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This new upgrade to Lucid Dreams TIFF/ITflow provides
a fast and automated solution for generating 1-bit
TIFF files from Heidelberg Delta RIPS. TIFF/ITflow
is the premier tool for producing digital data for
distribution using the Heidelberg Delta RIP. Now customers
looking for a 1-bit TIFF output from Heidelberg Delta
Rips have a solution. This new upgrade to TIFF/ITflow
provides 1-bit output from Delta versions 4.2 and
all subsequent versions. TIFF/ITflow additionally
converts files from a Heidelberg Delta RIP format
to a P1-compliant TIFF/IT format, Scitex New LW/CT
format, and DCS2 format.
This new technology has a wide range of uses: For
customers with devices that support 1- bit TIFF formats,
this new technology lets them output jobs from Heidelberg
Delta customers. For Delta customers, who have other
third party devices, this new solution provides a
means of interfacing with those devices as well.
Lucid Dream Software recently signed an agreement
with Agfa Monotype Corporation to license Agfa Balanced
Screening and Agfa CristalRaster screening technologies
for use in its Delta product line. The license agreement
allows Lucid Dream to provide seamless integration
of Heidelberg Delta Rips with virtually any output
device currently on the market.
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Here's How It Works:
The new 1-bit TIFF format is a new output capability
to one of the most widely used Delta add-on products
in the world. TIFF/ITflows simple user interface enables
automatic or manual control. Under manual control
users can select existing Delta jobs and convert them
to 1 bit TIFF files. There are two forms of automatic
control, direct Delta integration or hot folder.
Direct Delta integration connects the TIFF/ITflow
application as an integral part of the Delta PrintManager.
It receives jobs from the attached Delta Print Queues
and automatically processes those jobs as a background
task, producing output ready files.
Hot folder support allows TIFF/ITflow to be run on
a separate box or in a different environment separate
from the Delta workstation. It continually polls the
watch folder and processes Delta jobs as they arrive
producing output ready files.
TIFF/ITflow can be configured to use screening intent
settings within the Delta document or it can be set
to override those and apply user-defined values. These
values include:
Dot Shape, Output Resolution, Screen frequency/LPI,
Screen Angles, and Calibration.
For Output Resolution TIFF/ITflow will process the
Delta job converting it from its original resolution
to the desired output resolution for the intended
device. For example a 2540 DPI Delta job can be processed
for output on a 2400 DPI device.
Screen LPI or frequency can be set to select from
the extensive Agfa screen sets the closest value or
to select the next highest set or to use a specific
user defined set.
Screen Angles can be specified for use if angles are
not included in the Delta job or they can be set to
override the Delta angles.
Calibration can be applied to the Delta data or disabled
to use un-calibrated Delta data.
Advanced workflows can be enabled using the XML based
Job Ticket format. These job tickets can be used with
multiple Delta print queues to establish custom configurations
for each queue.
TIFF/ITflow is very fast! On a typical Delta station
TIFF/ITflow is able to convert an entire 40 imposed
signature in 2-4 minutes per plate!
Following pages contain Application specific details.
TIFFITflow
1bit upgrade.pdf
AGFAPressRelease.pdf
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Application Screen Shots
Screened 1-bit TIFF output options
Controls Description
Take Screening Array from: edit box indicates
the file pathname of the screening library. This pathname
is typically set to SCREEN.HTD file in the TIFF/ITflow
directory, which is the default screening library.
To change the file specification, click the Set...
button and choose another file.
The Dot Shape popup menu below the library file specification
contains available screening dot shapes and allows
choosing one of them.
Negate checkbox, when checked, indicates that the
resultant TIFF file will be inverse.
.TIF Extension checkbox, when checked will cause TIFF/ITflow
to generate output file names with the .tif extension
at the end. Generally, the output file name is constructed
as follows:
<job title>[<page number>][<unique mark>]_<frequency>_<angle>_<dot
shape>.<ink>[.tif]
Where <job title> is the first several characters
of the job title, [<page number>] is the page number
of the job (present for multiple page jobs only),
[<unique mark>] is a 6 character sequence to make
the file name unique (present for unique file names
only), <frequency> is the screening frequency in
lpi, <angle> is the screening angle, <dot_shape>
is 3 characters dot shape abbreviation, <ink> is
the ink name abbreviation ('c', 'm', 'y' and 'k')
for cyan, magenta, yellow and black respectively.
[.tif] means that there may be .tif extension of the
file name.
More... button activates the Screening Options dialog
- see below.
Screening Options dialog of the TIFF/ITflow
Controls Description
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Output Resolution group
Output Resolution group contains 2 radio buttons:
Unchanged and Set To. Unchanged radio button indicates
that the output resolution will be the same as the
input job resolution. In this case, TIFF/ITflow will
search the screening library for a threshold array
resolution that is the same as the job resolution.
If such an array is not found, the job will fail.
Set To radio button allows the user to set the output
resolution by choosing the proper value from the popup
menu right to this button. Since the popup menu contains
the resolution values available in the screening library,
choosing an output resolution value from the popup
guarantees that the required screening resolution
will be found; however, the resultant output resolution
will be equal to the value in the resolution popup
menu, i.e., it may differ from the original Delta
resolution.
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Frequency group
Frequency group consists of 2 subgroups: Auto
Choice and Manual Choice.
Auto Choice subgroup provides 2 ways to choose
the screening frequency (LPI). The screening frequency
is usually present in the input Delta job; however,
the screening library may not contain the required
frequency. In this case, TIFF/ITflow may choose the
closest LPI value (with Closest radio button checked)
or closest higher value (Closest Higher radio button).
Closest higher means that if there are 2 frequency
values found in the library and both differ from the
required frequency, and the difference between the
higher value and the required frequency is bigger
than the difference between the required frequency
and the lower value by not more than 5 percent, the
higher value will be chosen. In other words, when
the distance between the required frequency and 2
other frequencies in the library is approximately
the same, the higher frequency will be chosen.
Note that Auto Choice radio buttons are only in effect
when the exact match of the job screening frequency
value is not found in the library.
Manual Choice subgroup lets the user choose
the frequency the screening will be performed with.
This value can be chosen from the popup menu in the
Manual Choice group. If the output resolution (see
Output Resolution group) is set, the frequency popup
will contain the frequencies available for such resolution.
If the output resolution is set to Unchanged, the
frequency popup will contain all frequencies available
in the library.
The frequency value chosen from the frequency popup
menu will be in effect if Use Always radio button
of the Manual Choice subgroup is checked. With the
Use if missing radio button checked, the popup menu
frequency will be used only if the input job screening
frequency is undefined (rare situation).
Since, with the resolution set to Unchanged, the frequency
popup contains all frequencies of the screening library,
it may happen that for the particular job resolution
required screening frequency will not be found. TIFF/ITflow
will handle this situation according to the Auto Choice
radio buttons.
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Angles group
Angles group consists of 4 popup menus to choose
screening angles for four inks. If Use if missing
radio button in the Angles group is checked, these
values will be in effect only if they are undefined
in the input Delta job. The Delta job screening angles
may differ from the angles available in the screening
library; in this case TIFF/ITflow will choose the
closest values.
Checking Use Always radio button will cause these
angle values to override the relevant Delta job angles.
Example 1
The screening is to be performed at the input
job resolution; the screening angles and frequency
should be those given in the job (LHD files).
If the user is sure that the proper screening parameters
are present in the screening library, the following
controls of the Screening Options dialog should be
set:
Output Resolution group: check Unchanged radio button;
Frequency group: check Closest radio button in Auto
Choice subgroup and Use if missing radio button in
Manual Choice subgroup;
Angles group: check Use if missing radio button.
Example 2
If the user doesn't know for sure if the required
screening parameters can be supported by the screening
library, this may be checked as follows:
Click on Set To radio button in the Output Resolution
group. Open the popup menu right to this button and
see if the job resolution is present in the list.
If it is, select it;
Open the popup menu in the Manual Choice subgroup
and check if the required screening frequency is present.
If it is, select it;
In the Angles group check if the required screening
angles are present in the pop ups;
Make sure that the Use if Missing radio button is
checked in the Angles group.
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