Leopard, CS3, Viper RIP, and an AGFA Proset 9400 :-(

[sheetlabels]

Hello everyone. We just recently acquired an AGFA Proset 9400 imagesetter to produce our one color negatives.

I have an iMac in my office, with the CS3 package, and the 9400 is attached to an older Mac(OS 9) with a Viper RIP on it. The system works great, I can easily send files from just about any software as a PS Level 2 device independent file (positive image), and the Viper system will pick it up and process it without question.

But, if I would like to make a negative, the CS3 suite requires that I choose the proper PPD in order to do so.

I went ahead and downloaded the list of AGFA drivers from Adobe, and as soon as I use the AGFA Proset 9400 v52.3 PPD chosen both ID and AI allow me to choose "Negative" under the print settings.

When I send the file to the old Mac's Hot Folder... the Viper flushes the file.

I can't seem to figure out what is wrong, I've tried a few different PPD files, and I've also tried playing with the settings on the older Mac with no luck. I'm in need of having this system operable ASAP... any help?

Thanks in advance!

Adam

 

[Zelandakh]

Instead of outputting to the hot folder, retain it on the iMac and distill it and see if you get any errors.

 

[sheetlabels]

Zelandakh,

Thanks for the help. I'll try that and let you know.

 

[sheetlabels]

No luck... I've tried distilling it using Distiller 8 and I get the following errors:

%%[Error Undefined; Offending Command Bud1]%%

And then it will proceed to flush the file.

If I don't distill it and just send a Level 2 .ps file to the hot folder (Created in CS3 using the Agfa 9400 v52.3 PPD), I get the following:

%%[Error: Invalidaccess; Offending Command: put; Error Info: Thresholds -- nostringval -- ]%%
%%[Flushing: rest of job (to end of file) will be ignored]%%

Any other ideas?

 

[Zelandakh]

So there's probably nothing wrong with the RIP or the AGFA, your problem is with the file.

Distill in chunks until you can isolate which page (if applicable) then remove the picture/s and readd and check again. If you are still getting a problem, change the font.

 

[sheetlabels]

Thanks for the reply. I figured out that if I write a .ps file as Device Independent, and change the settings on the Agfa Set software to Negative and Wrong Reading, I get a perfect result.

Now I have a new issue... after getting it to work for a few negatives, all the sudden the negatives are shifted over about 1.5in and are off the film. Any ideas there?

 

[danbpc]

The problem is not with the RIP or CS3, the issue is with the fact that CS3 assumes you have a level 3 RIP software, and puts things in the file that your Viper does not understand. It is Level 2 I believe. I think it is possible to force CS3 to create a Level 2 postscript file, but I do not remember where the command is. Check out a prepress board like prepress forums.

You maybe forced to install an out of date version of Distiller, to distill eps files that are Level 2 compliant which should work, but be careful that strange changes do not happen to your files.

 

[sheetlabels]

I have the files printing to the RIP as Level 2 PS. There are no problems there. I then have the Agfa Viper interpret the file and convert it to a negative, using the Agfa Set software.

If I send the file over as a regular unmarked file, it works fine. If I add registration/trim marks to the print, it shifts the artwork over, running off the edge of the film.

 

[danbpc]

At what point are you adding in the registration and trim marks, from the application or in RIP? If you create a PDF from you application,with the crop marks in the PDF file, do you still have the problem?

I have seen this kind of discussion on "

http://software-robotics.com/graphic-design-prepress/index.php"

you might want to check it out.

I had a film house that used a rip 50 and a Lino and they had all kinds of trouble with newer adobe software. But they were able to work around it by creating EPS or PDF of the film and outputing from Acrobat Professional.