Overview (Linux)

The Harlequin Core is a Raster Image Processor, or RIP. That is to say that it’s a tool for generating data in a format that a printing device  - such as an inkjet printhead, toner marking engine, or laser plate-setter - can understand, from a page description language such as PostScript or PDF. The format that it outputs may be a raster file format such as TIFF, or it may be a stream of raster data that is delivered directly to the printing device. The exact format required is achieved by writing a “raster back end” in the Harlequin Core Software Development Kit (SDK).

The Harlequin Core is highly tuned for performance to produce the highest speed possible with the hardware available and without compromising on print quality. It is also specialized for delivery of rasters for
print, including rich support for spot colors, colorant sets beyond CMYK, overprinting, variable data print optimization, and so on.

Harlequin Core includes sophisticated color management and halftone screening to ensure that it produces exactly what is needed to drive a specific device.

Harlequin Core is therefore an excellent choice for the core of your controller or Digital Front End (DFE) for a digital press. It is designed as an SDK to enable you to integrate into the rest of your system, or for
use with Global Graphics’ (GGS) Fundamentals toolkit to provide additional functionality.

The Harlequin Core SDK is secured using LDK from Thales.

SDK as delivered includes material that is defined as confidential according to evaluation agreements and OEM contracts.

Note: Linux builds of HHR are formally supported on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS versions 6.X and 7.X. If you wish to evaluate on other Linux distributions, please ask Global Graphics Software for assistance; the following instructions may not be correct or sufficient to get you up and running easily.