• Notes on using PPD and PDX files (including notes on several recently updated PPD/PDX files)
• PPD/PDX file list by nickname and associated printer
NOTES ON USING PPD AND PDX FILES
To use the PDX Editor, you must have Hypercard 2.0 (or later) installed on your computer.
Avoid naming paper sizes that are the same as legal keywords such as “*Page size.” If you use the PDX editor to delete a paper size that has the same name as a legal keyword in the file, the PDX editor will delete that keyword rather than the paper size. If you have done this inadvertently, edit the PDX file with any text editor, enter the deleted keyword again, and save the file in “text-only” format.
If you are adding paper sizes to PDX files for roll-feed or multiple-resolution printing devices (such as imagesetters), you should, in general, enter a paper size that, when multiplied by the resolution, gives a product no larger than approximately 32,766 (based on the 16-bit address limit of many printing devices). For example, in order to print at a resolution of 2540 dpi (dots per inch) on an imagesetter with an internal, 16-bit address limit, your paper height can be no larger than approximately 12.9 inches. Not all imagesetters have a internal 16-bit address limit; check the address limit of the imagesetter you plan to use and then calculate the paper height accordingly.
The L300*.PDX files contain two additional paper sizes: “Letter.extra.transverse - C & D” and “Tabloid.extra - C & D”. Choose these paper sizes if you plan to print to Linotronic Cora or Densy model imagesetters. The Linotronic Cora and Densy model imagesetters have a smaller maximum image area (approximately 11.7", measuring across the roll of film) than more recent imagesetters (approximately 12"). If you try to print on a Linotronic Cora or Densy model imagesetter with the standard “Letter.extra.transverse” and “Tabloid.extra” paper sizes, you’ll get a PostScript error when you print.
Correction to the Aldus PageMaker New Features page 120: Duplicate PDX nicknames will display with the associated PDX file name rather than appended unique characters such as “_A” or “_B.”
PageMaker builds a configuration file of PPD/PDX filenames the first time you print in the current session. This configuration file is the basis of the list of names that displays for “Printers” in the “Print to: [printer name]” dialog box. If you edit a PDX file while PageMaker is running, you can reselect the PDX name in “Printers” and PageMaker will recognize the changes you made to the file. However, to see any name changes, you must rebuild the list of names in “Printers” by holding down Shift and choosing “Print…” from the File menu.
For more information on using PPD and PDX files with PageMaker 4.2, see the “Using PPD and PDX files” on page 61 of the Aldus PageMaker New Features Reference Manual Supplement.
PPD/PDX FILE UPDATES:
We’ve recently updated the following PPD and PDX files to fix several minor printing problems:
-HP3SI523.PPD
-APLWIIf1.PDX
-APLWIIg1.PDX
These printing problems include:
• Printing to an HPIIIsi printer (or another printer) without getting an alert message that says the wrong printer is selected (PPD/PDX ISSUE ONE)
• Printing with Photograde linescreen settings on the Apple LaserWriter IIf or IIg printers (PPD/PDX ISSUE TWO)
• Printing paper manually that’s a different size than the paper try inserted in a PostScript level II printer (PPD/PDX ISSUE THREE)
For more information on the updated PPD and PDX files, read the rest of this section. For more information on using PPD and PDX files with PageMaker 4.2, see “Using PPD and PDX files” on page 61 of the Aldus PageMaker New Features Reference Manual Supplement.
PPD/PDX ISSUE ONE: You want to print to an HPIIIsi printer without getting an alert message that says the wrong printer is selected.
PPD files are typically written for specific versions of printers. If you choose the PPD for one version of a printer to print to a different version of that printer, PageMaker displays an alert message when you print telling you that the wrong printer is selected. You can then click “OK” to continue printing. We’ve replaced the PPD for the HPIIIsi printer, so that you can print to the most widely used version of this printer without getting the alert message. If you use the HPIIIsi, you should replace the PPD on your hard drive.
If you encounter the alert message when printing to another printer, you can correct the problem by:
a) Contacting the printer manufacturer or Adobe Systems, Inc. to get the correct PPD file for your particular version of the printer.
b) Editing the PDX file for the printer. (Information in the PDX file always takes precedence over the same information in the PPD file.)
To change the printer “Product” name in a PDX file:
1. Write down the printer name that PageMaker displays in the alert message.
2. Open the PDX file with a word-processing program that can save text-only files.
3. Insert your cursor immediately before the “NickName” line and press Return.
4. Type the following on the new line:
*Product: "(printer name that you wrote down in step 1)"
5. Save the PDX file as a text-only document.
When you print again, PageMaker reads the correct name for the printer and does not display the alert message.
If you don’t know the printer product name, you can leave the product name blank by typing:
*Product: "()"
PageMaker then reads that no value is specified for the printer name and does not display the alert message.
Note: Make sure to include the printer name if you plan to use Aldus PrePrint to create separations of your PageMaker publication. PrePrint checks that you’re using the same printer to create and print the file, so that it can determine the correct fonts to download with the .sep file.
PPD/PDX ISSUE TWO: You want to use PhotoGrade linescreen values when you print halftone images.
When you print halftone images to an Apple LaserWriter IIf or IIg printer, PageMaker currently overrides the Photograde screen frequency and screen angle values that you’ve chosen. PageMaker instead uses the default screen frequency and screen angle values that appear in the PPD files for those printers. We’ve corrected this problem by editing the PDX files (APPLWIIf1.PDX and APPLWIIg1.PDX) for these printers: we’ve added “*ScreenFreq” and “*ScreenAngle” keywords to the PDX files but left their values blank. Since information in the PDX file takes precedence over information in the PPD file, PageMaker reads the default screen frequency and angle values as none and uses the default frequency and angle values specified in the printer instead.
If you’d like to specify custom line screen values to print to these printers, you can override the Photograde settings again. Make a copy of the PDX file and then edit the PDX file to include the “*ScreenFreq” and “*ScreenAngle” values that you want. (To use the default screen frequency and screen angle settings in the PPD file, you can delete the blank “*ScreenFreq” and “*ScreenAngle” keywords from the PDX file.) Keep both copies of the PDX files so that you can easily switch between your custom settings and the Photograde settings. For instructions on editing the screen frequency and screen angle values in a PDX file, see pages 66-68 of the Aldus PageMaker New Features Reference Manual Supplement.
PPD/PDX ISSUE THREE: You want to manually print paper that’s a different size than the paper tray inserted in a PostScript level II printer.
You may get a printing error if you try to manually print paper that’s a different size than the paper tray inserted in a PostScript level II printer. For example, if you try to print legal-size paper manually on a PostScript level II printer that has a letter-size paper tray inserted, you’ll get a printing error. We’ve edited the PDX files for the Apple LaserWriter IIf and IIg printers, so that you can print letter, legal, A4, and B5 paper manually.
If you have problems manually printing letter, legal, A4, or B5 paper on another PostScript Level II printer, you can fix the problem easily by editing the PDX file for that printer.
To edit a PDX file to print manually:
1. Make a back-up copy of either the APPLWIIf1.PDX or the APPLWIIg1.PDX file included with this filter/driver pack and of the PDX file that you want to edit.
2. Open the APPLWIIf1.PDX or the APPLWIIg1.PDX file in a word-processing program that lets you save text-only files. Locate the following lines:
PageSize
PageRegion
ImageableArea
PaperDimension
3. Copy and paste these lines into the PDX file that you’re editing.
4. Save the PDX file as text-only file.
PPD/PDX LIST BY NICKNAME AND ASSOCIATED PRINTER
The following list provides the PDX nickname and associated printer name for each PDX/PPD file combination inlcuded with Aldus PageMaker 4.2.
PPD/PDX Name: Printer description (also known as):
