Shiraz Signature Guide

2011 Shiraz Software

Shiraz Signature

2011 Shiraz Software

All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without the
written permission of the publisher.

Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the
respective owners. The publisher and the author make no claim to these trademarks.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume no
responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this
document or from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and
the author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused
directly or indirectly by this document.

Printed: April 2011 in London UK

 4 Shiraz Signature

Table of Contents
Foreword 5

Part I Introduction 7
1 Overview
................................................................................................................................... 7

Part II Setup 9
1 Installation
................................................................................................................................... 9
Windows Install
.......................................................................................................................................................... 9
Mac Install .......................................................................................................................................................... 14
2 Initial...................................................................................................................................
Configuration 20

Part III Operation 29

1 Workspace
................................................................................................................................... 29
2 Layout
................................................................................................................................... 29
3 Printer
................................................................................................................................... 39
4 Tiling................................................................................................................................... 52

Part IV Options 63
1 Installing
...................................................................................................................................
Profiles 63
2 Installing
...................................................................................................................................
Printer Drivers 68

Index 0
Introduction

Part

I
 Introduction 7

1 Introduction

This guide is intended to give the users a quick overview of the Shiraz Signature RIP software and
help to configure the RIP for their environments.

By following this manual you will be able to get your first print out and familiarize yourself with
the various components of the RIP. The software is designed to be easy to setup and easy to use
with minimal learning curve.

1.1 Overview
Shiraz Signature is the new generation of RIP software. It features a uniquely integrated design
and production environment to enable the user to quickly and efficiently produce large format
prints. It employs the latest software and image processing technologies to ensure the highest
quality output whilst minimizing any potential production problems.

The software is designed to work seamlessly with the latest generation of LFP printers from all
the major manufacturers. It includes all the features that are required for large format digital
printing and as all Shiraz products is available for all major operating systems including Windows
Vista and Mac OSX Universal.

The RIP can handle the latest PDF files from the most commonly used design applications as well
as many other popular formats such as Postscript and Tiff. The built in colour management engine
ensures that all files are properly and accurately calibrated for the output.
Setup

Part

II
 Setup 9

2 Setup
In this chapter we will cover the actual installation procedure and then the various configuration
and options available.

2.1 Installation
The Shiraz Signature RIP package comprises of two DVDs and a security key (dongle). The
Installation DVD contains both Windows & Mac OSX installers as well as all printer drivers (plug-
ins). The Profile DVD contains a big library of media profiles for all supported printer models.

The complete installation procedure is divided into three parts as illustrated in the diagram
below.

Main Application
Printer Drivers
Media Profiles

The order of installs must be exactly in the order shown. After a successful first install it is then
possible to carry out any of the steps individually if required. The first and second steps are
carried out by using the Installation DVD. The final step is done by utilizing the Profile DVD.

Please note that you must be logged in as an Administrator in order to install the Shiraz Signature
RIP. We would also recommend installing the RIP on a drive with plenty of free space. We will
now cover the installation procedure for each platform.

2.1.1 Windows Install

Insert the Installation DVD into an appropriate drive. After a few seconds the folder containing
the DVD contents will be shown. If the folder fails to appear double click on the DVD drive name.
You should now be able to see a similar folder as shown below.
10 Shiraz Signature

Now double click on the Windows Installer folder to open it up.

To start the installation program double click on the Signature-V7.0-windows-installer.exe

application. After a few seconds the splash screen appears followed by the language selection
window.

Once selected click OK to continue. The installer will then confirm the exact version details for
your information. The installation wizard will now start to guide you through the steps.

Once you have agreed to the Licence Agreement the installer will display the default installation
 Setup 11

path if you are happy click Next or click on the browse icon to select a new destination folder.

Click Next to go on to the next step. The installer will then ask you for a further confirmation
before starting the installation.
12 Shiraz Signature

The installer will now show the files being installed and the progress being made. Once the main
applications have been installed the system will start the Adobe CMM engine installer as shown
below.
 Setup 13

Click on the Install button to start installing the engine. Once done click on the Exit button.

Next the printer driver installer will be started to allow you to select the printer drivers required.
 14 Shiraz Signature

Once you are happy with your selection click on the Install button to start the procedure. The
installer will now copy all the required plug-ins and files for the selected printer models.

Once finished installing the drivers the RIP installation is finished and the RIP is ready to use. To
install additional media profiles please refer to the Options section detailing the procedure later
on in this section.

2.1.2 Mac Install

Insert the Installation DVD into an appropriate drive. After a few seconds the folder containing
the DVD contents will be shown. If the folder fails to appear double click on the DVD volume
name on your desktop. You should now be able to see a similar folder as shown below.
 Setup 15

Now double click on the Mac Installer folder to open it up.

To start the installation program double click on the Shiraz-V6.6-osx-installer.app application.

After a few seconds the splash screen appears followed by the language selection window. Once
the language required is selected click OK to continue. The installer will then confirm the exact
version details for your information. The installation wizard will now start to guide you through
the steps.
16 Shiraz Signature

After you have agreed to the Licence Agreement the installer will display the default installation
path if you are happy click Next or click on the
browse icon to select a new destination folder.

Click Next to go on to the next step. The installer will then ask you for a further confirmation
before starting the installation.
 Setup 17

The installer will now show the files being installed and the progress being made. Once the main
applications have been installed the system will start the Adobe CMM engine installer as shown
below.
18 Shiraz Signature

Click on the Install button to start installing the cmm engine. Once done click on the Exit button.

There are also other drivers that the Shiraz installer needs to install. The system will prompt you
for the Administrator password before installing these. This includes the security key (dongle)
driver.

Please take extra care to make sure all the drivers are installed as it might cause the RIP from
functioning correctly.
 Setup 19

These drivers will ask for the volume where to install. Select the volume where the operating
system is installed.

Finally the printer driver installer will be started to allow you to select the printer drivers
required.
 20 Shiraz Signature

Once you are happy with your selection click on the Install button to start the procedure. The
installer will now copy all the required plug-ins and files for the selected printer models.

Once finished installing the drivers the RIP installation is finished and the RIP is ready to use. To
install additional media profiles please refer to the Options section detailing the procedure later
on in this section.

2.2 Initial Configuration

On the first run of the Signature RIP the system will prompt you with the Queue Wizard. This
 Setup 21

would allow you to setup the printer queue for your particular model that would then be used to
print jobs through it.

Click on the drop down menu and select from the list of printer makes that are available. Once
done click on the Next button to proceed.
22 Shiraz Signature

Based on you last selection the setup will show you the list of the printer models available. Click
on the one required.

Click Next to move on to the next step. You can go back to the previous stage at any time by
clicking on the Back button.
 Setup 23

Now you will have to select the type of connection used between the host computer and the
printer. The setup wizard will display the valid list of interfaces available for your printer and
operating system. Select and click on the Next button to go on to the next stage.
24 Shiraz Signature

Depending on the interface type that was selected previously the system will show you the
settings applicable. In the example above you must enter the IP address of the printer that you
would like to connect to. Enter the IP address of the printer and click

Please note that there are some generic interface types such as TCP/IP that apply to most printer
makes and there are some specific ones such as Canon interface that only apply to that particular
make.

Click Next to move on to the next stage.

 Setup 25

In this final wizard screen the system will list the selected options for your confirmation. If you
are happy with your choices you must then click on the Finish button to execute the queue
creation.

Once the printer queue is created the Signature RIP will startup and the main window will appear
as shown below.
26 Shiraz Signature

Before we go on to the actual operational side of the RIP we can configure the RIP for our
environment by calling up the Preferences window. To do this click on the File drop down menu
at the top left corner of the window and select this option.

You will now be shown the following window.

There are two sections available here. The most commonly used of which is called General. Here
you can set the various parameters available as detailed below:
 Setup 27

Language: select the operating language that is required.

Tiff Conversion: set the file format that the input Tiff files are converted to internally by the RIP.

Colour engine: select the ICC colour management engine (CMM) that will be used within the RIP
for all the ICC profiles.

RIP memory: set the minimum amount of RAM that will be allocated to the Postscript/PDF engine
within the RIP.

Printer polling: the printer polling option that allows the RIP to automatically get printer's data
such as media size & type loaded, ink levels, printer condition and many other information. To
switch this option On (default) click on the drop down menu and select this option. Please note
that this option is only valid for printer models that support these features.

Preview quality: use this slider to set the quality of the thumbnails that the RIP will generate for
its images. The higher the value the better the quality and the bigger the file sizes. Please note
that this might cause a response problem on slower computers.

Under the Profile tab you can set the ICC input profiles that you would like to apply as default.

The Default value means that the RIP would use whatever profile is set within the profile table
being used. The user can override this by selecting their own preference. Also here the user can
set the Rendering intent that should be used.

The Use embedded profile option when selected would instruct the RIP to use the ICC profile
that is found within the image file instead. This option takes the highest priority if set.

Once you are happy with the configuration that you have set click OK to save and exit.
Operation

Part

III
 Operation 29

3 Operation
3.1 Workspace
The Shiraz Signature workspace is designed to help you create and print jobs in the shortest
possible time.

There are two main parts to the Signature working space, namely Layout and Printer. The Layout is
where print jobs are designed and setup and are then submitted for processing and printing to
the Printer area.

We will now cover each of these areas in more details.

3.2 Layout
The opening screen when you first startup the Signature RIP shows the Layout window similar to
the one shown below.

Screen Arrangement
30 Shiraz Signature

The Layout area is divided into four main spaces as graphically highlighted above. The menus and
tabs can be totally reconfigured by the user if required. The various components can be moved
and docked in different screen location to suit your preference.

1- Top Menu

All functions available can be executed by clicking on the appropriate buttons located here. These
functions are all context sensitive. Alternatively the user can carry out the same functions by right
clicking on the selected image within the working area and then selecting the required functions
from the menu.

2- Work Area

This area represents the actual media loaded on the printer. The media size is set within the
Status tab of the Printer area. This is normally set automatically by data fed back from the printer.

The dotted red line on the canvas represents the hardware margins for your particular printer.
This is normally fixed and can not be changed. The size of the grid displayed here can be set by
the user and images can be made to snap to them if required.

3- Control Tabs

User defined parameters that control the operation of the various functions available are found
here. These are divided into various categories and groups. Other parameters and job options
that can be set here include the media profiles, spot colour tables as well as various print marks.

4- Info Bar

Various important information that signal the current system status are shown here. The user can
utilize this area to visually and quickly check the settings. This area is divided into four parts as
detailed below.

Media Type the information shown here is the actual name of the currently selected media
profile. If it matches what is actually loaded on the printer itself then a green tick is also
displayed next to it. If it does not then a warning sign is shown instead. If there is no
information about the type of media loaded then no symbol will be shown.

Media Size & source The current media source (Roll or Sheet) and the actual dimensions of
the media loaded is shown here.

Queue status name of the printer model that the print queue is currently configured for and
its current status.
 Operation 31

Printer Status the current state of the printer. The system uses different colour icons to
highlight the printer status. Blue colour indicates normal operation. Orange colour indicates
warning such as ink low etc. Red indicates an error status such as communication problem or
media out and that no printing is possible.

Placing Images

There are many ways of importing images into the layout area:

Click on the 'Place Image(s)' button located on th top menu bar.

Right-click on a blank area of the work area and select the 'Place Image(s)' option.
Use the short cut combination keys (Ctrl + I).
Drag & drop images on the work area.

Multiple images can be selected for import simultaneously if required. Once an image has been
selected then the RIP will show a rectangle box representing its dimensions. The cursor is locked
to the top left corner of the box allowing the user to place the image anywhere on the work area.
32 Shiraz Signature

Once happy with the placement click the mouse button. The image is now fixed and the the RIP
will now process and preview it. If the RIP finds any issues with the image file then it would
display a window with error messages indicating the problems otherwise the image thumbnail
will be shown.

Editing Images
 Operation 33

The image can be resized by using one of the anchor points placed on the image boundary or by
typing the scale factor or width/height required.

To move the image within the work area place your cursor within the boundary of the image and
click and drag. Alternatively type in the X/Y coordinates for accurate placement. Please note that
the top left corner of the boundary box is used as the reference point (origin). The image can also
be moved by very small increments (nudged) by using the cursor keys.

The image can be edited and manipulated by using any of the available functions. To apply any of
these first click on the image required and then either right-click to select from the drop down
menu or use the buttons on the top menu. You can also use short cut keys that are defined for the
functions. All functions are context sensitive meaning that they will only be selectable if
applicable.
34 Shiraz Signature

In the example above the Crop function is selected. Once the Crop function is selected then the
crop guidelines will be shown to assist you in defining the required area. You can also enter the
dimensions and location of the crop area manually if preferred.
 Operation 35

Double click to confirm or press the <Esc> key to exit the crop function.

The crop area can be moved within the image boundary at any time by using the Pan function.
36 Shiraz Signature

All steps can be undone or redone by using the Redo/Undo buttons or using the (Ctrl + Z)/(Ctrl + Y)
short cut keys.

Similarly the user can execute many other standard functions such as Copy, Mirror, Rotate etc.
There are also special functions such as Tiling that allows the user to print big images by breaking
them up into smaller tiles. We will cover the tiling later in this guide.

There are also some speciality functions that require some user supplied parameters. These
include functions such as Quantity that is located in the Arrange control tab.

In this example we have set the quantity to 3 and the vertical & horizontal gaps to 10mm. Once
we click on the Apply button the RIP will execute the command and display the results as shown
below.
 Operation 37

Additional images can be placed and manipulated in the same manner.

38 Shiraz Signature

Images can be manually arranged on the media or the user can utilize the automatic nesting
function as shown above.

Various parameters can be set to control the nesting behaviour. The results of the nesting
arrangement are shown for the users information. The user can repeatedly execute the
nesting function to observe and select the preferred result.

Submitting Jobs
 Operation 39

Once you are happy with the layout then it can be submitted to the print queue for
processing and printing. Click on the Submit button for this.

You will now be prompted with the following window.

The dialog window gives you the option of enabling a media cut at the end of the print and/or
putting the job into the hold queue. The RIP automatically assigns a unique job name based on
the current date and time that can be changed by the user if needed.

Click on the OK button to instruct the RIP to create the print job and send it to the server. In the
next section we will cover the actual working of the print server within the Printer tab.

3.3 Printer
In this section we will take a close look at the printing engine of the Shiraz Signature RIP, namely
the Printer. Jobs that have been submitted for printing from the Layout module will be managed
and processed in this module.

There are many features available here that enables the user to control the incoming jobs as well
as parameters that can be configured to customize the production aspects of the Shiraz Signature
RIP. These include changing job priority, editing job parameters, holding and removing jobs etc.

Jobs that have been printed are automatically archived in the system and can be submitted back
for printing again if desired. A comprehensive report of the activities and messages from the
40 Shiraz Signature

system are logged and can be examined at any time by the user.

The system employs live polling of information from the printer that is used to check and manage
incoming jobs for various conditions such as media type and size as well as printers status such as
ink level and calibration state. Based on these information the system will automatically halt
printing process if needed, warn the user of impending problems or hold jobs that do not match
the currently loaded media (media matching).

The print queue can be configured to start up automatically on system boot up or can be started
manually by the user when required. It is also possible to program the queue to start and stop at
certain times by scheduling it.

We will now examine the various components of this module in more detail.

There are four tabs available in this window as detailed below.

Active

This is the main tab where the job processing and management is carried out by the system. The
area is divided into two parts.
 Operation 41

Current Jobs

Jobs listed here will be processed and printed in the order shown. Jobs in the queue can be
operated on by either right-clicking on them and selecting the function required from the drop
menu or selecting and then using the controls available in the Current Job control.

Held Jobs

Jobs can be put on hold or released by the user by simply drag & dropping it on the Hold Jobs area
or vice versa. Also the system will automatically put on hold jobs that do not fit on the currently
loaded media or if the wrong media type is loaded. Once the right conditions are met then they
will be automatically released from the hold area to the current one. Jobs that have not been
successfully processed and had error for various reasons would also be listed here.

Each job found here has important information about them listed in the various columns of the
table. These are now explained in more details.

Reference this is the job reference that is assigned to the job by the system when it is
submitted from the Design module. The name assigned is based on a time stamp in the
YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS format.

Status the current job condition is highlighted here. There are a number of states that jobs can
posses:

- The green indicator signals that the job is all set and waiting to be printed.

- This state indicates that the job has been put on hold by the user.

- The job has been put on hold by the system for not matching the current media
loaded on the printer. The job will be automatically released once the matching media is loaded.

- Jobs that are bigger than the currently loaded media are automatically put on hold
by the system. The job will be released once the correct media size is loaded.

- Nest jobs that have not reached the minimum conditions set in the Nesting
Parameter will show this state. Once they reach the minimum requirements then the status is set
to the Ready state.

- Jobs that have failed to process or print correctly have their status set to this condition.
These jobs can be submitted back to the Current Jobs queue by the user for reprocessing if
required.

- Jobs that have been successfully processed and printed are archived by the system and
have their status set to this. These jobs can be submitted back to the Current Jobs queue by the
user for reprinting if required.
42 Shiraz Signature

Profile The Media Profile that was selected when the job was submitted is shown in this
column.

Dimensions The width and height of jobs in the current system units are displayed here.

Quantity The total number of repeats for the current job is displayed here.

File Type The file format of the current job is indicated here.

File Size The value here shows the actual size of the file for the job.

Submitted The information shown here is the actual date and time of when the job was first
submitted from the Design module.

User name The name of the user who submitted this job is shown here.

The job listing here can be reordered automatically by clicking on various columns heading. If for
example you want to order the jobs by their file sizes click on the File Size heading. Click gain to
order in the opposite sense.

Layout jobs headings are highlighted in bold lettering and the list of the individual jobs within the
layout job can be examined by expanding the job tree. To expand the tree click on the plus sign
adjacent to the job icon. To collapse the job tree click again.

The set of commands that control the entire print queue operation, Queue Control, is located at
the top left corner of the window.

Each of these commands are now explained in more details

Start the printer queue. All current jobs will be processed and printed.

Stops the print queue and returns the queue to idle state.

Schedules the queue to start and optionally stop at selected times.

Clears the system console. All messages will be erased.

The commands for the jobs listed in the queue are located in the Current Job Control menu. These
operators affect only the selected job(s) and are context sensitive. They can also be selected by
 Operation 43

right clicking on the selected job entries and then choosing from the drop down menu.

These commands are now details in the table below.

Moves the selected job(s) up by one position.

Moves the selected job(s) down by one position.

Moves the selected job(s) to the Archive folder.

Removes and deletes the selected job(s) from the queue.

Puts the selected job(s) on hold.

Opens the currently selected job for viewing within the layout group.

Processes and prints selected job(s). The queue will revert back to idle state when done.

Aborts the current job being processed.

Archive
Jobs that have been processed and printed successfully are then archived and listed in this area.
44 Shiraz Signature

These archived jobs can be submitted back to the Active queue for reprinting if required. They
can also be removed from the list permanently.

Setup
The various settings and parameters that affect the running of the print queue are found in this
section. These are divided into two categories.
 Operation 45

General

As the name suggests this is the category that includes all the commonly used settings. This
section also contains additional information about the current queue.

Under the Queue properties heading you will find general information about the print queue and
its associated printer. There is also a Description entry that you can use to enter your own free
text describing the queue.

Under the General settings there are a number of conditions that the user can select or deselect
depending on their production requirements.

Log mode There are four modes available here that decides the content and level of messages
generated by the system console. The Verbose mode is a very comprehensive logging mode and
is only used for trouble shooting and debugging purposes. The other modes behave as their
name sake suggests.

Start queue automatically on startup Whenever the Shiraz Signature software is started the
print queue default state is idle. This means that the system would not start processing and
printing the incoming jobs until the user starts up the queue. To override this behavior and allow
the queue to also start on boot up select this option.
46 Shiraz Signature

Scan hot folder - When selected instructs the RIP to look for jobs in the designated hot folder. All
images found are then automatically added to the queue for printing. The RIP assigns the job
settings that have been configured for the hot folder. (see Hot Folder)

Error jobs with no profile If a job is submitted with no associated profile table to the print queue
then the system will error this job if this option is selected. Otherwise it is allowed to process and
print. It is strongly recommended to leave this option selected.

Error jobs with missing fonts This option instructs the RIP to abort and error image files with
missing fonts.

Hold jobs not matching queue Media As default the system checks all incoming jobs for their
media setting and if they do not match the currently loaded media type then they will be put on
hold until the media type is changed. This is important to insure correct printing of images. The
user can override this behavior and switch off the media matching mechanism of the system by
de selecting this option.

Auto rotate to save media (Roll only) If a non-nesting (single) job that has been submitted from
the Design module to the print queue would yield a better media usage by rotation then it will be
if this option is selected. This option is only applicable to Roll media type and does not affect the
nesting behavior.

Keep jobs in archive when finished Jobs can be automatically archived in the system when
printed if this option is selected. If de-selected then they will be deleted once they have been
printed.

Interface

The setup parameters here describes the actual physical connection from the host computer to
the printer. The choices here is very much dependent on the printer make and model as well as
the operating system being used.

Null this interface type is not a physical type and is only used for testing purposes. There are no
parameters available for this selection.
 Operation 47

File this instructs the system to send the print data to a file in a selected folder location.

TCP/IP this type of interface uses an Ethernet type connection and requires the IP address of the
printer.

IP Address - IP address of the printer on the network in 999.999.999.999 format. Make sure the
address has the same domain range as the computer.

Port Address - the port address of the Print-Server on the printer where direct binary printing is
done. Most Print-Servers use 9100 as their port, however some may be different. Refer to the
print server documentation for the correct port number.

Timeout - timeout value in seconds which has to expire before an I/O error occurs if the receiving
node is not responding or accepting data. For maximum throughput speed set this timeout to 0,
effectively disabling timeout checks.

Buffer Size - size of TCP/IP internal buffer which is used to store data before outputting packets on
the actual I/O channel. The optimum size is dependent on system and will require some trial. The
default 48KB will work best on most systems.

Spooler this interface outputs to a system spooler connected to the printer. Spoolers are usually
created by installing the drivers supplied with the printer. Spooler interface port can be set to any
type supported by the operating system such as USB, FireWire, TCP/IP, etc.

Parallel (Windows only) this is an old interface type that is not used any longer on modern
printers any more as it is very slow and unreliable. It is only listed here for legacy reason.

HP Direct (HP and Windows only) this is a direct USB connection for HP printers on Windows
platform.

HP USB - this is the connection type used for the HP DesignJet 8000s, 9000s & 10000s.

USB (Epson & Mac only) for direct USB connection on the Mac to an Epson Stylus Pro printer
select this option and then click on the find button to list the USB connections found.

Firewire (Epson & Mac only) for direct firewire connection to the Epson Stylus Pro printer select
this option. A list of firewire connections to the printer are then listed for the user to select from.

Mimaki Firewire (Mimaki & Windows only) Mimaki JV3 & JV4 range use this connection type on
Windows platform, TheMimaki supplied firewire drivers must be installed for this option to work.

Mimaki USB (Mimaki only) Mimaki JV33, JV5, CJV & JF range of printers use this connection type.
The Mimaki supplied Windows USB drivers must be installed for this option to work, this is not
necessary for the Mac OSX platform.

Seiko SCSI - used for the Seiko Colorpainter 64S & 100S.

Seiko USB - used for the Seiko H74s & H104s range.
48 Shiraz Signature

Canon (Canon only) this is a special interface type for the Canon range of printers. Regardless of
the actual physical connection between the computer and the printer it is recommended to use
this option for all Canon printers. The system will automatically scan and find all Canon printers
connected to the computer directly (USB, FireWire) or on the network (TCP/IP). Now select the
printer from the list shown.

Status
Detailed information about the connected printer and various settings for the media sizes are
found in this window. There are also remote printer commands that execute different procedure
such as head cleaning and nozzle tests on the printer.

The system constantly monitors and updates the information displayed here. The information is
also used by the system for production management and media matching. Any serious problem
reported back from the printer is immediately highlighted to the user for urgent actions, these
include media and ink out, door open, connection problem etc.

The different printer makes have each their own unique set of information and remote
commands available.
 Operation 49

Printer state

At the top left corner of the window the printer make and model are displayed. Below that the
printer current state is shown. This is a more comprehensive listing of the printers state than the
one highlighted in the Info Bar at the bottom right corner of the screen.

Remote commands

Here you will find a number of commands for instructing the printer to execute certain
procedures. Also the user can force a Status Update that refreshes all the information shown in
this window. A time stamp indicates the last update.

Media

Information about type of media and its associated sizing are listed in the table here. Most of the
data here are read only and are fed back from the printer.
50 Shiraz Signature

name The name of the media that is currently loaded is listed here if a matching media profile is
actually found for it on the system. Otherwise this entry will be set to None by the system
indicating that no media matching will be done by the system. The system constantly monitors
the printer status and will update this information if any changes take place.

If the profile table for the current media is available on the system then any jobs submitted from
the Design module will be checked against it and will be held (Hold (Media)) by the system if not
matched. This behavior is termed Media Matching. It is a very important feature of the Shiraz
Signature system as it ensures that jobs are printed accurately on the correct media.

The Media Matching state is graphically highlighted to the user in the Info Bar area. There are
three possible conditions as shown in the table below.

Media Profile (Layout - Colour) Media Profile (Status - Media) Media Matching State (Info Bar

First Row indicates that media matching is active and the correct media profile is selected. Jobs
submitted from Design module will be processed and printed
 Operation 51

Second Row indicates that media matching is active but the selected media does not match the
current printer media. Any job submitted from Design module will be held by the system.

Third Row indicates that media matching is not active as no corresponding media profile is
available on the system for the currently loaded media. Jobs submitted will be processed and
printed. User must ensure that the media loaded corresponds with the profile selected.

Please note that If the Printer Polling option is switched off in the Preference settings or the
printer model being used does not have printer polling capability then the user must manually
select the media name, media sizes and source.

source The choices here are either Roll or Sheet depending on what media source is used on the
printer. This information is fed back from the printer.

sheet list If the source is set for sheet then the list of available sheet size can be selected here
from the drop down menu. This option must be set by the user.

width The width of the currently loaded media will be shown here in the current unit. This
information is fed back from the printer.

length The length of the media that is currently loaded on the printer is displayed here in the
current unit. This information is usually fed back from the printer but in the case where this data
is unknown then the default media length for the printer type is used.

margins The margin settings for all four directions are listed here in the current unit. These
information are the values specified by the manufacturer and cannot be altered by the user.
Please note that the margin values for roll media could be different to sheet.

Printer Info

Various information about the printer and the media loaded are shown in the table here.

This information is fed back from the printer and is read only. Please note that the information
shown above might vary from printer to printer and is different when no media is loaded.
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Ink levels

The amount of inks left in the printer cartridges is graphically illustrated here.

By placing the cursor on any of the ink levels shown here the system would indicate the actual
name of the cartridge.

Please be aware that the values shown here are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate and are
based on information fed back from the printer.

3.4 Tiling
Shiraz Signature RIP includes as standard a very powerful and intuitive tiling module for printing
jobs in any user defined tile sizes.

To enter the tiling mode select the image required in the Layout module and then select Tile
Image function as shown below.
 Operation 53

The RIP will now start the tiling module and display the selected image as illustrated below.
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The tiling window is divided into three areas. At the top are the tiling functions. The tiling
parameters are located in the left column and the display area is in the middle.

To start breaking images into tiles you can either manually add tiles or alternatively enter the
overall image size that forces the RIP to divide the image into tile sizes within the printer roll
size.

There are two ways of adding tiles manually. In the first method tiles are added interactively by
using the cursor as illustrated below.
 Operation 55

To add tiles place your cursor near the location the tile is needed and left click the mouse button
while holding down the Ctrl key. The cursor changes to a pen and a new dashed line appears. Now
drag the tile line to the location required. Both vertical and horizontal tiles can be added this way
depending on the cursor placement.
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The other way of adding tiles manually is to use the function buttons available on the top menu
bar.

Tiles can be added or removed in both vertical and horizontal directions. It is also possible here to
instruct the RIP to divide the image to equal size tiles automatically by clicking on the Equalize
button. To reset the image to the original state click on the Reset button.
 Operation 57

To size and position tiles accurately enter its corresponding values in the Tile Properties section
as shown below.

Tiles can also be sized and positioned interactively if preferred. To alter the tile size, position the
cursor near the tile edge required and click & drag. The cursor icon changes to indicate the
direction of the move. Once happy with the tile position release the mouse button.
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As an option the user can set the amount overlap required by entering the required amount.

A positive value corresponds to an overlap and a negative value to a cut out.

 Operation 59

Once the tiling work has been done click on the Done button located on the menu bar at the top
of the window.

On exit from the tiling module to the Layout, the RIP will automatically process the tiles and will
nest and arrange the tiles in the Layout screen.
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To add any marks such as crop marks or job label select the tiles required and in the Marks tab
select the marks required.
 Operation 61

The job can now be submitted or further edited if required.

Options

Part

IV
 Options 63

4 Options
4.1 Installing Profiles
Once the RIP has been installed, it is then possible to install additional media profiles by using
the Liveupdate utility program

The Shiraz Signature RIP package includes a profile library DVD that contains a very big number of
media profiles for various printer models supported. The user can also download the latest
profiles from our FTP site.

To install any profile insert the profile DVD that came with your Shiraz package into the drive and
then select the Liveupdate program from Tools menu.

You will then see th Liveupdate main window that allows you to select from available source
locations as shown below.
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If you are using the Profile Library DVD as your source then select the CD option or use the FTP
Server to download from our remote FTP sites. Once you have made your choice click Next to go
on to the next step.
 Options 65

Here you will be shown the main folder where all Shiraz Signature profiles on your computer are
located (Destination) and other options. You do not normally need to change any of these
options. Simply click Next to go on.
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The system will now find the list of the printers that profiles are available for and will then
display them in a tree like structure. Select the printer make and model by first clicking on the
plus button next to the printer manufacturer to open up the list of printer models supported.
Then select the model required by ticking the check box next to it.

Once done click on the Compare button to instruct the system to compare and display the list of
profiles installed on your computer with what is available on the source location.
 Options 67

This window will now display the complete list of the profiles available and their status. The user
can now either manually select the required ones for install or make a group selection by
selecting one of the options available at the bottom of the window. Once the selection is made
click on the Install button to start the process.
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The progress bar will then be displayed to indicate the progress of the install. The system will
show a summary of the operation for the user information. These profiles will now be available
to the RIP on the next refresh or startup.

4.2 Installing Printer Drivers

Additional printer drivers or plug-ins can be installed at any time after the RIP install. This allows
you to setup printer queues for these printers and print through them.

To start the installer locate the Printerinst application on the Installer folder on the Shiraz
signature Installation DVD.
 Options 69

Now double click on it to start the program. You will now be presented with the following
window.
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Select the printer models required and click on the Install button to start the process. Once
finished click on Exit button.