Controlling Relative Position of
Random Sized Jobs in a User-Defined Area
This is going to get a bit technical. Ok, a lot technical, but then that is the point of these articles. After all, a “Tips and Tricks” column would be of little use if I offered such things as “make sure your computer is plugged in,” and “that little tray that comes out of the front is not a cup holder.” I want to show you how to use something new, and not just that, but how to use it in a way that wasn’t necessarily intended by the engineers who created it.
Offered for your consideration; a technique to add auto-generated margins to an image when there are no options to do so in the output plug-in. The following technique can be used to automatically position images of varying sizes at a specific location on a plate, drum or capstan imagesetter or to add margins to a Page Buffer that is to be written to a TIFF file.
If the following disclaimer applies to you, stop reading after this paragraph – unless you are a technician or a RIPophile who just has to know everything there is to know about Harlequin RIPs. Disclaimer: Many companies that OEM plug-ins (device drivers) for the Navigator RIP include the ability to position an image as a part of their plug-in – especially for output devices with built-in punches. When this is the case, it is always best to control image position using the plug-in (Configure Device) settings because trying to control them using the following technique may result in loss of revenue, severe mental trauma and premature unemployment.
Here goes . . .
While Harlequin RIPs - independent of plug-in functionality - do include some provision for positioning images of varying sizes relative to the defined media size being used, these provisions are limited in scope and ability. For instance, it is possible to use the settings in the “Page Layout” window of a Harlequin RIP to center an image relative to media width (and in some cases media height), however these settings cannot be used to maintain a consistent offset from the top or bottom media edge or from punches when varying sized images are processed. Also, when producing TIFF output (something becoming more and more common) these “Page Layout” settings are not available.
Therefore, the most obvious use of the following technique would be to properly position pages or impositions of varying size with regard to punch centering and punch offsets, when these are NOT controllable within the “Configure Device” (plug-in configuration) window. It can also be used to position an image within a larger image area when creating TIFF output – essentially offering the ability to add margins to TIFF output from the Navigator RIP.
IMPORTANT: this technique requires the use of “Simple Imposition” which is a purchasable option to the Harlequin RIP (version 7 or higher).
To illustrate this technique we will step through placing various sized jobs at a specific location within a 74 x 53 cm (20.87 x 29.13 inch) field. This set size field represents the imageable area on an imagesetter, platesetter or digital press.
The Page Setup I will be using in this example is configured with a TIFF output device, a resolution of 1270 and CMYK halftone separations. Adjust the other devices, resolutions and separation styles to suit the requirements for your given workflow/output device.
As I review the various settings and windows in the “Edit Imposition Setup” it occurs to me that there is a whole lot in here that I will not be explaining. However, since the goal of this article is not to explain how to use “Simple Imposition” but rather how to get it to do something for which it isn’t intended, I will do my best not to lose any sleep over my omissions. Detailed step-by-step instructions may be found in the PDF of this article available upon request from Xitron at www.xitron.com/tips.htm.
First, a Simple Imposition Setup must be configured to place the job properly within a set field. In our example, the Edit Imposition Setup has two main windows.
“Scheme:” should be set to One-up, single-sided; this because we are not actually creating an imposition, just adding dynamic margins to our output.
“Surface” will be a “Custom” setting containing the Width and Height desired for the final output.
“Pages” the rotation setting will very depending on the orientation of the incoming file(s). It is important to note that this setting affects the rotation of the incoming page/job not the orientation of the final output after margins have been added. Rotation of final output is controlled by the setting in the Page Setup window. Since we are not making an imposition, per se, “Bleed” should be set to 0. How you set the “If pages don’t fit” selection is totally up to you.
The second window of importance to us can be reached by clicking the “Front options…” button at the bottom of the initial Edit Imposition Setup window.
The Front Options window is where you will set the position information for final output.
In the “Spacing for Marks and Registration” section, enter your desired margins. Consider the following:
“Top” will be used to establish a specified offset from the top of the media (with TIFF the top of the TIFF file). If “Center page grid vertically” is checked on, do not put a value in the Top field. If you want to control the offset from the Bottom, do not put a value in the Top field.
“Bottom” will be used to establish a specified offset from the bottom of the media (with TIFF the bottom of the TIFF file). If “Center page grid vertically” is checked on, do not put a value in the Bottom field. If you want to control the offset from the Top, do not put a value in the Bottom field.
“Left” will be used to establish a specified offset from the left of the media (with TIFF the left of the TIFF file). If “Center page grid horizontally” is checked on, do not put a value in the Left field. If you want to control the offset from the Right, do not put a value in the Left field.
“Right” will be used to establish a specified offset from the right of the media (with TIFF the left of the TIFF file). If “Center page grid horizontally” is checked on, do not put a value in the Right field. If you want to control the offset from the Left, do not put a value in the Right field.
In our example, I have used the following settings: Bottom Spacing of 1.25 inches with “Center page grid horizontally” checked. This will center jobs of varying widths within a final output field of 74 cm and place the bottom edge of a varying height image 1.25 inches from the bottom of the final output field of 53 cm.
By the way, I know I am mixing measurement systems -- you don’t have to. As it happens, the plates on which I am trying to fit the image come marked as 74 X 53 cm and the press operator has told me that he needs my image 1.25 inches from the edge of the plate which will be manually punched after imaging. Rather than do the math, I have set the units to the proper measurement system and simply entered the numbers as they have been presented to me.
With these settings I have sent a 4-up, 48.9 cm x 33.2 cm job to the RIP. The end result is shown (in the PDF available for download at www.xitron.com/tips.htm) using the Viewer from Xitron’s RIP Manager software (a workflow program that can be added to virtually any Harlequin RIP). The reason I chose to show it in the RIP Manager Viewer, rather than the RIP’s ROAM window is that the Viewer illustrates the position of the job within the final output area.
It is important to note that the function of the Rotate setting in the Page Setup changes when using Simple Imposition. For instance, in the above example Rotate in the Page Setup was set to 0. This is because the Rotate in the Page Setup will change the orientation of the final output, not the incoming job. Therefore, if my Simple Imposition size is set to 74 x 53 cm and I have a 90 rotate in the Page Setup, the final output will be 53 x 74 cm.
If it is necessary to rotate the incoming job and not the final output, use the Rotate setting found within the Edit Imposition Setup Window.
For instance, in my example, the Rotate in the Edit Imposition Setup Window is set to 0 and a set of color bars included in the job appeared at the top of the imposed job. Should I want the color bars to be at the bottom in the final output, I would change this Rotate setting to 180.
Now that you have seen the possibilities, the best advice I can give is to try it yourself. Most Harlequin RIPs (version 7 and above) include the option to “Try Before You Buy.” Contact your dealer and ask them for a Simple Imposition Try-Before-You-Buy code and start controlling your relative positions.
