OPENprint Printer Driver/Support Software for Unix

With 1000's of installations and many improvements over its several year triumph, OPENprint is the "Open Systems" standard for supporting PostScript, screen captures and raster files to over 50 color and laser printers. OPENprint installs in minutes, offers powerful image preview and editing tools, and it's the right choice for connecting your printer to your Unix system!

You've got a printer and a Unix workstation...and now you need to connect them!
You're told you need:
a "printer driver for Unix,"
or perhaps a "PostScript RIP,"
or perhaps a tool to capture and print screen images or raster files....

OPENprint software is all of this and more...

Simply install OPENprint on your Unix system, and in a few minutes, you have a print-spool that you can simply use the Unix 'lp' or 'lpr' commands to automatically print your PostScript, Raster-file or plain-old text files (or just use your application's "print" button)! All this regardless of your printer's native capability. OPENprint also provides a number of X-window tools for controlling your prints too.

OPENprint features include:

ò Supports network-printer spools.
ò Supports PostScript files on non-PostScript printers and vice-versa
ò Leverages the RlSC processor to interpret PostScript documents and print rasters with speed
ò Prints and edits raster images of various formats: TIFF, GIF, SRF, PPM, XWD
ò Supports many models of color and black and white printers
ò Cross platform standardization
ò X-Window based previewing, editing and printer controls
ò Automated print-job interpretation
ò Better looking image output through color-correction and dithering control
ò Lower system cost than "on-board" PostScript printers
ò Optional command line interface

PostScript RIP:
Taking the PostScript intelligence out of the printer and putting it in the host, OPENprint capitalizes on the speed and power of today's workstations to turn a non-PostScript printer into a PostScript compatible system that comes with the "standard" 35 Type One compatible fonts. Your workstation's RISC processor will always be faster than your printer's and you'll have more memory to work with too. It's a flexible and upgradeable Host-based OPENprint system.

Raster Printing:
Users can capture the contents of an X-Window interface or import from various sources and file formats,(TIFF, GIF, SRF, PPM, XWD, and more), then "quickprint" or first edit/preview on a WYSIWYG editor and print control interface. Image scaling, rotation, positioning, font facilities, gamma correction, contrast, brightness, flood fill, dithering options, file conversion, and many more features are provided.

OPENprint handles screen captures and the printing of raster files to any printer that can handle raster graphics, and significantly enhances raster imaging on PostScript devices. OPENprint uses an error-diffusion dithering algorithm on raster files, even when printing to a Postscript printer, avoiding the PostScript half-toning process altogether. The dithered image are printed directly to a non-PostScript printer or converted into a "clean and fast" PostScript code.

With OPENprint's on-screen WYSIWYG editor, a user can compose a page consisting of one or more images. Utilities are provided for color correction, control of brightness, sharpness, dithering, scaling, image, rotation, placement, text insertion, and more. The image(s) can then be saved in a printer or image specific format.

Print it Your way.
OPENprint allows each user to set up a default file to customize the configuration of the way you want something printed. Multiple users can use the same license, as OPENprint is licensed for use on one printer.

The "OPEN," Unix Cross Platform printing solution.
OPENprint is the only solution of its kind to offer a standard printing architecture and user interface across the most popular UNIX platforms. Currently available for the Sun SPARC, (SunOS, Solaris), HP 9000/700, and IBM RS/6000, and Unixware platforms, with Silicon Graphics IRIX and Digital Unix versions coming this year. Please see the Printer and OS Support document for details on the exact operating systems currently shipping.

Supported Printers
The software also supports a wide range of output devices (see Printer and OS Support) including printers from Epson, Canon, Hewlett-Packard, CalComp, Shinko, Tektronix, and Mitsubishi, and Seiko as well as most PostScript compatible machines. A developer kit is also available for users wishing to write their own printer drivers.

If you have one the compatible platforms and printers, consider a trying a real working version of OPENprint for a 15 day trial: OPENprint downloadable software: Free Trial!

All Tradenames mentioned are the Trademarks or Registered Trademark of their respective owners

Keywords

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