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EPS Handler Module

To understand the EPS Handler module's functions, it is helpful to examine the EPS format and its use in Calamus. Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) files contain vector graphic data which can be imported into a special type of Calamus frame known as a uniframe. Uniframes are found in the Frame Tools command group and look like the icon at left.

For additional information on a variety of subjects related to this module, click on the appropriate green text.

EPS Screen Preview Data

EPS Screen without Preview Data

EPS files are integrated into a Calamus document when they are imported. It is not necessary to keep a copy of the original EPS file when reloading a document. In addition, the EPS module supports EPS files which follow the Adobe Document Structuring Convention, PostScript Level 1.

Uniframes with EPS data are like Calamus vector graphics frames and can be rotated, resized and placed in the foreground or background. Note that the TIFF screen preview will be lost when rotating or mirroring an EPS uniframe. Similarly, Windows Metafile screen previews can be rotated but the screen display is lost when mirroring the uniframe.

EPS files are composed of PostScript code, not bitmapped data. Only a PostScript display device can decode the instructions in an EPS file and display it. However, most EPS files also contain a screen preview file which is actually a bitmapped image that can be displayed.

EPS Handler Command Group


EPS Handler Command Group

The EPS Handler module can be activated by clicking its icon in the Module Row, or by selecting its name in the Modules dialog box and clicking the Execute button. The EPS Handler command group will appear.

Functions:

Import EPS Object

EPS Information

EPS Ideal SIze

Delete EPS Object

Transparency

Fonts

Screen Preview

Raster Settings

Color Handling

Technical Information


EPS Information

The contents of an EPS file are seen only on final output. However, each EPS file contains information about its contents. Select an EPS uniframe and click the EPS Information icon to examine the imported file's data. The EPS Information dialog box is displayed:

This dialog box shows specific EPS file data:

1.	The Name of the EPS file.

2.	The Creator, usually the name of the application in which the EPS file was created.

3.	The Creation Date.

4.	The Size of the original EPS image.

5.	The storage size of the EPS file.

6.	The screen preview format if present - usually Windows Metafile (WMF), TIFF or generic 	PostScript.

Some EPS files contain font information. In these cases, the EPS Information dialog box will contain an additional button: Fonts Used. Click the Fonts Used button to see a list of fonts used in the EPS file. This is helpful if you want to check an EPS frame before final output.

It is possible to hide the screen preview by deselecting the Use Preview button. If a uniframe is selected, its screen preview will be replaced with a cross and a filename.

EPS Output to non-PostScript Device


EPS Output to non-PostScript Device

The EPS Handler module automatically recognizes the installation of a PostScript output device by reading the installed printer driver. However, if you are not printing on a PostScript printer, the EPS data will not be processed during output. In this case, you have three options: Use Preview, Draw Frame with Cross, and No Output.

Use Preview will print the screen preview data. This data is usually a low resolution graphic. It is wise, however, to use this function for proofing purposes.

Draw Frame with Cross will print a crossed­out frame containing the EPS filename. This option will remind you that the EPS file data has not been processed.

No Output will ignore the EPS data. This will leave a blank area on your document page when printed. This absence may be missed when proofing your document.

Some EPS files contain four­color separated information in the screen preview data. For these kinds of files, there is an optional bitmap import driver that will import the EPS file into a raster graphic frame and generate a four­color separated raster graphic.


EPS Screen Preview Data

The data from an EPS file normally contains two components: screen preview data and data for the graphic itself. The screen preview is usually a TIFF or WMF file that fills the uniframe with a representation of the actual graphic. The screen preview is necessary because vector graphic data is a series of instructions that cannot be drawn on screen without the use of a PostScript interpreter.


EPS Screen without Preview Data

Some EPS files may not have any screen preview data. When such a file is imported into a uniframe, the frame will be covered with a cross and the filename will appear in the top­left corner. Occasionally, there may be a screen preview that is not in an acceptable TIFF format. In that case, an alert will tell you that the preview cannot be displayed.


Import EPS Object

To import an EPS object into a uniframe, select a uniframe and click the Import EPS Object icon. A file selector dialog box appears. Select the name of an EPS file. If the selected file is not a valid EPS file, an alert will appear. If the EPS file contains a screen preview of the contents, the preview will be displayed in the uniframe. If there is no screen preview, a cross will cover the uniframe and the name of the EPS file will be shown in the upper­left corner of the uniframe.


EPS Ideal Size

To resize an EPS uniframe to the dimensions of the original graphic, select the frame and click the EPS Ideal Size icon. The uniframe will be resized to the dimensions shown on the Size line of the EPS Information dialog box.

If you are using a PostScript printer, it is important to set all EPS uniframes to EPS Ideal Size since that is the way the PostScript device will output the file.


Delete EPS Object

Click the Delete EPS Object icon to remove EPS data from a uniframe without deleting the frame itself. An alert will ask you to confirm deletion before proceeding.


Transparency

The transparency of white areas in an EPS uniframe is dependent on the application from which the EPS data was exported. White areas could be either transparent or opaque. Unfortunately, Calamus cannot manipulate the transparency of imported EPS data. The result can only be observed when the document is output to a PostScript output device.


Fonts

If the EPS file contains references to fonts that are not present in the printer, the output of the entire document could be jeopardized (depending on the current printer/RIP). It is best to check Fonts Used to ensure that they are installed in your PostScript output device. If required, fonts should be downloaded to the printing application before outputting the Calamus document that contains EPS uniframes.


Screen Preview

Three preview formats are currently supported: Windows Metafile, TIFF 6.0 (low resolution) and Generic EPS bitmap graphic data.


Raster Settings

The EPS Handler module uses the raster settings which were supplied by the application that generated the EPS file. If no raster settings are present, the EPS Handler uses the raster settings from the Raster Generator module for the page on which the EPS uniframe appears.


Color Handling

If an EPS file contains color information and the entire document is output to a color PostScript output device, the EPS data is correctly output in color as well. This also works if the PostScript document is spooled to a file. The color planes of EPS data are not separated by Calamus. The four­color separation of EPS uniframes is only possible if the EPS file adheres to the Adobe DCS 3.0 standard and the data is pre­separated. It is possible to output the entire page as a PostScript file and then color­separate the page with an external application. See DCS in the Printer Driver Modules, chapter 3.


Technical Information

The EPS Handler module conforms to the current stage of development. If Calamus outputs a page and encounters a frame with EPS data, normal output is interrupted and the EPS data (excluding screen preview data) is downloaded to the PostScript printer as raw data. Subsequently, printer status is reset and Calamus resumes output of the remaining frames on the page.

Because the EPS spooler has no knowledge of what is actually contained within the EPS file, errors can occur (e.g. missing fonts, unprintable EPS data). The EPS spooler is unable to avoid these kind of errors.