Cutter Settings You can create other Cutter Settings by clicking the Configure Cutter button on the Cutter Panel..

Cutting Workflow
Once you have installed the cutter, you can add you cut files to the job list. To send a cut job to the cutter:
1. In the CUT-Server window, highlight the desired cut job from the job list to display the cut paths in the preview area. 2. If you want to inspect your cut paths, use the zoom and pan tools. To reset the preview, use the zoom drop-down, and select Fit to Window. 3. Load the print into the cutter. If youve made a change to the rotation, check the preview area to verify the correct orientation. 4. Click Cut Now.

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Layer Settings
If the cutter you are using supports multi-layer cutting, each layer listed in the Cut File Tools section can have its own Cutter Settings selection. This will allow you to, for example, cut some paths with a shallow kiss cut, and cut other paths completely through the media, all within the same cut job list. Even if the cutter you are using does not support multi-layer cutting, CUT-Server provides a way for you to cut individual layers with different settings. Simply make a Cutter Settings selection, deselect all layers but the one you want to use the selected Cutter Settings, and cut. Then change the Cutter Settings, select the layer you want to use with those settings, and cut again. Automatic Layer Creation
Figure 15Layers Section

Cut Layer and Settings changes are not saved automatically. Select Save from the File menu to ensure any changes you make to Layers and Settings are saved.

Each cut job contains at least one layer. Depending on the configuration of the original source image and the RIPQueue application, a cut job may have multiple layers generated automatically. If you want a specific Cutter Settings selection to be made automatically for a layer, name the Cutter Setting the same as the Cut Layer. For example, a Cutter Setting named CutContour1 will automatically be selected for the Cut Layer named CutContour1. If there is not a Cutter Settings selection that matches the Cut Layer name, then the Default Cutter Setting will be selected for that layer. The Cutter Setting selected for each layer can be changed manually. In X10 the ability to name layers has been improved. In the past, the names of cut layers had to have the cutter prefix (e. g. CutContour) followed by a number from 1 to 9. In X10 the layers can have more descriptive names added to the prefix, e. g. CutContourKissCut, CutContourThroughCut, CutContourPerforation. Manual Layer Creation You can manually create a new Cut Layer using the following steps:
1. Click the Add New Layer button at the bottom of the Cut File Tools panel (Figure 17). 2. Enter a name for the layer and click OK. 3. Make a Cutter Settings selection for the new layer. 4. Add Cut Paths to the new layer.

Figure 16Layer Information Panel

Managing Cut Paths and Layers

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Figure 17Add New Layer

A layer can only be enabled if it contains at least one valid cut path.

You can move a cut path to a layer by selecting the path and dragging it to a Layer Information Panel (Figure 16). You can also right-click on a path to assign it to a layer. Click on a path to see which layer the path is assigned to. The Layer Information Panel with that path assigned will highlight. You can also click on the Layer Information Panel to see which cut paths are assigned to that layer. Layers can be enabled and disabled by using the check box in the Layer Information Panel. Renaming Layers You can rename a Cut Layer using the following steps:
1. Select the Layer Information Panel for the layer you wish to rename. 2. Click the Rename the selected Layer button at the bottom of the Cut File Tools panel (Figure 17). 3. Enter a new name for the layer and click OK.

Rearranging Layers Some cut operations need to be performed in a specific order. For example, a kiss cut should be done first, followed by a through cut. You can change the order of Cut Layers using the following steps:
1. Select the Layer Information Panel for the layer you wish to move. When a cut layer is deleted, all cut paths assigned to that layer will be deleted as well. 2. Click on either the Move the Layer Up button or the Move the Layer Down button at the bottom of the Cut File Tools panel (Figure 17).

Deleting Layers You can delete a Cut Layer using the following steps:
1. Move any cut paths you wish to keep to a different layer. 2. Select the Layer Information Panel for the layer you wish to delete. 3. Click the Delete the selected Layer button at the bottom of the Cut File Tools panel (Figure 17). 4. Click OK.

Application Settings
The Application Settings allow you to customize the appearance and functionality of the application. (see Figure 18). To set your preferences, click Preferences on the main screen toolbar, and then select the option that you want to modify. You can choose to modify the Appearance, Cutters, Jobs, or Short-

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Figure 18Appearance

cuts. You can also select About to see information about the application. Changing the Appearance Appearance is the first dialog displayed in Application Settings (see Figure 18). Use these settings to change the general appearance of the program. Ruler Enabledthis option displays rulers along the top and leftside of the preview screen. Show text on toolbar buttonsthis option displays text under the tool bar icons. Display warning when deleting cut filethis options will cause a warning message to be displayed to make sure you want to delte that cut file. Show feed direction on the previewthis option displays feed direction arrows above the preview screen. If you rotate cut jobs, this indicates the media orientation. Animate Cut Paththis option displays cut paths as animated dashed lines. Use Operating System buttons and controlsthis option causes the buttons and controls to change to the defualt options of your operating system. Use Default Font Sizethis option displays the font size for the user interface. Deselect this option to change the font size from the default. Font size does not control fonts in the image. Unitsthis option displays the units of measurements. Languagethis option displays the current language for the user interface. Use the drop-down menu to select your desired language. You will be prompted to restart the program for the changes to take effect. Managing Cutters You can manage your cutters using the Cutters options. To access the Cutters options, click Preferences from the main toolbar and then click Cutters (see Figure 19). The Device Management section of the Cutters window displays a list of current devices. Add Cutterif you want to add a new cutter, click the Add button. Delete Cutterif you want to delete a cutter from the list, highlight the device, and click Delete.

Figure 19Cutters

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Chapter TitleUser Guide

 Configure Cutterif you want to configure a cutter from the list, highlight the device, and click Configure. The Application Settings section of the Cutters window displays a checkbox for Sort CutPaths and Allow Open CutPaths. Sort CutPathsthis is checked by default and improves cut accuracy and efficiency by sorting cut paths in a logical manner to reduce media feed adjustment while cutting. Allow Open CutPathsthis option allows you to use cut paths that are not completely closed. This gives you a margin of error when creating your cut paths. Managing Jobs Select the Jobs icon on the left-side of the Application Settings dialog to open the Job options (see Figure 20). Use these settings to configure Archive Options and Hot Folders. Archive Options: Dont do anything with jobs after cuttingthis option leaves the job in the job list until you manually delete the file. You can manually delete files from the job list by highlighting the job, and then either selecting Delete from the right-click menu or the Delete icon located on the tool bar. Archive jobs after cuttingthis automatically moves jobs to the Archive list. You can manually archive jobs from the job list by highlighting the job, and selecting Archive from the right-click menu. Restore or delete archived jobs using the Archive icon on the tool bar. Delete jobs after cuttingthis deletes the job from the list after cutting. Hot Folders CUT-Server automatically recognizes ONYX Hot Folders and displays cut files in the job list for the intended cutter. CUT-Server displays a list of custom Hot Folders from the network or a different known location. Use the checkbox to enable active Hot Folders. Addif you want to add a custom Hot Folder, click Add and browse to the location. You can add an unlimited number of Hot Folders and any cut jobs in the defined Hot Folders will display in the job list. Editif you want to edit a Hot Folder from the list, highlight the entry, and click Edit. This allows you to browse to a new location.

Figure 20Jobs

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 Removeif you want to remove a Hot Folder from the list, highlight the entry, and click Remove. Viewing Shortcuts Select the Shortcuts icon on the left-side of the Application Settings dialog to view the Shortcut Key Strokes (see Figure 21). These are only for display and are not editable. Viewing About
Figure 21Shortcuts

Select the About icon on the left-side of the Application Settings dialog to view the CUT-Server information.

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11
If you do not have Layout Front-end, contact your sales representative for a Key Update.

Layout Front-end
Objectives
This chapter will introduce you to Layout Front-end. By the end of this chapter, you will understand the following. Purpose of Layout Front-end Functionality of Layout Front-end

What is Layout Front-end?

Figure 1Layout Front-end

A Job is a group of images organized for printing as a single unit.

Overlap Tiles allows you to conserve the most media by making the white boundaries around many images transparent. This allows you to overlap tiles and conserve media.

Layout Front-end gives you immediate, hands-on control over multiple images (see Figure 1). Instead of modifying and printing a single image at a time in multiple applications, Layout allows you to open, modify, organize, and print any number of images from a single application. Unlike RIP-Queue, Layout does not use Quick Sets, and it is only available before an image is sent to RIP-Queue. This allows you to customize the organization of your images on your media, modify the images using the simplified tools, select your printer and media settings, and then send the nest to RIP-Queue much faster than sending each image to Preflight individually. When you click the Print button, the nest is processed, sent to RIP-Queue, and printed as a single image. Because the image is only processed at printing and not after each modification, your changes appear immediately. Layout also has several new features such as Overlap Tiles, Multiple Jobs, image bleeds, simplified color corrections and tiling, and variable data. Because Layout allows you to organize your images how you want them on the media, it is especially useful for flatbed printers. You should use Layout to conserve the most media possible, overlap tiles, perform basic modifications, and use variable data. You should not use Layout for jobs handled with Quick Sets.

Using Layout Front-end

Layout Front-end was designed to be user friendly and highly intuitive. The following sections describe basic functionality. See Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/layout for more information about specific features.

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Application Settings
You can access the Application Settings (see Figure 2) by clicking the Application Settings button on the main toolbar. The Application Settings control the following options and features: Appearancethis option controls the basic appearance of the program, cut path color, measurement units, and language settings. Quality Optionsthis option determines the speed and quality of image processing prior to printing. This option can also affect the quality of the final print. Image Optionsthis option allows you to adjust processing and printing options for your image. Cutterthis option manages your cutters. It lets you add, delete, and configure your cutters. Shortcutsthis option displays shortcut keys used in Layout Front-end. Aboutthis option displays information about the application.

Figure 2Application Settings

Image Tools Tab

The Image Tools tab (see Figure 3) controls job settings such as size, tiling, and color corrections. To access any feature in the Image Tools tab, click on the tab and then select the appropriate feature. Many of these features are explained in the Preflight chapter. You can also look at the Online Help at http://help.onyxgfx.com/x10/layout Size Cropthis option sets the width, height, magnification, and orientation of your image. You can also crop your image by clicking the Crop Image button. Tilingthis option sets the tiles and tile overlaps for your image using either automatic or manual settings. Color Managementthis option modifies the color of your image using the Image Color Correction tool. To open the Image Color Correction tool (see Figure 4), highlight your image and click the Basic Adjustments button. Click the appropriate color to adjust your image. The preview windows by each color show what the image will look like if you choose to add more of that color. You can modify brightness, contrast, and saturation using the appropriate buttons along the bottom of the screen. Color Replacementthis option selects and changes one color to another color (see Figure 5). Cut Pathsthis option creates automatic cut paths.

Figure 3Image Tools Tab

Figure 4Color Correction

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Figure 5Color Replacement

Labelsthis option controls what information appears in the label. It also controls the location and appearance of the label. Marksthis option determines the marks that will be printed with your image. Image Bleedthis option lets you print a bleed with your image. You can choose from Colored, Duplicate, Wrap, and Mirror. Image bleeds leave your cut image with a clean edge. Variable Datathis option lets you create a template image where certain portions of the image are modified from image to image. Instead of modifying each image individually, Variable Data allows you to import data from a spreadsheet. Layout Front-end will then automatically insert the appropriate data in the pre-defined fields. This option is often used when printing similar items like price advertisements, business cards, and name plates. Package Templatesthis option allows you to use and create templates that automatically resize, duplicate, and arrange the image on the media. Select an open image and use the drop down menu to select a template or click Template Manager to create a new template. This will apply the template to the open image.

Page Tools Tab

The Page Tools tab (see Figure 6) controls your initial image settings, layout, and cutter marks. To access any feature in the Page Tools tab, click on the tab and then select the appropriate feature. Settingsthis option lets you name your job and apply a watermark to your image Layoutthis option lets you determine the vertical and horizontal space between each of your images. You can also automatically arrange your images and add offsets. To manually arrange your images, click and drag the image to a location. Cutter Marksthis option lets you place a barcode on your image for contour cutting and determines the type and size of cutter marks you will use. You can also manually place cutter marks on your image to maximize media usage and efficiency.

Figure 6Page Tools Tab

Images Tab
The Images tab (see Figure 7) displays the images from your current job. Each image is listed with any associated tiles. You can select which images or tiles you want to print by selecting or deselecting the Print option next to each image. If you deselect an image, it will still be available in the

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job, but it will not be displayed nor will it print. This allows you to print only specific tiles or, with PostScript files, only specific pages. You can delete an image by highlighting and selecting Delete Image.

Printer and Media Options

The Printer and Media Options section (see Figure 8) on the bottom of the application window displays your printer and media settings. Use the drop down arrows to select your settings. These settings need to match the settings you have in RIP-Queue. Printerthis option lets you select the printer you want to use. Printers that are already installed in RIP-Queue are automatically available in Layout Front-end. Cutterthis option lets you select the cutter you want to use. You can add cutters by selecting Application Settings > Cutters > Add Cutter. Media Groupthis option lets you select the media configuration you want to use. Mediathis option lets you select which media you want to use. Modethis option sets your mode. Page Sizethis option determines the page size. Print Buttonthis option controls printing and cutting. Depending on your settings, it will either let you Print, Cut, or Print and Cut.

Figure 7Images Tab

Figure 8Printer and Media Options

Jobs
Layout organizes your images using Jobs. Jobs are groups of images organized for printing as a single unit. You can create, delete, and rename jobs by right-clicking on the bottom of the application window (see Figure 9). You can also add a job by clicking on the green + or delete a job by selecting that job and clicking on the red X. To switch between jobs, click on the job you want to view. You can also save a job by clicking Save Job in the top left corner of the application. Browse to where you want to save the job and reopen it later by clicking Open Job.

Figure 9Jobs

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Note to Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users

Make sure to have the following settings applied to be able to adjust settings on Virtual Printers*.
UAC (User Ac- Administrator Effects on Application and Virtual Printers count Control) Privileges State
Off Off Yes No

On

Yes

On

No

Application runs normally. User has complete access to Virtual Printer settings. User must right-click the application icon and select Run as administrator.... The application then runs normally and changes to virtual printers can be made. UAC State should not affect access to Virtual Printer settings. If this action does not give you administrative privileges and access to printer settings, log off and log back on with an administrative account or turn on UAC. Application runs normally. User has complete access to Virtual Printer settings. If you right click and select Run as administrator... a warning opens asking whether you want to cancel or allow this action. Select Allow. User must right-click the application icon and select Run as administrator.... A dialog opens displaying user accounts with administrative privileges. Select the desired account and type in the password. The application then runs normally and changes to virtual printers can be made. UAC State should not affect access to Virtual Printer settings.

*Adjustable settings for Virtual Printers include: add/remove/edit page sizes, add/ remove/rename media, add/remove/edit keywords, rename printer, activate/deactivate printer, add/remove/rename quicksets, add/remove/rename modes.

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Glossary
A
ACRN Achromatic Color Replacement. See GCR Active Printers A Printer that can be used in RIP-Queue. Use Printer Manager to activate or deactivate printers. Additive Color (Additive Primaries) Colors formed by the combination of red, green, and blue colored light. Video images are produced by this method. This differs from Subtractive Color (used in printing), in that adding more color lightens the image; 100% of all three colors produces white. Aliasing Visual stair-stepping of edges that occurs in images that have been enlarged too much. Sometimes known as jaggies. See also Anti-aliasing. ANPA-COLORTM ANPA-COLORTM Color System. American color matching system, mostly used in newspaper printing. Anti-aliasing Technique for reducing the visual stair-stepping of edges that occurs in an image that has been enlarged too much by averaging or blending the colors next to the edge. ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) A coding standard that uses 7 or 8 bits to assign numerical values up to 256 for the representation of characters and symbols.

106

Glossary

AST Adobe Separation Table. Color profile providing RGB to CMYK color conversions.

B
Banding 1. Distinct levels of color in an otherwise continuous span of color, caused by printing gradients without sufficient color information. 2. Horizontal striping caused by a printer head malfunction. Usually this is either a misfiring head or improper media feeding. Base Address The address at which a device resides in computer memory. The computer must know this address to communicate with the device. Base Folder A folder containing the input and work folders for a printer. Bitmap A raster image format where each position on a video screen or printout is a picture element (Pixel). Every pixel is addressable, and they are stored and processed at that level. Each pixel is represented by 1 (for black and white images) or more bits (24 bits allows approximately 16 million shades of gray or colors). A bitmap is the two-dimensional matrix of pixel representation. Black Generation Addition of K ink to Process Colors when converting from RGB to CMYK. Usually handled through UCR or GCR methodologies. Bounding Box An invisible frame drawn by an application around a portion of an image that sets the size. This applies to PostScript only. Brightness A measure of the total amount of light emitted, transmitted, or reflected by an object or image; normally measured in Candela.

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C
Candela International unit of measure for Luminance, approximately equal to one candlepower. In technical terms, a candela is 1/60th of the luminous intensity per square centimeter of a blackbody radiating at the temperature of solidification of platinum (2,046 K). Chrominance Signal which describes Hue and Saturation, used in measuring the difference between two colors of equal Brightness. CIE (Commission Internationale de lclairage) An international group that developed the most commonly used set of color definition standards. See also ICC. CIECAM, CIECAM97 Profile standards proposed by the ICC which take into account viewing conditions such as temperature, light angle, and light type. CIELab A uniform Colorspace proposed by the CIE for use in the measurement of small color differences. See also L*a*b*. CMYK System for describing colors based on a combination of values for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black; the ink colors used in four-color process printing. In theory, 100% of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow create Black. In practice, the addition of Black ink is necessary to print a true Black. See RGB. CMYKOG System for describing color based on a combination of values for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Orange, and Green. It is an expansion of the CMYK color model that provides a larger color gamut. CMYKRGB System for describing colors based on a combination of values for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Red, Green, and Blue. It is an expansion of the CMYK color model that provides a larger color gamut.

108

Glossary

Color The attribute of visual experience that can be described using the dimensions of Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. Color Gamut The range of color that can be created on an output device. Color/Gray Levels A color correction tool that allows modification of contrast, brightness, and saturation (Color Levels), as well as the highlights, midtones, and shadow levels (Gray Levels). Color Layer A layer of a separated image composed of a single color. Color Management System (CMS) A System which ensures color uniformity across input and output devices so that the final printed results match the originals. The characteristics or profiles of devices are normally established by reference to standard color targets. Color Rendering Dictionary (CRD) A feature of PostScript Level 2 and PostScript Level 3 that specifies output device color capabilities using CIE color notation. Contained in a PostScript RIP, a CRD converts CIE Yxy information embedded in a PostScript file to CMYK information for output. Color Rendering Intent A method of mapping color values so colors can be reproduced on different devices even if the devices have a different gamut. As part of this process, it determines how in-gamut and out-of-gamut colors are mapped. See also Rendering Intent. Color Separation The process of splitting full-color images into their CMYK components. Color separation can also refer to one or all four of the separate pieces of film or data files from which a four-color version is to be printed. Each separation is a distinct Halftone image.

109

Color Space The set of referents used to describe color. The color spaces displayed in RIP-Queue are CMYK, RGB, and HSV. L*a*b* manipulations are also possible in Color Correction. Color Space Array (CSA) Color space description that specifies source color characteristics. (These are usually embedded in PostScript Level 2 and PostScript Level 3 EPS files.) A CSA is based on the monitor settings of the application or is specified by the printer driver. Color Temperature A measurement of color value in degrees Kelvin. The higher the temperature the closer it moves to white. Typical daylight rages from 5500K to 6500K. Color Wheel An image or chart that displays the entire color spectrum at one time. See wheel.tif in the RIP-Queue Samples directory. Colorimeter An instrument that measures and quantifies color in a way that resembles human vision. The measurements are usually in the form of coordinates in a CIE color space. Continuous Tone 1. Images that contain an apparently infinite range of shade and color smoothly blended to create a true copy of the source image. 2. Printing method where dots of equal size are placed in a variable-spaced pattern causing the transitions between colors to appear more natural. Contone A RIP-Queue dot pattern that produces continuous tone data (such as RGB TIFF output) as opposed to half-tone data. Contrast The difference in tone between the darker and lighter parts of an image.

110

Glossary

Crop Box Defines the area of an image that is to be included in the final output. Anything outside of the crop box is excluded. Cropping Cutting or manipulating an image to eliminate unwanted detail along the top, bottom, or sides of an image. Cropped images in RIP-Queue are square or rectangular in shape.

D
DCS (Desktop Color Separations) A version of the standard EPS format; this lets you save color separations of CMYK or multi-channel files. Use the DCS 2.0 format to export images containing spot channels and single alpha channels from Adobe Photoshop. Densitometer A photoelectric instrument that measures the density of printed inks or dyes. A densitometer works in two modes: Integral mode measures density on a logarithmic scale from 0 to about 4; Dotpercent mode measures density on a linear scale from 0 to 100. RIP-Queue uses integral mode. Density Degree of opacity of coverage by an ink or toner. Usually measured as a percentage, with 0% equal to no ink, and 100% equal to full coverage. Density Linearization A procedure to normalize a device behavior to obtain a linear input to output response for opacity. Density Range The measurable difference between the brightest highlight (white) and the darkest value (black) that a device can create or register. The greater the dynamic range, the more lifelike the image.

111

Device Independent Color Space A color space that is not dependant on any particular physical device. See CIELab. Dithering Process of averaging primary colors to approximate other colors. DLL (Dynamic Linked Library) A file containing a set of functions/routines called by a program to perform a task. DMA (Direct Memory Access) This allows high speed transfer of data between a peripheral device (such as an LPT port) and a computers memory without using the computers processor. DMA channels can work simultaneously independent of the computers processor. Dot A single element in the halftone printing process. In traditional halftone generation, dots vary in size to control the intensity of the printed color. In digital printing, the dot size is fixed by the print mechanism. Dot Gain, Dot Bloom Process whereby the ink or toner spreads (blooms) larger than the initial size of the dot due to either capillary action or the ink physically running over the edges of the dot (over inking). Dot gain can be modified by adjusting the physical environment (humidity or temperature) of the printer, or by reducing the saturation level of the inks. See GCR, UCR. DPI (Dots Per Inch) Screen or printer resolution. A single value (for example 1200 dpi) means dots per linear inch both vertically and horizontally; two values (for example 600 x 1200 dpi) indicates horizontal and vertical resolutions, respectively. A dpi value shown as 600@1200 dpi means that the image is processed at 600, but is printed at 1200. See also Dot, Virtual Pixel.

112

Glossary

Drop-Down Menu A user interface element that allows a selection from a menu accessed by clicking a down arrow. Dye Sublimation (Dye Sub) A printing process using small heating elements to evaporate pigments from a carrier film depositing them smoothly onto a media. Dynamic Range The measurable difference between the brightest highlight (white) and the darkest value (black) that a device can create or register. The greater the dynamic range, the more lifelike the image.

E
ECP (Enhanced Capability Port) A parallel port (LPT) interface which uses the following characteristics: 1. Uses RLE (Run-Length Encoded) data compression for input and output. 2. Provides for I/O buffers at either end. 3. Uses DMA for handling actual data transfer. 4. Allows ECP devices to address multiple channel across the same physical interface. This supports multi-function devices, such as combination scanner/modem/fax/printer devices. ECW A raster file format that uses high compression. Effective Resolution Resolution of Raster Format image independent of the printer resolution. Effective resolution is determined by dividing the nominal resolution of the image by the pixel duplication ratio. For example: a 2048x3072 pixel image has an effective resolution of 300 dpi at 10x7 inches, 200 dpi at 15x10 inches, 150 dpi at 20x14 inches and 72 dpi at 42x28 inches.

113

Embedded Profiles Profiles that are contained in a raster file. TIFF, PSD, and JPG files support embedded profiles. Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) A PostScript (vector) file format that can include various options such as the specified PostScript level, embedded fonts, and a preview image. EPS files are printer-independent. See also PS, PostScript. Enhanced-Gamut Color Another name for HiFi (CMYKOG) color. EPP Port (Enhanced Parallel Port) A parallel port specification jointly introduced by Intel, Xircom, and Zenith Data Systems. Error Diffusion Screening technology used in digital printers where fixed-size dots are placed based on image details and tone values to enhance detail. See also FDRP Diffusion.

F
FDRP Diffusion (Fixed Dot Random Placement Diffusion) Patented error-diffusion process created by ONYX Graphics, Inc. for use in large-format printing. FDRP Line (Fixed Dot Random Placement DiffusionLine variant) Modified version of the FDRP Diffusion Process created by ONYX Graphics, Inc. FDRP Plus A hybrid of the Stochastic and FDRP Diffusion dot patterns. Flatness The vector calculation of the maximum distance of any points of the approximation from the corresponding point on the true curve,

114

Glossary

measured in output device pixels. FOCOLTONE Color FOCOLTONE Color System. English color matching system. Fotoba Cutter Marks Proprietary marks that are printed around images to allow the images to be cut out automatically. Four-color Process Printing The basic method for recreating a broad spectrum of colors on a printing press or computer printer, using only Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, and Black inks or dyes. See also Process Color Printing.

G
Gamma Contrast level in photographic images. Mathematically, this is the logarithmic relationship between input and output. A perfect mirror has a gamma of 1.0 (1:1), while color transparency film has a gamma of approximately 2.0 (1:10). See also Tonal Range. Gamut The range of colors that can be created by a particular output device. Colors are referred to as in-gamut if they can be reproduced on a particular device and out-of-gamut if they cannot. GCR (Gray Component Replacement) In Four-color Process Printing, black is made up of a combination of the three primary colors. GCR determines how much black to print with black ink, and how much black to print with the remaining three colors. See also UCR. Also known as Skeleton Black Generation when used in converting RGB files to CMYK. GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) A standard for small raster image files. GIF files support transparencies and different color palettes. Grayscale 1. The range of tones from black to white.

115

2. An image consisting of only levels of black and white.

H
Halftone 1. An image in which continuous tones are simulated by regular patterns (screens) of small dots. 2. A process for creating images. Screening can be done at different angles and the line density varies over a wide range (50 500 lines per inch). Printing a black & white photograph on a press or printer requires the creation of a single halftone. Four color process printing requires a separate halftone for each of the process colors. See also Continuous Tone, Screen Angle. Hardware Key The physical plug that is required to use RIP-Queue. HexachromeTM Pantone trademark name for a printing system that uses specific values of CMYK plus Orange and Green. See also CMYKOG(V). HiFi Color Printing system using additional levels of dilute toner (usually cyan and magenta) in combination with CMYK to produce a wider gamut of colors and more natural-looking images. May also refer to a printing system using additional primary process colors. Histogram A type of graph that shows frequency data in two-dimensional rectangles. The width of each rectangle represents the class interval (in RIP-Queue, this is the section of the spectrum), while the height represents the number of occurrences (in RIP-Queue, this is the number of pixels with that color value). Hot Folder A folder found in the Input folder that can be used to automatically process images by copying images into that folder. Each Hot Folder represents a specific Quick Set. HSV

116

Glossary

A color space that defines colors by Hue, Saturation, and Value (Brightness). Hue 1. A tint or color specified by an angle on the HSV Color Wheel. Going counter-clockwise around the wheel, hues shift from red to yellow to green to cyan to blue to magenta and finally back to red. 2. The attribute of a color that permits it to be identified as a specific color. Hue combined with Saturation and Value fully defines a color.

I
ICC Profile An international standard for describing color transformations. Also known as ICM (.icm). See also Color Profile and Profile Library. ICC (International Color Consortium) An organization that developed the standard for color management. ICR (Integrated Color Removal) See GCR. IEEE-1284 The preferred standard for LPT ports, cables, and communication. ICM Profile See ICC Profile. Ikon Card A PCI add-on card that is required to print to some printers. Use the VPT printer port to print using the Ikon Card. Ink Limiting The process of restricting the total amount of ink applied to a media by adjusting the maximum percentage of the color values in a processed image. Ink/Toner Model

117

A set of parameters for a specific ink or toner. This is used in calibration to compensate for imperfectly balanced inks and to assist in generating similar output from dissimilar inks. Input Folder A folder that is constantly monitored for image files to allow automatic processing and printing. See Hot Folder. Input Profile 1. A profile that describes the color characteristics of a device such as a scanner that is used to create images. 2. A profile that identifies the output device being simulated for ICC Color Matching (that is, modifying the output image so that a print on one device appears as if it were printed on a different device). Intensity Degree of saturation or reflection of visible light. Interpolation Process of increasing the apparent resolution of a raster image by using either a bi-cubic or sequential algorithm to create new dots in between the existing dots. Intranet A local computer network connecting nearby computer systems and printers, such as in an office.

J
Job An image coupled with RIP-Queue settings. JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) A raster file format as well as a standard for compression of image files in general. See also Raster Format.

K
Key Update

118

Glossary

A file that adds permissions to your Hardware Key. See Hardware Key.

L
L*a*b* (L*a*b* Color) A uniform color space proposed by the CIE for use in the measurement of small color differences. The lightness (L*) and the color parameters (a* and b*) accurately define a color. See also CIELab. LAN (Local Area Network) A computer network designed to connect nearby computers and printers, such as in an office. A LAN can be connected to another LAN, or the Internet. Landscape Orientation A page oriented so that it is wider than it is tall. Leading Edge Effect (LEE) This is a print error where an empty strip appears following a solid color or no color area. Use a Stochastic dot pattern to fix this. Line Screen Organization of elements in a printing screen, used to define the density of the screen. For example, a 140-line screen is a pattern that has 140 Halftone Dots per linear inch. The greater the number, the more accurately details are printed. See also Screen Ruling. Linearization The process of normalizing a device so that it produces a linear (1:1) input to output response. LPI (Lines Per Inch) This refers to the number of Halftone Dots that will be printed per linear inch in an image, based on the Screen used. Luminance The lightness or Brightness of an image. LZWTM

119

Standard form of loss less file compression for video and graphic images (such as RIFF). From Lempel-Ziv-Welch, the inventors.

M
Media A paper or other substrate that the printer creates images on. Media Model A media model defines the targets used for calibrating for different classes of inks. See also Ink/Toner Model. Metamerism Condition where two colors match each other under one light source, but not another. Moire (Interference Pattern) A pattern of visible waves caused by overprinting halftones whose screen angles are aligned improperly. This is usually the result of scanning and screening a previously screened halftone image. The pattern is confusing and destroys detail, creating uneven tonal values. See also Screen Angle. Monitor Profile A profile that describes the color characteristics of a display device. Monochrome An image that is composed only of levels of a single color and white. See also Grayscale.

N
Nibs A part of the physical print head on the printer that produces the ink dots.

O
Opacity

120

Glossary

Resistance to the passage of light.

Ordered Dithering A dot pattern that attempts to evenly distribute the expected range of color levels using a matrix acting as a screen. This is done by defining the dot placement in a recursive fashion. This results in a screen which has a grid appearance to it. In RIP-Queue, ordered dithering has been extended to place each color at angles to other colors. This produces a rosette pattern similar to the halftoning that appears in newspapers, since the rosettes are small. See also Halftone, Screen, Screen Angle. Origin The point where the measurement units for both x and y axes are zero. In RIP-Queue the origin is always the top-left corner of the selection box; in PostScript it is always the lower-left corner. Output Profile A profile that describes the color characteristics of an output device, such as a printer or film recorder.

P
Pantone A system for identifying colors based on CMYK values as they appear on the printed page. Patch Single color sample contained in a swatch. Used as part of profile generation. PCX A standard for raster image files developed by ZSoft for PCPaintbrush. PDF (Portable Document Format) Modified PostScript file format used by the Acrobat document exchange system. Fonts should be embedded within the PDF docu-

121

ment in order for RIP-Queue to use them.

PhotoCD Raster image format developed by Kodak. There are two types, each containing multiple resolutions. Standard PhotoCD images are 2048x3072 pixels, and require 18MB of storage. Professional PhotoCD images are 4096x6144 pixels and require 80MB of storage. Photospectrometer Device for measuring color. Also known as Spectrophotometer. Pixel (PEL) Picture element. A single point in a raster format image. Pixel Duplication Ratio Ratio of input pixels to output dots. (Scan resolution divided by output resolution). Pixelization Effect of over-enlarging a raster image so that the individual pixels in the source image become visible. See also Aliasing. Plate Layer of a separated image that is composed of a single color. See also Color Layer and Separation. Portrait Orientation A page oriented so that it is taller than it is wide. See also Landscape Orientation and Transverse Orientation. Posterization The effect produced when an image or part of an image is displayed or printed with too few colors (or shades of gray) to accurately reproduce color differences. PostScript (PS) A vector-based page description language, which stores text and graphics as lines and arcs that can be filled with a variety of differ-

122

Glossary

ent backgrounds. PostScript files are printer dependent, do not need a showpage command, and have embedded fonts. See also Encapsulated PostScript, PDF. PostScript Screen A specific setting for a color channel that determines the frequency, angle, and function when using the Halftone dot pattern. PPD (Printer Profile Description) A file listing the limits and capabilities of a printer in a form that printer drivers and other software programs can read. Preflight An application used to view and modify RIP-Queue jobs. Primary Colors Colors that can be combined in various proportions to produce another color. In the light (additive color) spectrum, primary colors are red, green, and blue. In inks, paints, and other pigments (subtractive color), the primary colors are generally cyan (red), yellow, and magenta (blue). Printer Pool One or more similar printers that share a common printer library, Hot Folders, and Quick Sets. PrnInst (Printer Installation File) A proprietary file format used to install a RIP-Queue printer. A PRNINST file contains the dlls, profile library information (media, calibrations, and profiles), and other support files that are necessary to use a given printer. Process Colors The four ink colors used in four-color process printing: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. Profile 1. A method of defining and compensating for the color shifts in an image as it is shown on a monitor and printed on a media. 2. A specific Printer/Ink/Media combination in RIP-Queue.

123

Profile Library (Printer Profile Library) Collection of color profiles specific to a printer type. PSD (Photoshop Document) The native file format of Adobe Photoshop. They are raster files that support L*a*b* color, spot channels, and embedded profiles. Pure Hues Color created by applying 100% each of one or more inks in an image.

Q
Queue An organized list of jobs that are printed on a first-in first-out (FIFO) basis. Quick Set A group of settings that is applied to images to create jobs in an efficient manner.

R
Raster File format in which pixels are placed in a grid. (That is, pixels are located by exact addresses, rather than by their relation to other pixels.) Raster Format Graphic file format in which images are described as a matrix of dots. See also Raster. Rasterizing Conversion of a file to Raster format. Reflective Copy A piece of artwork that is viewed by reflected light (for example, drawings or photographs). Also called reflection copy and reflective art. See also, Transparency.

124

Glossary

Registration The precise alignment of film or plates for printing. Register marks, usually placed outside the trim area, assist the printer and finisher in achieving accurate registration in multiple color jobs. Registration Marks Cross-hair marks placed at each corner of the image to help ensure proper registration. Registration Marks are also used to aid in trimming the image. Rendering Intent A method of compressing out-of-gamut color values so they can be reproduced. Resolution The number of dots available to represent graphic detail in a given area. On a computer screen, resolution is usually measured in pixels per inch (ppi). On a printer, the resolution is measured in dots per inch, or dpi. Halftone resolution measurements are in lines per inch, or LPI. See also Screen Ruling. RGB System for describing colors based on a combination of values for Red, Green, and Bluethe additive primaries. RGB is the basic additive color model used for color video display. Mixing various percentages of red, green, and blue light can recreate most of the spectrum; combining 100% of all three creates white light. See CMYK, Additive Color. RIP (Raster Image Processing) Method for converting a vector-based image into a raster based (pixel-by-pixel grid) image. Ripping Process of turning files into printer or bitmap files. See Rasterizing. RLE (Run Length Encoding)

125

A method of loss less file compression.

S
Saturation Term used to describe the strength, purity, or vividness of a hue. Saturation indicates how much color is present. When there is no saturation, there is no color. Screen Angle The orientation of a halftone screen as measured from the horizontal axis. Forty-five degrees is commonly used for Black and White, 105 for Cyan, 75 for Magenta, and 90 for Yellow. Screen Ruling Measure of the fineness of a Halftone screenthe higher the number, the finer the screen. See also Lines Per Inch. Screen (Screen Pattern, Screening) 1. A way of filling areas in graphic design, created with various densities of black-and-white (or color-and-white) patterns. 2. The process of breaking up a photograph into dots of black and white for easier printing. 3. A shade of gray or color. Black (solid) is 100% screening and white is 0%. See Halftone, Line Screen. Separation Individual layer of a multi-color image. Each layer contains the amount of each primary color needed to produce a four-color image when layers are superimposed on each other. Separation Color Space PDFs name for a Spot Color. A separation color space always carries an alternate tint transform. The transform can be in RGB or CMYK (or others) and gives the rules for outputting in that space when the named color is unavailable. Server A computer that provides facilities to other computers on a local

126

Glossary

area network. Examples of servers include file servers, print servers, and mail servers. SID A proprietary raster file format developed by LizardTech, Inc. Also known as MrSID. This format uses high compression algorithms. Skeleton Black Generation A color separation technique that substitutes Black ink for calculated amounts of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. Black gives more depth in the reproduction, corrects a color cast in the shadows, and results in better gray neutrality. See also GCR. Spectrophotometer An instrument used to measure the spectral transmittance or reflectance of objects. They provide densitometric and colorimetric data, and can be used to read Linearizations and ICC Profile swatches. Spot Color A specific color or type applied to individual graphic items. Spot Color Printing A method of color printing using an ink that is premixed to a specific color, such as a corporate logo. These colors are generally premixed according to a color matching system and are printed on top of preexisting color. Sometimes referred to as Fifth-color Printing. Stochastic Sampling Dot pattern analysis and generation using locations in the area of a pixel wherein the pixel is perturbed or jittered. This produces an average of the color for an area. Stochastic generation methods are generally much faster than other methods, at some expense in shadow and highlight detail. Strike Mode Technology which controls how often and at what point the printer applies additional ink dots to the media. Subtractive Color Colors that are formed by the removal of certain wavelengths of

127

light. Colors on a printed page are subtractive (e.g., white light strikes the page and the ink absorbs some wavelengths. This allows only certain colors to be reflected to the eye.) Subtractive Primaries Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, which, along with Black, are the ink colors used in four-color process printing. See also RGB. Swatch Standard print image used by RIP-Queue for profile generation. A swatch contains multiple patches. Swath A band of ink laid down by the printer head as it moves across the media. SWOP (Specification for Web Offset Publication) The most common standard for American printing inks. This is not tied to any individual color matching system or device.

T
Targa 24 or 32-bit raster format originally developed for video production by AT&T EPIC (later Truevision). This format does not support the storage of image data as planes of color information. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) A communications protocol developed under contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to connect dissimilar systems. Supports mail (SMTP), file transfer (FTP), remote terminal operation (Telnet), and remote printing. RIP-Queue supports TCP/IP remote printing. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) A standard raster format for graphic files. TIFF-IT (Tagged Image File Format for Image Technology) A variant of the TIFF file format developed by the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI). It is intended to smooth pre-

128

Glossary

press workflow by making images easier to exchange and transfer.

Tile Section of a print image. Images can be tiled when they are too large for the media, or to fit mounting and display requirements Tint A solid color reduced in shade by screening. Altering the tint alters the hue of a color without affecting the saturation of the color. Tonal Range Range of white in an image. An image with a small tonal range will appear very flat, because there will be little difference between the darker and lighter areas of the image. See also Contrast. Tone Degree of luminosity or amount of white in color represented by the L axis in the L*a*b* color space. See also Luminance. TOYO Color TOYO 88 ColorfinderTM 1050 System. (Japanese) Transparency Any artwork that is viewed by light passing through it, rather than reflecting off it. See Reflective Copy. Transverse Orientation Page oriented so that it is wider than it is tall, but the text is rotated 90 so that it remains in the same relation to the page as in a Portrait orientation. See Portrait Orientation, Landscape Orientation. Triggering The mechanism by which RIP-Queue determines when jobs can be printed. Manual print triggering is controlled by the Print Now button. Automatic print triggering is controlled by a time-out value or an area percentage value of media usage. TRUMATCH Color

129

TRUMATCH Swatching SystemTM. An American color matching system.

TWAIN (Technology without An Interesting Name) A platform-independent interface for acquiring images from image devices.

U
UCR (Under Color Removal) The process of reducing the smallest Halftone Dot in areas where yellow, magenta, and cyan all print, together with quantities of the other two colors, sufficient to produce a neutral gray, and replacing that color with black ink. See also GCR. URL (Uniform Resource Locator) An address on the Internet or an intranet.

V
Value Representation how bright (or dark) a color is. As value increases, the amount of black decreases. See also Brightness. Vector Format Graphic file format in which an image is described as a set of mathematical relationships. See PostScript. VideoNet A proprietary network protocol used to communicate with some printers such as ColorSpan devices. Virtual Pixel A dpi value that is processed at a lower resolution than is printed. The virtual pixel value is shown in two parts separated by the @ character, such as 600@1200. 600@1200 means that the image is processed at 600 but is printed at 1200. See also Dot.

130

Glossary

Virtual Printer A Windows printer driver that prints to RIP-Queue. The virtual printer can be shared on a network for other systems (Windows or Macintosh) to use. VPT A printer port used when printing via an Ikon card and generally used for Xerox electrostatic printers.

W
White/Black Limits A color correction tool that modifies the white and black points of an image without changing the values of the midtones. WinKey An application that shows the permissions of the Hardware Key. WinKey is also used to print, e-mail, or update the key permissions.

Y
YCC Kodaks internal format standard for PhotoCD image files. This file format is not currently supported by RIP-Queue. Save these files as PCD files. See PhotoCD.

Z
Zipped File Any file that is compressed using the algorithms developed by PKware. Used for loss less compression of files for storage or transfer.

131

Index
A
Aborting a Print 44 Absolute Colorimetric 80 Activating a Printer 65 Adding a Cutter 91 Adding Printers 29 Additive Color Theory 76 Add Printer Wizard 4 Advanced Black Generation 84 After Cutting 93 Archive Jobs After Cutting 93 After Printing 26 Archive Job as Space Allows 26 Archive Jobs Indefinitely 26 Delete Jobs 26 After Processing 25 Delete Source Image 25 Anti-Aliasing 12 Archive Job as Space Allows 26 Archive Jobs Indefinitely 26 Area Based Start 43 Auto Detect 11 Automatically Start Printing 40, 43 Automatic Triggering 40 Input Folder 63 Work Folder 63 BestFit 41 Bit Depth 10, 29 Black Limit 24 Bounding Box 11 Brightness 23 Buffered Jobs Area 1

Base Folder 63 Changing the Base Folder 63

Calculate Ink Usage 10 Calibration 32 Changing a Jobs Order 47 CMYK 77 Color 76 85 Color/Gray Levels 22 23 Brightness 23 Color Levels 22 Contrast 23 Gray Levels 23 Highlights 23 Mid-Tones 23 Saturation 23 Shadows 23 Color Correction 21 25 Color Correction Filter 12 Color Correction Tab 21 Color/Gray Levels 22 Color Levels 22

132

Index

Color Replacement 25 Filters 25 Primary Color Levels 21 Primary Color Curves 22 Saturation 22 White/Black Limits 23 Color Correction Tools Display 13 Color Display 13 Color Levels 21 23 Modifying 23 Color Limit 24 Color Management 76 85 Color Management Options 81 Setting Color Management Options in a Quick Set 82 Setting a Color Management Option in Preflight 82 Saving Color Management Settings 84 Color Management Profiles 78 Color Matching Table 81 Color Replacement 25 Color Spaces 77 CMYK 77 Device-Dependent Color Spaces 77 Device-Independent Color Spaces 77 L*a*b* 78 RGB 76 Color Theory 76 Additive Color Theory 77 Subtractive Color Theory 77 Configure Printers 3, 58 Configure Printer Capabilities 32 Configuring the Printer Port 58 Firewire Printer 4

TCP/IP Printer 3 USB Printer 4 Configuring the Network 52, 54 Configuring the Printer Port 58 60 Conserve Media 42 Console 1 Contour Cut Paths 28 Contour Cutting 86 95 Generic Cutter 88 I-Cut digital die cutter 86 Creating a Quick Set for Contour Cutting 88 Preparing a File for Cutting 87 Print and cut on the same device 86 Setting up 6 Workflows 89 Contrast 23 Copies 46 Changing the Number of Copies 46 Copying a Job to a Different Printer 48 Correction Factor 64 Adjusting the Correction Factor 64 Create Proof Automatically 26 Crop 11, 18 19, 27 Crop Marks 27 Crop Outline 27 Using Origin and Size Values 19 Using the Mouse 18 Crop Marks 27 Crop Outline 27 Custom Image 83 Cut File, Open 92 CUT-Server Adding a Cutter 91 Configuring a Cutter 91

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Navigating through 91 Cutter Hot Folder 92 Cutter Mark Darkness 44 Cutter Path Prefix 8 Cutter Selection 8 Cutter Settings 93

Empty Filters 25 Filter Manager 25 Multiple Filters 25 Final Output Printer 71 Firewire 4 Flip 19 Fotoba Cutter Marks 42

Deactivating a Printer 65 Default Operator Name 26 Default Quick Set 13, 35 Defining the Cut Path 87 Delete Jobs 26 Delete Source Image 25 Deleting a Job 49 Deleting a Printer 66 Deleting Meida 62 Deleting Printers 29 Device-Dependent Color Spaces 77 Device-Independent Color Spaces 77 Display 13 Do Not Apply Output Profile to L*a*b* Images 84 Dot Pattern 11 Duplicating a Printer 66

Gamma Range 24 Gamut Data View 69 Gamuts 69 72, 77 Reviewing Gamuts 71 Viewing Gamuts 70 GCR 84 Advanced Black Generation 84 Generate Tile Outline Cut Paths 89 Generic Cutter 91 Gray Levels 23 Grayscale 28 Grouping 41 Group Jobs Together 42

Embedded Profiles 80 Enabling Tiles 20

File Name Selection 11 Filter Manager 25 Filters 25 Creating Filters 25

Hardware Key iii, 36 Permissions iii, 37 Updating the Hardware Key 36 Height 8 Highlights 23 Hold 38, 46 47 Changing the Hold Status 38 Hold Icon 26 Wait for Media 39 Hold for Operator 26

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Index

Hold Icon 26 Hot Folders 14 15 Cutter Hot Folder 90 Dropping Images in Hot Folders 15 Troubleshooting 15 HTTP Access (Web Portal) 56 57

Printer 3 Software 2 IP Address 52 53 Finding an IP Address 52

Job

I-Cut digital die cutter 86 ICC Profiles 76, 78 79 Embedded iii ICC Profile Setup 82 ICC Profile Setup 82 Output Tab 83 Profiles Tab 83 Rendering Intents Tab 83 ICM Profiles 78 Image 9, 28 Image Bleed 102 Image Options 9 Importing Image 17 Media 61 Settings 2 Information Area 1 Ink Calculation 64 Adjusting the Correction Factor 64 Defining the Reporting Unit 64 Ink Limits 33 Ink Restrictions 33 Input Folder 15, 63 Input Profiles 79 Install 2

Change Job Size 19, 45 Changing a Jobs Order 47 Changing the Hold Status 46 Changing the Media 46 Copying a Job to a Different Printer 48 Deleting a Job 49 Modifying the Marks Options 47 Modifying the Workflow Options 47 Printing Jobs 36 Processing Jobs 35 Reprinting Jobs 36 Sending a Job to Preflight 48 Viewing a Job 47 Job Creation 26 Create Proof Automatically 26 Make Copy of Image 26 Preview Image Before Processing 26 Job Options 17 Jobs Ready to Print Area 1 Job Status 6 Hold 6 Offline 6 Online 6 Justification 43

Key Update 36 37

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Keywords 9

L*a*b* 78, 80 L*a*b* Image Files 80 Language Settings ii Layers 94 Create 94 Delete 95 Manage 94 Rearrange 95 Rename 95 Settings 94 Layout 100 Layout Front-end 96 99 Application Settings 97 Image Tools Tab 101 Images Tab 102 Jobs 97 Page Tools Tab 102 Printer & Media Options 103 Left Configuration 69 Linearizations (See Calibration)

Mac OSX 51 55 Adding the Printer on the Mac OSX 53, 55 Configuring the Network 52, 54 Printing from a Mac OSX 51 Printservices for UNIX 55 Windows Printing 52 Magnification 8, 45 46 Make Copy of Image 26 Managing Printers 29, 65 66

Activating a Printer 65 Adding Printers 29 Creating a PrnInst 66 Deactivating a Printer 65 Deleting a Printer 66 Deleting Printers 29 Duplicating a Printer 66 Managing Media 61 Changing the Media Specific Options 61 Deleting Media 62 Importing Media 61 Managing Quick Sets 13 Manual Triggering 40 Marks 11, 27 28, 47 Contour Cut Paths 28 Crop Marks 27 Crop Outline 27 Registration Marks 27 Tile Dotted Overlap 27 Zero-Line Tile Marks 27 Marks Options 27 28, 47 Modifying the Marks Options 47 Maximum Print Area 39 Maximum Printer Area 19 Media 38 39 Change the Media for a Job 5, 39, 46 Change the Media for a Printer 18, 39 Managing Media 61 62 Setting up Media 4 MediaAnalyzer Tool 69 Gamut Data View 70 Left Configuration 69 Right Configuration 69 Media and Page Size 7

136

Index

Media Manager 32 33 Media Options 8 Media Settings 4 Change Media 5, 18 Mid-Tones 23 Mode 7, 18 Manage Modes 32 Set the Mode 18 Modifying Placement Options 42 Modifying Triggering 40

Output Options 28 Image 28 Output 28 Processing 28 Output Profiles 79 Output Tab 83 Overlap 20 21, 27 Weld Overlap 21 Overlap Tiles 100 Overlapping Tiles 20 Weld Overlap 21

Navigation 1

Offline 6 Offset 43 Online 6 ONYX Workflow 34 Opening Images 4 File > Open 16, 17 Importing Images into Preflight 17 Open in Preflight 5 Open in RIP-Queue 4 Operator 19, 26 Default Operator Name 19, 26 Hold for Operator 19, 26 Original Image File 34 Origin and Size Values 18, 19 Output 9, 28, 83 84 Color 28 Grayscale 28 Output Tab 83 Separations 28

Page Size 39, 62 Adding Page Sizes 62 Deleting Page Sizes 62 Editing Page Sizes 62 PatternID 71 Perceptual (Images) 79 Perform Image Processing During Print Stage 10 Pixel Based 8 Pixel Duplication 12 Placement Strategies 41 44 BestFit 41 Conserve Media 42 Fotoba Cutter Marks 42 Group Jobs Together 42 Placement Options 42 Contour Cutting 43 Cutter Mark Darkness 44 Grouping 41 Justification 43 Modifying Placement Options 42 Offset 43

137

Print All Rows at a Time 43 Print Triggering 43 Size of Cutter Mark 44 Space Between Copies 43 Space Between Image and Cutter Mark 44 Print Jobs Individually 44 Poster Color 80 PostScript 11, 35 PostScript File 11, 35 PostScript Halftone 11 PostScript Separated File 11 PostScript Settings, Overddide Default 12 PPD (Printer Profile Description) 51 Preflight 16 Color Correction Tab 21 Importing Images into Preflight 17 Preflight Button 17 Preview & Size Tab 18 Printer & Media Tab 18 Print Tab 25 Tiling Setup Tab 19 Preflight Button 17 Press Proof 68 Preview & Size Tab 18 Preview Image Before Processing 26 Primary Color Curves 22 Modifying 22 Primary Color Levels 21 Print All Rows at a Time 43 Print and cut on the same device 86 Printer & Media Tab 18 Printer Area 1 Printer Gamuts 69 Printer Manager 29, 65 67

Printer Pools 60 Printer Ports 58 60 Configuring the Printer Port 58 Firewire 59 LPT 59 Print Forwarding 59 Print to File 59 Print to Windows Printer Driver 59 SCSI 59 TCP/IP 59 USB 59 VideoNet 59 VPT 59 Printer Settings 40, 49 Print Forwarding 59 Printing 5 6 Aborting a Print 44 Printing a Proof 72 Printing from a Mac OSX 51 Printing Jobs 36 Reprinting Jobs 48 with Tiles 20 Print Jobs Individually 42 Print Label 27 PrintMetryx 9 Print Now Button 40 Print Reflections 9 Printservices for UNIX 55 56 Print Setup 25 Print Tab 25 Marks Options 27 Output Options 28 Print Setup 25 Workflow Options 25

138

Index

Print to File 60 Print to Windows Printer Driver 60 Print Triggering 43 Area Based Start 43 Automatically Start Printing 43 Time Based Start 43 PrnInst 66 Creating a PrnInst 66 Process/Print Options 26 Print 26 Reprocess 26 Processing 10, 28, 35 Perform Image Processing During Print Stage 28 Process with Interpolation 28 Two-Stage Processing 12 Processing Jobs 35 Process with Interpolation 28 Profiles 79 Embedded Profiles 80 ICC Profiles 78 Input Profiles 79 Output Profiles 79 Rendering Intents 79 Profiles Tab 83 Profiling 32 Proofing 68 69, 83 Comparing Printer Gamuts 69 Final Output Printer 71 Press Proof 68 Printing a Proof 72 Proofing Printer 70 Simulation Proof 68 Verifying Proofs 74 Proofing Printer 70

Configuring a Proofing Printer 72 Pure Hues 83

Quick Sets 7 14 Advanced Quick Set Options 9 Color Correction 13 Crop 11 Display 12 Keywords 9 Marks 11 Output 9 PostScript 11 PostScript File 11 PostScript Halftone 11 Tiling 10 Workflow 12 Create a New Quick Set 7 Default Quick Set 13 Edit a Quick Set 7 Managing 13 Copy 14 Delete 14 Edit 13 Export 14 Import 14 Rename 13 Modifying a Quick Set for Contour Cutting 88 Quick Set Options 7 Media and Page Size 7 Mode 7 Quick Set Name 7 Sizing Rule 8 Using Quick Sets 7

139

Raster Data 35 Read-Only Files 15 Registration Marks 27 Relative Colorimetric 80 Renaming a Printer 62 Rendering Intents 79 Absolute Colorimetric 80 Perceptual (Images) 79 Poster Color 80 Relative Colorimetric 80 Rendering Intents Tab 83 Saturation (Graphics) 80 Rendering Intents Tab 83 Reporting Unit 64 Defining the Reporting Unit 64 Reprinting Jobs 36, 48 Reprocess 26 Resolution 18 RGB 76 Right Configuration 69 RIP-Queue 4, 17, 72 Ripping 35 Rotate 9, 19

Simulation Proof 68 Size 7, 45 46 Changing Size (Magnification) 45 Size of Cutter Mark 102 Sizing Rule 8 Source Image 25 Space Between Copies 43 Spot Channel Replacement 84 Spot Color Replacement 12 Spot Layer Tool 25 Subtractive Color Theory 77 Support Information ii System Requirements ii

Saturation 23, 80 Scaling 51 SCSI 59 Sending a Job to Preflight 48 Separations 11, 28 Settings, Importing 2 Setup Media 4 Shadows 23

TCP/IP 3 Tile Dotted Overlap 27 Tiling 10, 20 Adjusting 20 Create Custom Tiles 20 Enabling Tiles 20 Overlapping Tiles 20 Printing with Tiles 20 Reset Tiles 20 Selecting Tiles to Print 47 Tiling Setup Tab 19 Weld Overlap 21 Tiling Setup Tab 19 Time Based Start 43 Triggering 40, 43 Automatic Triggering 40 Manual Triggering 40 Modifying Triggering 40 Trim Overlap 89 TrueType Font Handling 51

140

Index

Twain32 17 Two-Stage Processing 12

UCR 33 Updating the Hardware Key 36 USB 4 Use Embedded Profiles When Available 83

Variable Data 102 Verification Strip 75 Viewing a Job 47 Virtual Printers 6, 50 Virtual Printer Share Name 53 Establishing a Virtual Printer Share Name 53 Visual Tolerance Chart 74 75 Printing Visual Tolerance Charts 74

WinKey 37 Workflow 12, 2526, 34, 36, 47 Contour Cutting Workflows 89 ONYX Workflow 34 Workflow Options 25 After Printing 26 After Processing 25 Job Creation 26 Modifying the Workflow Options 47 Operator 26 Process/Print Options 26 Work Folder 63

Zero-Line Tile Marks 27

Wait for Media 5 Warning Level 12 Web Portal (HTTP Access) 56 Changing the Web Portal Port 57 Launching the Web Portal 56 Submitting a Job Using the Web Portal 57 Weld Overlap 21 White/Black Limits 23 24 Black Limit 24 Color Limit 24 White Limit 24 White Limit 24 Width 8, 20 Windows Printing 52 54

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Thank you for choosing ONYX.

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