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vDot-4 Manual

1. FIGURE 3 2 ENTERING A PLUG IN PASSWORD passwords l Ea Please enter a password for the EpsonVDot4 plugin below more than one may be needed Cancel Enter the first 20 character plug in password on your sheet Make sure you copy the password exactly and with no spaces Click OK to store the password If you have more than one 20 character Plug in Password simply repeat these steps until all have been entered 3 4 DEVICE MANAGER SETTINGS The Device Manager allows you to select and name the output devices you will be using in the RIP Select Navigator gt Device Manager At the top of the window is a list box labeled Plugin The names of the various plug ins are shown on page 1 for each printer Check that the box shows the correct entry for the vDot4 plug in EpsonVDot4 132 18 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 3 3 DEVICE MANAGER DIALOG Device Manager Plugin EpsonYDotd i32 v Name Type Address 7890 Color Halftoned 7890 Color Halftoned 7890 Color yDot 7890 Color vDot 9900 Color Keys 9900 Color Keys 9900 Color Halftoned 9900 Color Halftoned 9900 Color vDot 9900 Color vDot 7900 Color Key 3 7900 Color Half Device Manager Edit 7900 Color vDc Name 7900 Color yDot Tupe 7900 Color yDot NA Address Cancel Some entries may already be filled in If so leave these or re name them to something you prefer If you plan on u
2. This is the result of an incompatibility between the Progressive Proofs system and the RIP s Page Feature mechanism If you get an error when combining Progressive Proofs with a Page Feature then you must disable the Page Feature I get a resolution mismatch error when I print The RIP will warn of all uses of the built in profiles that do not match Media ID RIP or Plot resolution Some of the pre installed color setups will cause the RIP to post a resolution mismatch error message The jobs will output without stopping and they will not be affected in any way This message should be ignored vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 71 APPENDIX LC NOTES ON MEDIA RESOLUTION AND GOLOR MANAGEMENT FOR THE EPSON vDoT4 PLUG IN MEDIA SELECTION The Configuration dialog discussed in Chapter 4 includes a list of media types For each media there are several entries with different combinations of RIP and Plotter resolutions The reason for these different entries is that the vDot4 driver has to make a number of adjustments depending on the combinations of RIP and Plotter resolution These adjustments include setting ink droplet size print head speed maximum ink level and the interweaving of scan lines Most of these adjustments are encapsulated in a single Media ID variable for example Epson Photo Glossy Paper is Media ID 44 The system of ink control is so sophisticated that for many purposes provided t
3. NAVIGATOR PLUG IN MANUAL VDOT4 REVISION LOG RIP 8 x SECOND REVISION COPYRIGHT 2002 2011 BY XITRON VERSION 1 1 0 Era 3RD A XITRON Hae ial YOUR BUSINESS OUR DRIVE INSTALL AND REFERENCE MANUAL All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of Xitron The information in this publication is provided for information only is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Xitron Xitron assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this publication The software described in this book is furnished under license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of that license Windows Windows NT and Windows XP are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Harlequin is a registered trademark of Global Graphics Software Inc Navigator is a registered trademark of Xitron Other brand or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used without intention of infringement vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual CONTENTS Chapter 1 Supported Printers amp Media 1 Weil Printer sia ANA AA TE AA 1 D2 Media app AGANG 1 Chapter 2 Installation cscccsss
4. vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 43 FIGURE 6 2 CALIBRATION TARGET 6 4 MEASURING THE TARGET 6 4 1 USING GENLIN If you do not have a strip reading densitometer such as the DTP 41 supported by Genlin and you wish to use a manual Status T densitometer skip this section and go to 6 5 Entering Measurement Data If you have the DTP 41 or similar instrument use the Genlin application installed with your RIP Locate the Genlin icon inside the RIP folder launch it and then select Configure from the menu bar 44 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 6 3 GENLIN CONFIGURATION Configuration RIP Folde CSPROGRAM FILES XITRON_72A15 Instrument 2 Rite DTP41 z Measure StatusT z Media Press Paper bd Pat 1188 maa pasay Use the Browse button to locate the RIP you are calibrating Highlight the SW folder within the RIP folder before clicking the OK button In the Instrument list box select the correct model of your measuring device Set Measure to Status T Media to Press paper and set the Port to the serial port to which you ve connected the measurement device Click OK From the Menu bar choose Read Target You will see a box with one or more Reference Numbers Each time the RIP generates a calibration target it records the details in a database and gives each target a Reference Number This vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual
5. aasasaa ccc ece cece ee eeeeaeceeeeeeeeeteeeees 4 5 3 Color Controls 0ccececeeeeeeeeeeeeeceeneeeeees 4 5 4 Clipping Tiling and Repeating 4 5 5 Progressive Proofing aaa Chapter 5 Testing Your vDot4 Installation 5 1 Printing a Test File anas asana aag 5 2 Info and ROAM functions cece cece ee eee ee SA a ianendihaswedasaamgmiates Chapter 6 Calibration ccscccssccsssresesecessseeesssesens 6 1 Introduction 6 2 Tools and Materials Needed 0 000 eee ees 6 3 Printing a Target oa aan awa naaawa aaa nsaa naasa 6 4 Measuring the Target aa 6 40 Using Gemma AA 6 5 Entering Measurement Data ssasaaa saaan 6 5 1 Profile 0 ccc cece ccc ce cece eee eeeeeeeeeeeaeeees 6 5 3 Resolution 6 5 4 Enter Data Manual 0 0 ceceeeeeeeeeeeeee tees vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 6 5 5 Import Data From Strip Reader 50 6 6 Using the new Calibration Set a 51 Chapter 7 Using the Halftone Option ssss 54 7 1 Enabling the Halftone Option a 54 7 2 How to Set up the Halftone Devices 54 7 2 1 Create Page Setup msussaanaan saa naa asan sana 54 7 22 Screen APplES o sakanila bk 56 723 Screen RULING amin AA ah 57 7 24 Dot Shape saa a Nama MAGNG 58 7 2 5 APS Options akmang 58 7 2 6 Pre separ
6. Windows driver printer and connection method Resolve any problems at this stage before installing the plug in or launching the RIP If you experience any difficulties at this stage consult your Epson documentation and Epson on line help resources vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 2 2 4 INSTALL VDOT4 PLUG IN The vDot4 plug in is available from a Navigator RIP CD or by downloading from Xitron s web site at www xitron com To install after downloading follow the instructions found on the web site or readme file To install from the DVD insert the Navigator RIP DVD containing the vDot4 plug in After the start up window appears click the large button labeled Plug ins and Tools then click on Next The following window appears FIGURE 2 3 INITIAL INSTALLATION SCREEN Shield Wizard Choose Destination Location Setup will install EpsonyDot4 Plugin in the following folder To install to this folder click Next To install to a different folder click Browse and select another folder Destination Folder C Xitron Navigator 8 3r1 Browse lt Back Cancel od vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 7 Ensure the destination folder is the correct location for the RIP to which you are installing the Plug in If it is not correct use the Browse button to locate the correct folder and click Next If the Installer returns a RIP Not Found error
7. 45 number is printed on the target Check the target printed in 6 3 above Note the Reference Number and highlight the correct number in the list Then click OK Verify in the next screen that Genlin is expecting to read the correct number of colors for this target and click Read For each color strip Genlin shows a window similar to that shown in figure 6 4 FIGURE 6 4 GENLIN PROMPT I xi Cyan strip 1 may now be measured A Target Default CMYK spot colors target Confirm to proceed o O Arrange the target in the direction of the arrow with the first Cyan strip under the measuring head and slide the target under the head until it stops Click OK and feed the target gently through the reader Repeat this process for each of the four colors after which Genlin will display the message box shown in Figure 6 5 46 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 6 5 GENLIN FINISHED PROMPT centin S A The RIP may now import the linearization data o O Genlin has placed a file of measurement data in the RIP folder ready for the RIP to import 6 5 ENTERING MEASUREMENT DATA From the Navigator Menu Bar select Output gt Calibration Manager The window shown in Figure 6 6 will appear vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 47 FIGURE 6 6 CALIBRATION MANAGER Calibration Dot Gain Manager Device 7900 Color vDot w Colour CMYK Name Res
8. In Job to Yes in Section 7 2 7 above you will see the spot color reproduced 62 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual APPENDIX A MEDIA GUIDE VDOT4 MEDIA FOR INK JET PRINTER INTRODUCTION There are many hundreds of media being marketed for use with ink jet printers from manufacturers such as Epson and HP from established graphic arts suppliers such as Mitsubishi and Agfa and from many other third party vendors Many of these media have very similar names and in some cases several media from one supplier can have almost identical names For example Epson s Photo Quality Glossy Paper Glossy Photo Paper and Photo Glossy Paper are all different products with different characteristics while Epson s SemiGloss Paper Heavy Weight and Semigloss Photo Paper are in fact the same product sold under different names in different locations The ProofReady and vDot4 plug ins include a library of color profiles and calibrations for specific media Accurate results are only possible if the correct media is used The purpose of this document is to identify exactly which media are supported on which printer to enable the user to correctly match the media and RIP settings Inks In addition to the correct media the correct ink set is essential for accurate results All Xitron s color calibration and profiling is done using the default ink sets supplied by the printer vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual
9. at this stage it is not able to locate important components of the RIP Click Back and re confirm that you have correctly specified the RIP destination folder The installer will now copy the plug in and support files to the RIP During this process you will see progress information similar to the example in figure 2 4 FIGURE 2 4 INSTALLATION PROGRESS GC InstallShield Wizard Setup Status D EpsonvDot4 Plugin Setup is performing the requested operations Installing nae 17 Cancel 8 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 2 2 5 FEATURE PASSWORDS After copying a number of files to your system the Installer will prompt for feature passwords as shown in Figure 2 5 With your vDot4 Plug in you received a printed sheet with several passwords listed These are required to enable a number of specific features in your Navigator RIP for use with the vDot4 plug in FIGURE 2 5 ENTERING PASSWORDS You should now enter the passwords necessary to enable the vDot4 plugin Depending on the product purchased there should be one or two of the following codes with your shipment to enable vDotd features vDot4 password I vDot4 Halftone password If you have purchased the Halftone Option you will also need to enter a password to enable it There are two different types of passwords RIP passwords which have five to eight digits and Plug in passwo
10. color is off its icon is shown with a cross Note that the Progressive Proofs option is incompatible with several standard Page Features such as the Crop Marks and Imposition Features If you are using Progressive Proofs we recommend not using Page Features Click OK to return to the Page Setup Dialog Click Save As or Save if you are editing an existing Page Setup and give your new Page Setup a useful name 36 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual CHAPTER 5 TESTING YOUR VDOT4 INSTALLATION 5 1 PRINTING A TEST FILE Once you have selected or created a Page Setup it is time to output a sample job Begin by clicking the checkbox labeled Disable Output on the Output Controller window Pull down the Navigator Menu and select Print File From the list box choose the Page Setup created for the vDot4 plug in on the PC select pdf in the Files of Type list box Browse the system for your RIP usually C NXitron NNavigator 8 x There you ll find a folder labeled Sample Files containing a file labeled Drupa Sample PDF Select this file and click Print 5 2 INFO AND ROAM FUNCTIONS After the RIP processes the file it will appear in the Output Controller as shown in figure 5 1 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 37 FIGURE 5 1 THE OUTPUT CONTROLLER Output Controller Monitor Active Queue Held Queue 1 Image for testing KODAK Disabled EC Disa
11. operate in full mode requires the installation of the Halftone Password using the method described in section 3 3 2 7 2 HOW TO SET UP THE HALFTONE DEVICES 7 2 1 CREATE PAGE SETUP Using the same procedure as described in Chapter 4 create a new Page Setup using one of the Color Halftone devices The example here will use the 79 9900 Halftone devices 54 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 7 1 COLOR HALFTONE SEPARATION STYLE Separations Screening amp Color Style CMYK Composite Sil Color ProofReady x KE oo After setting the Separation Style click the icon to the right of the Style Name and click Edit The screening setup dialog will appear as shown in figure 7 2 FIGURE 7 2 SCREENING SETUP Edit Style for CMYK Composite CMYK Composite gt CMYK Separations ate i ir a generated in list order I Override separations in job F Use Level 1 spot colors To change order select Ng habilin tonew Other colors in job Override angles in job position Set print to Yes to I Reject preseparated jobs automatic print S n other colors in job I Regombine preseparated jobs Edit selected row zis New Delete Dot shape Z Override dot shape in job Select row to edit quency for device resolution Frequenc 360 0 55 0 20o nil T7 Dveride frequency in job Edit selected rom 720 0 api a0 ll 1 Gener
12. this section are inactive unless you select User Defined as your Output Media See Appendix C for more information about non standard media The box labeled Give more time to Windows should normally be checked If your RIP output speed seems slow and you have at least 512 M Bytes RAM in your PC uncheck the box and compare results 4 5 3 COLOR CONTROLS Xitron s Epson vDot4 Plug in provides two methods of color control manual and ICC profile The four sliding controls in the Configuration dialog provide the manual method of color control but they can also be used to make adjustments when ICC Profile based color management including vDot4 color management is in use The icons at the top of each slider control can be used as a quick way to reset each control to zero Moving the sliders up or down from zero increases or decreases the particular color channel the units shown are percentages so if you set Cyan to 10 all values of Cyan in the image will be increased by vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 33 10 The Brightness control changes all ink channels together to make the overall image lighter or darker 4 5 4 CLIPPING TILING AND REPEATING Xitron s Epson vDot4 Plug in has additional special features for tiling or clipping large images and repeating small ones Specify the Media Type and Size in the Media list box and the Width and Height entries Also select the correct Media
13. trying to use the RIP I can t configure my RIP to print with Firewire Firewire can be used with the Epson Firewire option where it is not supplied as standard Again the Windows driver and Epson Firewire software must be installed and working before using the RIP vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 69 Paper White Looks Yellow Epson s paper stocks are very bright compared with most input samples you might be trying to match Try turning off Fill background with paper color of input job in your color setup see the ColorPro user manual Alternatively try to use a paper stock with a white that is the same color or slightly darker than the paper white of that which you are trying to match Streaks Lines in Output Usually streaks or lines in your output are caused by poor print head alignment or clogged nozzles You should use the Epson Windows driver Utility software to perform a head cleaning or print head alignment Occasionally more extreme cleaning is required and can be performed by an Epson technician Some third party inks are infamous for clogging Epson print nozzles Use of third party inks is not recommended by Epson nor are stock color profiles supportable with their use Can I Use TrapPro with Epson printers Yes All supported devices work well with TrapPro I get an error using a Page Feature with Progressive Proofs Epson vDot4 70 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual
14. 2880x1440 Photo black 1 Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 1440x1440 1440x1440 Photo black Epson Standard Proofing Paper SWOP3 720x720 720x720 Photo black Epson Standard Proofing Paper SWOP3 720x720 720x1440 Photo black Epson Standard Proofing Paper SWOP3 720x720 2880x1440 Photo black T Epson Standard Proofing Paper SWOP3 1440x1440 1440x1440 Photo black Z Epson Standard Proofing Paper 720x720 720x720 Photo black p m Plotter Color Control Clipping Tiling Repeating es EPSON Stylus Pro 7900 X m a Gg Fa Media Roll Auto User defined v cx Media source Roll X a ec 0 0000 Automatic cutter E Meda wian Units Media height 0 0000 inches Special codes xx em Gd a Gal a Indentimage 0 0000 El Centre Photo black Printable area x Spo Repeat job to fill media width E Mi Print horizontal tile Never definit ml _ High definition weave V s i F Number ofrows Rowa was Bidirectional printing IP Roll media skip blank bottom margin 7 io 374 Progressive proofing n Anti aliasin a agag o none Give more time to Windows 7 arations in Blaci cancer Print col 4 5 1 OUTPUT MEDIA AND PLOTTING RESOLUTION The large window at the top of the screen lists the various media types supported by the Epson vDot4 Plug in for this printer Also listed are the various RIP and Plotter Resolution options see Appendix C for more information a Media ID value and typical part numbers for e
15. 63 manufacturer Where there are multiple choices the correct ink set is identified on the charts that follow Layout The following pages contain charts for each family of printers for which Xitron supply color profiles and calibrations This is not by any means the full list of devices which Xitron are able to drive from our RIP products Each chart identifies the printer followed by a list of the supported media for that model 64 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual EPSON STYLUS PRO 4900 EPSON ULTRACHROME HDR INKS Media Type Page Setup Names Epson Standard Proofing Paper 4900 Ep Standard Proof Epson Proofing Paper SWOP3 4900 Ep Standard Proof SWOP3 Epson Proofing Paper Publication 4900 Ep Publication Proofing Epson Semimatte Proofing White 4900 Ep Semi Matte Proof White Epson Proofing Paper Commercial 4900 Ep Commercial Proofing Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper 250 4900 EP Premium Glossy Photo Epson Premium Semigloss Photo Paper 170 250 4900 FP Prem SemiglossPhoto2 50g Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 4900_Xitron X1 Proofing Paper vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 65 EPSON 7890 AND 9890 EPSON ULTRACHROME HDR INKS Media Type Page Setup Names Epson Standard Proofing Paper 7890 Ep Standard Proof 9890 Ep Standard Proof Epson Proofing Paper SWOP3 7890 Ep Sta
16. 7900_EP Prem SemiglossPhoto250g 9900_EP Prem SemiglossPhoto250g Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 7900_Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 9900_Xitron X1 Proofing Paper vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 67 SUPPORTED INK SETS Stylus Pro 7900 9900 Epson Ultrachrome HDR Cyan Magenta Yellow Photo Black Light Cyan Light Magenta Light Black Light Light Black Orange Green Stylus Pro 4900 Epson Ultrachrome HDR Cyan Vivid Magenta Yellow Photo Black Light Cyan Vivid Light Magenta Light Black Light Light Black Orange Green Stylus Pro 7890 9890 Epson Ultrachrome K3 comprising Photo Black Light Black Light Light Black Cyan Light Cyan Yellow Vivid Magenta Vivid Light Magenta 68 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual APPENDIX B TROUBLESHOOTING Printer Not Ready Check to make sure that the printer says Ready on the display and that no ink empty lights or paper empty lights are lit then power off the machine and power it up again If this does not solve the problem check to make sure that your connection method is set up properly See Chapter 4 for more information about connection methods I am using a network connection but I get a communication error when I try to print to my printer Follow Epson s instructions to make sure your Windows driver is installed and working properly Verify you can print a test page from Windows before
17. Color Processing Style CMYK Composite Color Ep Standard Proofing x ira Trapping Method None E Enable Feature Preference y Calibration amp Dot Gain Effects E Mirrorprint Tone Curves GB_EpStandardProofing a E Control strip F Negati Calibration Lim EpStandardProot B E P Negative Actual Pre None E Trim page Cassette amp Page Scaling Cassette Cassette 1 x is Vertical 100 00 Page layout linpasdiart None a Ea Horizontal 100 00 Options PDF Options XPS Options 4 2 PRINTER MODEL To select the printer model and mode for this Page Setup select it in the Devices list box In this example we are selecting the printer type 7900 Color vDot 22 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual Important Leave the ProofReady drop down list set to None 4 3 NOTE ON RESOLUTION When a RIP product such as Xitron s Navigator drives a plotting device such as an ink jet printer the term Resolution has two distinct uses This is because the RIP first processes the incoming data into a continuous tone raster at a specified resolution called the RIP Resolution and then in a second process at output time the continuous tone data is screened and output on the printer at maybe a different resolution called the Plotter Resolution 4 4 PAGE SETUP CONTROLS In the main page setup w
18. Source for the chosen media The options for Media Source vary from one printer model to another so check the list box and your printer documentation if you are unsure which source you need to specify If you wish to use cut sheets select Sheets from the Media list Refer to your printer manual for details of permissible sheet sizes and thicknesses Print Horizontal Tile controls the tiling system When set to Never only one print is made from each job If the job is too wide for the media it will be clipped to the value shown in Media Width To print only part of the job enter the width to which you wish the job clipped in the Media width box If Print Horizontal Tile is set to All the system will create as many tiles as necessary to output the job Each tile will be the full height of the job assuming roll media and the width will be equal to the value entered in the Media Width box To print one tile at a time Print Horizontal Tile can be set to the tile 34 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual number required Tiles are numbered from left to right and tiles overlap by about 0 5 inches The Repeat job to fill media width check box controls step and repeat printing This box is only available if Print Tile Number is set to Never If the box is checked jobs are repeated as many times as they will fit across the available media width as set in the Media width box For example if the Media width box is se
19. ach media type where known It is very important that the media is correctly specified as there are numerous settings including color management ink drop size and speed ink nozzle control etc that vary from one type to another Left of the window are icons for each entry that present useful information as described below 30 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual The current RIP Resolution is incorrect for this choice The current RIP Resolution is correct for this choice In most cases if the RIP resolution is incorrect there will be another choice for the same media with the current RIP resolution If not you can still choose the media but you should then change the RIP resolution to the correct value when you exit the Configuration dialog see 4 4 1 above Note that some media types and resolution combinations are not supported when you use Matte Black as an ink choice in certain models see below The RIP will not be able to output if an incorrect combination of media and ink set has been chosen If you need to use a media type not listed see Appendix C vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 31 4 5 2 PLOTTER The section labeled Plotter contains entries related to the printer connection The list box next to the icon of a printer should show the previously installed Epson Windows printer driver for this printer model If not select it now It is possible to output through anothe
20. ate extra gray levele Limit number of distinct gray levels to MEZE Use Harlequin Precision Screening HPS Options Rotate screens according to page rotation Cancel a vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 55 7 2 2 SCREEN ANGLES For best results Xitron recommends using off axis screen angles To do so check the Use Harlequin Precision Screening check box and click the button HPS Options In the following dialog select the angle set 7 5 76 5 22 5 37 5 in the top list box and click OK FIGURE 7 3 HPS OPTIONS IV Snap angles to nearest 7 5 degrees Angle accuracy fo 004 is Frequency accuracy 0 020 Ipi Zero degrees frequency adjustment 7 00 Maximum frequency deviation 7 00 MV Enable HPS 2 0 F Abort job if accuracy not achieved Limit screen levels to 65536 x IV Generate clear centered rosettes Cancel o E Then set the individual screen angles to the values as shown in Figure 7 4 56 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 7 4 SCREEN ANGLE SETTINGS Cyan Yes 7 5 Magenta Yes 67 5 Yellow Yes 22 5 Black Yes 37 5 Other colors in job No 37 5 Cyan Yes v 7 5 7 2 3 SCREEN RULING Edit the table near the bottom of the dialog to set the Screen Ruling you wish to use for the current RIP resolution In this example Figure 7 5 150 Ipi has been chosen In addition Override angles in job has bee
21. ation Options 60sec aaa 59 72 7 Spot Colors 5 s osasce3sesesstdsctieseesas erinan iia 60 7 3 RIP and Plug in Configuration 61 7 4 Using Color Halftone Devices a 61 Appendix A Media Guide VDot4 ccssccsssseeeseeees 63 Appendix B Troubleshooting ccsssccsssesssreeeseees 69 Appendix C Notes on Media Resolution and Color Management for the Epson vDot4 Plug in 72 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FOREWORD Thank you for purchasing this quality Xitron product The Epson vDot4 plug in provides high quality proofing capability to Xitron Navigator Imagesetter and CTP RIPs driving Epson Variable Dot printers Chapter 1 of this guide lists the supported printer models You do not need any special programming or technical skills to install and use the vDot4 plug in however it is a good idea to fully read through this documentation in order to understand the procedures involved with successful use of this product This manual guides you through the installation procedure and explains how to print test output jobs from your RIP on a color printer Full support for ICC Profile Color Management is included ICC profiles have become the industry preferred method of color control All color generated by the vDot plug in is controlled by our included ICC profile processor ColorPro Properly used exceptional ink control including contract color is attaina
22. ble Xitron supplies a range of profiles with your vDot4 plug in covering a wide range of standard media These profiles will work well with your printer provided it is in good condition has had all recommended nozzle cleaning vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual and alignment procedures is using the correct media for the profile and uses recommended inks You will improve accuracy even further by calibrating your particular printer using the procedure described in Chapter 7 For ultimate accuracy and especially if you wish to use other media than those for which profiles and calibration are already supplied you may wish to generate a custom ICC profile for your printer Generally it is not necessary to also create a custom ICC Profile for your plate making and press system In fact doing so can actually lead to a reduction in the quality of proofs This is because exceptional process control is required throughout the plate making and press environment to maintain press consistency close enough to match a custom press profile Instead the use of a standard press e g SWOP or emulated analog proof e g Matchprint Input emulation profile is generally a more suitable starting point This manual does not cover the topics of adding support for custom media and the creation and installation of custom ICC profiles These areas require additional information software tools and training Contact your suppli
23. ble output Delete When necessary v necessary v Items 1 Usage 55 6Mb Disk free 9 95Gb Items 0 Usage OKb a With the job highlighted click the Info button and check the size orientation printer type etc Take particular note of the width and height of the job and make sure it is within the limits of your printer You can often save media by setting rotation in the Page Setup dialog see section 4 4 2 above By clicking the Roam button you can see an on screen preview of the job before outputting it To obtain a reduced scale ROAM view use the menu on the ROAM window and select Reduced ROAM The test image should appear as shown in figure 5 2 Don t be surprised if some of the colors in the ROAM view seem wrong You are looking at data that has been color managed for the printer ink and paper combination you have 38 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual specified and these adjustments typically look incorrect when viewed on an RGB monitor FIGURE 5 2 TEST IMAGE 5 3 PRINTING After viewing close the Roam windows and click the Disable Output box to release the job for output As the job progresses you will see a dark gray bar in the central window of the Output Controller This progress bar indicates the proportion of the job output Depending on your Windows Printer driver settings see section 2 2 4 above it may take several seconds before th
24. ccsssrccsseessseessseeesnees 3 2 1 Configuration Requirements cece teens 3 2 2 PC Platform Installation 3 2 2 1 Check Your RIP Configuration a 3 2 2 2 Epson Windows Driver asana asana aaa 4 2 2 3 Configuring and Testing the Windows Printer Driver a AA AA 4 2 2 4 Install vDot4 Plug in cece eee eee 7 2 2 5 Feature Passwords 0 0cceceeeeeeceeeececeeeeeeeens 9 Chapter 3 Set up RIP for Proofing sccsseeesseeees 14 3 1 Introduction to Setup aasa aasa 14 3 2 Memory Settings aaa enenge ia nasaan 14 3 3 Feature Passwords msaacawasasas sasa naa nananahan 15 3 3 1 RIP Passwords 0 cececeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeees 15 3 3 2 Plug in Passwords 2 lt 2 222stsenevaieie LAPAG 17 3 4 Device Manager Settings m saaan naasa naan 18 Chapter 4 Creating a Page Setup Configuration CHOICES E TAN NAA NAA 21 4 1 What s Involved amag ana GALA PAG LAAL na 21 4 2 Printer Mod l cesna nena kananan aaa 22 4 3 Note on Resolution ecccceceeeeeeceeeee rene 23 4 4 Page Setup Controls aa 23 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 4 4 1 RIP Resolution Z saaaaasasaa nananana nakaka kananaa 4 4 2 Image Orientation and Scaling a 4 4 3 Calibration and Color Management 0 4 5 Configure the Plug in a 4 5 1 Output Media and Plotting Resolution 4 5 2 Plotter
25. ce Manual CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION 2 1 CONFIGURATION REGUIREMENTS To use the vDot4 plug in you must have a Navigator RIP that meets the requirements listed below Assuming the RIP is operational resolve any outstanding RIP issues before installing the plug in This manual deals only with the additional information needed to be successful with the vDot4 plug in and does not attempt to cover all of the RIP features and requirements NAVIGATOR RIP PLATFORM REQUIREMENTS e A Windows Server 2003 and 2008 Windows XP Pro Windows Vista or Windows 7 equipped 32 or 64 bit PC 1 GHz recommended e Minimum 2GB RAM e 2 GB free disk space e The correct Epson Windows printer driver using any physical connection method you wish to use Best results are obtained with USB connections or Ethernet for long cable runs e Xitron Navigator RIP revision 8 0 or later 2 2 PG PLATFORM INSTALLATION 2 2 1 CHECK YOUR RIP CONFIGURATION Use the Navigator gt About Navigator menu selection to check the version of your Navigator RIP The vDot4 plug in requires vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 3 version 8 0 or later If your version is older please contact your supplier for an upgrade The upgrade must be installed and configured with your imagesetter before continuing to install the plug in 2 2 2 EPSON WINDOWS DRIVER Before continuing install the Epson Windows printer driver for your printer model and o
26. cked and that the Memory Reserve For RIP box shows 0 b Minimum Memory left for system previously called Memory Reserved for System Set to 256 M Bytes enter 256000 c Printer Buffer In the Configure RIP window enter 20000 KB for Printer Buffer Click OK Exit and re launch the RIP 14 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 3 3 FEATURE PASSWORDS With your vDot4 Plug in you received a printed sheet with several passwords listed These are required to enable a number of specific features in your Navigator RIP for use with the vDot4 plug in Normally these passwords are all entered during installation of the plug in see section 2 2 6 above If you already entered this information go directly to section 3 4 To enter passwords into an existing RIP follow these steps 3 3 1 RIP PASSWORDS To enter these passwords select Navigator gt Configure RIP gt Extras as shown in Figure 3 1 For each item highlight it in the list and click Add Enter the password and click OK It is possible that a ColorPro password will be required vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 15 FIGURE 3 1 CONFIGURE RIP EXTRAS DIALOG Configure RIP Extras Feature Enabled TrapPro No TIFF IT Harlequin ColorPro PostScript PDF XP5 Media Saving Simple Imposition Enable Feat Raster PDFRaster ii Harlequin ColorPro Try Before You Bu Trial code 21519 Evaluation
27. e vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 39 printer starts to output If the printer does not start to output after one to two minutes check the output controller for error messages and see Appendix B Troubleshooting 40 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual CHAPTER 6 CALIBRATION 6 1 INTRODUCTION Xitron supplies the vDot4 plug in with a number of calibration curves for specific media and resolution These curves were created with reference printers of the same type that the plug in is intended to support In many cases printers will have characteristics so similar to the reference printers that no additional steps are needed to get good quality output However it may be helpful to calibrate your printer to compensate for differences between it and the reference machine 6 2 TOOLS AND MATERIALS NEEDED The RIP includes facilities for interfacing an automatic strip reading measurement instrument such as the X Rite DTP 41 However for occasional calibration you can also use any quality instrument capable of reading color densities in Status T format Note that the DTP 41 is not only able to measure color densities required for calibration but is also a spectrophotometer which is a requirement if you plan to create ICC profiles In addition you will require a good supply of media Note that the RIP can only be calibrated for media listed in the document vDot4 Installation and Refe
28. ection A Please select your output device or devices V Epson StylusPro 4900 T Epson StylusPro 9900 I Epson StylusPro 7890 I Epson StylusPro 9890 lt Back Cancel Now select the paper types you intend to use this controls which color profiles are installed as shown in the dialog in Figure 2 8 After the installation is complete click on Finish to close the Installer 12 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 2 8 PAPER SELECTION r InstallShield Wizard Cua Paper Selection 3 Please select your paper or papers Xitron X1 Proofing Paper IV Epson Semimatte Proofing White IV Epson Standard Proofing Paper IV Epson Premium Glossy Photo IV Epson Proofing Paper SWOP3 IV Epson Proofing Paper Commercial IV Epson Proofing Paper Publication lt Back Cancel vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 13 CHAPTER 3 SET UP RIP FOR PROOFING 3 1 INTRODUCTION TO SETUP Now that your vDot4 Plug in is installed you need to configure certain options in the RIP These options are divided into two groups initial setup and configuration choices for media and quality Chapters 3 and 4 explain this 3 2 MEMORY SETTINGS a Overall Memory Allocation Launch the RIP select Navigator gt Configure RIP gt Options and make sure the Memory For RIP and Allow Use of All Available Memory boxes are not che
29. er for information about availability of these items vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual CHAPTER 1 SUPPORTED PRINTERS amp MEDIA 1 1 PRINTERS Xitron s vDot4 plug in supports the following Epson Variable Dot 8 color printers Epson Stylus Pro 4900 7890 7900 9890 9900 Pre calibrated color is available for the Epson Ultrachrome HDR Ink Set only Users of other ink sets will have to provide their own calibration and color management profiles 1 2 MEDIA There are many hundreds of media marketed for use with ink jet printers from printer manufacturers such as Epson and HP from established graphic arts suppliers such as Mitsubishi or Agfa and from many other third party vendors Many of these media have very similar names and it can become quite confusing For example Epson s Photo Quality Glossy Paper Glossy Photo Paper and Photo Glossy Paper are all different products with different characteristics while Epson s SemiGloss Paper Heavy Weight and Semigloss Photo Paper are in fact the same product sold under different names in different locations vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 1 The vDot4 plug in includes a library of color profiles and calibrations for specific media and accurate results are only possible if the correct media is used A full list of supported media for this product is attached as Appendix A to this manual 2 vDot4 Installation and Referen
30. g FIGURE 4 6 MIS MATCHED PROFILE WARNING Setup loaded 7900 Color vDot Starting Job On Tuesday September 20 2009 03 21 48 PM Using Color Setup Mo Color Management Calibrating for device Epson Semimatte Proof WARNING Media type does not match selected calibration profile od 4 5 CONFIGURE THE PLUG IN From within the Page Setup dialog locate the button near the top left corner of the screen marked Configure Device Click this button to open the vDot4 Device Configuration window Note many of the variables in this window can be changed after the job is RIPed To do so highlight the job in the Active or Held queues in the Output Controller click Info then Configure Device You will see the same display as figure 4 7 but some functions will no longer be available such as Progressive Proofs because they were processed at the time the job was RIPed However many other functions such as Repeat to fill media or Horizontal Tiling can be selected at this stage either before the job is printed or before re printing it which is done by dragging it back to the Active Queue vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 29 FIGURE 4 7 VDOT4 CONFIGURATION DIALOG BOX Plugin configuration for vDot4 proofing Cleo 6 Output media RIP resolution Plotter resolution Inkis allowed Roll part nun Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 720x720
31. he correct Media ID is selected accurate and pleasing proofs can be generated with only minor manual adjustments rather than implementing a full ICC color management configuration For this reason we strongly recommend using one of the many alternative standard Media Types Remember that a non standard medium is not only unknown to the vDot4 plug in but also unsupported by Epson 72 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual USING NON STANDARD MEDIA If you are forced to use a non standard medium significant experimentation will be required to establish a suitable Media ID and other settings Create a test job containing Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black step wedges from 5 to 100 and a number of patches of Super Black with total ink levels from 100 to 300 containing reversed out white type of around 6 pt Print this test job under your intended conditions of use e g RIP at 720 dpi plot at 720 by 720 dpi with a range of different standard media selected You don t have to try all combinations if your medium is glossy then only try glossy and semi glossy options if your medium is matte only try matte and semi glossy options etc You will be able to reject many samples on grounds of ink run on the surface or the reverse type being illegible at total ink coverage of only 150 etc The goal is to find a media option that produces clean prints that dry quickly and have reversed type visible all the way to 300 becau
32. ied calibration profile the color management settings and performance do not change If you do not intend to use the default ProofReady color management and wish to create your own using ColorPro the calibration process does not change However in this case there would be no entry in the ProofReady list box and the name of your chosen Color Setup would appear in the Color list box 52 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 6 9 SELECT NEW CALIBRATION Output Device Device 7900 Color vDot tile Configure device ProofReady None hd Separations Screening amp Color Style CMYK Composite Ee Color Ep Premium Glossy Photo Trapping Method Preferences rw a Calibration amp Dot Gain Calibration Cal Sample i Tone Curves Intended Press None Actual Press None vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 53 CHAPTER 7 USING THE HALFTONE OPTION 7 1 ENABLING THE HALFTONE OPTION In Chapter 3 sections 3 3 2 and 3 4 we covered entering Plug in Passwords and the selection of Devices in the Device Manager For each printer model there are two Halftone device types Color Halftoned and Color Keys which depend on the purchase of the Halftone Option for full operation You can use these devices without the password but output will include vertical lines showing that the RIP is operating in a demonstration mode To remove the lines and
33. indow you can choose your RIP Resolution but not Plotter Resolution which is set when you select your media in Configuration section 4 5 1 below image orientation scaling calibration and color management For further details about the settings in Page Setup see the Xitron Navigator User s Guide 4 4 1 RIP RESOLUTION Select the RIP Resolution in the top right corner of the Page Setup Dialog In Figure 4 2 we have selected the normal resolution for high quality proofs 720 by 720 dpi vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 23 FIGURE 4 2 RIP RESOLUTION SETTINGS Resolution Units 720 0 x 720 0 x dpi v N Override resolution in job oe 4 4 2 IMAGE ORIENTATION AND SCALING The controls for orientation and scaling are in the lower right corner of the Page Setup Dialog 24 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 4 3 IMAGE ORIENTATION AND SCALING Effects 7 F Negative I Mirrorprint F Control strip Rotate 0 m I Trim page Scaling Vertical 100 00 Horizontal 100 00 o E Use the controls to change the orientation of the printed image and to scale it up or down in the X and Y axes The Trim Page option removes any large amounts of white space from the top and bottom of the image The Control Strip option adds an information slugline to the output which provides a range of useful information about the job and printing condi
34. ing in the RIP monitor should you attempt to use it at a different resolution 6 5 4 ENTER DATA MANUAL If you are using a hand held densitometer make sure it is set to the Status T response curve Measure the density values for each Cyan patch on the target and enter these values in the boxes When you have finished the Cyan data select another color in the Channel list box and repeat until all four sets of values have been entered Click OK 6 5 5 IMPORT DATA FROM STRIP READER If you used Genlin to create an import data file as described in section 6 4 simply click the Import button 50 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 6 8 IMPORT DIALOG Gi Calibration Channel Measured Channel Cyan Magenta Magenta Yellow Yellow Black Black Cyan Cyan pad The Import Measurements dialog box shows a list of the four color channels contained in the import data file Click Import The RIP will immediately import all the data values and change the numbers in all the boxes for all four colors Click OK to save the Calibration Set 6 6 USING THE NEW CALIBRATION SET Close the Calibration Manager and return to the Page Setup edit window If you open the Calibration list box you will now see your new calibration set is available for use as shown in Figure 6 9 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 51 Since the new calibration set is based on the originally suppl
35. is not g 4184700 Enter Password ColorPro is the advanced color management system provided with 6 0 and later RIPs When you have entered all the seven or eight digit RIP passwords supplied click OK twice exit and re launch the RIP Return to the Configure RIP gt Extras dialog and make sure all the entries you added show up as Yes in the list If any do not show Yes check and re enter the password 16 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 3 3 2 PLUG IN PASSWORDS If you purchased the Halftone Option the password will be a 20 character string If you are using a High Resolution Navigator RIP you will also have a Plug in Password for vDot4 devices see 3 3 1 The vDot4 20 character password enables the 4900 7890 7900 9890 and 9900 printer models The third menu item in the main Navigator user interface between Edit and Color controls special functions for individual plug ins Select this menu item on a new RIP it will default to Preview and choose the Select Device option You will see a list of all the available output devices in the RIP Choose any one of the 4900 7890 7900 9890 9900 devices listed and click Select The main menu item will now change from Preview to the chosen device Select the menu again and choose Enter a Password A dialog box will appear as shown in figure 3 2 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 17
36. n selected vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 57 FIGURE 7 5 SCREEN ANGLE SETTINGS Edit Style for CMYK Composite CMYK Composite gt CMYK Separations are Separation Pint Ange FATAN generated in ist Cyan Yes 150 paan is a order Magenta Yes 750 z m aenea e Ya Na 7 Use Level 1 spot color automaticaly print Black Yes 45 0 7 Override angles in job ather colors in job Other colors in ob No 450 si a E Reject preseparated jobs E Regombine preseparated jobs Edit selected row New Delete Dot shape Euclidean 7 Z Override dot shape in job Resolutions Frequency Select row to edit 360 0 55 0 frequency for 360 0 120 0 7 Ovenide frequency in job device resolution 720 0 133 0 Edit selected row 1440 0 dpi 150 0 ipi z E Generate extra gray levele in m 1024 7 Use Harlequin Precision Screening HPS Options 7 Rotate screens according to page rotation Caneel L 7 2 4 DOT SHAPE Choose one of the library of dot shapes spot functions available Euclidean is the conventional round dot that appears as a checkerboard at 50 You ll also want to turn on Override dot shape in the main Page Setup dialog 7 2 5 HPS OPTIONS For full details of how to configure and use Harlequin Precision Screening HPS see the full Navigator RIP User Manual The settings shown above are recommended starting points for use with the vD
37. ndard Proof SWOP3 9890 Ep Standard Proof SWOP3 Epson Proofing Paper Publication 7890 Ep Standard Proof Pub 9890 Ep Standard Proof Pub Epson Semimatte Proofing White 7890 Ep Proof White Semimatte 9890 Ep Proof White Semimatte Epson Proofing Paper Commercial 7890 Ep Commercial Proofing 9890 Ep Commercial Proofing Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper 250 7890 Ep Premium Glossy Photo 9890 Ep Premium Glossy Photo Epson Premium Semigloss Photo Paper 170 250 7890 Ep Premium SemiGloss 9890 Ep Premium SemiGloss Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 7890 Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 9890 Xitron X1 Proofing Paper 66 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual EPSON STYLUS PRO 7900 AND 9900 EPSON ULTRACHROME HDR INKS Media Type Page Setup Names Epson Standard Proofing Paper 7900 Ep Standard Proof 9900 Ep Standard Proof Epson Proofing Paper SWOP3 7900 Ep Standard Proof SWOP3 9900 Ep Standard Proof SWOP3 Epson Proofing Paper Publication 7900 Ep Publication Proofing 9900 Ep Publication Proofing Epson Semimatte Proofing White 7900 Ep Semi Matte Proof White 9900 Ep Semi Matte Proof White Epson Proofing Paper Commercial 7900 Ep Commercial Proofing 9900 Ep Commercial Proofing Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper 250 7900 EP Premium Glossy Photo 9900 EP Premium Glossy Photo Epson Premium Semigloss Photo Paper 170 250
38. olution Dot shape Freq E Profile Status o y OE In the Device list box select the device that you are calibrating This must be the same device name as was selected in Page Setup when you printed the Calibration Target Click New The window shown in Figure 6 7 will appear 6 5 1 PROFILE Select in this list box the same Calibration Profile that you chose in Page Setup which must match the media This underlying Calibration profile provides the target information aim curve against which you will calibrate the printer 48 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 6 7 CALIBRATION EDITOR p Edit calibrated target for 7900 Color vDot E Warning Criteria Profile 5G EpsS5tandProofing 7300 Z E Resolution Dot shape Screen freq Exposure V Use for Pos amp Neg aa Dae Measurements as Status T X Rite v E Negative media Force solid colors C100 C95 C90 ces C80 C70 C60 C50 C40 C30 C20 C15 1 720 1 630 1 510 1 390 1 260 1 020 0 790 0 620 0480 0 360 0 260 0 210 cio E7 CE C4 C2 co 0170 0 150 0140 0120 0100 0 090 Extrapolate Clear Reset Import od 6 5 2 NAME Enter a convenient name for this calibration set 6 5 3 RESOLUTION Calibration is only accurate at one resolution so select the resolution that s set in Page Setup here This provides a vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 49 warn
39. ot4 Halftone Option For the most accurate proof you should use the same screening settings here as you use when making films or plates at high resolution 58 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual The Halftone Option does not create the exact same dots that you will see on film or plate no proofing system can unless it images at the same resolution as the imagesetter and has the same screening algorithms The Halftone Option simulates press dots such that the result will be a visually closer match especially at lower rulings as used in newspapers flyers etc than the very high quality Error Diffusion screens used in the Color vDot4 mode In plain terms Color vDot4 output is often simply too good compared to the press results and the Halftone Option closes this gap The recommended settings for HPS are Generate Extra Gray Levels Yes set to 1024 Use HPS Yes using default HPS Options Rotate screens according to page rotation Yes 7 2 6 PRE SEPARATION OPTIONS In the top right hand corner are settings related to the format of the jobs you will be processing These controls have the following meanings Override separations in job If checked the RIP will ignore separation information which objects belong on which separations in the job file and use the settings you specify here Xitron always recommends using this feature to eliminate possible errors contained in the page layout file vDot4 Ins
40. p is to configure specific details necessary to produce output 20 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual CHAPTER 4 CREATING A PAGE SETUP CONFIGURATION CHOICES 4 1 WHAT S INVOLVED This section covers the selection or creation of one or more Page Setups for your printer A Page Setup includes settings for printer resolution connection method print quality and media selection which sets calibration and color management The vDot4 plugin comes ready with a range of pre built RIP Page Setups for the Epson Stylus Pro 4900 7890 7900 9890 and 9900 These include pre selected color calibration and tone curve settings These pre built Page Setups are listed in Appendix A If you wish to create your own Page Setup to drive one of these printers we recommend that you base it on one of the pre built ones and make the modifications you require The required items are reviewed in order below To start select Navigator gt Page Setup Manager highlight the existing Page Setup closest to your needs and click Copy An example Page Setup dialog is shown in figure 4 1 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 21 FIGURE 4 1 PAGE SETUP DIALOG 7 x RIP 7900 Ep Sta oof ma Dutput Device Resolution Device 7300 Color vDot X fal Units Configure devices 720 0 720 0 dpi gt ProofReady None nd V Override resolution in job Separations Screening amp
41. r Windows driver but Xitron does not recommend this action If you wish to output to a file for printing later choose File from this list and enter the path and filename below Check the box labeled Automatic Cutter if you are using roll media and require a cut after each job The box labeled Special Codes is reserved for use by Xitron technical support staff Do not put any information in this box unless asked to do so by our support staff or their representatives With some media types you may notice some automatic entries in this field this is normal The Inks list box allows you to select which of two types of black ink are installed on the printer The choices available are Photo Black and Matte Black Changing ink type requires a complex flushing and re charging process that consumes a substantial amount of ink and time See your printer documentation for details When you select your Output Media see 4 5 1 above you may notice the Inks Allowed column which identifies which 32 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual ink set s are permitted with the chosen media If you choose a medium where both Photo and Matte inks are allowed then you can print regardless of ink set but you may not achieve acceptable quality If you specify an Ink Set that differs from that actually installed on the printer the printer may abort the job and report the error The remaining controls in
42. rds which have twenty alphanumeric characters vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 9 Normally the passwords are entered during installation of the plug in However they may also be entered after the RIP is running as described in Chapter 3 You can enter either 7 or 20 character passwords into the Installer screen shown in figure 2 6 The entries are as follows a vDot4 Enables Epson Stylus Pro 4900 7890 7900 9890 and 9900 support b Halftone Option Always a 20 digit Plug in Password The next screen shown in Figure 2 6 is similar You will need to enter a password to enable the RIP s Color Management system This password is also found on the printed password sheet The ColorPro password is always a 7 digit number 10 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 2 6 ENTERING COLOR MANAGEMENT PASSWORD This plugin requires you to enable color management on the Rip Please enter the ColorPro password for your Dongle The password to enable this feature should have been included in your shipment This password can also be configured later using the Configure Rip gt Extras menu once the Rip is running ColorPro Password 0 oo Next select the type of device you intend to drive as shown in Figure 2 7 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 11 FIGURE 2 7 OUTPUT DEVICE SELECTION r al InstallShield Wizard Output Device Sel
43. rence Manual 41 Media For ink Jet Printers referred to in Chapter 1 and attached at Appendix A for which Xitron provides internal calibration targets To create an initial calibration curve for other media types requires the use of additional tools not provided with the vDot4 Plug in 6 3 PRINTING A TARGET This step is essential and may not be skipped It is possible to go through the entire process without this step but the results will be incorrect Begin by making sure you have created a Page Setup with the correct settings for the calibration targets The Color list box will show vDot4 and Calibration should show None In this example we will calibrate an Epson 7900 using Epson Standard Proofing Paper at 720 dpi We have created a suitable Page Setup and named it 7900 Color vDot Go to the Output menu and choose Print Calibration The window shown in Figure 6 1 will appear 42 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 6 1 PRINT CALIBRATION Print Calibration Print for Process Colours only v From Page Setup s Print uncalibrated target Default Page Setup Keysetter 7900 Color vDot Print calibrated targe Print uncalibrated pre Highlight the correct Page Setup and click on Print Uncalibrated Target The RIP will generate a special four color target which you should print on the correct media type The target image is shown in Figure 6 2
44. s first Keep printed documents V Enable advanced printing features Printing Defaults Print Processor Separator Page cared Acoy Select the Spool print documents button For maximum roughput proofs per hour select Start Printing after las throughput proofs per h lect Start Printing after last page For the shortest time to process individual proofs select Start Printing Immediately Select the Ports tab vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 5 FIGURE 2 2 WINDOWS DRIVER PORTS TAB Color Management sil Sharing PA Epson checked port Stylus Pro 4900 Print to the following port s Documents will print to the first free Port Description Printer 1192 168 2 Standard TCP IP Port E 192 168 Standard TCP IP Port E E Ep us Pro 49 E XPSPort Local Port Microsoft XPS Document Write E Apple Local Port E Apple2 Local Port o ci na r Add Port Delete Port Configure Port 7 Enable bidirectional support E Enable printer pooling Ensure the port shown is your preferred connection method The Epson drivers provide great flexibility of interconnection by using any method supported by the Windows printer driver In this example a TCP IP port is shown Select the General tab and click on Print Test Page to test the
45. se the chosen settings are preventing total ink coverage from exceeding a safe value regardless of the job Measure the reflection density of the 100 patches of each color and select the settings that give you maximum density without over inking If you cannot find a standard media setting that meets these requirements then your medium is probably not suitable for use with the Epson Stylus Pro 4900 7890 7900 9890 9900 series vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 73 RESOLUTION AND COLOR MANAGEMENT ICC Profiles supplied with the vDot4 plugin have been generated using normal conditions meaning RIPing at 720 dpi and plotting at 720 by 720 dpi Tests show that the profiles are still valid at other RIP resolutions but some errors will occur if used at different plotting resolutions Errors of 2 or 3 Delta e can be expected if you plot at 720 by 1440 instead of 720 by 720 These errors are reduced but not eliminated by calibrating under the actual output conditions The RIP will warn of all uses of the built in profiles that do not match Media ID RIP or Plot resolution Some of the pre installed color setups will cause the RIP to post a resolution mismatch error message The jobs will output without stopping and they will not be affected in any way This message should be ignored 74 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual
46. sing the pre configured calibration and color management features of the vDot4 plug in you must ensure that the Names you use are identical with the Types chosen as in the example in figure 3 3 At a minimum you need to have at least one Name entry for each different printer Each printer model has several Device Types the differences being as follows vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 19 Color vDot This is the standard high quality color device type using variable dot error diffusion screening suitable for Sheet or Roll fed media Color Halftone This device creates composite full color images which have been screened by the RIP s conventional dot based screening system Harlequin Precision Screening HPS Spot colors are accurately reproduced as screen dots of the appropriate color Depending on the printer model and media used screens pitches above 150 Ipi can be simulated Color Keys The Color Keys device creates individual separated prints for each color in the job including spot colors These prints can be reproduced on clear film to provide an accurate proof of traps when printing with multiple colors Note that the Color Halftone and Color Keys device types require the purchase of the Halftone Option Installation of the Option is achieved by adding a password as shown in section 3 3 2 The choice of device type completes the initial Setup of the RIP to use the vDot4 plug in The next ste
47. t to 35 6 inches when using 36 inch roll media and an 8 5 inch wide job is processed the job will be repeated 4 times across the width of the roll If more copies are required the Number of rows can be set to any value up to 10 which will yield a total of 40 copies in this example The Indent image check box moves all images across the media from the origin point in cases where blank space is needed to the left of the image The Center check box sets the margins to place the image in the center of the width of the media The Units list box sets the measurement unit for all of controls to Inches MM or Points as required based on the Units setting of your Windows 2000 installation 4 5 5 PROGRESSIVE PROOFING This special feature is primarily for printers running four color jobs on two color presses The system can create a proof that simulates the job after the first pass through the press helping to ensure that when the final two colors are added the result is vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 35 correct The system is very simple and flexible and enables any combination of one two or three colors to be printed as required Note that due to limitations in RIP processing Progressive Proofs are not color managed as accurately as full color composite proofs To use the feature un check the boxes for the colors that you do not wish to print and check again to turn that color back on When a
48. tallation and Reference Manual 59 Use Level 1 Spot Colors If checked this allows the RIP to recognize spot color information defined in the PostScript Language Level 1 Specification Recommended setting is checked Override angles in job If checked the RIP will ignore screen angle information in the job and use the settings you specify here Xitron always recommends using this feature to eliminate possible errors contained in the page layout file Reject pre separated jobs If checked the RIP will not process any job that is pre separated by the sending application Recommended setting is un checked Recombine pre separated jobs If checked the RIP will accept pre separated jobs recombine them into a composite and re separate using the settings you specify here Recommended setting is un checked 7 2 7 SPOT COLORS If Other Colors In Job is set to No then spot colors will be converted to CMYK equivalents based on the contents of the PostScript file unless Override separations is checked on With Override separations on the system makes calculations using the various ICC profiles and other color management settings in use for this page setup A spot color will appear as rosettes of the 4 process colors If set to Yes the same calculation is 60 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual done to generate the required color but the spot color is output as either dots or solid tone in the em
49. the Halftone Option for further details vDot4 Color Management The vDot4 Plug in is pre configured with calibration and color management for specific media types and the vDot4 data set that corresponds exactly to your Output Media should be selected in the ProofReady list box The media choice must also match the setting you make in section 4 5 1 below This setting is pre configured to apply ICC Profile based color management targeted at a standard SWOP press Choosing a ProofReady color management configuration accepts this option for Color Management and the entry vDot appears in the Color List Box If you wish to configure color management differently you can create a special ColorPro Setup Details of the use of ColorPro are contained in a separate ColorPro User s Guide If you wish to calibrate your individual printer to match the pre configured calibration state see Chapter 7 You will only get accurate color with exactly the correct media and the correct resolution though you may find acceptable results for some applications by using substitutes 28 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual If the RIP is able to detect that you have made an incorrect combination of settings it will warn you when you attempt to process a job For example if you select a calibration profile in Page Setup for a different media than that chosen in the Configuration dialog you will see the following warnin
50. tions vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 25 FIGURE 4 4 CONTROL STRIP aT na maa oT maana 2 Bi _ i io 4 4 3 CALIBRATION AND COLOR MANAGEMENT Controls for Calibration and Color Management are located on the left side of the Page Setup Dialog as shown in Figure 4 5 Separation Style Set the Style list box to CMYK Composite This is the only option available for the Color vDot and Color Halftoned devices The Color Keys device has additional options Monochrome separation Style renders all colors into shades of gray in a single image CMYK Separations separation Style renders each color as an individual grayscale image 26 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 4 5 CALIBRATION AND COLOR MANAGEMENT CONTROLS Output Device Device 7900 Color vDot v 5 Configure device ProofReady Separations Screening amp Color Style CMYK Composite Color Ep Standard Proofing Trapping Method Preference Calibration amp Dot Gain Calibration Lin_EpStandardProof v Tone Curves GB EpStandardProofing v Intended Press None z F Actual Press None v o O vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 27 If you are using either of the Halftone Dot device types Halftone and Color Keys there are additional controls required to set screen rulings dot shapes and spot color handling See Chapter 8 Using
51. ulated color The recommended setting is Yes Click OK to save the settings and return to the Page Setup dialog 7 3 RIP AND PLUG IN CONFIGURATION The controls in the Page Setup dialog for RIP configuration and the controls in the Device Configuration dialog for Plug in configuration have the same functions with the Halftone devices as with the vDot4 devices 7 4 USING COLOR HALFTONE DEVICES The first time a job is processed with a Page Setup configured to use one of the Color Halftone devices the RIP may spend several minutes generating halftone screens Once generated the RIP saves this information and they do not have to be made again If you click Disable Output and ROAM the job when it appears in the Output Controller it will appear as a normal color job However if you select Roam Option you will see a list of the individual colors used in this job each of which has its own screen as shown in Figure 7 6 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual 61 FIGURE 7 6 ROAM OPTIONS WITH SPOT COLORS M Roam Options PANTONE Red 032 Cv PANTONE Orange 021 CY PANTONE Blue 072 CY PANTONE 340 Cy fin Color display Fe Hand speed Slow X Clicking Disable Output again will release the job to the printer At this time the various colors merge into a print image and output If you examine the proof with a loupe you will see the rosette structure and if you have spot colors and you set Other Colors
52. utput a test page through the driver Epson posts the latest drivers on their web site at http www epson com This manual assumes that you have installed the driver that applies to your printer s and that its name is EPSON Stylus Pro 4900 EPSON Stylus Pro 7890 or 9890 EPSON Stylus Pro 7900 or 9900 as appropriate You can use other names if you wish provided that you configure the RIP for the correct name as described later in this manual 2 2 3 CONFIGURING AND TESTING THE WINDOWS PRINTER DRIVER To configure and test a Windows printer driver proceed as follows this example shows the Stylus Pro 7900 and 4900 Click on Start select Devices and Printers or Printers and Faxes click to open the window Highlight the item EPSON Stylus Pro 7900 right click and click on Printer Properties Select the Advanced tab 4 vDot4 Installation and Reference Manual FIGURE 2 1 WINDOWS PRINTER ADVANCED TAB Color Management Secunty Version Information General Sharing Ports Advanced Always available Available from 00 00 Bj Te 00 00 Priority 1 Driver EPSON Stylus Pro 7900 z New Driver Spool print documents so program finishes printing faster Start printing after last page is spooled Start printing immediately Print directly to the printer V Hold mismatched documents sS Print spooled document

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