PageMaker 5.0 (Win) and EPS files with bad Bounding Boxes!!
Victoria Vernell
Hi. I am visibly new to this newsgroup but have been using PM5.0 software
since last autumn to a) train myself on a dtp package other than Ventura,
and b) use it to put out a small booklet (a quarterly poetry journal).
Anyway, here is the nut of my problem:
The print shop I have commissioned to produce the most recent edition of
my little book operates on a Macintosh-based system, using PM4.2
(obviously for Mac). They assured me I could hand them my text on a
diskette, saved in PM5.0 for Windows, but printed to a file (EPS). I am
not using any colours other than basic black and white in my document.
I gave the Pre-Press Manager my disk so that she could do a 'test run' for
me on her laser printer and thus detect any possible errors. Of 36 pages (the
sum total of pages in my original file and EPS), only the last page was
generated, and this was missing 4 key lines of text (the header/logo at
the top of the page, as it was intended to be a "subscription form" page,
and the three lines comprising the address at the bottom). The other 35
pages could not be accessed, though the entire file had been successfully
downloaded to her Macintosh and sent to the laser printer.
Her assistant then opened up the EPS as a .doc file in MSWord (I believe)
and showed me that the Bounding Box line featured the following: "0 0 396
612". She told me that the amount of zeros represented the number of
things the computer (or printer) could not pick up, or the amount of
errors in the file. I have concluded that the problem is with the fonts,
and we all agreed that I should remove all CorelDraw 3.0 fonts from my
document, replace them with TrueType fonts, download *those* with my text
when creating the EPS, and there should be no further trouble.
Problem is, though, I doctored my document, resaved it per the Pre-Press
Management's instructions, and there are still errors. But I can't for
the life of me figure out what those would be!
I have heard that PageMaker 5.0 for Windows is seldom used by service
bureaus for my type of job because it is temperamental when it comes to
EPS files. I'd hate to think I'd invested my money into a buggy
program... is there anyone out there who has experienced a similar
situation when it comes to PostScript and PM5.0? (btw, my knowledge of
PostScript language is scarce, and I couldn't decode the numerical
sequences for the life of me).
Please post responses, or (preferred) e-mail me at the address in the
"Reply-To" header.
--Vicki
--
Vicki Vernell /"Ye shall not possess any beast, my dear \
Ottawa, Canada \ sisters, except only a cat." /
since 1972 / \
\ --English Nuns' Rule (circa. A.D. 1205) /
dorn...@delphi.com
You are being plagued by using a mac-only service bureau! Be nice to them tho
at least they've been willing to try, willing to help - even tho it sounds
like they've been giving you goofy advice.
PC PM's ability to creat multipage EPS files is *only* for post processing
apps like TrapWise to use.
If they have matching fonts, just send them the PM5 pub and let them open it.
If they don't have matching fonts, the next best thing to do is create a
print to disk file for them.
To do that - let's assume they'll be doing final output on a Lino 330. Add
a Lino 300/330 to your list of Windows printers <windows Control Panel:
Printers:
Add>. Then start Aldus setup and use the menu option for Single File Copy -
and copy the matching PPD off the Pagemaker installation disks. Now, you're
setup as if you had their printer attached to your computer.
Open your pub and go to page setup - change the printer to Lino 330 and change
the resolution to whatever they'll be using 1270 or 2540. Check your pub out
for reflow - because you've changed resolution. Select print and set all
the options you want - if you have any questions about it, give your sb a ring
and ask them what settings to use. Before hitting "OK", go to Options and
click on the checkbox for Print to File and give it a filename.
What you'll get is a print to disk file that's ready for them to send to
their imagesetter. They can use a font downloader or Laserwriter utilites
or any other favorite downloader to send your file.
Jim
Chris Dorsey
>Her assistant then opened up the EPS as a .doc file in MSWord (I believe)
>and showed me that the Bounding Box line featured the following: "0 0 396
>612". She told me that the amount of zeros represented the number of
>things the computer (or printer) could not pick up, or the amount of
>errors in the file.
This is not true. The line
%%BoundingBox: 0 0 396 612
specifies the coordinates (in points; 72pts = 1 inch) of the lower left corner
(0 0) and the upper right corner (396 612) of an imaginary box that exactly
encloses all marks (text, graphics, etc) printed on the page by this EPS file.
Since the EPS file contains multiple pages (rather than a single page graphic)
designed to be imported into another document or application), the values
specified probably represent the page size that you defined for your document,
396pt x 612 pt, or 5.5" x 8.5".
I see someone else has responded to your query (dorn...@delphi.com); I agree
with (his/her?) advice.
Chris Dorsey
========================================================================
Dr Chris Dorsey Documentation Editor
Network Engineering Team
Industrial Research Limited Telephone: +64 (04) 569-0000 xt4675
Box 31-310, Lower Hutt, Facsimile: +64 (04) 569-0067
NEW ZEALAND. E-mail: c.do...@irl.cri.nz
========================================================================
Victoria Vernell
In a previous article, dorn...@delphi.com () says:
>PC PM's ability to creat multipage EPS files is *only* for post processing
>apps like TrapWise to use.
So I should be attempting to create a Normal ps file? Even then, the
program thinks I am trying to save a document replete with colour
separations.
>To do that - let's assume they'll be doing final output on a Lino 330. Add
>a Lino 300/330 to your list of Windows printers <windows Control Panel:
>Printers:
>Add>. Then start Aldus setup and use the menu option for Single File Copy -
>and copy the matching PPD off the Pagemaker installation disks. Now, you're
>setup as if you had their printer attached to your computer.
This I did, but instead of needing to use Single File Copy,
there was another "drop n drag" command I used instead. This worked well
as I got window prompts telling me which disks to install (PM disks 4 and
6, I believe), but I was at a loss when the system informed me that the
task was complete, but that I needed to load more drivers off of Disk 7
(it was indicated that I needed to load something off of the "last disk in
the package", which was 7). But I had no idea which file(s) I should
copy, or which Windows-based directory I should copy them to ... (See what
happens when you let a neophyte near something more powerful than
WordPerfect? ;-)
>Open your pub and go to page setup - change the printer to Lino 330 and change
>the resolution to whatever they'll be using 1270 or 2540. Check your pub out
>for reflow - because you've changed resolution. Select print and set all
>the options you want - if you have any questions about it, give your sb a ring
>and ask them what settings to use. Before hitting "OK", go to Options and
>click on the checkbox for Print to File and give it a filename.
>
>What you'll get is a print to disk file that's ready for them to send to
>their imagesetter. They can use a font downloader or Laserwriter utilites
>or any other favorite downloader to send your file.
Got through those steps without much of a hitch, except when I was
finished, I ended up with a file clocking in at a hefty 29.2 MB!!! When I
promptly deleted this one and started making four files out of the 36
actual pages, the first group of nine pages ended up being slightly more
than 1 meg itself! Why the expansion? I never had this trouble before
when making PS files for an imagesetter with the extension .C00 in the old
Xerox Ventura Publisher.
Needless to say, I have become rather frustrated with this. When I opened
up the 1 meg PS file, I was confronted with several error messages, among
them "delete file and resave to PS Level 2" (or was it 3)?; "replace
fonts with PostScript Type 3".... I do not have a PS driver otherwise as
I do not own a laser printer (I only have an Epson 24-pin and a Canon
BubbleJet BJ-5 on :LPT1, and I 'hook up' the Linotronics, etc, on :FILE when
I do jobs like this one that needs highly refined output). We have Adobe
Type Manager installed, but only because it came as part of the package in
WordPerfect for Windows 5.2. So I am stuck (for now, until I get my hands
on an HP LaserJet III or IV) using TrueType fonts, though I am doing my
best to eliminate the Corel fonts from my file (problem is, I am
dependent on two of them -- "Bangkok"/Benguiat and "Gatineau"/Garamond --
and do not own any Adobe Type 1 equivalents :-(
More assistance with this would be very greatly appreciated; you have done
so much already!!
dorn...@delphi.com
PostScript at a mac-based service bureau.
My first mistake was assuming that you had some other PostScript printer
already installed - oops. Sounds like you have one installed now
tho-right? It also sounds like you managed to get the PPD for the Lino
installed as well. The way to tell is in PM's first Print Dialog - you
should be able to choose Linotronic 300/330 <or something like that>
under the TYPE: section.
If you don't have anything there - you don't have the PPD yet, and
that's where you need to use that Single File Copy from the ADLSETUP's
File menu.
The PPDs should be located on your system in the ALDUS\USENGLSH\PPD4
directory. On the PM disks, they're located on the second to last, and
last installation disks in ALDUS\USENGLSH\PPD4A, ...\PPD4B, ....\PPD4C
etc. directories. You can pretty well guess what they are if you know
what type of imagesetter you're looking for. LH330__1.PP~ is the Lino
330 PPD, the VT600W1.PP~ is for the Varityper 600 laser printer and so
on.
So anyway - they're stored in a compressed format on the distribution
disks, use Single File Copy to uncompress the one that matches your SB's
imagesetter and put it in your ALDUS\USENGLSH\PPD4 directory.
One last thing to do from here to make your job go smoother - open the
PPD in a text editor - even DOS' EDIT will do. Find the line that
indicates the amount of FreeVM: - add a 0 to the end of that number.
<it'll be approx 20 lines down from the top of the file.>
You've done all the damage you can do here, now fire up windows and go to
the Control Panel: Printers. Click once on your postscript printer, then
choose the Setup button. While you're here, click on About and verify
that you have the Windows Postscript Printer Driver version 3.56 or
greater, then click ok. Now choose the Options button - settings here
should be to Print To: Printer, Margins: Default, Scaling %: 100 and the
box for Send Header w/each Job should be checked.
Now click on Advanced. The options you want here are TrueType Fonts, Send
to Printer as: Adobe Type 1. Use Printer Fonts and Use Substitution
checkboxes should be empty. Memory: set it to about the same value you
now have in your PPD - approx 10 meg. The checkbox for Clear Memory per
Page should be empty.
The Graphics settings you can leave alone - PageMaker pulls that info from
the PPD or your selections rather than from this section.
I have Conform to ADSC unchecked and Print PostScript error information
on. All done here - ok your way out and fire up PageMaker.
If you are using EPS graphics in your file, and your design allows for
it, select the graphics and use PM's Send to Back command <Ctrl-B is the
shortcut>. That'll save you some font downloading time.
One last thing to do. Open up your WIN.INI file and find the section
that specificly names your imagesetter - mine looks like
[Linotronic330,LPT1]. Add to that section, on a line by itself:
CtrlD=0
That'll get rid of a PC printer control code that tends to do nasty
things when sent via a mac to the imagesetter.
Ok! You're ready to give it another try. Print the whole thing to disk,
and I'd be interested in hearing what file size it works out to. If you
need to break it up into page sections, oh well. Shouldn't hurt anything
to do so.
Rotsa Ruck!
Jim
<29.2 meg, eh? <g> let me know how you fare this time around!>
dorn...@delphi.com
I forgot to comment on those error messages you mentioned - ignore them.
There's a lot of overhead that gets included in header. It's like the
header is pre-coaching responses. "Hey - the printer just told me that it
has an error 59786, what should I say?" "Hmmm, 59786 huh? Tell the user to
get rid of his/her Type 3 fonts." "Ok, ok, now I've got a 64277." "Hmm,
tell the user that the page is too complicated, to simplify the document or
try using a lower resolution and print again."
Don't worry about the messages unless they show up when the actual file is
being downloaded to the printer.
Jim
Victoria Vernell
In a previous article, dorn...@delphi.com () says:
>The way to tell is in PM's first Print Dialog - you
>should be able to choose Linotronic 300/330 <or something like that>
>under the TYPE: section.
I assume you mean the box of printer choices in the Print menu. I can set
up my pages for output on the Lino in Page Setup, and the PPD is there
because I edited the file myself in DOS Edit.
>Ok! You're ready to give it another try. Print the whole thing to disk,
>and I'd be interested in hearing what file size it works out to. If you
>need to break it up into page sections, oh well. Shouldn't hurt anything
>to do so.
I had to break it up into groups of pages, as the file now works out to @
2.9 meg, instead of 29.2! ;-)
Even then, I had to use three High Density diskettes. That's a reasonable
amount to expect considering it's a PS file comprised of 36 pages, plus
font information, etc. etc. The PM5 file on its own was 304,000 kb (or
should that be 304 KB? Never was good at metric conversion.... :)
Thanks for the help, and I hope my luck holds out this time.