(v13) Introduction to files, filters, and devices

To view v13.x documentation, go to the top level of the legacy documentation.

This page applies to Harlequin v14.0r0 and later; and to Harlequin Core and Harlequin MultiRIP.

The core RIP communicates with the outside world almost exclusively through files and devices. New devices can be added by OEMs that are accessible from standard PostScript-language operators, allowing, for example, for addition of custom operators and custom interfaces.

PostScript-language filters are also implemented through the same interface. This means that new filter types can be added and, because an external implementation of a standard filter overrides the built-in one, existing filters can be replaced with custom implementations. This is particularly interesting when these involve hardware, for example using a JPEG decompression chip.

Devices may be added directly to a core-RIP “skin”, or in the form of plugins in the GUI version of the RIP. The C coding details for this are given in the relevant manuals  ( [HQPLUGIN] for GUI versions and the Harlequin Core SDK Developer's Guide for core-RIP developers), and are not discussed further here. (The command-line version of the Harlequin RIP is not currently configurable in this respect.)