What’s covered

• Viewing or printing a PostScript error message
• Using the PostScript error message to start troubleshooting
• PostScript error types
• PostScript offending commands

Troubleshooting possible causes of a PostScript error

You may receive a PostScript error when sending a file to a PostScript interpreter (for example, a printer, Acrobat Distiller). A PostScript error occurs when the PostScript interpreter can’t read the file’s PostScript code, or if the file’s PostScript code exceeds one or more of the limits built into the PostScript page description language. If your PostScript interpreter appears to process data but then stops, a PostScript error may have occurred.

A PostScript error message includes a PostScript error type, defining what sort of error it is, and an offending command, which usually indicates the specific part of the PostScript code that the interpreter couldn’t read. The offending command usually indicates the command that caused the problem. Some PostScript errors will point you right to the cause of the problem, and some will get you looking in the right direction.

PostScript errors usually look like this:

%%[Error: ; OffendingCommand: ]%%

For example, the PostScript error %%[Error: dictfull; OffendingCommand: def ]%% contains the PostScript error type “dictfull” and the offending command “def.” The error type indicates that the dictionary contains the maximum number of entries; the offending command is the last command the PostScript interpreter tried to process, “def,” which defines a new word in the dictionary.

Viewing or printing a PostScript error message

If you think a PostScript error has occurred, but it doesn’t appear on-screen or in your printout, you may be able to view or print the error message by doing one or more of the following:

• Use an error handler utility. For example, Adobe PageMaker has the Include PostScript Error Handler option in the Print Options dialog box.
• In Windows, configure the printer to print the error message:

Note: In Windows NT, you cannot configure a printer to print an error message.

Windows XP or 2000:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Printers.
2. Right-click the target printer, and then choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
3. Click Printing Preferences, and then click Advanced.
4. Click PostScript Options, click Send PostScript Error Handler, and then choose Yes from the pop-up menu.

Note: If PostScript Options isn’t visible, double-click Document Options.

Windows Me or 98:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Printers.
2. Right-click your target printer, and then choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
3. In the printer’s Properties dialog box, click the PostScript tab.
4. Select the Print PostScript Error Information option, and then click OK.

• In Mac OS, configure the Apple LaserWriter 8 or Adobe PS printer driver to print the error message by doing one of the following in the Print dialog box:
• Choose either Job logging or Error Handling from the pop-up menu, click Options, select either Summarize on Screen or Print Detailed Report, and then click Print.
• Choose Background Printing from the pop-up menu, select Foreground, and then click Print.

Using the PostScript error message to start troubleshooting

After you identify a specific PostScript error message, you can begin troubleshooting the cause. To begin troubleshooting a PostScript error, locate the error type and offending command in the “PostScript Error Types” and the “PostScript Offending Commands” sections of this document. You can then try to repair the problem.

For example, you may receive the PostScript error “%%[Error: limitcheck; OffendingCommand: image ]%%.” Your first step is to locate “limitcheck” in the “PostScript Error Types” section. The “PostScript Error Types” section lists “limitcheck” under the heading “Exceeds printer’s memory or PostScript language limit.” The “PostScript Offending Command” lists “image” under the heading that indicates a problem with bitmap data. So you have bitmap data that exceeds the printer’s memory or PostScript language limit. The likeliest source of bitmap data is a graphic in your file. You can then check graphics in your file to see if one or more is causing the problem. If you find a likely culprit, you can delete the graphic, reimport it, save it in different format, or simplify it (for example, reduce its dpi). You can also try printing the file to a printer with more memory.

Some PostScript errors won’t help you determine a likely cause. For example, you may receive the PostScript error “%%[Error: undefined; OffendingCommand: ]%%.” The “PostScript Error Types” section lists “undefined” under the “Errors that indicate unintelligible PostScript code” heading. The “PostScript Offending Command” section lists “” under the heading that indicates a problem with any element or file. In this case, your file contains PostScript code the PostScript interpreter can’t recognize. See the “Troubleshooting Possible Causes for the PostScript Error” section to continue troubleshooting.

PostScript Error Types

This section lists common error types, grouped by general cause.

The following error types indicate that something exceeds the PostScript interpreter’s memory or a PostScript language limit:

• dictfull
• fatal system error at [various]
• limitcheck
• VMerror

The following error types indicate communication problems:

• interrupt
• ioerror (may also be caused by a disk problem on the printer’s hard disk, such as a bad sector)
• timeout

The following error types indicate the file contains unintelligible PostScript code:

• configurationerror
• dictstackoverflow
• dictstackunderflow
• execstackoverflow
• handleerror
• invalidaccess
• invalidexit
• invalidfileaccess
• invalidfont
• invalidrestore
• nocurrentpoint
• rangecheck
• stackoverflow
• stackunderflow
• syntaxerror
• typecheck
• undefined
• undefinedfilename
• undefinedresource
• undefinedresult
• unmatchedmark
• unregistered

PostScript Offending Commands

This section lists common offending commands, grouped by general cause.

The following offending commands indicate a problem with specific text or a font element:

• addglyph
• ashow
• awidthshow
• charpath
• definefont
• findfont
• imagemask
• kshow
• makefont
• removeglyphs
• selectfont
• show
• startdata
• stringwidth
• usefont
• widthshow

The following offending commands indicate a problem with specific masks (for example, clipping paths):

• clip
• eoclip

The following offending commands indicate a problem with fills and lines, often in imported object-oriented, or vector, graphics (for example, EPS, PICT):

• arc
• arcto
• currentpoint
• curveto
• eofill
• fill
• lineto
• moveto
• rcurveto
• rlineto
• setdash
• setlinecap
• setlinejoin
• shfill
• stroke

The following offending commands indicate a problem with bitmap data:

• colorimage
• image
• imagemask (associated with 1-bit image bitmap graphics and bitmap fonts)

The following offending commands indicate a problem with any element or graphic:

• array
• currentsmoothness
• currenttrapparams
• def
• dict
• exch
• get
• index
• itransform
• nostringval
• packedarray
• put
• restore
• save
• setcolor
• setgray
• setpageparams
• setsmoothness
• settrapparams
• settrapzone
• setscreen
• [random characters]

Troubleshooting Possible Causes of a PostScript Error

While many PostScript error messages readily indicate the source of a problem, you need to troubleshoot a problem further if you receive a non-specific PostScript error message, or if a PostScript error occurred without a message. To troubleshoot a PostScript error, isolate when the problem occurs to determine if it is a system-level, application-specific, file-specific, or element-specific problem. After you isolate when the problem occurs, you can eliminate likely causes until you solve the problem.

Isolating System-Level Printing Problems

Do you receive the error from more than one application? If the same problem occurs from more than one application, the cause is most likely a problem at the system level. System-level problems are commonly caused by damaged fonts, damaged system files, damaged printer drivers, insufficient hard disk space, network problems, or hardware problems. If the problem occurs only from one application, see the “Isolating Application-Specific Problems” section.

Make sure that you use an up-to-date PostScript device driver (for example, printer driver), or that you use the version of the driver required by the application. You also need plenty of free hard disk space when sending a file to a PostScript interpreter, especially when you print a large file. Make sure that free hard disk space is defragmented.

If you print to an external PostScript device, secure loose connectors (for example, cables, switch boxes) by unplugging and replugging them. You can easily tell if a connection to an external device is severed altogether: The device won’t receive any data, so nothing happens. But if a connection is loose, the symptoms of a problem may be unclear: the device might receive small jobs only, or its driver may appear only intermittently in a the Chooser in Mac OS.

If you print to an older PostScript printer or one that uses a PostScript emulator (for example, a LaserMaster or LexMark printer), it may not recognize newer PostScript code. Try printing the file to a printer or RIP that contains a more current version of Adobe-licensed PostScript.

Isolating Application-Specific Problems

Do you receive the error only from a single application, and in every file from that application? To determine if the error is being caused by the application or by a specific file, create a new file containing only a simple element, such as a rectangle or line. If the error doesn’t occur with this test file, the application itself isn’t causing the error, so you can move to the “Isolating File-Specific Problems” section. If this test file does cause the error, the application software may be damaged. Delete the application’s preferences file, and then reinstall the application from the original installation disks.

Isolating File-Specific Problems

Do you receive the error only with a specific file or files? If the error occurs only with a specific file, the file may have the wrong print settings selected for your PostScript interpreter, it may be damaged, or it may contain a problem element (for example, a damaged graphic). You can begin troubleshooting the file by using the same print settings as those of a file that doesn’t cause an error.

To determine if the file itself is damaged, copy the file’s contents into a new file, save the new file using the Save As command, and then see if the error occurs with the new file. If the error doesn’t occur, the original file is damaged. If the error does occur, run any built-in diagnostic routines your application offers.

Isolating Element-Specific Problems

Do you receive the error only with a specific page or elements on a page? After you rule out a damaged file as the cause, the error is likely caused by a damaged or incorrectly written element or font. It may also be caused by an element or combination of elements that requires more memory than is available. If the error occurs with a range of pages, look for common elements on those pages. If you can print all elements individually or in small groups, but not all at the same time, the combination of elements you print requires more memory than is available.

To isolate the element or elements that cause the problem, make a copy of the file. Then send groups of pages to the PostScript interpreter. If a group causes an error, print one page at a time from that group. Continue sending pages until you narrow down the problem page. You can then isolate the elements causing the problem by removing elements from each page. If you remove a page and the error doesn’t recur, the elements you just removed cause the problem.

If an element that causes the problem is text or an element you created in the application, re-create the element. For text elements, you can also try using a different font (for example, reformat the text using a different kind of font). If the error doesn’t recur with a different font, the previous font is damaged and you should reinstall it from the original media.

If the element causing the problem is an imported graphic, first try reimporting the graphic. If the error still occurs, open the graphic in the application in which it was created, resave itwith a different name, make sure that it prints from that application, and then reimport the graphic. If the imported graphic still causes the error, try resaving it in a different format, exporting it from a different application, or simplifying it so that it requires less memory. An imported graphic can cause a PostScript error if it contains damaged or incorrectly written information, or if it is too complex for the PostScript interpreter (for example, it requires more memory than is available).

If the file causes a PostScript error because it is too complex, simplify it and see if it will print. To begin simplifying a complex file, reduce the number of imported graphics, reduce the number of fonts that must be downloaded, reduce the number of text effects (for example, skewing, rotation), delete elements you don’t need, create paths using fewer points, or reimport bitmap images with ones that have been resampled at a lower resolution. Graphic formats such as EPS are updated periodically, so older applications may use an older graphic standard that newer PostScript interpreters may not understand.

Article entirely via Adobe

Tax code is about as dry as any topic can be, but in this article we’ll simplify and offer some quick explanations to some of the incentives Uncle Sam if offering businesses this year. Most of us are familiar with the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 because those who qualified received checks from the government. What many are unfamiliar with was Section 179 which is a stimulus for businesses. It offers incentive for American business to make equipment upgrades and purchases.

In summary, Section 179 allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy (or lease) a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE from your gross income. This is essentially accelerated depreciation. Before the stimulus act, depreciation happened over 7 years. Each passing year you would deduct a fraction of the cost of your equipment from your gross income, thereby marginally reducing your taxes over time. Section 179 gives you all of that deduction from your gross income in one shot. The accelerated depreciation allowed by Section 179 of the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act can reduce the gross cost of equipment purchases by as much as 30%.

There are some limitations to Section 179. No more than $250,000 can be written off in 2008 and no more than $800,000 of equipment can be purchased in 2008 to qualify. However, in 2008, businesses that exceed the $250k deduction limit can take a bonus depreciation of 50% on the amount that exceeds the limit. And then also take normal depreciation on the rest.

This general info should help give you some information on Section 179. Tax code can be confusing and its important to understand these incredible incentives. In times of economic slowdown its vital to take advantage of every bit of savings we can. MSL recommends you consult your own financial adviser or CPA for advice.

For more information on this topic please visit section179.org

What is a RIP? Why do I need to use a RIP? What is the RIP doing? Such questions are found floating in the heads of prepress personnel throughout the entire graphics industry. We will address these issues to clear up some of the foggy areas of image handling and graphics processing.

First of all, the basics; a RIP is a Raster Image Processor. We can start by breaking apart this acronym into its components and then bringing it all back together. Raster is a collection of picture elements, or pixels, that when arranged in a very specific sequence create a picture. Raster is the opposite of vector. Vector is resolution-independent, it is mathematically drawn based on geometrical formulas. Modern-day RIPs can handle both raster and vector image formats, however the classical definition of a RIP implies the use of raster graphics. The second word is image, which presumably most everyone is familiar with. An image can be a photo, a gradient, or even a picture of text. Processing is a generic term that simply implies that there is some sort of change being made. All together Raster Image Processors use mathematics to convert varying files into pixel based output images.

In the printing industry a RIP is typically a standalone program that performs high fidelity and high-resolution image conversions for high-end output devices. It is only natural that when the cost of an output device such as a platemaker, proofer, or imagesetter is taken into account, more care is put into the handling of the files being passed through the system. When the cost per mistake climbs up, the importance of error free ripping rises too.

That should give you some insight into what the RIP is doing at a fundamental level, but what about the specific things that happen while a given file is being ripped? What are things like flattening, trapping, imposing, compensating, embedding, and colorspaces? This is where things can get complicated, in most situations when a RIP is installed, a certified technician will create templates for you. However, at times it is best to be self-sufficient and it is important to know what is happening behind the scenes so that in the heat of the moment, if there’s a problem then you can fix it.

Flattening is a step in the RIP that has undergone some major changes in the last few years. With the advent of more advanced prepress software like Adobe’s Creative Suite 4 and Quark 8, files are being passed to the RIP with many more degrees of transparency, or alpha, and objects with different opacities on top of one another. These areas of mixed color have long been a sore spot with graphic designers. Color variations that crop up at the very end of the output process can give designers who plan for one color and end up with something different quite a headache. Modern RIPs use standard formulas for handling transparency and flattening which offers greater stability to a workflow. This is a common reason to update your RIP.

Onto trapping, trapping is a feature that makes it far easier for a printing press operator to produce quality work that is appealing to the eye. Subtle misalignments in color on a printing press can leave gaps of white paper showing where two or more colors butt up to each other. As a general rule of trapping, the lightest of the colors in question will grow to overlap the darker colors. This helps to keep this process from altering the final look of the artwork while simultaneously making the job easier to work with. The two key words when talking about trapping are choke and spread. The two words are opposites, choke referring to a color shrinking to induce overlap. Spread refers to an area of color growing outward to become slightly oversized. Trapping has become increasingly incorporated into end-user software packages like InDesign or Quark but most RIPs have trapping modules that can be turned on to perform this task automatically every time a job is ripped.

Imposing is a term used when creating a booklet. Because books have a specific order for the pages and each page often has a front and a back, booklets are typically printed out of order and then assembled later for efficiency. Imposing is the process of breaking a booklet up into its components and arranging the pieces so they can be printed easily.

Imposition can be pretty tricky to accomplish and it is not uncommon to see people folding up dummy booklets to help them figure out how to lay out a job for a press. Modern RIPs and Workflows are the magic wand for imposition. It is now as easy as telling the software how many pages your book has, how it is going to be bound, and a few other odds and ends enabling the RIP to do the work for you. Software controlled imposition greatly reduces errors in booklet production. The repercussions of a mistake in imposition can be pretty grim because only one out of place page can screw up the sequence of an entire book and easily cause a job to have to be started again from scratch.

Dot gain compensation is something most RIPs do automatically. Dot gain is a term used to describe the way a droplet of ink spreads out as it’s soaked into paper. The darkness or brightness of a color is controlled in printing by altering the dot percentage, which is a measure of the percentage of ink area vs. blank area. When an ink spot spreads out it can throw off the dot percentage and darken a printed color. Fortunately this is a well-known caveat of the process of printing and by means of dot gain compensation graphic artists and RIPs can retain very tight control of the final look of a printed piece. A RIP will look at the color a graphic artist intends a specific element to be and will reduce the dot percentage by the dot gain of the output device to achieve an ideal dot percentage to use to get the intended result. Dot gain for printing presses is typically around 20%. In color critical situations output devices are very accurately measured and this information is entered into the RIP to produce perfect color.

Embedding fonts is crucial in print production. The choice of what font to use is one that is often labored over by a graphic designer, the look and feel of text can have a great influence on the feeling or mood set by the words that are written. For this reason, it’s absolutely necessary that the font chosen by the designer be passed through the RIP with the file so the look of the piece is maintained. The Adobe PDF standard encompasses a robust mechanism for embedding fonts or subsets of fonts into a single file that can be easily passed around or delivered to a printer. RIPs check for fonts used in a job to be embedded. If the font is not present a job will be rejected. Modern workflows watch closely for this because it can slow down production if someone has to go track down a font.

Colorspaces are another thing that RIPs have to keep control of. The two main colorspaces are RGB (Red, Green and Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key/Black). CMYK and RGB are polar opposites. CMYK is a subtractive color model where as you add pigments or dyes your final mixed color becomes darker. Subtractive color models are always used in printing where we’re starting with ink or dye. RGB is an additive color model where we are mixing light to create color. Mixing light is how your computer monitor and television create color.

Colorspaces matter when it comes time to rip a file. A picture in the RGB colorspace will not come properly when passed through a CMYK RIP. A RIP has to identify elements that are the wrong colorspace and either convert them on the fly or bounce the job so the artist can fix them.

Transparency flattening, trapping, imposition, dot gain compensation, font embedding, and colorspace conversion are all jobs your RIP has to do whenever it processes a file. These steps are all important when trying to run a smooth operation and process a large number of files in a timely manner. A trade professional has done each of these steps manually for decades but with the advent of the computer and the evolution of hardware and software these once complicated tasks can now be done in the blink of an eye. As prepress software evolves, RIPs must evolve as well. I hope this helps your understanding of some of the complex processes that often go unnoticed or are simply unknown.

Aqueous coatings are bigger than ever in today’s printing market. An aqueous coater is often built directly into a printing press because it is ideally applied immediately after the ink. The coating itself has numerous benefits including a beautiful glossy shine to the finished product and improved durability for jobs that might be going through the mail.  Benefits on the production side are quick dry-times that allow the job to be shipped out right away or flipped over and printed again in a short amount of time. There are many misconceptions in the world of aqueous coatings that we will address in this article.

Many variables exist in aqueous coatings. Differences in infra-red dryers, anilox application rollers, coating formulas, and mixes all play into the behavior and final look of the coating. All reputable coating suppliers offer guidelines for their coatings providing specific details and instructions to follow.

In addition to manufacturer specifications, there are many broader guidelines and general rules to follow. First we’ll start with the coating itself. Plan ahead; when shooting for a high gloss, large amounts of coating must be used. This will limit your options later on.  Jobs with a heavy coating applied for high gloss can only be coated on one side whereas lighter coatings can be done on both sides of a job.

Coatings are applied to the sheet by means of an anilox roller. An anilox roller is designed specifically for this purpose and has a special surface covered with a large number of tiny pockets or cells. The cells act as buckets to evenly disperse the coating on the sheet. Cell count is measured in LPI or lines per inch which is a count of the rows of cells per inch around the diameter of the roller. Cell depth is a specification exclusively for anilox rollers. Cell depth determines how much and how thick the coating applied to the sheet is.

The viscosity will cause the look and behavior of your coating to vary. Viscosity is a measurement of how runny or thick your coating is. This is controlled by adding water. Viscosity is measured with a tool called a Zahn cup, which is essentially a bucket with a hole in it. Measurement is made by filling the Zahn cup with coating and using a stopwatch to measure how long it takes for the coating to run through. Viscosity will also vary based on the environmental temperature around the press. A cool coating will be thick and a warm coating will be runny. Most suppliers suggest an environment between 66 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit for an optimum performance. You should consult your supplier for mixing guidelines to control the viscosity of your coating.

In regards to drying your coating, it is generally recommended to maximize the airflow in the dryer rather than simply turning up the heat. Aqueous coatings dry by evaporation, and while heat accelerates evaporation, without proper airflow the surrounding air becomes saturated and moisture has nowhere to go. Excess heat in the dryer can cause problems like curling or in extreme cases can cause fire. As a general rule, it is recommended that coatings are dried at 95 degrees Fahrenheit on the first side and 90 degrees on the other side. Most manufacturers recommend that your heater never exceeds 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjusting the speed at which your press is running also has an impact on drying because of the simple fact that a slower sheet will spend more time inside the dryer. Work and Turn printing offers the best dry times.

When considering foil stamping, ink jet, laser printing, or ink over coating to name a few specialty applications, consult your supplier for specific information.

In this article we will discuss common problems encountered by press operators trying to feed thin or lightweight stocks. Modern day printing presses utilize air feeders which use a combination of blown air and vacuum suckers to separate a single sheet from a stack, feed it into a headstop, and ride it against a registration guide as it feeds into the printing press.

Stacks of lightweight paper fluff up more readily than regular paper. It is common for the air blast to cause a hump in the stack before transferring to the in-feed wheels. This causes sheets to arrive at headstops a little later than with heavier sheets. Some press models have sheet guides that can be adjusted over fluffed up sheets to minimize the problem. Advancing feeder timing along with minimizing air blast will help.

Excessive airflow into the stack and blowing too deep into the stack can cause doubles to feed. Adjust your air blast height to only fluff up the top ten sheets. This will help the press feed a single sheet at a time. Sometimes a simple adjustment of air can solve a problem that an operator can struggle with down the line for hours.

It only takes a little bit of a drag on a sheet to cause it to lag before reaching the headstops. Using a 3” strip of paper at the headstops instead of a full size sheet is more effective in picking up subtle drags on the sheet. Drag is often caused by the upper sheet guide just before the headstops.

Pickup suckers can cycle too deep into a stack of previously fluffed up paper, squishing the air out of a fluffed stack and causing doubles. Adjusting your feeder foot to pick paper off the top of the stack can make the difference, but remember that this adjustment changes other previous adjustments.

Proper airflow is critical when feeding lightweight paper through a sheetfed press. One item that is commonly overlooked is the air filter. Reduced airflow can make it difficult to feed paper straight down the registration board. Weaker than normal suction will cause the sucker that is farthest from pump to release early which leads to crooked feeding. Another item that can affect airflow is the air solenoid plunger. A dirt solenoid plunger can stick, resulting in symptoms that mimic a weak pump.

Occasionally adjusting the plate height on the pull guide can be beneficial. However, it’s important to be wary of the repercussions of this adjustment because going the wrong way can result in a timing change of the pull guide release, causing the timing to overlap with the swing grippers.

Static electricity is always prevelant with paper. In lightweight stocks static can much more easily induce feeding problems since a lighter and thinner sheet is that much more likely to move. Your first line of defense against static is to allow your stock to acclimate. This means allowing some time for your stock to adjust to the local environment in your building. Due to time constraints this may not always be an option. Slowing the press down will allow the air blast more time to separate sheets resulting in less kick offs and more productivity.