From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:12:52 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:08:53 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300101 Printers, Ports, and Printer Drivers With PageMaker, the proof is in the printing. And with the wide variety of printers available now, the quality of your printed results can vary dramatically depending on the type of printer you use. The first section of this note will serve as an introduction to different types of printers. We'll also take a look at the roles played by printer drivers and communications ports when you print from PageMaker. Why your printer type matters While PageMaker will print to any printer that has a printer driver for the current version of Win dows, the strategies used by different printers offer different advantages and disadvantages. All printers have two parts: the marking engine, and the page description language which tells the marking engine what to do. The marking engine provides the physical apparatus which puts the image on the page; most printers are categorized by the type of marking engine they use. The page description language translates PageMaker's descriptions of objects on a page into commands that the printer can implement. Often, this information is contained in the printer driver. Laser printers The word "laser" tells us the type of marking engine in your printer_but not the page description language your printer uses. Laser printers work like copy machines. A single laser beam records the image of the page and projects the image onto a drum; where light from the laser beam hits the drum, the area becomes charged and toner (or "ink") distributed over the drum is attracted to the charge. Paper with a negative charge then rolls around the drum picking up the oppositely charged toner particles, heat is applied, and the toner is fused to the paper. Laser printed information is clear and smooth because the resolution is relatively high (normally, 300 dpi or dots per inch). The two main types of laser printers available today, PCL and PostScript, are differentiated by their page description languages. Each offers different advantages and disadvantages and therefore, significantly different capabilities as far as PageMaker is concerned. We'll look at each one separately. PCL printers Printer Command Language (PCL) is the page description language used by Hewlett Packard LaserJet printers and those that emulate them. There are two versions of the PCL language used in laser printers today (earlier versions of the language are used by printers with other types of marking engines). PCL 4 was used by the HP LaserJet through HP LaserJet II printers. All PCL 4 printers treat both text and graphics as bitmaps. PCL 4 printers generally don't boast a wide variety of built-in fonts. Bitmapped downloadable soft fonts are supported_but to use these fonts, you have to purchase and install each size, style, and typeface you may want to use. Although these fonts print nicely at resolutions up to 300 dpi, it can take some work to get them set up properly (see the TechNotes "Understanding Fonts" p. 26 and "Troubleshooting Font Problems" p. 38 for more information). When a PCL 4 printer prints a page, text and graphics are processed in independent bands. Text comes first; once all of the text has been processed, all other information is processed and placed on top of it. While this works just fine for most print jobs, unfortunately it means that there's no way to print reversed text with these printers. Furthermore, the rigid structure of PCL 4 fonts makes it impossible to print text which has been rotated or text to which PageMaker's "Set width" feature has been applied. Note: Many type managers make it possible to bypass these limitations and allow PCL 4 printers to print text that has been reversed, rotated, or had "Set width" applied. If you're using a type manager, make sure that your "Graphics Resolution" option is set to 300 dpi. PCL 5, an updated version of the page description language, solves the problems of reversed and rotated text while offering a great deal of additional flexibility. The PCL 5 language is used by the Hewlett Packard Laser Jet III printers. PCL 5 printers support scalable fonts_which means that as long as you have the scalable font correctly installed, you can print that font at any point size. Another important advantage offered by PCL 5 printers is that the graphic and text bands are no longer processed separately, making it possible for these printers to support reversed text. PCL 5 printers are backwards-compatible and support all of the fonts used by PCL 4 printers. Neither PCL 4 nor PCL 5 printers support color printing. PostScript printers The PostScript page description language was developed by Adobe Systems. In addition to supporting scalable outline fonts, the PostScript language offers more sophisticated type capabilities than other printer description languages. PostScript offers many other advantages as well_in addition to supporting sophisticated color separation capabilities, you can print at resolutions up to 3600 dpi. One of the most widely used graphic formats_on both the Mac and IBM-compatibles_is EPS, or Encapsulated PostScript. Only PostScript printers can offer full support for this graphic format. PostScript is considered by most publishing and graphic arts professionals to be the industry standard, in large part due to the flexibility it offers. Your publishing requirements may not demand a PostScript printer, but should you need to produce typeset quality documents from the desktop, PostScript is an option you should consider. It's also useful to know that 300 dpi color PostScript printers are available. Jet type printers Jet-type printers use small jets to propel ink_either black, colored, or a combination_onto paper. While these printers are generally inexpensive and work reliably with Windows, they can't print EPS graphics and they require soft fonts which can't be used by other printer types (again, unless a type manager is used). These printers are also usually 300 dpi. Dot matrix printers Dot matrix printers have more in common with traditional typewriters than the other printers we've discussed here. On a dot matrix printer, a printhead hammers through a ribbon to force a printed dot onto the page. As it moves back and forth across the paper, line by line, the pattern of dots eventually resembles the image of the page displayed on your monitor. Dot matrix printers don't require printer fonts, but when used with a type manager such as ATM, they provide an inexpensive proofing option. Both black and white and color dot matrix printers are currently available. Printer ports Ports allow you to communicate with peripheral devices_whether they're scanners, printers, or modems_by electronically communicating data (in the form of bits and bytes) through a cable. Whenever you print from PageMaker, you'll do so through one of the ports on your computer. There are two types of ports: serial and parallel. Understanding how they differ will help you to determine which one is most appropriate for the type of communication you plan to do. Parallel ports use eight separate conductors or lines and transmit one bit of data at a time through each of the eight conductors. These eight bits add up to one byte; the fact that data is transmitted over multiple paths makes it fairly fast, simple, and (electronically speaking) uncomplicated. Most Windows users favor this method. Parallel ports are called LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3 and usually have 25-pin connections. Parallel cables can be up to ten feet long. Serial ports transfer data sequentially through a single conductor bit by bit (literally). Serial ports are slower than parallel ports, but the cabling they require is less expensive. Serial ports are called COM1, COM2, and COM3 and usually have 9- pin connections. Serial cables can be up to 50 feet long. While all of your physical ports are either parallel or serial, Windows offers the FILE port as an additional option. The FILE port offers an easy way to create files that contain all of the data that would have been sent to a printer. These files can then be taken to another computer (often a service bureau) where they can be printed without worry about font or other system specific conflicts. Why ports matter to Windows Under Windows, a printer selection or target printer can be any printer driver assigned to any port. Because Windows makes it possible for you to work with both hypothetical and real printers and for you to have more than one printer installed for each port (though only one can be active at a time), things can get a little confusing. All you really need to know is that Windows uses ports as a way of organizing the printers you have available. Because fonts are installed for specific printers, keeping track of your ports can help you know where your fonts are. Your "WIN.INI" file has a [ports] section which lists all the available ports; the list of available ports in the Printers Control Panel is based on this listing. Your "WIN.INI" file will also have a [Printer,Port] section for each printer you've installed; you can have as many as 15. These can be different devices, or multiple instances of the same device with various configurations, such as different ports. This flexibility makes it easier to set up your publications without having to constantly reconfigure your printers. If you change a printer to a different port, a new [Printer,Port] section will be added to your "WIN.INI" file. If you have downloadable fonts installed for a PostScript printer on COM1, but you change the printer to another port, you'll need to reinstall your fonts for the new [Printer,Port] combination. Printer drivers The printer driver is the software that serves as the translator or interface between your Windows applications and your printer. Without the right printer driver, Windows won't take advantage of your printer's features (such as built in fonts). The driver "translates" the information which makes up your page into signals that the printer can understand. The signals are then sent_via a communications port_to the printer, where they're interpreted and turned into marks on paper. The printer driver contains information about the attributes of a printer (such as the sizes of paper it supports, whether the paper feed is automatic or manual, what fonts are resident, what font cartridges are installed, and so forth) which helps PageMaker (and other applications) take advantage of the printer's features. Printer drivers are designed for use by any Windows application. You can see the printer driver information when you select "Target printer..." from the File menu in PageMaker or in other Windows applications. You can see the same information in the Windows Control Panel for Printers, where you can also configure, add, or delete drivers. One of your installed printers should be selected as your default printer in the Control Panel. If no printer name shows up in the "Default Printer" field, You'll get the error message "Cannot set printer to on" when you try to print from PageMaker. Double-click on the printer that you want to be your default in the "Installed Printers" list. This will list it in the "Default Printer" field. Composing for your printer When you enter the "Target printer" dialog box, you have the ability to make changes to the setup of your printer driver. Any time you leave the "Target printer" dialog box menu, PageMaker assumes you have made a change in the setup and, just to be sure, it asks if you want to recompose your publication. When this happens, you'll see the message "Recompose entire publication for x printer?" If you haven't made changes, or the changes shouldn't affect the output (e.g. portrait to landscape), you can press "Cancel." Sometimes, though, recomposing can help you out. Being targeted or composed for the current printer means your system can take advantage of installed fonts, graphics resolution, and other printer-specific options and gives you the benefit of anything specific for that printer that you've taken the time to set up. While PageMaker can compose a publication without benefit of printer driver (i.e. without being targeted for a specific printer), you'll get the best and most consistent results if you are properly composed or targeted. If you have made changes to the printer setup, you'll want PageMaker to look again at all those changes and act accordingly, making sure your new choices are viable and determining whether all of the necessary components are available. From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:12:58 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:08:54 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300102 Downloading Windows' PostScript Error Handler If a PageMaker publication fails to print to your PostScript printer, it's possible that a PostScript error has been generated. The PostScript Error Handler is an undocumented feature in Windows 3.0 that will cause any PostScript errors generated by your printer to be printed. Knowing what_if any_error has been generated by your printer will make it easier to figure out what's causing the problem. The Error Handler can be downloaded either by using PageMaker's "Target printer" dialog or through the Windows Control Panel. From the Windows Control Panel To download the Error Handler from the Windows Control Panel: 1. In the Control Panel, double-click on "Printers." 2. Select the currently active PostScript printer and click "Configure..." Note: The highlighted "Installed Printer" and the current "Default Printer" should be the same. If they're not, double- click on the "Installed printer" to make it the current default. 3. In the "Printers - Configure" dialog box, click the "Setup" button. 4. In the "Printer setup" dialog box, you'll see the current Printer and Port information displayed in the bar at the top of the window. You'll see the same dialog box if you select "Target printer" from PageMaker's File menu and click "Setup...." 5. Click on the "Options" button and Press Alt+E. The "Error Handler" dialog box appear on top of the "Options" dialog box. Select the "Printer" option and click "OK." You'll see the following alert: Click "OK" and the Error Handler will be downloaded to your printer (it will print a page with "Error Handler Loaded" at the bottom). It'll remain at the printer until you turn your printer off and on again. From within PageMaker To download the Error Handler from within PageMaker: 1. Select "Target printer" from the File menu. 2. Select the currently active PostScript printer and click "Setup..." 3. Follow the instructions above for Steps 4 and 5. Once the Error Handler has been downloaded, your printer will print a page with the words "Error Handler loaded." If the Error Handler was already present at the printer, the message will read "Error Handler in place_not reloaded." Troubleshooting PostScript errors If a PostScript error is generated while the Error Handler is resident in the printer's memory, your printer will print a page with a message in the following format: %%[Error; undefined; Offending Command: currentscreen]%% When an error is generated on a PostScript printer, both the type of error and the specific code (or offending command) which caused the problem are identified. PostScript errors have a practically infinite variety of causes and can be difficult to resolve. The following steps provide some techniques that might be helpful once you've determined that your printing problem is being caused by a PostScript error. 1. Turn your printer off and on again. By recycling your printer, you can clear your printer's memory. Many PostScript errors are caused by low printer memory. Keep in mind that any permanently downloaded fonts will need to be downloaded after the printer has been restarted. 2. Download the Error Handler and try printing again. 3. Move any placed graphics onto the pasteboard and try printing again. Imported graphics are a common cause of PostScript errors; if the publication prints after the graphics have been moved off the page, try returning them to the page one at a time until you've identified the culprit. 5. Verify that other PageMaker documents (as well as files from other applications) print. If the problem is widespread, it may be caused by a damaged PostScript printer driver. 4. Print the publication to disk as a PostScript file (see the TechNote "Creating PostScript Files with PageMaker 4.0," p. 248) and download it to the printer using either the "Copy" command at DOS or a downloading utility such as Adobe's PSDOWN. Following these suggestions will help you solve many PostScript errors. However, this is far from a comprehensive list. For more troubleshooting tips, see the TechNote "Troubleshooting Printing Problems," p. 270. From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:01 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:08:56 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300301 Understanding 24-Bit Color If you're tired of the on-screen dithering of standard VGA and Super VGA you may be ready for a 24-Bit True color adapter board. They can display 16.8 million colors and most come with fast co- processors. A standard VGA is a primitive controller that relies on the host computer to do the processing, while 24-bit graphic adapters typically have a co-processor. A co-processor is a programmable chip that speeds video performance by carrying out graphics processing independently of the CPU. Understanding the differences between VGA, Super VGA and 24-bit color monitors Standard VGA is a 4-Bit technology, which can display 16 colors. This means that it displays your images assigning a specific, predefined color to each of the 16 numbers that can be described with 4 binary bits. It utilizes a technology called indexing which in laymans terms can be compared to painting by number; vmake this pixel number 6, this one number 12." Super VGA utilizes the same theories but increases to 8-Bit display_capable of producing 256 colors. This is a relatively small number of colors given the spectrum of colors that the human eye can distinguish. To simulate unavailable colors a process called dithering is used which maps all colors to the available 256, producing gradual shifts of tone. This is a rough approximation of realistic color at best. 24-bit digital color utilizes a procedure called interpolation, a mathematical process that calculates a new value between two existing values. Basically, each of the image's three color channels, red, green and blue get their own 8-bit byte. Thus, 24-bit technology defines the color of each pixel by specifying one of 256 possible intensities for each of the three color channels. If you add up all the possible combinations you have approximately 16.8 million colors, about the maximum the human eye can distinguish. This smooth shading is pretty close to color photography. Acquiring an adapter card that can display 16.8 million colors can be an expensive venture, and the card will require a monitor that can run at a non-interlaced resolution of 800x600, 1024x768 pixels or higher. A non-interlaced display draws all the lines in one pass versus an interlaced display which creates the image by drawing the screen in two passes, first drawing the odd numbered lines, then the even. One advantage of a non-interlaced display is less flicker on redraw. Only a handful of software packages are able to take advantage of the capabilities of a 24-bit adapter cards. Word processing and spreadsheet packages won't look that much different. Where you will see a significant difference is in programs that involve image or pixel editing, which traditionally has been done only in commercial printing, photography or video, rather than on the desktop. The number of colors is not the only difference between VGA and 24-bit boards. With 24-bit there is a lot more information to process_approximately 6 times as many bits per pixel. Keep in mind that on higher resolution displays there are many pixels and, therefor, speed can be an important issue. One way most 24- bit boards speed performance is through VRAM. VRAM is the memory used to buffer an image and transfer it onto the display. VRAM is a technology called dual porting that utilizes two data paths. Rather than a single path (RAM), VRAM can move data in and out simultaneously, which speeds up screen redraw. Another thing to consider when moving into the 24-bit world is the availability of drivers for the various software you will be running. There are no standard drivers or BIOS calls for 24-bit color, so users must look to the board vendors to provide drivers for the specified resolutions. A good driver can improve performance and increase compatibility with other systems, while a poor driver can produce strange displays, improper fonts, and system crashes. On the PC Platform Aldus products such as PageMaker, Persuasion, Freehand and PhotoStyler all have the ability to read 24-bit Tag Image File Format (TIF) files. PhotoStyler is our high end image enhancement program that allows users to edit images pixel by pixel. It can read most TARGA (TGA), and read and write 24-bit TIF, PCX, Targa and BMP files. From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:04 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:09:07 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300402 Understanding Memory and Windows Modes This TechNote provides an overview of the way Windows 3.0 manages memory. The information covered here isn't specific to PageMaker_but understanding it will make working with PageMaker and your computer much easier. If you've ever been confused by the differences between expanded and extended memory or wondered why Windows can run in three different modes, you'll find this information helpful. Windows 3.0 has three operating modes: Real mode, Standard mode, and 386-Enhanced mode. Normally, Windows will launch in the most advanced mode your hardware will allow. Sometimes, though, you may want to run Windows in a different mode. Why? Each mode manages memory differently and therefore has different pros and cons related to performance; by understanding the differences between the modes, you'll be able to understand the trade-offs involved. Understanding memory Before we get into the differences between Windows modes, let's make sure we're using our terms consistently. In this section, we'll define some of the different types of memory your computer uses. In computing environments, the word memory generates a lot of confusion. Some people use memory to refer to both addressable Random Access Memory (or RAM) and hard disk storage space. Making a distinction between the two is critical_they aren't interchangeable and each performs a very different role. In this TechNote, we'll use memory to refer to actual volatile memory (RAM) used by your computer to do specific tasks. Because your hard drive is normally used only for static storage, we'll refer to that as hard disk space (virtual memory is an exception; we'll discuss it in detail later). Conventional and reserved memory Conventional memory refers to the first 640 kilobytes (K) of RAM in your PC. If 640K seems like an odd and somewhat arbitrary number, it is. When the first 8086 microprocessors were being designed, 640K was an almost unimaginably large amount of memory for computers to address or for a software application to use. Initial designs for computers with one megabyte (1,048,576 bytes or 1MB) of addressable memory assumed that the first 640K of this 1MB (or 1024K) would be sufficient addressable memory for any software application; the remaining 384K were set aside as reserved memory addresses to be used by display drivers, ROM BIOS, and other miscellaneous software. This somewhat arbitrary 640/384K split became a basic premise for the design of the earliest versions of MS-DOS. Even today, backwards compatibility remains a key design constraint. DOS-based applications can only address 640K of memory directly; one of the key advantages of Windows is its ability to bypass this 640K limit by accessing additional memory. Conventional and reserved memory together account for the first megabyte of addressable memory in any PC; your options for controlling the way your computer uses both are somewhat limited. Expanded and extended memory are different strategies for accessing additional memory. Expanded memory Expanded memory is an older, somewhat tricky (and not terribly graceful) way of using a memory manager and reserved memory to access up to 16MB of additional memory on expanded memory cards. It works like this: a memory manager claims 64K of reserved memory and breaks it into four 16K "pages." These "pages" act as periscopes and can access information from your expanded memory card in 16K segments. The advantage of expanded memory is that it allows applications which can use it to access a lot of extra memory (in 16K segments) while still working within the original 640K/384K memory scheme supported by DOS. Most of the disadvantages hinge on the fact that information is accessed in 16K segments: it is slow, inelegant, and very easy for memory managers to make mistakes. Support for expanded memory must be designed into the application; however, not all applications support it. Conflicts within reserved memory can easily occur and can be difficult to resolve. The overall scheme is somewhat cumbersome, but in many cases, it may be the only way to get around the 640K conventional memory limitations imposed by DOS. Extended memory Extended memory refers to directly addressable memory beyond the first megabyte of conventional and reserved memory. The most important thing to understand about extended memory is that most DOS-based applications can't use it. Of the applications that use it_such as PageMaker_extended memory offers the speed of conventional memory without the inherent 640K limitation. Like expanded memory, an extended memory manager (such as HIMEM.SYS, which is provided with Windows) is used to access additional memory. If your memory manager is missing or hasn't been loaded, you're likely to run into problems. Unlike expanded or conventional memory, your hardware alone limits the amount of memory that can be accessed at any given time. Extended memory is fast and efficient and available to Windows-based applications; its only disadvantage is that most DOS-based applications can't use it. Virtual memory Virtual memory refers to the use of hard disk space to simulate active, volatile memory. Virtual memory's primary advantage is that it can enhance your system's power by storing recently used code segments to an easily accessed part of your hard drive, making it faster to swap those segments into RAM. One drawback is that virtual memory is dramatically slower than real memory. Another is that if too much hard drive space is used for virtual memory, your system's performance may degrade. Windows modes and memory Now that we've clarified the differences between the types of memory used by your computer, let's look at the way Windows uses the different types of memory in each of its three operating modes. Real mode PageMaker 4.0 can't run in Real Mode, so our explanation here will be limited. In Real mode, Windows treats your computer's microprocessor as if it were an 8086 processor capable of accessing only 1MB of memory (640K of conventional memory and 384K of reserved). Real mode forces Windows 3.0 to behave like Windows 2.0, and is the most basic of the three modes; in it, Windows can access expanded memory but not extended. If you need to run an older application not designed to run in Windows 3.0, try launching Windows in Real mode. To force Windows to run in Real mode, type WIN/R at the C:\> prompt. If you're running in real mode, the "About Program Manager" dialog box (under the Help menu in Program Manager) will look like this: Note that the Free memory value indicates only the amount of free conventional memory. The computer used to generate all three examples in this section had 1MB of conventional and reserved memory and 3MB of extended memory installed. Standard mode When Windows is run in Standard mode, neither expanded memory nor virtual memory is used. Standard mode uses conventional and up to 16MB of extended memory. If your computer has an 80286 microprocessor or an 80386 processor with less than 2MB of memory, Windows will automatically launch in Standard mode. To force a machine with an 80386 processor with 2MB or more of memory to run in Standard mode, type WIN/S at the C:\> prompt. If you're running in Standard mode, "About Program Manager" will look like this: Note that the Free memory value has increased dramatically relative to the Real mode example. The percentage of Free System Resources, displayed in both Standard and Enhanced modes, gives you an idea of how much storage space is available for icons, fonts, and other graphic display information and how much conventional memory is available for other applications. 386-Enhanced mode When in 386-Enhanced mode, Windows makes use of conventional, extended, and virtual memory. Although expanded memory isn't used, Windows simulates it for DOS-based applications by using extended memory. (For example, Lotus 1-2-3 accesses expanded but not extended memory.) Windows will launch in Enhanced mode if you're using a computer with an 80386 processor and more than 2MB of memory. Enhanced mode is the most sophisticated of the three Windows modes in its use of your computer's resources; it is also by far the most complex. You can force 386 computers to run in Enhanced mode by typing WIN/3 at the C:\> prompt. When running in Enhanced mode, "About Program Manager" will look like this: In this example, the Free memory value has increased to over 14MB. Enhanced mode uses part of your hard drive for virtual memory_in this case, more than 10MB of disk space. Notice, though, that the Free System Resources value is almost the same as it was in Standard mode. The amount of actual memory (RAM or system resources) hasn't increased_but the amount of available memory has increased by the amount of virtual memory that is currently in use. Enhanced mode's use of virtual memory is perhaps its most significant feature. Windows creates either a permanent or temporary Swap file which is treated as accessible memory and is used to store open applications' code resources. Information is moved from the Swap file to actual memory as it is required. If you're running a number of applications simultaneously, this feature is extremely helpful. The active application will reside in working memory; when you minimize it to make another application active, it will be swapped into virtual memory and the new active application will move to actual memory. This is considerably faster than having to open and close applications numerous times. (Unfortunately, it also introduces some rather complex memory management issues that we are unable to cover in the scope of this TechNote. See "Optimizing PageMaker's Performance," p. 20, for more information.) The Swap file that Windows uses will be temporary unless you have intentionally created a permanent one. If you're not using a permanent Swap file, Windows will create a temporary Swap file that is half the size of your largest contiguous segment of hard disk space or four times the amount of actual RAM, whichever is smaller. To tell if your Swap file is permanent or temporary, you'll need to open "Windows Setup." You can launch it by double- clicking on its icon in the Main group of the Program Manager or by following these steps: 1. In the File Manager, select "Run" from the File menu. 2. Type "SETUP.EXE" in the "Command Line:" field and press Enter or click "OK." 3. Windows Setup will indicate whether your Swap file is temporary or permanent, and, if it is permanent, how large it is. The Windows 3.0 Reference Manual provides additional information about Swap files and Windows modes; the TechNote "Troubleshooting UAEs," p. 13, also discusses Swap files. From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:08 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:09:03 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300402 Troubleshooting UAEs "Unrecoverable Application Error"--if you've never seen this error message and think that UAE stands for United Arab Emirates, then skip this TechNote. If, on the other hand, you've run into a UAE, even once, then read on. UAEs are a fact of life for many Windows users. UAEs can be caused by anything from low-level MS-DOS problems to memory conflicts between device drivers, software, and hardware components. At least for now, there are no definitive causes or cures for UAEs. Windows 3.1 is expected to eliminate many UAE problems. Until then, follow these DOS, Windows, and PageMaker tips so you can avoid UAEs. These steps are used successfully in Aldus Technical Support and are based on over a year of supporting the Windows 3.0 versions of PageMaker, Aldus Persuasion, and most recently, Aldus FreeHand. By their very nature, UAEs are elusive and diagnosing their cause is no easy feat. We recommend that if you've been experiencing UAEs regularly, you first carry out the DOS and Windows steps, then go back to work in Windows as usual. If the UAEs persist, tackle the PageMaker steps. Finally, if none of these steps work, try the more drastic steps listed at the end of the article. Basic DOS hygiene UAEs tend to occur most often on IBM-compatibles that aren't receiving good basic maintenance. Here are some relatively painless ways to clean up your computer. 1. Reboot your computer. The first thing you should do whenever you get a UAE is exit Windows and reboot your computer. Rebooting will refresh your computer's memory; if you don't reboot, the problem may snowball. 2. Check for lost clusters. After you've rebooted, at the DOS prompt, type "CHKDSK." This checks your hard disk for lost clusters (don't worry about what a lost cluster is). If the CHKDSK command finds any lost clusters, you can decide later whether to delete them. If you're unfamiliar with these issues, work with a systems person who can help you. 3. Make sure you have enough free disk space. CHKDSK also reports how much free space is available on your hard disk. If there are less than two megabytes (2,000,000 bytes or 2 MB), this may be causing UAEs, not to mention a host of other problems. Your computer should have at least 2MB of space free whenever you are running Windows. (If you have a partitioned hard disk, there should be at least 2MB free on the drive where the TEMP directory is located.) 4. Does your computer have enough memory? At the DOS prompt, type "MEMORY." MEMORY is a utility that reports how much and what kind of memory is on your computer. (This file comes with PageMaker 4.0, but not with Persuasion.) If you have less than 1024K of extended memory, you have less than the required amount of memory to run PageMaker. 5. Look for a TEMP directory. At the DOS prompt, type "SET". SET tells you what DOS is really seeing as the current Path statement and TEMP directory. (Usually, the TEMP directory is under the Windows directory, e.g., TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP). If no TEMP directory is specified, check the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file to make sure it has a "set temp=..." line. Finally, check to make sure this directory really exists. If it doesn't exist, create a new directory or change your "set temp=..." line in your "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file to point to a valid directory other than the root directory. Commands in the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file, such as WIN or MENU, will prevent any subsequent lines in the file from being read. If the proper path or Temp statement follows such an entry, move above the line in question. If there are multiple path lines in the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file, only the last one will be read. For more information about the role of the TEMP directory, see the TechNote "Working with Your Start-up Files," p. 7. 6. Delete any ".TMP" files in the TEMP directory. If you've been experiencing UAEs, you probably have many of these files on your hard disk. A buildup of Temp files may cause UAEs, so they should be deleted from time to time. However, don't delete Temp files while running Windows. Instead, delete any Temp files from DOS using the Delete (Del) command. Basic Windows hygiene Once you've cleaned up your system at DOS, start on Windows. 1. Make sure you don't have more than one "WIN.INI" file. You need one and only one "WIN.INI" file to run Windows--more than that can cause problems on your system. The "WIN.INI" file should be located in the WINDOWS directory. If there is more than one "WIN.INI" file on your system, find and rename all the "WIN.INI" files, except the one in the WINDOWS directory, then exit and restart Windows and see if everything works. (You can search for "WIN.INI" files by selecting "Search" from the File menu in the File Manager, making sure that "Search Entire Disk" is checked.) For more detailed information, see the "Editing your WIN.INI" section in the TechNote "Troubleshooting Font Problems," p. 38. 2. Make sure you only have one version of Windows installed. 3. If you're using a PCL printer, you may have a damaged Font Summary file. This file is FSport.PCL, where port is the name of the port your printer is using (such as COM1 or LPT2). Delete or rename this file; the next time you use that printer, the file will be rebuilt. For more information, see the TechNote "Troubleshooting Font Problems," p. 47-48. 4. Stick to using one type manager at a time. While type manager vendors will tell you that their product is compatible with everyone else's, running more than one type manager at the same time sometimes causes UAEs. If you're running more than one, turn all but one off, then exit and restart Windows and try to recreate the problem. If you're only running one type manager, try turning it off anyway. Exit Windows and try to recreate the UAE. A damaged type manager or an incompatible version may be the root of the problem. 5. Check for damaged screen fonts. Screen fonts sometimes get damaged; when they do, they can cause UAEs. Open the Windows Control Panel in the Program Manager, and double-click on the Fonts icon to display your list of installed screen fonts. Click on the name of each font to see if it displays properly in the box below. If any font causes a UAE or doesn't display, delete the font, reinstall it. 6. Delete any permanent swap files. If you're running Windows in Enhanced mode and get a UAE, you'll want to delete any permanent Swap files. For information about deleting permanent Swap files, see your Windows documentation. 7. Try running Windows in Standard mode if your UAEs persist. To do this, exit Windows completely, and type "WIN/S" at the DOS prompt. If this eliminates the UAE, you may have a mapping conflict in a particular segment (adaptor segment) of memory. Adding the line EMMExclude=A000-EFFF to the [386Enh] section of the "SYSTEM.INI" file can keep this memory segment from being used by Windows. PageMaker hygiene If UAEs occur only when you are running PageMaker, try these remedies. 1. Delete PageMaker's defaults file. Occasionally, PageMaker's defaults file will get corrupted. The file's name is "PM4.CNF" and it is located in the ALDUS\USENGLSH subdirectory. Close PageMaker and delete or rename your defaults file. PageMaker will create a new defaults file next time you launch. You'll lose any application wide defaults you've set up, but you may get rid of the UAEs you've been experiencing. (To learn more about setting defaults in PageMaker, see the TechNote "Changing PageMaker's Defaults," p. 62.) 2. If only one publication is misbehaving, one of its elements could be damaged, or the entire publication corrupted. If the UAE occurs while you're opening the publication, make a note of when it crashes. If it crashes after it's finished loading and is just starting to display, you may have a bad graphic or font on the page, so try the following: Always open a copy of the original publication until you've isolated the problem. Open the publication without giving PageMaker the chance to display it. Start PageMaker, then before you open the publication, resize the PageMaker window so all you can see of the program is the menu bar. Open your publication and before you enlarge the screen to view the publication, choose "Target printer_" from the File menu, reselect the printer you're printing to, then click "OK." Click "OK" when PageMaker asks to recompose your publication. While holding the Control and Shift keys down, choose the "Hyphenation" command from the "Type" menu. This forces PageMaker to recompose all the type in your publication. Choose the "Save as_" command from the File menu to save the file to the same name (i.e., replace the old publication file). Once you've completed these steps, enlarge the publication window. If you no longer get UAEs, you've eliminated the problem. If you still get a UAE, close Windows and reboot then resize the window so that just the menu bar is visible. Reopen the publication, and try to determine which page is giving you the trouble. If you can change to another page, enlarge the window, and have no problems, it is likely the first page is the damaged one. 3. PageMaker can generate a UAE if a tab leader is forced to wrap to another line. If you still get a UAE after trying the steps above, reboot your computer--but before you enlarge the window, remove any tab leaders from the page involved (editing your styles is the easiest way to accomplish this). If you have a tab leader that wraps to a second line or is getting "squashed out" by the elements on either side of it, this could be causing your UAE. If you still get a UAE, reboot and try the troubleshooting techniques listed below. 4. A bad graphic is causing the UAEs. If the UAE is being caused by a damaged graphic, select "Preferences" from the Edit menu and set the "Detailed graphics" option to "Gray out" to make your graphics display as gray boxes. You might try removing one graphic at a time from the page, saving, and then displaying the graphics normally again to see which is damaged. 5. If you suspect that text display may be the culprit, type Ctrl+Shift+W. This forces PageMaker to display all the pages in your publication in "Fit in World" view. At this view, all text is greeked and therefore not displayed. Now, try resizing the window so you can see your page. Try moving around, first to different pages, then to different views. Adjust the graphics display as necessary. These steps may have fixed the problem or may have isolated a bad graphic or text block. More drastic measures If, after trying all the steps listed thus far, UAEs still persist, there is probably a driver or other program of some sort running in the background that is causing the problem. Whenever you boot your PC, it looks to the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file to launch drivers for mice, joysticks, networks, and the like. These programs are launched at startup and are active in the background so they're available whenever you need them. Consequently, they occupy a portion of memory whenever your computer is turned on. Many UAEs occur because different programs try to access the same portion of your computer's memory. The only way to determine if one of these programs is causing UAEs is to disable it, then reboot your computer and see if UAEs occur. It's a time-consuming process, which is why it's listed here as a last resort. The following procedure explains how to create a floppy disk with "AUTOEXEC.BAT," "CONFIG.SYS," and, if you're running DOS 5.0, "WINA20.386" files. Next you'll strip out all the lines in each of these files except those necessary to boot your PC and run Windows. Then, one by one you'll add each line back in. If you've never worked with "AUTOEXEC.BAT" or "CONFIG.SYS" files or are not comfortable working with DOS, you should get help from someone familiar with them before you try these steps. 1. Format a diskette that you can use as a system disk in drive A: by typing the following at the DOS prompt: format a:/s 2. Next, copy your existing "AUTOEXEC.BAT" and "CONFIG.SYS" files to the floppy diskette in the A: drive. From the C:\> (root directory) prompt, type the following commands: COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT A: COPY CONFIG.SYS A: If you're using DOS 5.0, you will need to type in this command: COPY WINA20.386 A: 3. Using a text editor such as Windows Notepad, edit the "AUTOEXEC.BAT" and "CONFIG.SYS" files that are on the system disk you just created. There are only a few lines you need to have in these files in order to run PageMaker 4.0. In your "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file, leave the following lines intact: PATH=(your path statement) SET TEMP=(the full drive and path to your temp directory) At the beginning of each additional line, type REM to prevent the line from loading. In your "CONFIG.SYS" file, leave in the following: FILES=(number of files) BUFFERS=(number of buffers) DEVICE=(full drive and path)HIMEM.SYS (any hard disk partitioning device drivers necessary for your system) Again, type REM at the beginning of all other lines. Leave the floppy in drive A:, reboot the machine, and see if this makes the UAEs go away. If it does, remove the REM statement at the beginning of the old lines one by one, rebooting and experimenting each time, until the UAEs come back--and you will have discovered the cause of your problem. From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:11 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:09:12 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300403 Working with Fonts in the WIN.INI File This document gives a brief overview of where fonts come from, what softfonts are, and how the WIN.INI fits into the picture. It also covers how to edit the WIN.INI file to fine-tune softfont definitions. Since many PageMaker users work with Adobe Type Manager, we've also included some specific information on working with certain versions of ATM. Before editing your WIN.INI file, be sure to make a backup copy. Where do fonts come from? When you click on "Type" and "Font" in PageMaker, the typefaces you see listed come from a number of possible sources, including: 1. Your printer. Most printers have a certain number of fonts built in to their hardware. To determine which fonts are built into your printer, PageMaker looks at your "Target Printer" setting. The printer driver (Windows program file) for that printer reports to PageMaker what fonts are built into your printer's hardware. 2. Font cartridges. Some types of non-postscript printers have optional font cartridges that plug into the printer. To determine what font cartridge fonts are available, PageMaker looks to the listing under "File," "Target printer...," "Setup...," and "Cartridges." 3. Softfonts. Softfonts are essentially software fonts: fonts that reside on your computer instead of in your printer. Softfonts must be sent down to your printer before or at the time of printing. Fonts that are set up to automatically go to your printer (download) at the time of the print job are called "temporary downloaded" fonts. "Permanently downloaded" fonts, on the other hand, are not sent to the printer at the time of printing. Instead, they must be sent to the printer ahead of time with a downloading utility. PageMaker, along with other Windows applications, "finds" such softfonts by looking at the WIN.INI file. In your WIN.INI file, you have a [Printer, Port] section under which such softfonts must be listed. How your softfonts are listed in this section will determine whether they're "permanent" or "temporary" downloaded fonts. This document will focus on these fonts and how to modify the WIN.INI to get the best printing results. 4. Type managers. Type managers such as Adobe Type Manager (ATM) are another possible source of fonts. If you're using ATM with a non-postscript printer, you will not need the softfont lines in your [Printer, Port] section as described above. Since non-PostScript printers cannot directly interpret the PostScript fonts that come with ATM (and other PostScript-based type managers), ATM doesn't download its fonts to these printers at all -- instead, it sends them to non-PostScript printers as graphics. Because ATM isn't really downloading fonts to non- PostScript printers, it does not write softfont lines into the WIN.INI [Printer,Port] sections of non-PostScript printers. However, if you use such a type manager with a PostScript printer, you will need the softfont lines in the [PostScript,Port] section of your WIN.INI in order for the font to print correctly. How softfonts are listed in the WIN.INI As stated above, softfonts are always listed in your WIN.INI under your [Printer, Port] section. For instance: [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=5 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\loel____.pfm,c:\psfonts\loel____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont4=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm softfont5=c:\psfonts\pfm\lobl____.pfm If you're using a PostScript printer with Windows 3.1, you may have many sections in your WIN.INI file that have to do with your PostScript printer. Be sure to add fonts only to the section labeled, "[PostScript,Port]" (where "Port" actually says something like "LPT1," "FILE," or whatever port to which you print). Softfonts should not be added to the [ModelName,Port] section (where "ModelName" refers to the actual model name of your PostScript printer -- such as "Apple LaserWriter Plus" or "Linotronic 330"). You may never have to go into your WIN.INI file to alter these lines. Usually, the package or type manager that supplies the font will write these lines into the WIN.INI file for you when you install the font into Windows. If, however, you do need to edit these lines yourself, here's a brief overview of what their different parts mean: 1. In the sample [PostScript,LPT1] seciton above, the "softfonts=5" line refers to the total number of softfonts listed in that section. If you add softfont lines yourself, you will need to increase this number accordingly. 2. Whether or not a font is treated as "temporary" or "permanent" downloaded depends on whether the ".PFB" (actual printer font file) is listed at the end of the softfont line. For instance: [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=5 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\loel____.pfm,c:\psfonts\loel____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont4=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm softfont5=c:\psfonts\pfm\lobl____.pfm Note that the lines beginning "softfont1...," "softont2...," and "softfont3...," have the .PFB files at the end. This means that they will be treated as "temporary" downloaded fonts and be sent to the printer on an as-needed basis at the time of printing. The lines beginning "softfont4..." and "softfont5..." do not, however, have their .PFB components listed at the end of their lines. Such fonts are called "permanent" downloaded fonts. Because the .PFB components (actual printer fonts) aren't listed, Windows cannot "find" them to send them to the printer and "assumes" they're already there. Since Windows cannot download the .PFB for you, you would need to send the .PFBs to your printer ahead of time with some kind of font-downloading utility. If you did not, such fonts would be substituted at the printer, and you'd probably end up with Courier instead of the font you wanted. This is a common cause of postscript fonts not printing correctly. If you think you're experiencing this problem, read the section called "Adding fonts with Adobe Type Manager 1.x." Adding fonts with Adobe Type Manager 1.x When you use the ATM "Add" button to add fonts with any version of Adobe Type Manager prior to 2.0, it automatically writes softfont lines in the WIN.INI in the "permanent" downloaded format, without the .PFB component on the end of the line. The only time ATM versions prior to 2.0 write "temporary" downloaded softfont lines into the WIN.INI is when it is originally installed with its base set of fonts. If you have used the "Add" button of any ATM version prior to 2.0, you may have to edit the softfont lines in your WIN.INI file to change them to "temporary" downloaded format, unless you plan to use a softfont downloading utility to send your fonts to your printer before you print. If you do not follow one of these procedures to ensure your fonts are at your printer at the time of printing, it will substitute another font, probably Courier, instead. Before editing your WIN.INI file, make a backup copy of it first. Open your WIN.INI file in a text editor such as Windows Notepad. Look for the appropriate [PostScript,Port] section (where "Port" is LPT1, FILE, or whatever port you use to print to your PostScript printer). If you print to PostScript printers over more than one port, you will have to edit more than one section. Your [PostScript,Port] section should look something like this (although it will probably have more fonts listed): [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=3 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm In the example above, softfont3 is missing its ".PFB" component and will therefore not print correctly unless you manually send it to the printer before the time of printing. Follow these steps to change such lines to the "temporary" downloaded format: 1. Add a comma after the ".PFM" filename: [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=3 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm, 2. Highlight the entire path and file name of the ".PFM" file (shown in bold here): [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=3 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm, 3. Click on "Edit," and "Copy" to copy the file name to the clipboard. Move your text insertion point to the end of the line and click on "Edit," "Paste." The results should look like this: [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=3 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm,c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pf m 4. Change the last character in the line from "M" to "B": [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=3 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm,c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pf b 5. Finally, change the path of the ".PFB" file. If you're not sure where your ".PFB" files are stored, you can probably judge by looking at the other softfont lines or actually checking the contents of your hard drive. For most ATM users, this will simply mean changing "c:\psfonts\pfm" to "c:\psfonts" as in the following example: [PostScript,LPT1] ATM=placeholder feed1= softfonts=3 softfont1=c:\psfonts\pfm\lol_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lol_____.pfb softfont2=c:\psfonts\pfm\lob_____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lob_____.pfb softfont3=c:\psfonts\pfm\lorg____.pfm,c:\psfonts\lorg____.pfb 6. Save your WIN.INI file, exit Windows, and relaunch it for your changes to take effect. Adding Fonts with Adobe Type Manager 2.0 Adobe Type Manager 2.0 does not write softfont lines into the WIN.INI for the Apple LaserWriter Plus font set and certain other fonts, including the following: AvantGarde Bookman Courier Helvetica Helvetica-Narrow Helvetica-Condensed NewCenturySchlbk Palatino Times Symbol ZapfDingbats ZapfChancery -- any bold, bold italic, or italic variations on any of the above. This can present a problem in the Windows 3.1 environment, because the Linotronic selections in the 3.5 and 3.51 drivers do not list the standard Apple LaserWriter Plus font set. ATM 2.0, Windows 3.1, and printing to the Linotronic imagesetters with the PostScript 3.5 or 3.51 drivers If you're targeted for a Linotronic under the 3.5 or 3.51 drivers, you only get the following fonts listed in PageMaker and your other Windows applications: Courier Helvetica Helvetica-Narrow Symbol -- plus any softfonts or True Type fonts that have been installed on your system. If you want to ensure you'll be able to print the other standard PostScript fonts correctly, you will need to either purchase those PostScript fonts or obtain their .PFM components from your service bureau or the PC PageMaker 3.01 update disks. The fonts that used to be listed automatically for the Linotronics with the 3.4a and 3.4b drivers under Windows 3.0, but are no longer listed with the 3.5 or 3.51 drivers are: AvantGarde Bookman NewCenturySchlbk Palatino ZapfChancery ZapfDingbats If your service bureau supplies you with their .PFM files, be sure to request information on how to install them onto your system. If you have the PC PageMaker 3.01 disks, you'll be able to find them in a metrics subdirectory that also contains a "FONTME.TXT" file with directions on how to install the fonts. The fonts themselves are in compressed format, and can be decompressed either by running the 3.01 update installation program or by using the "Single File Copy" feature of the "Aldus Setup" program that comes with PageMaker 4.0. If you have these PostScript softfonts and are installing them on your system with Adobe Type Manager 2.0, you will have to take another step to make them show up for the Linotronic. Because these fonts are already built-in to most PostScript printers, Adobe Type Manger 2.0 will not add them into your WIN.INI file when you use the Adobe Type Manager 2.0 "Add" button. You'll have to add those lines into your WIN.INI manually. The process will involve working with both the WIN.INI and ATM.INI files, so make back-up copies of both before getting started. 1. Open up your ATM.INI file in a text editor such as Notepad. At the top of the file, you'll see several font lines like this: AvantGarde=d:\psfonts\pfm\agw_____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agw_____. pfb AvantGarde,BOLD=d:\psfonts\pfm\agd_____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agd_____. pfb AvantGarde,BOLDITALIC=d:\psfonts\pfm\agdo____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agd o____.pfb AvantGarde,ITALIC=d:\psfonts\pfm\agwo____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agwo___ _.pfb 2. You can use these lines to construct the corresponding softfont lines in your WIN.INI. Highlight (select) the lines that correspond to AvantGarde, Bookman, NewCenturySchlbk, Palatino, ZapfChancery, ZapfDingbats (and any of the BOLD, BOLDITALIC, or ITALIC variations) and click on "Edit" and "Copy." 3. Next, open up your WIN.INI file and look for the [PostScript,Port] section that corresponds to the port you've defined for the Linotronic. This section will probably look like this: [PostScript,FILE] ATM=placeholder Be sure not to add softfont lines to the section of your WIN.INI file that corresponds to the exact model name of your PostScript printer (such as [Linotronic 330,FILE]). 4. Click an insertion point at the end of the section, and then click on "Edit," "Paste" to bring in the ATM.INI lines. Your section will look something like this: [PostScript,FILE] ATM=placeholder AvantGarde=d:\psfonts\pfm\agw_____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agw_____.pfb AvantGarde,BOLD=d:\psfonts\pfm\agd_____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agd_____. pfb AvantGarde,BOLDITALIC=d:\psfonts\pfm\agdo____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agd o____.pfb AvantGarde,ITALIC=d:\psfonts\pfm\agwo____.pfm,d:\psfonts\agwo___ _.pfb 5. Next, you'll have to change those lines to softfont entries by: A. Deleting the comma after the ".pfm" file and deleting the rest of the lines, like this: [PostScript,FILE] ATM=placeholder AvantGarde=d:\psfonts\pfm\agw_____.pfm AvantGarde,BOLD=d:\psfonts\pfm\agd_____.pfm AvantGarde,BOLDITALIC=d:\psfonts\pfm\agdo____.pfm AvantGarde,ITALIC=d:\psfonts\pfm\agwo____.pfm B. Changing the name of the font to "softfont" and the number of the softfont line, like this (the numbers are assigned consecutively): [PostScript,FILE] ATM=placeholder softfont1=d:\psfonts\pfm\agw_____.pfm softfont2=d:\psfonts\pfm\agd_____.pfm softfont3=d:\psfonts\pfm\agdo____.pfm softfont4=d:\psfonts\pfm\agwo____.pfm C. After you're all done, look to see what the total number of softfonts in that section is, and put in one more line to reflect that number, like this: [PostScript,FILE] ATM=placeholder softfonts=4 softfont1=d:\psfonts\pfm\agw_____.pfm softfont2=d:\psfonts\pfm\agd_____.pfm softfont3=d:\psfonts\pfm\agdo____.pfm softfont4=d:\psfonts\pfm\agwo____.pfm The "softfonts=x" line must list the total number of softfonts in that [Printer,Port] section for all fonts to be recognized correctly. You will not need to do this if you have a version of ATM prior to 2.0, or if Microsoft releases an updated version of the Windows 3.1 PostScript driver that will list the Apple LaserWriter Plus set of fonts for the Linotronic imagesetters. Check with Microsoft for current information on drivers. From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:14 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:09:16 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300404 Serial Number Not Accepted During Installation of Aldus Products ISSUE Serial number is not accepted by the Aldus Installer (Aldsetup) when installing an Aldus application. SOLUTION(S) Ensure that the serial number's hyphens are used and no additional spaces are typed by tabbing to the serial number field and deleting and retyping the serial number. Serial number prefixes (e.g., ED or LP) are not a part of the valid serial number. If they are used, highlight the entire serial number, any spaces before or after it, delete, and re- enter the serial number without the prefix. The serial number for Aldus PageMaker will always begin with the number 03. wk June 29, 1993 sernum.txt From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:21 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:09:21 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300405 Troubleshooting General Protection Faults (GPFs) General Protection Faults (GPFs) can be caused by anything from low-level DOS problems to memory conflicts between device drivers, software, and hardware components to corrupt elements in specific files. Diagnosing their causes is not always an easy task. While there are many known issues which cause GPFs and solutions to remove them, there are no definitive cures for GPFs. Follow these DOS, Windows, and Aldus PageMaker tips for basic computer maintenance. Aldus Technical Support uses these techniques successfully in the process of supporting the Windows 3.1 versions of PageMaker, Aldus Persuasion, Aldus FreeHand, and Aldus PhotoStyler. Read this entire document before proceeding. You may note symptoms that match your problem and be able to correct the problem with only a few steps. If you don't recognize your problem here and you experience GPFs regularly, we recommend that you first carry out the DOS and Windows steps, then go back to work in Windows as usual. If the GPFs persist, tackle the PageMaker steps. Finally, if none of these steps work, try the more drastic steps listed at the end of the article. The wording of the General Protection Fault error message appears to point fingers at particular programs. The program the message mentions may or may not be the cause of the error. Since many of these errors are based on memory management conflicts, it is quite possible that whatever program is running or loading at that time is caught in the middle of whatever action is not functioning properly. Sometimes the error message, module and address point out the origin of the problem right away. Addresses with the letter C in them, for example, almost always involve a conflict with the video display driver. While such an error may only occur in one application, it does not necessarily mean that it is that application's fault. It may be the only one that is large enough or memory intensive enough to activate some other problem. Always make sure the error is repeatable before becoming concerned and/or calling Technical Support. Many GPFs are one- time occurrences. Reboot your machine and attempt the same action again. If the error repeats consistently, begin the troubleshooting process. BASIC DOS HYGIENE GPFs tend to occur most often on computers that aren't receiving consistent basic maintenance. Here are some relatively painless ways to "keep it clean." 1. Reboot. Always restart your computer after receiving a GPF. This will refresh your computer's memory; if you don't reboot, the problem may snowball. 2. Check for lost clusters. After you've rebooted, at the DOS prompt, type "CHKDSK." This checks your hard disk for lost clusters, bad sectors, or lost allocation units. If CHKDSK finds any of these, you can decide later whether to delete them (typing "CHKDSK/F" would give you the option to delete or save these files). CHKDSK should be run on each drive if you have partitioned or multiple hard drives. If you're unfamiliar with these issues, work with a systems person who can help you. 3. Make sure you have enough free disk space. CHKDSK also reports how much free space is available on your hard disk. If there are less than two megabytes (less than 2,000,000 "bytes available on disk"), this may be causing GPFs, not to mention a host of other problems. Your computer should have 2MB of disk space free at the very minimum whenever you are running Windows. (If you have a partitioned hard disk, there should be at least 2MB free on the drive where the TEMP directory is located.) When you work in an application, a copy of your data file is stored temporarily in that disk space, and, if you use Print Manager, your print jobs reside there temporarily as well, so you need enough space to accommodate those tasks. 4. Does your computer have enough memory? Windows needs to read at least one full megabyte of memory to run a program such as PageMaker 4.0 (more for other applications and for good performance). If you have DOS 5.0 or above, type "MEM" at the DOS prompt to see how much memory is available. If you have PageMaker 4.0 on your computer, you can also type "Memory" at the DOS prompt to use a memory utility that ships with that program. You can also see how much memory is available in Windows by choosing "Help," "About Program Manager" in Program Manager. 5. Locate the TEMP directory. At the DOS prompt, type "SET". (SET tells you the current DOS environment settings, one of which is the TEMP directory. Ideally, these settings are the same as what is set in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, but these can be overridden; the SET command tells the real story.) Another place to view this information is in the Aldus Setup Main Menu under Diagnostics, Display current environment. Usually, the TEMP directory is under the Windows directory, e.g., TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. If no TEMP directory is specified, check the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to make sure it has a "set temp=..." line. Finally, check to make sure this directory really exists. If it doesn't exist, create the directory or change the "set temp=..." line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to point to a valid directory other than the root directory or the DOS directory. Certain commands in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, such as WIN or MENU, will prevent any subsequent lines in that file from being read. If the proper Path or Temp statement follows such an entry, move it above the line in question. If there are multiple Path or Temp lines in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, only the last one (before a command such as WIN or MENU) will be read. 6. Delete any files with a TMP extension. If you've been experiencing GPFs, you probably have many of these "temporary" files on your hard disk. A buildup of temporary files may cause GPFs, so they should be deleted from time to time. Do not delete temporary files while running Windows or from the DOS prompt within Windows. Instead, delete them from DOS by typing "DEL *.TMP" from the prompt for that directory. If the Temp directory was invalid, you may find these files in the Windows directory, or in the root directory. Otherwise you will find the TMP files in the location indicated when you type SET. Remember that if you are unable to open a file because of a crash, a stalled print job, or other natural disaster, the file you were working on at that time is often written to disk as a temporary file. Check the temp directory for a file with the date and time of the problem. These files often have lost information in them, and can sometimes be opened and saved in their program of origin (indicated by the three characters following the "~" in the TMP file name.) BASIC WINDOWS HYGIENE Once you've cleaned up your system at DOS, start on Windows. 1. Check for multiple copies of system files. You need one and only one copy of every system file to run Windows_more than that can cause problems on your system. Some of the files which you might find duplicated on your system are the WIN.INI file, printer drivers, AUTOEXEC.BAT files, and other drivers. Search all drives to determine whether you have duplicate files. Of course you can't have a duplicate name in a single directory, but there are circumstances under which a second copy of a file may have been installed or copied to some other location. (You can search for multiple files by selecting "Search" from the File menu in File Manager, making sure that "Start From:" says X:\ only, where X is the letter of the drive you are searching, and that "Search All Subdirectories" is checked.) The WIN.INI file should be located in the WINDOWS directory. If there is more than one WIN.INI file on your system, find and rename all the WIN.INI files, except the one in the WINDOWS directory, then exit and restart Windows and try to duplicate the initial problem. 2. Make sure you only have one version of Windows installed. If you've read #1 above, this should go without saying. 3. Turn off type managers. While type manager vendors will tell you that their product is compatible with everyone else's, running more than one type manager at the same time or running a damaged or outdated type manager may cause GPFs. Turn off all type managers, exit and restart Windows and see if you still get an error. If using multiple type managers, try each type manager separately, and then in combination, to see if one is causing problems. In such cases, bear in mind that the type manager may not be incompatible, but may require something as simple as being reinstalled. Call the manufacturer of the type manager in question for additional suggestions. 4. Check for damaged screen fonts. Screen fonts sometimes get damaged; when they do, they can cause GPFs. Screen fonts can be installed through a type manager or through Windows. By following #3 above you can check for damaged type manager screen fonts. To check the Windows screen fonts, open the Windows Control Panel in the Program Manager, and double-click on the Fonts icon to display your list of installed screen fonts. Click on the name of each font to see if it displays properly in the box below. If any font causes a GPF, gives an error or doesn't display, delete the font and reinstall it. 5. Run Windows in Standard mode if your GPFs persist. To do this, exit Windows completely, and type "WIN/S" at the DOS prompt. If Standard mode corrects the problem, it generally indicates a damaged permanent swap file or one that is larger than the size recommended by Windows. For information about deleting and recreating permanent Swap files, refer to your Windows documentation. 6. Run Windows by typing "WIN/D:X". If this eliminates the GPF, you may have a mapping conflict in a particular adaptor segment of memory. Adding the line EMMExclude=A000-EFFF under the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file can keep this memory segment from being used by Windows. We recommend making a backup copy of your WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files before making changes. In the Windows File Manager, select the file (click on it once), go to the File menu and select "Copy." Then give the file a different name such as WININI.BAK and SYSINI.BAK, respectively. To see what other switches you can use for Windows troubleshooting, exit Windows and type "WIN/?" at the DOS prompt. 7. Check the resolution of your video card. If you are running a high-resolution card, change the driver setting to standard VGA and run the program again. Some high-resolution cards are not written to the Windows specifications, and may have interface problems with (high-end) Windows applications. If this fixes the problem, check with your video card manufacturer and see if updated drivers are available. 8. If you're using a PCL printer, you may have a damaged Font Summary file. This file is FSxxport.PCL, where xx is the printer driver identifier and port is the name of the port your printer is using (such as LPT1 or COM2). Delete or rename this file; the next time you use that printer, the file will be rebuilt. 9. Make sure you have a proper target device as a default in your applications. Sometimes a default may be set to a printer that has been removed, or to a driver that is damaged. Make sure the defaults are in order, and perhaps even change to a different default to see if the problem is corrected. READING THE ERROR MESSAGE TO HELP ISOLATE THE CULPRIT If the GPF always occurs in a particular file at a similar address, it is possible that the file is the culprit. Determine the origin of the file and proceed from there. If the file is a component of a type manager or another utility that runs in the background, disable that program and see if it corrects the error. If so, reinstall that program, or contact the manufacturer of the program for additional help. If it is a printer driver file, check for multiples of that file on your hard drive as outlined in the Basic Windows Hygiene section. If there are no duplicates, remove the printer from the Windows Control Panel (see your Windows manual for instructions on removing installed printers). Once the printer is removed from the Control Panel, exit Windows and delete the printer driver file and any of its components from the hard drive (for example, if the problem is with an Apple LaserWriter+ PostScript printer, delete the PSCRIPT.DRV file and the corresponding .WPD description file). Restart Windows and see if you still get a GPF in that file. If so, look again for multiples of the file on the hard drive. If not, reinstall the printer driver. If the problem reoccurs, it indicates a conflict with the printer driver and you should contact the supplier of that printer driver (usually Microsoft or the printer manufacturer) for additional help. If it is a video driver file make sure no multiples are found, then follow Basic Windows Hygiene step #7. PAGEMAKER HYGIENE If GPFs always occur when trying to launch PageMaker and you've tried DOS and Windows solutions to no avail, try the following. 1. Delete all of the DLL files in the Aldus directory and single file copy them using the Aldus Setup program. 2. Remark out every filter in the ALDUS.INI file by placing a semicolon (;) in front of each line in the [AldusImports] and [AldusExports] sections and relaunch the program. If this works, delete and reinstall the filters. (This step isn't necessary for PageMaker 5.0, as it does not use a filter section in the ALDUS.INI.) 3. Delete and reinstall your PageMaker files. You can delete everything in the PM5 directory (assuming your data files are copied elsewhere and you haven't changed or don't wish to keep your edited tracking file). If you have no other Aldus products, you can also delete your entire Aldus directory (again, assuming you have made no custom setups that you wish to keep). If GPFs occur only in specific PageMaker publications, try these remedies. 1. Rename PageMaker's default file. Occasionally, PageMaker's defaults file (PM4.CNF or PM5.CNF) will get corrupted. It is located in the ALDUS\USENGLSH subdirectory. Close PageMaker and rename the CNF file (e.g., PM4CNF.OLD). PageMaker will create a new default file next time you launch. You'll lose any application-wide defaults you've set up, but you may get rid of the GPFs you've been experiencing. (To learn more about setting defaults in PageMaker, see FaxNote #314301, "Changing PageMaker's Defaults.") This solution may also work for a program-wide error. 2. Isolate the damaged portion or element of the publication. If only one publication is misbehaving, one of its elements could be damaged, or the entire publication corrupted. 2a. If the GPF occurs while you're opening the publication, make a note of when it crashes. If it crashes after it's finished loading and is just starting to display, you may have a damaged graphic or font on the page, so try the following: - Always open a copy of the publication until you've isolated the problem. - Open the publication without giving PageMaker the chance to display it. Start PageMaker, then before you open the publication, resize the PageMaker window so all you can see of the program is the menu bar. - Open your publication and before you enlarge the screen to view the publication, choose "Target printer" from the File menu, reselect the end output device, then click "OK." Click "OK" when PageMaker asks to recompose your publication. - While holding the Control and Shift keys down, choose the "Hyphenation" command from the "Type" menu. This forces PageMaker to recompose all the type in your publication. Make sure the pointer tool is selected for this action. - Choose the "Save as" command from the File menu to save the file to the same name (i.e., replace the old publication file). - Once you've completed these steps, enlarge the publication window. If you no longer get GPFs, you've eliminated the problem. 2b. If you still get a GPF, close Windows and reboot then resize the window so that just the menu bar is visible. Reopen the publication and try to determine which page is giving you the trouble. If you can change to another page, enlarge the window, and have no problems, it is likely the original page is the damaged one. Even while you can't see the pages, you can change the page view size of all pages in the publication by holding down Alt + Ctrl and then choosing the desired view. This can be useful because a page may display properly in Fit in Window view but cause a GPF when zooming in if there is a damaged element on the page (especially text, in this case). 2c. Another way of to help identify a problem element is to split the file into parts. If one half gives the error and the other doesn't, you've already eliminated half the legwork for finding the problem. To split a publication, Save As, twice to two new names (e.g., Part1 and Part2). Open Part1 and delete pages 11 to 20 (let's assume this is a 20-page publication), then Save As to the same name, Part1, to replace the existing file. Then open Part2 and delete pages 1 to 10, then Save As to Part2. Replacing the existing file removes all information from the previous save. Then work through the pages of each half and see if one gives the error and the other doesn't. If so, you can continue to break the file with the error down in this manner until you isolate the culprit. Also, consider the following specific incidents: PageMaker 4.0 generates a GPF if a tab leader is forced to wrap to another line or if the text on each side is so close the tab leader cannot display. In this case, the error message would be very specific: "PM4 caused a General Protection Fault in module PM4.EXE at 0049:00FC." If you have a tab that wraps to a second line or is getting "squashed" by the elements on either side of it, this could be causing your GPF and you should adjust your text to prevent this. If possible (i.e. if the file opens and the page is in Fit in Window view), change to non-leader tabs on the page involved so that you can then work to fix the layout problem (if you've used styles, editing styles is the easiest way to accomplish this). If the error occurs immediately and therefore you can't even open the file, follow step 2b. directly above for a method to open the file without displaying the problem element. If you still get a GPF, reboot and try the troubleshooting techniques listed below. In rare instances, the GPF at 0049:00FC can be caused by a "ghost" tab or empty windowshade handle that may not normally be seen. A bad graphic is causing the GPFs. If the GPF is being caused by a damaged graphic, select "Preferences" from the Edit menu (or the File menu in PageMaker 5.0) and set the "Detailed graphics" option to "Gray out" to make your graphics display as gray boxes. You might try removing one graphic at a time from the page, saving, and then displaying the graphics normally again to see which is damaged. In PageMaker 4.0, "ghost" fonts may be a cause of the problem. Fonts with question marks indicate that they have been used in a given publication but are not available for the device selected. Do any of your fonts have question marks in front of them? If so, make sure you have your end output device targeted, and then change any ghost fonts to fonts without question marks. MORE DRASTIC MEASURES If GPFs persist after trying all the steps listed thus far, there may be a driver or program running in the background that is causing the problem. Whenever you boot your PC, it looks to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to launch drivers for mice, joysticks, networks, and the like. These programs are launched at startup and are active in the background so they're available whenever you need them. Consequently, they occupy a portion of memory whenever your computer is turned on. Many GPFs occur because different programs try to access the same portion of your computer's memory. The only way to determine if one of these programs is causing GPFs is to disable it, then reboot your computer and see if GPFs occur. It's a time-consuming process, which is why it's listed here as a last resort. The following procedure shows you how to create a floppy disk and copy your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS to it. Next you'll strip out all the lines in each of these files except those necessary to boot your PC and run Windows. Then, one by one you'll add e ach line back in. If you've never worked with AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files or are not comfortable working with DOS, talk to someone familiar with these things before you try these steps. 1. Format a diskette that you can use as a system disk in drive A: by typing the following at the DOS prompt: format a:/s 2. Next, copy your existing "AUTOEXEC.BAT" and "CONFIG.SYS" files to the floppy diskette in the A: drive. From the C:\> (root directory) prompt, type the following commands: COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT A: COPY CONFIG.SYS A: If you're using DOS 5.0, you will need to type in this command: COPY WINA20.386 A: 3. Using a text editor such as Windows Notepad, edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files that are on the system disk you just created. There are only a few lines you need to have in these files in order to run PageMaker. In your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, leave only the following lines intact: PATH=(your path statement) SET TEMP=(the full drive and path to your temp directory) At the beginning of each additional line, type REM to prevent the line from loading. In your CONFIG.SYS file, leave in the following: FILES=(number of files) BUFFERS=(number of buffers) DEVICE=(full drive and path)HIMEM.SYS (plus any hard disk partitioning device drivers necessary for your system) Again, type REM at the beginning of all other lines. (IMPORTANT NOTE: When disabling (or remarking out) lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, do not remove or change any lines required for disk compression software or device drivers for critical hardware components. If you change them, you may be unable to start up your system. If you are unfamiliar with these procedures or what lines are vital to the running of your computer, ask someone who knows.) Leave the floppy in drive A:, reboot the machine, and see if this eliminates the GPFs. If it does, remove the REM statement at the beginning of the old lines one by one, rebooting and experimenting each time, until the GPFs come back _ you will have discovered the cause of your problem. If your GPFs are random and happen all throughout Windows and none of the troubleshooting in the record alleviates them, it may help to delete and reinstall Windows to get a fresh start. If doing this, you can either keep a backup of your WIN.INI file and add your Windows program sections to it manually, or you can reinstall your Windows programs for a truly fresh start. wk July 1, 1993 gpf.txt From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:23 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:09:26 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300601 Working with Scanned Images Understanding the basics about digital halftones, scanning, and PageMaker's "Image control" feature can help you make your grayscale scanned images look their best when printed from PageMaker. Understanding Halftones Consider an original black and white photograph. The image consists of solid areas in many shades of gray or colors that smoothly blend from one to the other. Such an image is called continuous-tone art. If you look closely at a reproduction of that same photo in a newspaper or a magazine, you'll see that the continuous shades of the original art have been broken into a series of regularly spaced dots (sometimes lines) of varying sizes. The darker the shade, the larger the dot. Yet these dots are usually so small that, at normal reading distance, they create the illusion of a continuous-tone image. The negative that is used to produce this patterned version of an image is called a halftone, and it's the way continuous-tone art is turned into something that can be printed using only black ink. All continuous-tone art must be screened as halftones to be commercially printed so if you're planning to reproduce black and white photos using PageMaker, you'll need to understand at least the basics of halftoning. Traditional halftones are photographically produced from copies of original art. Today, however, they're often digitally produced using a scanner and a PostScript printer. Nevertheless, the basic principles are the same in either case_and knowing how traditional halftones are produced will make it easier to understand the concepts used in digital halftoning. Traditional halftones Photographic, or traditional, halftones are produced using special cameras and halftone screens, flexible pieces of material with a regular pattern of dots in specific increments. A wide variety of halftone screens, differentiated by their frequency of dots, are commonly used. The screen frequency you choose should be based on the paper, inks, and the commercial printing press you'll use to print the final piece. Screen frequency values are given as "lines per inch" (lpi_measured by the number of dots in a line one inch long) instead of "dots per inch" (dpi), for historical reasons. If you want a halftone image of a black and white photograph to have a screen of 120 lines per inch, you'd use a halftone screens with a frequency of 120 lines per inch. You'd take the screen, place it on the blank film in the camera and, shoot the art, exposing the film through the screen. When the film is processed, you'll have a halftone image. Usually, these halftones can then be included in the negative that is used to create the printing plate. Digital halftones With PageMaker, you can use a scanner and a printer to convert your continuous-tone images directly into halftones. And because of the flexible printing options available on the desktop, you can produce your halftone image in many formats: as a film halftone of just the scanned image, or as a film halftone compiled as a final negative. While you can also produce a positive image of the scanned image on paper (called a velox), your printer will need to turn it into a negative image before printing it. So how do you get a digital halftone? First, you need to scan your image. The type of scanner you use will determine the number of grays you'll be able to record; you'll also need to choose the resolution of the scan. Once your image has been scanned, you can either manipulate it in a program such as Aldus PhotoStyler or place it directly into PageMaker. Using PageMaker's "Image control" feature, you can make minor adjustments to the overall image and set a halftone screen frequency. Then, when you print the image to any printer, the scanned image data will be screened based on the settings you've made in "Image control." While that more or less describes the process, it doesn't address the issue of how the final printed image looks. And if you've ever had disappointing results with your scanned images, you're probably wondering why, if it's so simple, you haven't been able to make it work for you. Three variables control the quality of the halftones you'll get from PageMaker: y The resolution and number of grays in the original scan y The screen frequency you choose for the image y The resolution of the printer you use to produce the halftone. Together, these variables determine the size of the digital halftone cell_the area of the largest halftone dot you'll produce_and the maximum number of grays you can print. This, in turn, determines the quality of the final printed image. Since about 150 shades of gray are needed to produce a convincing halftone, and since commonly used screen frequencies range from 55 to well over 200 lines per inch, there's a fair amount of flexibility in the process. Choosing the scan resolution and halftone frequency for your specific needs is usually a little less flexible, however, and usually involves making well-informed trade-offs. Digital halftoning: the nitty gritty Digital halftone cells are created by using a grid or cell of printer dots. Each printer dot can be turned either on or off; changing the number of dots which are on or off in a given cell creates the illusion of larger or smaller dots. When the pattern of dots is viewed over an entire image, this has the same effect as a traditional halftone. The size of each halftone cell is determined by the screen frequency you assign to the image; the number of printer dots in each cell (which will vary depending on the resolution of the printer you use) determines the number of grays you can produce in your halftone. If you apply the same halftone screen to an image, but print the image on two printers with different resolutions, the quality of the printed images will be radically different. There's a simple formula you can use to determine the number of printed shades of gray a screen frequency will produce at any given printer resolution: (printer resolution v screen frequency) 2 + 1 = printed shades of gray Since the number of printed shades of gray is what makes a halftone image look convincingly like a continuous-tone photograph, you'll want to adjust the screen frequency or the printer's resolution so that the number of shades of gray is at least 150. Let's consider several real life examples to illustrate this. Imagine that you have a scanned image that you want to print with a screen frequency of 90 lines per inch. You have a choice between printing it on a 300 dpi printer or, at considerably more expense, an imagesetter. Which should you choose? If you print it to a 300 dpi printer, here's what you'd get: (300 v 90)2 + 1 = ~12 shades of gray If, on the other hand, you printed the image on an imagesetter at 1270 dpi, you'd get this: (1270 v 90)2 + 1 = ~ 200 shades of gray If quality is your primary concern, you'd obviously want to choose the imagesetter output. If you drop the screen frequency down to 65 (the default screen frequency for a 300 dpi printer is 53 lpi), you'd get: (300 v 65)2 + 1 = 22 shades of gray Your image would still be coarse, but it would be considerably better than if you had used the higher line screen on a 300 dpi printer. The quality of grayscale scanned images printed to 300 dpi printers is, unfortunately, not very good. Apple has recently introduced 300 dpi PostScript printers which make use of Apple's PhotoGrade technology. While these printers offer dramatic improvements when you print scans to low-resolution printers, you'll still get the best possible results if you print your scans to an imagesetter capable of printing at high resolutions. Scanners and scan resolutions While hardware for the scanner you work with is what determines the number of grays you can save in a scanned image file, you can control the file format you use and the resolution of the scan. Scanners come in two types: single-bit and multi-bit. A single- bit scanner records scanned image data as either on or off, black or white. One bit scans have a fixed pattern of black and white dots, whether you save it as a paint-type (bit-map) graphic or as a single-bit tag image file format (TIFF) image. Multi-bit scanners, on the other hand, interpret the shades in a continuous-tone original as levels (or shades) of gray, producing grayscale images. The number of gray levels in the image depends on the number of bits the scanner uses to interpret the grays. Four-bit scanners are limited to 16 gray levels, 6-bit scanners can produce 64 gray levels, and 8-bit scanners can produce 256 gray levels. The number of gray levels you scan is the maximum number of levels you can print_even on an imagesetter. While most scanners can save in a variety of graphic file formats, we recommend using the TIFF format. The TIFF format, developed by Aldus to provide scanner manufacturers with a standardized way of storing large amounts of image data, is widely used, supports both color and black and white scanners, and yields the most consistent results. Determining scan resolutions You probably already have a scanner, and you may already be saving your images in the TIFF format. But how should you determine the resolution of your scans? First, the term resolution is a bit misleading if you're working with grayscale images. The setting for resolution does not determine the resolution of the final printed image_that's controlled by the halftone screen you use and by the resolution of your printer as we saw above. Part of this confusion stems from the fact that scan resolution is normally expressed in dots per inch. In fact, scan resolution actually refers to the number of samples taken and saved per linear inch and should be thought of as samples per inch or pixels per inch, rather than dots per inch (which usually expresses printer resolution). If you set your scan resolution to 150 samples per inch, your scanner will take 150 samples over an inch_and if you're working with an 8-bit scanner, storing each sample will require a full byte (8 bits). The higher the scan resolution you choose, the larger your files will be. And since these files can get downright huge, you'll want to scan at the lowest resolution capable of producing the results you want. Many people scan at resolutions higher than they really need because they assume that the higher the scan resolution, the better the final printed result. While this is true up to a point, it isn't quite that straightforward. The scan resolution setting provides the raw data for digital halftones. You want to include enough information in the scanned image so that there isn't any doubt about the shade of gray for any halftone cell. You don't want to store much more information than that_your scans will require extra storage space on your hard drive and they'll also take much longer to print. There's a simple formula you can use to determine the scan resolution you should use: (final image height or width v original image height or width) x halftone screen frequency x 2 = minimum scanning resolution Note: These guidelines only apply if you're scanning continuous tone art. If you're scanning line art (or any one-bit image), you'll want to scan at the highest possible resolution. Note: It's possible to multiply the halftone screen frequency by as little as 1.5 (rather than 2) and still get good results. Let's look at some real life examples. Imagine you have a 5" x 7" print that you plan to place into a publication. You know that you'll be reducing the size of the image to a width of about 3" and you also know that you'll be using a line screen of 90 when you print the publication. Using the formula above, we'd calculate the scan's resolution as follows: (3 v 7) x 90 x 2 = ~77 Based on this calculation, you'd want to scan your image as close to 77 dpi (or, samples per inch) as possible to get the best balance between image file size and quality_for this specific use. If you knew that you were going to reproduce the image at the same size, you'd want to scan at a resolution closer to 180 than 77. Imagine, though, that you have a 3" x 4" print that you hope to reproduce at 6" x 8" with a screen frequency of 120 lpi. Using the same formula, here's what you'd come up with: (8 v 4) x 120 x 2 = 480 But what if your scanner can only scan up to 300 dpi? If you scan at a resolution which is too low, the printed halftone will look unacceptably blocky. You'll need to make some trade-offs. For example, will a coarser line screen work? Or is it possible to reproduce the image at a smaller size (which would make it possible to use the same line screen)? These guidelines provide you with a starting point, but experimentation and experience will provide you with a more concrete sense of what will work and what won't for the results you need. Compressing TIFFs with PageMaker TIFF file sizes can get fairly large and, as a result, lend themselves nicely to file compression schemes. If you're working with uncompressed TIFFs in PageMaker, you can take advantage of PageMaker's built-in compression capabilities when you place your TIFF files. 1. In PageMaker's "Place" dialog box, select the TIFF you want to compress. 2. Hold down one of the following keyboard combinations as you click "OK." PageMaker offers two levels of LZW compression: moderate and maximum. Compression type Keyboard combination Moderate Control + Alt + "OK" Maximum Ctrl + Alt + Shift + "OK" PageMaker will make a compressed copy of the TIFF in the same directory as the original. If you place the image, PageMaker will place the compressed version. The file's name will change to reflect the degree of compression; you can delete the original once you've made the compressed copy. To decompress TIFF images: 1. In PageMaker's "Place" dialog box, select the TIFF you want to decompress. 2. Press Ctrl and click "OK." PageMaker will create a decompressed version of the TIFF file in the same directory as the compressed version. All compression schemes work by compacting data, but regardless of the quality of the compression scheme, it's possible for a certain amount of data to be lost. This normally doesn't have any effect in the final printed version, but it's a good idea to print a test of the compressed version before you delete the original. Getting the most from "Image control" PageMaker's "Image control" feature provides you with control over a scanned image's lightness, contrast, screen frequency, and angle. To access "Image control," select any paint-type, one-bit or grayscale scanned image. "Image control" will be grayed out if any other type of graphic (including color TIFF images) are selected. As your publication is printed, PageMaker inserts comments that contain instructions about changes you've made in "Image control" into the stream of information sent to the printer. This means that the changes you make in "Image control" don't actually change your image_just the way it prints from PageMaker. If you've resized the image, the "Image control" settings are applied to the final image size, rather than the original. The default settings in this dialog box are based upon the resolution capabilities for the printer you have selected in "Target printer." For general purposes, most of these settings also work well for higher-resolution printers. To get the best results when printing grayscale images to an imagesetter, however, you should adjust the "Lightness," "Contrast," and "Screen frequency" settings in PageMaker. Changing lightness and contrast The quality of the scanned image you place in PageMaker determines how you'll adjust the settings in the "Image control" dialog box. If the original image seems faded, decrease the "Lightness" setting to make it darker; if it appears too dark, increase the setting. Or, if it seems monochromatic, you may want to increase the contrast between the light and dark objects in the image. If it shows too few shades of gray, decrease the contrast. Once you're satisfied with the overall look, tweak the settings for final printing to an imagesetter. Because an imagesetter produces a very fine series of dots, dark and middle values of gray will often "plug up" and the very lightest values will disappear. To avoid this, slightly adjust both the "Lightness" and "Contrast" once again. We've found that increasing the "Lightness" setting by about 5 percent and decreasing the "Contrast" setting by about 10 percent lightens the darkest grays, darkens the lightest grays, and adjusts the intervening shades accordingly so that all gray levels look their best relative to each other. As well, double check with your commercial printer to see if you can use Image control to compensate for ink dot gain While on the press, the dots of ink used to print your halftone tend to spread by 5 to 10% when they come in contact with the printer. Experiment to determine what values work best for your scanner and imagesetter. By starting with these adjustments, you may get the results you want on the first try. Setting the screen frequency In traditional halftones, the dots vary in size, smoothly graduating from large to small, to create the visual impression of shading. Grayscale images simulate these dot sizes by filling in a tiny bitmap grid of printer dots for each halftone cell. The screen frequency you set for your halftone images determines the distance between the center of each halftone cell; the center of the resulting halftone dots is always the same distance from adjacent dots_regardless of the size of the dot. You set the screen frequency of a grayscale image with the "Screen frequency" option in PageMaker's "Image control" dialog box. Traditionally, screen frequencies range from 55 to over 250 lpi. In general, the screen frequency you choose for your images will be based on the type of paper, ink, and commercial printing press you'll be using. If you're not sure what screen frequency to use, the guidelines that follow can provide a starting point_but be sure to get a final recommendation from your commercial printer. y 65-85 lines per inch for a scanned image that is to printed on a coarse finished paper such as newsprint y 85-100 lines per inch for a scanned image that is to be "quick printed" on an uncoated paper y 100-120 lines per inch for a scanned image that is to be printed using a good quality offset paper or a matte or coated paper Printing to film Once you've altered your "Image control" settings, you may want to print directly to film on the imagesetter, which can significantly improve the quality of your grayscale images. In normal printing processes, the printer takes a picture of your original halftone to produce a negative, then combines that halftone into a final negative, making the printing plates from the composite negative. Each stage in this process creates a new generation of your image, which makes the halftone lose integrity. By printing to film, however, you can skip one of these steps and produce your own composite negatives directly from PageMaker. This helps retain more of your original image's integrity once it's finally printed. It can also provide significant cost savings. From bit.listserv.pagemakr Mon Jan 24 11:13:28 1994 From: Todd Merriman Date: Sat, 22 Jan 1994 15:09:29 -0500 Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pagemakr Subject: Aldus PM document 300901 Books About Aldus PageMaker Advanced PageMaker 4.0 for Windows Craig Danuloff and William B. Sanders Prima Publishing (916) 786-0426 Desktop Publishing Using PageMaker on the IBM PC Don Busche Prentice Hall (201) 592-2827 Desktop Publishing IBM-PC & Ventura Publisher Holly Yasui and Byron Canfield Paradigm Publishing (612) 941-4111 Desktop Publishing Using PageMaker IBM Version Julia Bradley, Joanne Floyd, Nancy Sherman, and Robert Urell Wm. C. Brown, Publishers (319) 588-1451 Desktop Publishing with PageMaker: For the IBM PC and Compatibles Tony Brove and Cheryl Rhodes John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (212) 850-6777 Easy PageMaker for the IBM PC (Version 3) Fritz Erickson and John Vonk Merrill Publishing Co. (614) 890-1111 Fit to Print with PageMaker 4.0-Windows Edition William R, Lomax, Mare Masco, and Mark L. Justice M&T Books (415) 366-3600 Hands-On PC PageMaker 3.0 C.J. Wallia California Publishing Illustrated PageMaker 3.0 Bennie R. Lowery, Ed. D and Phillis Moore Wordware Publishing (214) 423-0090 The Insider's Guide to PageMaker (IBM Version 3.0) Rick Sullivan Scott, Foresman & Company (800) ALL-BOOK Introducing PageMaker 3.0 IBM PC, PS/2 and Compatibles Version Tony Webster and David Webster M&T Books (415) 366 3600 Mastering Pagemaker on the IBM PC Antonia Stacy Jolles Sybex Books (800) 227-2346 PageMaker 4.0 for Windows William B. Sanders Prima Publishing (916) 786-0426 Problem Solve: PageMaker, IBM William Sanders Scott, Foresman and Company (800) ALL-BOOK TechNotes:Technical Notes on PageMaker 4.0 for Windows Aldus Corporation (206) 628-2320 The PageMaker Companion: PC 3.0 Edition Deke McClelland and Craig Danuloff Dow Jones Irwin (800) 634-3966 Up & Running with PageMaker 4.0 on the PC Marvin Bryan Sybex, Inc. (800) 227-2346 Using PageMaker for the PC, Version 3 Martin Matthews and Carole B. Matthews Osborne McGraww-Hill (800) 322-3007 Using PageMaker 4.0 for the PC Martin Matthews and Carole B. Matthews Osborne McGraw-Hill (800) 322-3007 Using PageMaker, IBM Version Diane Burns and Sharyn Venit Que Corporation (317) 573-2500 Visual Quick Start Guide: PageMaker 4 for the PC Tony Webster and Paul Webster Peachpit Press (415) 527-8555 Books about Aldus FreeHand Aldus FreeHand Point by Point Nichole J. Vick Scott, Foressman Professional Books (800) ALL-BOOK Mastering Aldus FreeHand 3.0 Deke McClelland and Craig Danuloff Dow Jones Irwin (800) 634-3966 Real World FreeHand 3.0 Olav Martin Kvern Peachpit Press (415) 527-8555 Using Aldus FreeHand 3.0 Sharyn Venit and Bruce Fraser Bantam Computer Books (212) 765-6500 Books about Aldus Persuasion Mastering the Power of Aldus Persuasion 2.0 Roger Parker Dow Jones Irwin (800) 634-3966 Presentations with Persuasion Kate Thompson and Keith Thompson Brady Books (212) 373-8130 Training Materials for Aldus PageMaker How to Use PageMaker 3.0 FlipTrack Learning Systems (708) 790-1117 Individual Training for PageMaker Jim Schuyler Individual Software Inc.(415) 595-8855 Introduction to Aldus PageMaker A Level 1 Course for Windows 3.0 The Dotson Institute (206) 882-6030 PageMaker for Financial and Accounting Applications Larry Hall AppleTree Technologies (404) 457-2404 PageMaker 4.0 Mod 1: Beginning\Intermediate Desk-Top Publishing Mod 2: Advanced Desk-Top Publishing Tutorland (408) 973-0472 Teach Yourself PageMaker Philippe Mathieu Tutorland (408) 973-0472 Understanding PageMaker Dan Lampert Techware Corporation (407) 695-9000 Videos on Aldus PageMaker Learn PageMaker 4.0 for the PC Via Grafix (800) 842-4723 PageMaker, Advanced ViaGrafix (800) 842-4723 PageMaker Learning Systems Jo Bakal Micro Video Learning Systems (212) 255-3108