Xerox SDC-415 User Manual

Xerox DocuPrint NPS/ IPS

Guide to Using Page Description Languages

721P90360 Version 8.0 October 2002

Xerox Corporation 701 S. Aviation Boulevard El Segundo, CA 90245

Copyright protection claimed includes all forms and matters of copyrightable material and information now allowed by statutory or judicial law or hereinafter granted, including without limitation, material generated from the software programs which are displayed on the screen, such as icons, screen displays, looks, etc.

Printed in the United States of America.

Publication number: 721P90360

Xerox® and all Xerox products mentioned in this publication are trademarks of Xerox Corporation. Products and trademarks of other companies are also acknowledged.

Changes are periodically made to this document. Changes, technical inaccuracies, and typographic errors will be corrected in subsequent editions.

Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Laser safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Ozone information: U. S. only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Operation safety: U. S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Operation safety: Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

Warning markings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

Electrical supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Operator accessible areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Before cleaning your product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

CE mark: Europe only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Radio and telecommunications equipment directive (Europe only) . . . . xii

For further information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvi

Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

Related information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii

PostScript publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii

HP PCL 5 publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xix

VIPP publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xix

TIFF publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

1. PostScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Implementation-dependent operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Floating-point arithmetic and math operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Coordinate system default matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Notes on PostScript fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Loading fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

User-defined fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Type 1 fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Using Adobe Type 1 fonts instead of graphics . . . . . . . . 1-5

Producing Type 1 fonts for use with DocuPrint . . . . . . . . 1-6

Using a Type 1 font in a document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Guide to Using Page Description Languages iii

Table of contents

PostScript with embedded PJL commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

PostScript language extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Appearance consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Control-D as binary data and end-of-job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

Control-Z and superfluous errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

Solution to control-Z and control-D problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

DocuPrint NPS/IPS implementation of PostScript Level 2 . . . . . . . . . 1-21

Printer controller operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Scan conversion details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23

Image quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26

Rendering of color and gray values: transform function . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27

PostScript printer description (PPD) files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28

Implementation limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29

Creating the necessary PostScript CCITT Group 3 and 4 . . . . . . . . . 1-34

System Dict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

User Dict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Server Dict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Status Dict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Miscellaneous: IdleTime Dict, Printer Dict, and Execution Dict 1-10

IdleTime Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Printer Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Execution Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Nonstandard definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Examples of nonstandard definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Printer resolution and resolution enhancement . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Printer imaging characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Font consistency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Proprietary PostScript extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Color differences on full color and highlight color printers . . . . 1-17

Multiple jobs in one input file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Simulated mixed plex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21

Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23

Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24

Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24

Zero-width lines (strokes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24

Curved shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25

Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25

File operators and standard devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31

Path limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31

PostScript VM limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31

SetCacheDevice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-32

Device orientation and setscreen operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-32

PostScript storage object size limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33

Obsolete operators—banddevice, framedevice, renderbands . 1-33

Arc to Bezier conversion—pathforall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-33

Print performance related to image printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-34

iv Guide to Using Page Description Languages

Table of contents

Scan order and rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-35

Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-35

Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-38

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-40

Scan resolution and scaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-40

2. PCL 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Maintaining image quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

PCL 5 font support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

PCL command support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

PJL commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

PCL Copy command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

PCL Duplex commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

PCL Job Separation command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

PCL media selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

PCL Paper Source command (tray assignment) . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Precedence in selecting media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

PCL Output Bin command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCL 5 coding recommendations 2-14

PCL 5c support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15

PCL 5c coding recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

PCL 5c functions not applicable to DocuPrint NPS/IPS . . . . . . 2-16

Driver recommendations for PCL 5c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

Limitations for custom PCL 5c drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18

3. VIPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Operating environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

VIPP line mode extension (XGFNub) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

4. TIFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Guide to Using Page Description Languages v

Table of contents

vi Guide to Using Page Description Languages

Laser safety

Safety

WARNING

Adjustments, use of controls, or performance of procedures other than those specified herein may result in hazardous light exposure.

The Xerox DocuPrint printers are certified to comply with the performance standards of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare for Class 1 laser products. Class 1 laser products do not emit hazardous radiation. The DocuPrint printers do not emit hazardous radiation because the laser beam is completely enclosed during all modes of customer operation.

The laser danger labels on the system are for Xerox service representatives and are on or near panels or shields that must be removed with a tool.

DO NOT REMOVE LABELED PANELS OR PANELS NEAR LABELS. ONLY XEROX SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES HAVE ACCESS TO THESE PANELS.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages vii

Safety

Ozone information: U. S. only

This product produces ozone during normal operation. The amount of ozone produced depends on copy volume. Ozone is heavier than air. The environmental parameters specified in the Xerox installation instructions ensure that concentration levels are within safe limits. If you need additional information concerning ozone, call 1-800-828-6571 to request the Xerox publication 600P83222,

Operation safety: U. S.

Your Xerox equipment and supplies have been designed and tested to meet strict safety requirements. They have been approved by safety agencies, and they comply with environmental standards. Please observe the following precautions to ensure your continued safety.

OZONE

WARNING

Improper connection of the equipment grounding conductor may result in risk of electrical shock.

• Always connect equipment to a properly grounded electrical outlet. If in doubt, have the outlet checked by a qualified electrician.

• Never use a ground adapter plug to connect equipment to an electrical outlet that lacks a ground connection terminal.

• Always place equipment on a solid support surface with adequate strength for its weight.

• Always use materials and supplies specifically designed for your Xerox equipment. Use of unsuitable materials may result in poor performance and may create a hazardous situation.

• Never move either the printer or the printer controller without first contacting Xerox for approval.

• Never attempt any maintenance that is not specifically described in this documentation.

• Never remove any covers or guards that are fastened with screws. There are no operator-serviceable areas within these covers.

• Never override electrical or mechanical interlocks.

viii Guide to Using Page Description Languages

• Never use supplies or cleaning materials for other than their intended purposes. Keep all materials out of the reach of children.

• Never operate the equipment if you notice unusual noises or odors. Disconnect the power cord from the electrical outlet and call service to correct the problem.

If you need any additional safety information concerning the equipment or materials Xerox supplies, call Xerox Product Safety at the following toll-free number in the United States:

1-800-828-6571

For customers outside the United States, contact your local Xerox representative or operating company.

Operation safety: Europe

Safety

This Xerox product and supplies are manufactured, tested and certified to strict safety regulations, electromagnetic regulations and established environmental standards.

Any unauthorised alteration, which may include the addition of new functions or connection of external devices, may impact the product certification.

Please contact your Xerox representative for more information.

Warning markings

All warning instructions marked on or supplied with the product should be followed.

This WARNING alerts users to areas of the product where there is the possibility of personal damage.

This WARNING alerts users to areas of the product where there are heated surfaces, which should not be touched.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages ix

Safety

Electrical supply

This product shall be operated from the type of electrical supply indicated on the product’s data plate label. If you are not sure that your electrical supply meets the requirements, please consult your local power company for advice.

WARNING

This product must be connected to a protective earth circuit. This product is supplied with a plug that has a protective earth pin. This plug will fit only into an earthed electrical outlet. This is a safety feature. Always connect equipment to a properly grounded electrical outlet. If in doubt, have the outlet checked by a qualified electrician.

To disconnect all electrical power to the product, the disconnect device is the power cord. Remove the plug from the electrical outlet.

Ventilation

Slots and opening in the enclosure of the product are provided for ventilation. Do not block or cover the ventilation vents, as this could result in the product overheating.

This product should not be placed in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is provided, please contact your Xerox representative for advice.

Never push objects of any kind into the ventilation vents of the product.

Operator accessible areas

This product has been designed to restrict operator access to safe areas only. Operator access to hazardous areas is restricted with covers or guards, which would require a tool to remove. Never remove these covers or guards.

x Guide to Using Page Description Languages

Maintenance

Any operator product maintenance procedures will be described in the user documentation supplied with the product. Do not carry out any maintenance on the product, which is not described in the customer documentation.

Before cleaning your product

Before cleaning this product, unplug the product from the electrical outlet. Always use materials specifically designated for this product, the use of other materials may result in poor performance and may create a hazardous situation. Do not use aerosol cleaners, they may be flammable under certain circumstances.

Safety

CE mark: Europe only

January 1, 1995: Council Directive 73/23/EEC, amended by Council Directive 93/68/EEC, approximation of the laws of the member states related to low voltage equipment.

January 1, 1996: Council Directive 89/336/EEC, approximation of the laws of the member states related to electromagnetic compatibility.

March 9, 1999: Council Directive 99/5/EC, on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity.

A full declaration of conformity, defining the relevant directives and referenced standards, can be obtained from your Xerox representative.

In order to allow this equipment to operate in proximity to Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) equipment, the external radiation for the ISM equipment may have to be limited or special mitigation measures taken.

This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio frequency interference, in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

Shielded interface cables must be used with this product to maintain compliance with Council Directive 89/36/EEC.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages xi

Safety

Radio and telecommunications equipment directive (Europe only)

Certification to 1999/5/EC Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive:

This Xerox product has been self-certified by Xerox for panEuropean single terminal connection to the analog public switched telephone network (PSTN) in accordance with Directive 1999/5/EC.

The product has been designed to work with the national PSTNs and compatible PBXs of the following countries:

Austria Germany Luxembourg Sweden

Belgium Greece Netherlands Switzerland

Denmark Iceland Norway United Kingdom

Finland Ireland Portugal

France Italy Spain

In the event of problems, contact your local Xerox representative in the first instance.

This product has been tested to, and is compliant with, TBR21, a specification for terminal equipment for use on analog switched telephone networks in the European Economic area.

The product may be configured to be compatible with other country networks. Please contact your Xerox representative if your product needs to be reconnected to a network in another country. This product has no user-adjustable settings.

NOTE: Although this product can use either loop disconnect (pulse) or DTMF (tone) signaling, it should be set to use DTMF signaling. DTMF signaling provides reliable and faster call setup.

Modification or connection to external control software, or to external control apparatus not authorized by Xerox, invalidates its certification.

xii Guide to Using Page Description Languages

For further information

For more information on Environment, Health and Safety in relation to this Xerox product and supplies, please contact the following customer help lines:

Europe:+44 1707 353434

USA:1 800 8286571

Canada:1 800 8286571

Safety

Guide to Using Page Description Languages xiii

Safety

xiv Guide to Using Page Description Languages

Introduction

About this guide

The

Xerox DocuPrint NPS/IPS Guide to Using PDL

how the PostScript and HP PCL 5 page description languages (PDLs), VIPP (formerly XGF), and the TIFF image format, are implemented on the Xerox DocuPrint NPS/IPS printers.

This document is for users who will be submitting PostScript, HP PCL 5, TIFF, and VIPP jobs to the DocuPrint NPS/IPS printers. These users should be familiar with the applications they are using to generate print jobs. This document is also for PostScript, HP PCL 5, and VIPP programmers who will be creating applications since it defines the features that are not supported. It is assumed that these programmers have a working knowledge of the language they are working in. For specific reference information, refer to the “Related information” section in this guide.

Before using this guide, become familiar with its contents and conventions.

describes

This section lists the contents of this guide:

• Chapter 1, “PostScript,” contains the information you need to use PostScript with your DocuPrint NPS/IPS printer.

• Chapter 2, “PCL 5,” provides information about how to use PCL 5 with your DocuPrint NPS/IPS printer.

• Chapter 3, “VIPP,” provides a description of Variable Data Intelligent PostScript PrintWare (formerly XGF) for use with your DocuPrint NPS/IPS.

• Chapter 4, “TIFF,” provides information you need to use TIFF applications with your DocuPrint NPS/IPS printer.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages xv

Introduction

Conventions

This guide uses the following conventions:

•

All caps and angle brackets:

of keys are shown in all caps within angle brackets (for example, press <ENTER>).

•

Angle brackets:

specified argument in the command syntax, appears in angle brackets (for example, List Fonts <Pattern>).

•

Bold:

shown in bold (for example, enter

•

The word “enter” within procedures:

of keying in data and pressing <ENTER> (for example, enter y).

•

Italics:

example, the

Print Jobs

•

Quotation marks:

appear in quotes (for example, “USLetter”).

•

Vertical bars:

separated by vertical bars (for example, Set Time <Time | Remote Host Name | IP Address>).

Within procedures, text and numbers that you enter are

Document and library names are shown in italics (for

Variable information, or the position of a

Xerox DocuPrint NPS/IPS Guide to Managing

Keywords you can enter as arguments

Alternatives to specified arguments are

Within procedures, the names

privilege operator

The two-step process

xvi Guide to Using Page Description Languages

NOTE: Notes are hints that help you perform a task or understand the text.

Cautions alert you to an action that could damage hardware or software.

Warnings alert you to conditions that may affect the safety of people.

Related publications

The Xerox DocuPrint NPS/IPS documentation set includes the documents listed below.

Introduction

CAUTION

WARNING

NOTE: For a list of IBM reference manuals for IPDS printing, refer to the Solutions Guide for IPDS Printing.

•

Guide to Configuring and Managing the System

•

Guide to Managing Print Jobs

•

Guide to Performing Routine Maintenance

•

Guide to Submitting Jobs from the Client

•

Guide to Using Page Description Language

•

Installation Planning Guide

•

System Overview Guide

•

Troubleshooting Guide

•

Solutions Guide for IPDS Printing

•

Decomposition Service and Tools Guide

•

Generic MICR Fundamentals Guide

•

Glossary

•

Master Index

•

Customer Information Quick Reference Card

•

Printer Controller Commands Quick Reference Card

•

Operator Quick Reference Card

•

Submitting your Jobs from Macintosh Quick Reference Card

Guide to Using Page Description Languages xvii

Introduction

Related information

•

Submitting your Jobs from UNIX & DOS Quick Reference Card

•

Submitting your Jobs from Windows NT 4.0 (QuickPrint) Quick Reference Card

•

Submitting your Jobs Using Windows NT 4.0 Drivers Quick Reference Card

The documentation set also includes an electronic version, the DocuPrint NPS/IPS Interactive Customer Documentation CD.

You can locate additional information related to PostScript, HP PCL 5, VIPP, or TIFF in the publications listed in this section. For a complete list and description of available documentation, refer to the Xerox Documentation Catalog or contact the Xerox Documentation and Software Services at 1-800-445-5554 or www.xdss.com for ordering information in the United States. For customers outside the United States, contact your local Xerox operating company.

PostScript publications

The following is a list of PostScript publications:

•

PostScript Language Reference Manual

printing, Addison-Wesley, April 1987, Adobe Systems, Incorporated

•

PostScript Language Reference Manual

Addison-Wesley, January 1991, Adobe Systems, Incorporated. (This document defines both PostScript Level 1 and Level 2.)

•

Adobe Type 1 Font Format

Incorporated

•

LaserWriter Reference

Apple Computer, Incorporated

•

PostScript Language Program Design

Systems, Incorporated

•

PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook

Systems, Incorporated

, first edition, sixth

, second edition,

, 1990, Adobe Systems,

, Addison-Wesley, October 1988,

, 1988, Adobe

, 1986, Adobe

xviii Guide to Using Page Description Languages

Introduction

•

PostScript Printer Description File Format Specification

Version 4.2, March 29, 1994, Adobe Systems, Incorporated

•

Real World PostScript

HP PCL 5 publications

The following is a list of HP PCL 5 publications:

•

Hewlett Packard Printer Job Language Technical Reference Manua

•

Hewlett Packard PCL 5 Printer Language Technical Reference Manua

•

Hewlett Packard PCL 5 Comparison Guide

•

Hewlett Packard PCL 5 Color Technical Reference Manual

May 1996

VIPP publications

, 1988, Addison-Wesley

l, September 1994

l, October 1992

, October 1997

The following is a list of VIPP publications:

•

Xerox Variable Data Intelligent PostScript PrintWare (VIPP) Reference Manual

•

Xerox Variable Data Intelligent PostScript PrintWare (VIPP) Interactive Development Environment (IDE) 2001 User Guide

•

Xerox Variable Data Intelligent PostScript PrintWare (VIPP) 2001 Quick Reference Card

•

Xerox Variable Data Intelligent PostScript PrintWare (VIPP) 2001Command Librar

vippcommands

TIFF publications

The following is a list of TIFF publications:

• Adobe

•

Draft TIFF Technical Note 2

TIFF/JPEG specification

y. Refer to www.xerox.com/

TIFF specification, Revision 6.0

, March 17, 1995, Replacement

, June 3, 1993

•

Adobe PageMaker 6.0 TIFF Technical Notes

1995

•

TIFF-FX, RFC 2301

Guide to Using Page Description Languages xix

, November 1, 2000

, September 14,

Introduction

xx Guide to Using Page Description Languages

1. PostScript

This chapter provides an overview of standard PostScript operations and guidelines for ensuring consistent printer output.

Implementation-dependent operations

The following operations are implementation-dependent.

Floating-point arithmetic and math operators

All PostScript floating-point arithmetic and math operators are implementation-dependent if you use very large or very small floating-point numbers. This is rarely a problem with PostScript masters generated by “real world” creators; that is, commercial PostScript creators such as Word or Excel. Handwritten test masters, however, can cause problems.

Some handwritten test masters print out the limits of floating point numbers and various floating-point operations. Because these values may vary based on the PostScript implementation, the test master output also varies, making these tests useless for testing consistency across different PostScript printers.

Coordinate system default matrix

The PostScript current transformation matrix (CTM) controls the mapping of user coordinates to device coordinates. You can describe pages in your own coordinate system and let the PostScript software transform your requests into the device space. PostScript masters are device independent only when they do not use the actual CTM values. When a master needs CTM values, it becomes device-dependent. The occasional need for CTM values causes inconsistent output across different PostScript printers.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages 1-1

PostScript

Fonts

Some handwritten test masters print out CTM values. Since these values vary, depending on the device resolution and positioning, the test master output also varies, making these tests useless for consistency testing across different PostScript printers.

DocuPrint NPS/IPS is capable of processing any legal Type 0, Type 1, or Type 3 font. Fonts of any of these types may be included in a document when it is sent to DocuPrint. Type 0, Type 1 and Type 3 fonts may also be installed on the system using the font installation utility.

NOTE: Only Type 0 OCF fonts are supported. Type 0 CID fonts are not supported, even when downloaded.

Type 1

DocuPrint NPS/IPS contains 51 PostScript Type 1 fonts listed in the following table. These fonts are standard Type 1 fonts licensed through Adobe Systems, Inc. However, because DocuPrint NPS/IPS may contain different versions of fonts than other PostScript devices, there could be slight differences in shapes of characters and the character sets of certain fonts.

Table 1-1. Adobe Type1 PostScript fonts

Font Typeface

Courier Courier, Bold, Oblique, BoldOblique

Helvetica • Helvetica, Bold, Oblique, BoldOblique, Light, LightOblique,

Black, BlackOblique

• Condensed, Condensed Oblique, Condensed Bold, Condensed BoldOblique

• Narrow, Narrow Bold, Narrow Oblique, Narrow BoldOblique

ITC Avant Garde Gothic Book, BookOblique, Demi, DemiOblique

ITC Bookman Demi, DemiItalic, Light, LightItalic

ITC Garamond Light, LightItalic, Bold, BoldItalic

ITC Korinna Korinna, KursivRegular, Bold, KursivBold

ITC Zapf Chancery MediumItalic

ITC Zapf Dingbats Medium

New Century Schoolbook Roman, Bold, Italic, BoldItalic

Palatino Roman, Bold, Italic, BoldItalic

1-2 Guide to Using Page Description Languages

Table 1-1. Adobe Type1 PostScript fonts (Continued)

Font Typeface

Symbol Medium

Times Roman, Bold, Italic, BoldItalic

PostScript

Type 0

Type 3

MICR

A set of Type 0 OCF Chinese fonts is also available from Xerox. These fonts are composite, “double-byte” fonts.

NOTE: Type 0 fonts that you load on the printer controller must be either fonts purchased from Xerox, or fonts that meet specifications provided by Xerox. Each composite font is stored in its own subdirectory. Loading of Type 0 CID fonts is not supported.

Type 3 fonts can be installed from a DOS-formatted floppy using the Install Fonts From Floppy command. Type 3 fonts will install only if:

• The fonts are in the floppy’s root directory.

• Each font is in a separate file.

• Each font file has a .ps extension.

• Each font file contains a “/FontName” definition with a unique name.

For MICR systems, MICR PostScript E13B font is provided on diskette. These fonts are in Type 3 format. For more information, see the

Generic MICR Fundamentals Guide

“MICR printing”” chapter in the

Managing the System

Guide to Configuring and

and the

Notes on PostScript fonts

The DocuPrint PostScript interpreter does not use the “additional metrics” entry in a font dictionary.

PostScript font substitution error messages appear on the “JOB MESSAGES AND ERRORS” page only when the requested font is not present.

DocuPrint NPS/IPS uses Courier when a requested font is not available.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages 1-3

PostScript

Loading fonts

DocuPrint NPS/IPS accepts downloaded legal Type 0, 1 or 3 fonts through the standard means used on other PostScript devices for downloading fonts. Type 0, Type 1, or Type 3 fonts may be loaded permanently on the system by the system administrator using the font installation utility. This method ensures that the desired fonts are available on the system and saves time later by avoiding the repeated transfer of fonts through the network.

NOTE: Only Type 0 OCF fonts are supported. Type 0 CID fonts are not supported.

CAUTION

Downloading fonts with a PostScript file is discouraged because printer performance may be degraded significantly. Instead, install the desired fonts on the controller, then reference them from within the PostScript file.

User-defined fonts

User-defined fonts can contain bitmaps or define the shape of characters through PostScript operators ( User-defined bitmap fonts are not portable across different output devices. You may notice a marked difference in the quality of rendering for bitmap fonts as printed on different laser printers. The differences are attributable to device-dependent features such as resolution, shape of device pixels, and other characteristics. For further information on these characteristics, refer to “Scan conversion details” in this chapter.

Type 1 fonts

Type 1 fonts are base fonts with character shapes defined by using specially encoded PostScript procedures. Because characters are drawn by PostScript procedures, many visual elements that are not associated with fonts can be represented as characters in a Type 1 font.

The multiple master font format is an extension of the Adobe Type 1 font format and is supported by DocuPrint NPS/IPS.

lineto, curveto, fill

1-4 Guide to Using Page Description Languages

PostScript

Refer to the more information, and the Adobe Type 1 Font Format document for encoding information.

According to the font program contains the following first line:

%! FontType1 -

•

SpecVersion

to which the font program conforms.

•

FontName

PostScript interpreter.

•

FontVersion

The first line of the Type 1 font, which is available by reading the header of the Type 1 font program, can aid in determining differences between fonts on PostScript devices.

Using Adobe Type 1 fonts instead of graphics

One of the factors that can negatively impact performance on DocuPrint NPS/IPS is the use of small graphic images, logos, and signatures embedded in PostScript masters. When these graphic items are used on each page of a document, DocuPrint performance can be slowed down.

Adobe PostScript Language Reference Manual

Adobe Type 1 Font Format,

SpecVersion. Font Name FontVersion

is the version of the Adobe Type 1 Font format

is the name of the font understood by the

is the version number of the font program.

a conforming Type 1

for

The Type 1 font capabilities of DocuPrint can handle commonly referenced, small or large graphic elements such as logos and signatures. You can install and remove any Adobe Type 1 font from a DocuPrint system using standard administrator commands in the DocuPrint printer controller. Fonts used only occasionally for a single job can be included in the PostScript master for the jobs that require them.

Using fonts for small graphic elements has the following advantages over using referenced content files:

• You do not need to perform the NFS setup required for referenced content files. DocuPrint can be used in a standard configuration.

• Visual elements stored as fonts can be easily rotated and scaled.

• Font characters are cached so that multiple uses of a visual element in a document are rendered quicker if the elements are taken from a font than if they are read from supplementary files.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages 1-5

PostScript

• Including graphic images is easier when creating the document.

Producing Type 1 fonts for use with DocuPrint

Third-party software for font editing and creation is available for most popular personal computing systems. With these programs, you can edit or produce outlines from a bitmap obtained by scanning existing line art.

Each graphical item that is referenced must be assigned to a character code in a font. You can incorporate many graphic elements in a single font by assigning each element to a different character code, or you can place each item in its own font.

Once created, you must save Type 1 fonts on an MS-DOS diskette as files with the .pfb extension. You can then load the fonts from diskette onto a DocuPrint system using the administrator

Install Fonts From Floppy

command.

Using a Type 1 font in a document

When you create a document using a standard document editor, you enter the character that refers to the graphic image you want, assign the appropriate font to it, and size and place it to fit the document. If you are using Adobe Type Manager, the image is scaled and displayed.

The PostScript driver of the document editor selects the font using the PostScript operator

scalefont

operator, any

. Once the font is installed as current by the setfont

show

of a character images the figure associated

findfont

and scales the font using

with that character code.

For example, you can create a font containing a corporate logo, assigned to the character a. The following PostScript example shows how the specific size of the logo font is assigned a name within a master, and how the logo is placed on a page.

/Logo /XYZCorpLogos findfont 20 scalefont def Logo setfont 50 50 moveto (a) show

1-6 Guide to Using Page Description Languages

PostScript with embedded PJL commands

PostScript files created for some Hewlett-Packard printers and other compatible printers include PJL commands that specify the use of a PostScript interpreter. DocuPrint NPS/IPS can recognize a file as PostScript if it starts with code similar to the following:

^[%-12345X@PJL ENTER LANGUAGE=POSTSCRIPT

Other PJL commands can be included at the start of the job, but will be ignored.

NOTE: PJL commands in locations other than at the start of the PostScript job will cause the job to be aborted.

PostScript language extensions

PostScript

DocuPrint NPS/IPS emulates some, but not all, of the LaserWriter II NTX (containing version 47 of Adobe PostScript) product-specific functionality as noted in this section.

When unimplemented operators are encountered in the PostScript master, the standard error message “Undefined” appears on the job messages page.

This section contains PostScript dictionary entries that are defined in the LaserWriter II NTX. These PostScript definitions are not part of the PostScript language.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages 1-7

PostScript

System Dict

The following System Dictionary operators are implemented:

•

=print {dup type /stringtype ne {=string cvs}}

•

Run {dup == flush run}

•

error The common error handling routine used by all of

the standard error handlers

The following System Dictionary operators are implemented:

•

ISOLatin1Encoding

This is a 256-entry font encoding array based on the International Standards Organization Latin1 encoding vector.

•

eexec

This is a decryption operator typically used for decoding Type 1 fonts. For a detailed description, refer to the Adobe Type 1 Font Format, version 1.1.

User Dict

•

cexec

The DocuPrint 1.5

and higher cexec

consumes and ignores the data fed to

implementation simply

cexec

. The

cexec

operator is used to download machine code patches. As such,

cexec

is Motorola 6800 cpu-dependent and is not completely implemented. DocuPrint NPS/IPS does not handle PostScript masters using

cexec

typically hidden by the encryption of

. Usage of

eexec

cexec

LaserWriter defines other entries in the System Dictionary that are specific to its device characteristics, such as extra operators that deal with the hard disk. Such operators are not part of the standard as defined in the

Reference Manual

, second edition, and are not implemented

PostScript Language

on DocuPrint NPS/IPS.

User dictionary entries that are implemented include:

cleardictstact {countdictstack 2 sub {end}repeat} startpage Prints a startup page start {(Init.ps)run}

DocuPrint implements print-level commands provided by the client print command. PostScript-level print commands are ignored.

1-8 Guide to Using Page Description Languages

PostScript

The following operators, which are specific to the LaserWriter implementation of PostScript, are defined with null functionality in DocuPrint NPS/IPS.

a4 legaltray a4small letter a4tray lettersmall b5 lettertray b5tray note legal

The DocuPrint NPS/IPS User Dictionary contains the following definitions of values and procedures that mimic the LaserWriter II NTX but are not used by DocuPrint:

aa xu xs xv xt xw #copies

Server Dict

NOTE:

#copies

may be used to set the number of copies prior

to the first showpage of a job.

Server Dictionary operators that are implemented include:

dexch exitserver exchdef fontname

With the exception of

exitserver

(see the “Printer controller” section of this chapter), these operators allow you to bypass the save or restore context around each PostScript job. These changes can be reset only by stopping and restarting job processing.

Server Dictionary entries that contain defined values and routines to mimic the LaserWriter, but are not used by DocuPrint, include:

baud25 parity9 baud9 secretdict execjob setrealdevice parity25

No other Server Dictionary operators defined in the LaserWriter are implemented in DocuPrint 1.5 and higher.

Guide to Using Page Description Languages 1-9

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