last edited March 5, 2003
Tiffany is the internal name for a program that uses the Xerox DocuPrint NPS decomposers to produce a variety of output formats, including TIFF files. This note is an overview of Tiffany features and commands.
Tiffany can be used as an offline RIP for DocuPrint NPS or other printers. It can also create DocuPrint NPS forms suitable for storing on DocuPrint NPS printers.
The DP 7.3 version of Tiffany tracks the DocuPrint NPS DP 7.3 and DP 7.4 releases, and requires either Sun Solaris 7 or Sun Solaris 8.
The DP 8.0 version of Tiffany tracks the DocuPrint NPS DP 8.0 releases, and requires Sun Solaris 8. The DP 8.0 version has better full color support than the DP 7.3 version.
Tiffany has support for the following Page Description Languages:
PS2 | Xerox implementation of PostScript level 2 |
PCL | Xerox implementation of PCL 5e or PCL 5c (optional) |
IP | Xerox Interpress 3.1 |
ASCII | Plain text (ISO 8859-1) |
VIPP | Xerox VIPP (optional) |
Tiffany was produced at Xerox PARC. It is supported by the Computer Science Laboratory at PARC.
Tiffany is intended as a component of a delivered system. Tiffany is not intended as a separate product, and should not be delivered to customers without approval. There is a support charge for Tiffany. Details are available by e-mail to docurip@parc.xerox.com.
Tiffany does not support some of the MultiSet options of DocuPrint NPS. There may be some differences in the handling of padding pages in duplex.
Tiffany is still under development. Therefore, all information in this note is preliminary and subject to change. Send mail to docurip@parc.xerox.com with suggestions or requests.
The current version of Tiffany is intended to match the features and bug fixes supplied in the most recent DocuPrint NPS release. See the Changes section for details.
To produce output files Tiffany requires an enabling key. This takes the form of a one-line file called DocuRip that is stored in the directory where Tiffany is stored. For evaluation or internal Xerox use a temporary key can be had for no fee on request from docurip@parc.xerox.com.
When Tiffany is integrated into a customer solution there is a charge for the enabling key. Please contact docurip@parc.xerox.com for details.
No key is needed if Tiffany is not producing output files. This mode is useful when using Tiffany to test PostScript files.
Inside of Xerox all necessary files can be fetched via anonymous FTP from one of:
ftp://ariel.parc.xerox.com/pub/tiffany/dp7.3/tiffany.tar.Z ftp://ariel.parc.xerox.com/pub/tiffany/dp8.0/tiffany.tar.Z
Outside of Xerox all necessary files can be fetched via anonymous FTP from one of:
ftp://ftp.parc.xerox.com/pub/tiffany/dp7.3/tiffany.tar.Z ftp://ftp.parc.xerox.com/pub/tiffany/dp8.0/tiffany.tar.Z
We require that the target machine be a Sun SPARC-based computer already running a supported version of Sun Solaris. There are no special kernel requirements known for the Solaris version of Tiffany.
To install Tiffany, fetch tiffany.tar.Z from /pub/tiffany/solaris/ to your Tiffany working directory (hereafter called /TD), and extract the files to TD using the following Unix commands:
cd /TD zcat tiffany.tar.Z | tar xvf - rm tiffany.tar.Z
You will need about 13 MBytes of free disk space to execute the above commands.
Fonts are located under /imagerfonts, just as for DocuPrint NPS. When using Tiffany on a machine that is not a DocuPrint NPS printer, a copy of the desired fonts is necessary. When using PostScript, a copy of the directory tree under /imagerfonts/xerox/ps/ is needed. Other directory trees under /imagerfonts/ are used by Interpress. At this time we do not support Tiffany use unless one has valid access to DocuPrint NPS fonts.
The Tiffany program supports the DocuPrint NPS Decomposition Service, so the files created have the same locations and extensions. The default place for creating forms is in /var/db/forms/, which is the same location as for DocuPrint NPS. This directory can be altered by the SaveForm.defaults command (see StartTiffany.cm).
The PCL support for Tiffany is the same as that supplied with DocuPrint NPS. However, this means that a separate program and font tree must be installed. Given the large size we supply PCL as a separate component.
The PCL support will be stored in a separate directory under the Tiffany directory. This directory must be named /TD/pcl/, where /TD is the Tiffany root directory.
The file pcl.tar.Z (from /pub/tiffany/solaris/ on ariel.parc.xerox.com) must be fetched and stored on a suitable temporary directory (we will assume /TD in the following directions). The compressed file occupies about 12 MBytes, and the expanded files occupy about 20 MBytes.
Then use the following commands to expand the file:
cd /TD/pcl zcat /TD/pcl.tar.Z | tar xvf -
This support is relatively new, so please send questions or problem reports to docurip@parc.xerox.com.
Temporarily we only support PCL 5e for Solaris versions of Tiffany. We expect to add support for PCL 5c (including highlight color).
Tiffany should be run with the working directory set to the Tiffany directory (written /TD here). As an example, for interactive use, use the shell command:
cd /TD; ./StartTiffanyThis command starts up Tiffany in interactive mode such that a "Tiffany:" prompt appears and Tiffany commands can be entered (case not important for command names).
Some useful Tiffany commands are:
DummyPrint switches and file names
dp
SaveFormG4, SaveMaskG4, SaveFormBC, SaveMaskBC
ListForms pattern
Redo prefix
Quit
The command language is similar to the Unix shell language. The following commands have similar meaning in both the Tiffany and Unix environments:
Also, simple output redirection is similar to a Unix shell, so >file can be used to capture the output of a command that produces output.
Note: documentation on Tiffany commands is incomplete at this time.
In the table below we describe the color spaces and conversions available in Tiffany. The render column describes the color space and the bits per sample used for rendering a PDL file to samples. The output column describes the color space and the bits per sample for output. The formats column describes the file formats supported for the combination of the render and output columns. The switches column gives the Tiffany switch values needed to request the combination of the render and output columns.
render | output | switches | formats | comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
gray 1 | gray 1 gray 4 | none -gray | TIFF, IP, PS TIFF, IP, PS | binary, default spi reduced by factor of 4 |
gray 8 | gray 8 | -gray -aa A | TIFF, IP, PS | spi reduced by factor of A |
HC | HC HCX rgb 8 | -hc R G B -gray -hc R G B -gray -hc R G B | TIFF, IP, PS IP, PS TIFF | 2 separations: h+k spi reduced by factor of 4 spi reduced by factor of 4 |
rgb 8 | rgb 8 | -rgb -aa A | TIFF, IP, PS | spi reduced by factor of A |
cmyk 8 | rgb 8 | -cmyk -aa A | TIFF, IP, PS | spi reduced by factor of A |
cmyk 1 | cmyk7 | -cmyk7 | IP | 7 separations: c+m+y+k+r+g+b |
Notes for render:
Notes for output:
Other notes:
Tiffany supports simulated media for DocuPrint NPS compatibility for PDLs that support media selection. The DocuPrint NPS media model is similar to that of PostScript, with each media specification containing the size (width and height in mm), a media type, a media color, and an optional media weight (in gm/m**2). Here's a table of sample media specifications for common media:
specification | size name | size (w,h) | type | color | weight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
216x279::white | usLetter | 216 mm, 279 mm | none | white | 0 |
216x356:tax:white | usLegal | 216 mm, 279 mm | tax | white | 0 |
210x297::white | A4 | 210 mm, 297 mm | none | white | 0 |
Notes:
We will be giving several examples of conversion from PostScript to TIFF files.
In each case we will use the default page size (8.5x11 inches, 216x279 mm),
the default resolution (300 spi),
and a PostScript file named FFF.
The output files will be in /tmp/dp.p000n.tif
.
To produce monochrome TIFF files, with DocuPrint NPS orientation (the default), at 300 spi resolution rendering, and 300 spi resolution output, use:
dp -tiff /tmp/dp FFFThe files will be in
/tmp/dp.p000n.tif
.
The default size is usLetter (8.5x11 inches, 216x279 mm).
To produce monochrome grayscale TIFF files, with screen orientation, at 300 spi resolution monochrome rendering, but 75 dpi resolution output, use:
dp -sef -tiff /tmp/dp -gray FFFThe files will be in
/tmp/dp.p000n.tif
.
The default size is usLetter (8.5x11 inches, 216x279 mm).
To produce RGB color TIFF files, with screen orientation, at 300 spi resolution RGB rendering, but 75 spi resolution output, use:
dp -sef -tiff /tmp/dp -rgb -aa 4 FFF
To convert a PostScript file FFF into a set of RGB color TIFF files, with orientation suitable for screen viewing, at 300 spi resolution highlight rendering, but 75 spi resolution output, assuming a highlight RGB color of <1 0 0>, use:
dp -sef -tiff /tmp/dp -hc 1 0 0 -gray FFF
On a Tiffany command line the switches must preceed the source files. In most cases the action of a switch applies for all files on the command line after the switch. One important exception is that an output file name only applies to the results of the next input file.
-tiff P | requests TIFF output to file prefix P for compatibility, -tiff is the same as -g4prefix |
---|---|
-ip F | requests Interpress output to file F for compatibility, -ip is the same as -out |
-ps F | requests PostScript output to file F for compatibility, -ps is the same as -outPS |
-aa K | requests crude anti-aliasing
rendering takes place at normal resolution anti-aliasing pass averages KxK squares output resolution is reduced by factor of K |
---|---|
-gray | requests gray rendering (4 bps or 8 bps, 1 separation)
4 bps is used with -aa 0 8 bps is used with -aa K, where K > 0 |
-rgb | requests RGB rendering (8 bps, 3 separations) |
-cmyk | requests CMYK rendering (8 bps, 4 separations) |
-cmyk7 | requests special CMYK rendering (1 bps, 7 separations)
only implemented for IP output |
-hc R G B | requests HC rendering (1 bps, 2 separations)
specifies the assumed highlight color as RGB color R, G and B are number from 0.0 through 1.0 -hc can be combined with -aa or -gray for full color output |
-hco R G B | requests output color for HC rendering
specifies the output highlight color as RGB color R, G and B are number from 0.0 through 1.0 default uses the same color as -hc specifies |
-hco auto | special case for output color that attempts to use the loaded highlight color at the printer instead of a specific color for the highlight plane; uses red (1 0 0 ) if not printed on a printer supporting highlight color |
-hcr X | X specifies the highlight color rendering algorithm (one of automatic, pictorial, presentation, colorToHighlight, colorTables). The default is automatic, which selects between pictorial and presentation based on the element being rendered. The -hcr switch is only used for HC rendering. |
-res R | specifies the resolution in samples/inch (R may be a single number or a quoted "x,y" pair, as in "300,400"; non-integer resolutions are permitted) |
---|---|
-w X U | X specifies the page width
the optional U specifies the units (pt, in, ft, mm, cm, m), where the default is inches the default page width is 8.5 inches |
-h X U | X specifies the page height, the optional U specifies the units
the default page height is 11 inches |
-xs X U | X specifies the X-axis shift, the optional U specifies the units |
-ys Y U | Y specifies the Y-axis shift, the optional U specifies the units |
-pvpt | applies a 72/75 output scaling to better match 72 spi displays
(best results with IP output and rendering with -aa 4 or -gray) |
-sef | short edge feed (fast: right, slow: down)
useful for screen viewing |
---|---|
-lef | long edge feed (fast: up, slow: right)
useful for DocuPrint NPS printers |
-sm X | explicit orientation of scan mode (slow,fast)
X is one of UR, UL, DR, DL, LU, LD, RU, RD |
-fp N | N specifies the first page to render (default is 1) |
---|---|
-lp N | N specifies the last page to render (default is last page in document) |
-m M | adds a media spec M to the required media list |
---|---|
-lm M | adds a media spec M to the loaded media list |
-incMedia | includes media selection for PostScript output |
-simplex | simulates simplex printing (same as -1) |
---|---|
-duplex | simulates duplex printing (same as -2) |
-tumble | simulates tumble duplex printing (same as -3) |
-format F | selects the document format explcitly
F should be one of {IP, PS, PS1, PS2, PCL, ASCII} |
---|---|
-title T | gives an explicit job title (useful for Decomp forms) |
-d | causes extra debugging information to be produced |
-prog | causes per page progress information to be produced |
-raw | forces uncompressed output files |
-pph P | forces halftones to be P pixels per halftone dot |
-tiffCount N | starts numbering of TIFF files at N for compatibility, -tiffCount is the same as -g4Count |
It is sometimes desirable to run Tiffany as a server. To start Tiffany as a server use the following commands:
cd /TD ./StartTiffanyServer &
As a server Tiffany accepts the same commands as it does interactively, but the commands are submitted by writing to the file /TD/Tiffany.cmd, for example:
echo "SaveMaskG4 -title Tiger tiger.ps" >/TD/Tiffany.cmd
will cause the command (in quotes) to be executed by the Tiffany server. To examine the progress of the Tiffany server one can examine the tail of the log, as in
tail -10 /TD/Tiffany.log
To stop the server, use the command
echo Quit >/TD/Tiffany.cmd
To make some of these operations easier, consider using the Unix alias facility.
Multiple users writing to Tiffany.cmd are likely to lose commands, since the server will only see the most recent command line. However, once a command is accepted (1-2 seconds for an idle server) another command can be entered immediately.
Xerox produces some printers capable of Highlight Color, including the DocuPrint 4850, DocuPrint 4890 and DocuPrint 92c. Tiffany supports the same rendering as the NPS versions of the above printers.
In the Xerox terminology Highlight Color is black plus one color. One can think of this as a two separation color space with black as one plane and some other color as the other plane. In the current implementation the two colors are mutually exclusive, so a pixel can be black, white, or the highlight color, but not a combination of the black plus highlight.
Tiffany gives significant control over the choice of assumed colorant when producing the separations (the -hc switch), and also allows for separate determination of the color used for the highlight separation on output (the -hco switch).
Since any rendering of full color into black plus highlight separations must lose some colors, there are several highlight color rendering choices (the -hcr switch). To get closest color approximation for photographs, use -hcr pictorial. To preserve color distictions for line art and charts, use -hcr presentation. To have an automatic choice between pictorial and presentation on the same page, use -hcr automatic.
In some cases you need to have Tiffany output be the same as the output for a specific DocuPrint NPS printer. There are two printer-specific parts: one for the Imager and one for PostScript.
For the Imager parameters, you need to append the commands from the file /usr/printing/cedar/IOTparams (on the target DocuPrint machine) to the file /TD/StartTiffany.cm. These commands control the Imager print parameters and font rendering parameters.
For the PostScript parameters, you may need to copy the file IOTSetup.ps from /usr/printing/cedar/ on the target DocuPrint to files of the same names on /TD/. A default IOTSetup.ps is provided that is usable for the 4135 family of printers (DP 96, DP 4635, DP 180).
VIPP is implemented as a set of PostScript files that provide useful functions. Tiffany does not by default include those files, but can use the same files that the DocuPrint NPS system uses. This section describes how to add VIPP support to Tiffany. It requires a version of Tiffany created on 31 July 1998 or later.
To install VIPP support for Tiffany you should know how to execute Unix commands on both the DocuPrint controller and the Tiffany workstation. You should also know how to transfer binary files from the DocuPrint controller to the Tiffany workstation.
To obtain the files, do the following Unix commands on a DocuPrint NPS system:
cd /usr/printing/xgf/
cp /var/db/permit/XGF .
tar cf /var/tmp/xgf.tar
Then transfer /var/tmp/xgf.tar from the DocuPrint controller to the Tiffany workstation. If using FTP on the DocuPrint controller, remember to transfer using binary mode. Then do the following Unix commands on the Tiffany workstation (where /TD is the Tiffany directory).
cd /TD; mkdir xgf; cd xgf
tar xf /var/tmp/xgf.tar
Remember to remove /var/tmp/xgf.tar from both the DocuPrint controller and the Tiffany workstation.
If the user does not have access to a DocuPrint NPS system a test version of VIPP can be obtained from ariel.parc.xerox.com:/pub/tiffany/solaris/xgf.tar.Z. This file does not include the VIPP enabling key, so the amount of output is limited.
The Interpress files produced from the -out or -ip options are IMG compressed data with an Interpress wrapper suitable for sending directly to a DocuTech or DocuPrint printer. Therefore, Tiffany can be used on a fast Sun workstation to produce files for printing on a slower legacy DocuTech printer. The Interpress files produced contain no printing instructions.
Interpress containing Xerox Adaptive compressed data is not supported. This format requires hardware support for efficient decoding.