Harlequin RIP extensions

This page applies to Harlequin v13.1r0 and later; both Harlequin Core and Harlequin MultiRIP.

To help control the factors just discussed, Global Graphics Software (GGS) has added a number of language constructs to the RIP interpreter. If you need the extra control they supply, you can use these constructs in a number of ways. For example, you could arrange to pre-process the PostScript files before they are sent to the Harlequin RIP; or you could write an input plugin (see Harlequin MultiRIP Plugin kit) to automatically add a preamble to files before they are interpreted.

Pre-processing files is one way to make use of structured comments in the PostScript-language file. Another, more direct method that the Harlequin RIP extensions support is to tell the RIP to interpret the comments as procedures. This can be a useful way to process comments that adhere to a standard form such as Adobe’s Document Structuring Conventions (DSC).

The Harlequin RIP extensions make possible many extra processing features. For example, they include provision for flexible imposition techniques, whereby multiple job pages are imposed on a single output page; automatic separation of color jobs; parameters for selecting input and output channels depending on what is available.

This guide describes GGS additions to the PostScript language and gives simple examples of their use in many real situations. It describes several versions of the RIP; differences between these versions are noted where appropriate.