Printing Preferences

Options for how RSG will print your document are controlled from the Printing Preferences dialog box. This is accessed from the menu Document/Preferences/Printing. The options are described below:

  • Color Separations lets you print one page for each color you use in your document. You can print spot or process color separations on a black- and-white or color printer and provide the pages to your printer for color printing. When you select Color Separations, the Registration Marks, Color Names, Calibration Bars, Negative, Emulsion Down, Marks/Names, Knockouts, Color Specs and Process Seps options are available.

  • Registration Marks prints registration marks and star targets on color-separated pages, according to the layout you specify in the Marks/Names dialog box.

  • Color Names prints the name of the spot or process color on each separation plate, according to the layout you specify in the Marks/Names dialog box.

  • Calibration Bars prints the an 80% CMYK strip, a 100% CMYK strip and a greyscale calibration bar on each color-separated page, according to the layout you specify in the Marks/Names dialog box.

  • Negative, used when printing to film, prints separations inverted (black-to-white and vice versa). This setting overrides the Invert Image option in the standard Mac Printer Setup options.

  • Emulsion Down, used when printing to film, prints separations reversed left-to-right (sometimes called "wrong reading").

  • Marks /Names, available when Color Separations is checked, displays the Marks/Names dialog box-see later in this section.

  • Knockouts, available when Color Separations is checked, displays the Knockouts dialog box-see later in this section.

  • Color Specs, available when Color Separations is checked and an object with color is present, displays the Color Specifications dialog box-see later in this section.

  • Process Seps, available when Color Separations is checked, displays the Process Color Separation Specifications dialog box-see later in this section.

  • Crop Marks prints crop marks on each separation, showing the trim size of the printed result (provided the separation size is sufficiently larger than the page size.)

  • Printer Specs displays the Printer Specifications dialog box-see later in this section.

  • Printer displays the current imagesetting device for which an MPD has been selected (as set in the Printer Specifications dialog box).

  • Paper displays the current imagesetter paper size (as set in the Printer Specifications dialog box).

  • Quality lets you select Draft and Thumbnails options. Draft determines whether RSG prints graphics or placeholders. RSG defaults to full-quality printing. Draft printing uses placeholders instead of graphics and is faster. Thumbnails prints thumbnails of your document.

  • Output lets you select how you want your output to print. Normally your document prints the set number of copies of a page at a time, starting at page 1. Check Reverse Order to print in reverse order, starting on the last page. Check Collate to print each of multiple copies of your document as a full copy. (This increases print time dramatically for complex documents.)

  • All pages, Odd Only, Even Only determines which pages RSG prints. RSG normally prints the entire document. Select Even Only or Odd Only to print double-sided documents. First print the even pages, then place the printed pages back in the paper cartridge and print the odd pages.

    NOTE! Some printer manufacturers do not recommend double-sided printing on their laser printers. Most experts feel that occasional double-sided printing is all right. Proceed with caution.

    Tiling lets you create separations for pages that are larger than the imagesetter can print in a single operation. Pages are divided into sections called tiles, and each is printed as an individual separation. Your printers will assemble the tiles into a composite image for platemaking. Checking Tiling makes the Marks and Overlap options available: leave Marks unchecked and set Overlap to zero.

  • PostScript Options displays the PostScript Options dialog box - see later in this section.

  • Plate Selector displays the Color Plate Selector dialog box - see later in this section.