OS X AGFA PPD Imagesetter issue 5

[Tuck007]

We are using a AGFA AccuSet 800 Plus Imagesetter here. We've been using Mac OS X with Classic and OS 9.2.2. In 9.2.2, all our applications can make use of the PPD for the 800, allowing proper linescreen defining and resolution for all our seperations. All the applications we use (Quark, Illustrator, Freehand, Pagemaker, InDesign, and Acrobat) can print and make use of the Print dialog boxes just fine, all the options from the PPD are availible.
This is not the same in OS X. If we use the OS 9 PPD, we get options. If we use a PPD for anopther AGFA product, we can still print, and we get the resolution options. I wanted to find out if anyone has seen a good imagesetter PPD that works with this model AGFA or can help troubleshoot? Are there any specific forums or FAQs in this area. I have visited the AGFA website and there is very llittle to no support for this product in OS X. Apple's website has provided a lot of information for general printing procedures, but nothing specific.

.:TUCK:.

 

[Tuck007]

Bonotevo,

Heidelberg droped into our offices a few weeks back. I talked with their rep about the systems they are offering right now. *reaches to my right and grabs the documentation that was left for me* The Remarketed Quickmaster DI looks like a great deal for a 4-color direct imaging solution. If I had the cash, I would buy one for myself personally and start my own business. I'm only used to pre-press work, but with a press that can be run by one person, it seems like a very cost effective upgrade. They don't look a big press, being only 8ft by 12 ft, and can't do huge runs, but smaller shops don't need to. With a cutter, you can get almost all the work done on these machines, or so they want to tell me.

.:TUCK:.

 

[sungrafx]

Bruce3

and anyone else interested in the $4750 solution to your problems. I do not want to promote any ones product in this forum, but i have a quote from a reputable dealer for a system i am buying ( see my Feb post) i can forward you their contact information...

 

[karmer]

Wow! This thread is really informative. Thanks for the help.

AGFA issue unrelated to this thread:

I am running an AGFA Accuset 1000 with an Internal RIP. I have been getting "RIP Boor Error" and "SPIN Motor Error" messages occasionally. Rebooting the imagesetter usually clears the error, however not so much recently.

Does anyone know exactly what these errors mean beyond what is described in the manual? The manual is very vague and of no help. Is there a way to fix the problems without having to call for an AGFA Field Service Rep?

I have started a new thread for replies, so as to not get replies mixed up with this PPD issue. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[MacManSteve]

I have a customer with a ProSet 9400 with a Level 1 RIP.

Is there any hope of printer with OS 10?
What about the Gimp-Print driver? It says it supports L1 printers.

 

[kopyrite]

To get an Accuset working on OSx go here

http://www.bndco.com/tips/OSX_AccuSet_PPDs.zip

 

[kopyrite]

Maybe it was not clear but the link is a download link, click on it and you will download a OSX printer driver for the Accuset and another driver for Illustrator which takes care of page orientation problems in Illustrator, these came from macoshints where bndco.com has rewrote the drivers for OSX. I think this will solve all your problems, Put them in Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/, They enable all settings with Quark 6.

 

[baguette]

Will those ppds work for an Accuset 1500 plus with Taipan?

 

[kopyrite]

I am pretty sure it will. Taipan is mentioned in the PPD, why not fire it up and try it?

 

[mgmarker]

After reading the posts in the forum and doing my own testing I would like to update the thread with a synopsis of some of the AGFA Viper 1.9.2 problems mentioned and solutions. I do not know if this will help or not, but if I was looking for all of these answeres, someone else is probably too. This should apply to many AGFA imagesetters using Viper 1.9.2. (We use Accuset 1500 and I know 800 and 1000 are mentioned above.)

Problem 1
The PPDs used for Agfa Viper 1.9.2 are invalid under OSX and Quark 6.

As mentioned above, ADOBE has posts on their site AGFA PPDs that OSX will take (they are actually not Viper PPDs but Taipan) please refer to posts above for the link to Adobe's site and installation instructions for OSX and Quark 6.

Problem 2
If you calibrate Viper 1.9.2 with the "adapt custom PPD" method, it creates a new PPD using the original Viper PPD, which then will also be invalid under OSX and Quark 6. So how do I calibrate Viper after I use the new PPD dloaded from Adobe?

OK, using AGFASet software to dload the calibration transfer to Viper RIP, you can select the transfer and check "more options" check box, which gives you the option to "make permanent". This makes that transfer resourse the default for all jobs and is the way to go for anybody who uses a limited range of resolution and LPI settings. For those who use a variety of DPI and LPI settings, "make default" makes the transfer resourse the default for any jobs run until the RIP is restarted. This requires starting AGFASet and manipulating the RIP settings for each days run or each job however.

Problem 3
"Make permanent" does not take. When first starting my tests even after loading the transfer resource to Viper and "make permanent" all jobs ran without any calibration.

To fix this dload VIPER1.9.X_XFER_RES_PATCH from AGFA website, I believe a link may be above. After loading the patch all is well, all jobs run calibrated.

Problem 4
Using the Transfer resource created in Calibrator 4.0 or 4.1 makes a bad curve. You can see in vignets and gradients a definite bump or ripple in the screen or an abrupt stop in the highlight dot.

This problem took years to figure out. If you are having trouble with calibrator and getting smooth transfer resources, email me and I can give you the low down off line.

Man, this thing really got away from me. I hope this is a comprehensive summery of all the Viper 1.9.2 questions and answeres in this thread.

 

[TheBobDobbs]

We are using a Viper 3.04 and printing from a OS X machine to an Avantra 25. We are having similar problems when we go to add a printer in OS X we cannot see the OS 9driver to select.
I gather from the other comments that this is not an issue with InDesign. I have not tested InDesign but I am assuming you select the PPD from within the application. But how do I see the PPD to install for other applications that print through the OS X engine?
thanks
Michael

 

[LibertyLetter]

Have a problem with my Agfa Accuset 1000 running with a Star 600 Rip. Seems as the imagesetter is doing something with the scale of the original image. When setting up a 11 x 17 image on 14" film the 17" image is right on 17" but the 14" image is about 1/16th less than the full 14" (might be closer to 1% of the total) Has anyone heard of such a thing and if so how can it be fixed. Since it is across the film and not down the roll kind of eleminates the tension rollers and the capstan. But is it possible to adjust the machine to set the image more accuretly. I am some what new to this and any help would be appriciated. Thanks LibertyLetter.

LibertyLetter

 

[steamn]

LibertyLetter, having the same problem with IndesignCS and Panther using a Accuset PPD outputting using a APS Grafix rip and a Aii imagesettter. Everything shifts horizontally 1/16 of an inch. Still trying to figure it out.
What program are you using when this occurs? I will inform you of a solution if I figure it out. Please do the same for me.

Thanks, steamn

 

[fosterprinting]

Thanks everyone for leading the way to a solution. We had lower resolution happening (1200 vs 2400 for OS 9). I modified the AGFA OS X 1000W PPD to force the resolution. My next problem is the dot shape. OS 9 makes a Ellipse and OS X makes a Square dot. The default in the PPD says "DOT" but we get square at 50%.

We are running Accuset 1000, Viper 1.9, but we are spooling to a Windows 2000 server that feeds the RIP. Any ideas?

 

[generationd]

I got a avantra 20 with a multi star 400 rip and my problem is trying to find the agfa set software for my mac. I recived this imagesetter from a co. that went bankrupt and left it in their warehouse I need help....

 

[mgmarker]

generationd--

You used to be able to dload it from the AGFA website, but they have changed it around and I do not know if it is still available. I have a version or two, if you can't dload it let me know or post again what version you need and maybe I can get it to you.

 

[generationd]

I looked all the agfa site all i could find was documentation and different issues but no software. I am running a mac using the OSX operating system If you could get it to me I wolud sure apperciate it. thankyou

 

[Claude72]

Hi everybody

Sorry, I hope you will apologize my bad english: I'm french....

I use since 1998 a Viper 1.91 - 1.92 with first an Agfa Proset 9800 and yet a Proset 9836, and I have three informations to give to you:

First about calibration. I use a "transfer resource" that works fine (since I have downloaded the X-FER patch...) with 120 lpi, 133 lpi and 150 lpi screens, positive and negative, with less than 2% of error (I always use 2400 dpi resolution).
Before I found the patch, I used the Halftone Linked Transfer... this is very efficient but very hard to use, as you need to make a calibration curve for each color, each resolution, each screen lining in positive mode, and you need to do the same again for negative mode... that's a long job.
But there is a problem: this calibration is so efficient that it runs over all other possible curves, including the 2-colors Photoshop mode curves, that can no more been use.


Second: somebody were worrying about a problem of the square dots instead of round dots: that's normal!!! The Agfa round dot screen has round dots ONLY in low densities (black dots) and high densities (white dots), in the middle densities the dots are almost squared, and are (theorically) perfectly squared at 50% density.


Third: the PPD... As everybody, when first using XPress 4, I had much troubles with the original PPD supplied with my Viper, and I had to use the "new" Quark PPD for Agfa Imagesetters. This PPD are 4.2 release, and work fine with both 9800 and 9836, printing from XPress 4 and 5) and InDesign (1, 1.5 and 2).
On March 2003, I bought a new G4 with OS X.2 and I had much troubles as the 4.2 PPD didn't work. I don't exactly remember the problem, but it was impossible to setup my 9836 in the print center. Reading this forum, shows me that I'm not alone to have this problem.
I'll not explain exactly how I did, but I found a bug in the 9836 PPD, and after I corrected it, this PPD worked perfectly under OS 10.2 with InDesign 2 (still yet with CS). With XPress, there is one trouble: the centering of the printing in the film width doesn't work, so I have to set a shift of 1 or 2 mm to print the XPress informations on the top of my A4 pages printed landscape...
This bug exists not only in the 9836 PPD, but also in all the 4.2 Agfa PPD released for XPress 4...
The Adobe PPDs that can be downloaded using the link given in the forum are a good solution, but only if you have a "recent" imagesetter: Accuset, Avantra, Selecset, Polaris and may be other PPDs are 4.3 PPDs and will work fine with OS X, but Proset PPDs are only old 4.0 PPD that will not work.

For all those who like adventure and thrilling and have an old Proset, the bug is easy to fix: it is simply a wrong place of a command-line in the PPD, that doesn't allow to close a group correctly (the AgfaScreening group).

1) open the PPD with Word (I use 2001 for Mac, running on my second Mac)

2) locate the line:

*CloseGroup: AgfaScreening

(just before *%===== Agfa Modules =======================================)

3) cut the complete line "*CloseGroup: AgfaScreening"

4) locate the line:

*CloseUI: *AgfaDoLinkXfer

(in the *%===== Screenfilter Settings ============================== group)

5) paste the line "*CloseGroup: AgfaScreening" between "*CloseUI: *AgfaDoLinkXfer" and "*OpenGroup: AgfaRulingSettings/Ruling Settings", with one "enter" before and one "enter" after.

You should get:

*AgfaDoLinkXfer False/Auto Linking Off: "false AGFADict /SetLinkXfer get exec"
*CloseUI: *AgfaDoLinkXfer

*CloseGroup: AgfaScreening

*OpenGroup: AgfaRulingSettings/Ruling Settings

*OpenUI *AgfaRuleUse/Ruling Definition: PickOne"

6) save the file with another name (I simply add X at the end), keeping the "Text only" file-format, and use it as PPD for your Proset. This modified PPD also works with Classic.

This bug is very easy to find, I don't understand how the Agfa programmers didn't see it...

I hope that this informations will be helpfull...

Claude

 

[scarletthaze]

Ok, here's my story (because everyone has a story)

my boss sat ont he fence too long about buying a new mac for the art department, now i'm faced with the decision of buying the low end $1200 G4's or getting a beefed up G5. now i can go with the G5, if i can prove to him that i can print to the imagesetter thru osx. so i have my ibook in here, which has osx on it. and i can send to the imagesetter (AGFA Accuset 1000W plus) thru indesign with no problem. I've gone thru every post on this forum at least 3 times and have p[ut all the different ppds in the directories everyone sid to put them in and still can't get quark6 to play nice. when i hit print, inthe intrepreter window on the mac that's runnign viper (3.02), The RIP Status light goes from greet to red and says waiting, and i get all hapy because i think IT WORKED, then it goes back to green and stays green. soetimes it goes red, green, red, green, red and then rips it..

Unfortunatey, id ont' know much about the imagesetter or the Viper program. I was hired here in February and they had just fired the person who had done it all before. So i had no one to train me or anyone to go to with my questions.
i'm working on old blue & white G3's that are just bogged down with problems, and am anxious to get the new computer so i can reformat these old ones and get them working better.
if anyone has a free moment, could someone step by step explain how to stick int he ppds and what needs to be set to what? maybe i'm missing things or just being stupid in my frustration. i'd appreciate any help! i'm just stuck and frustrated and don't know what else to do. thanks!!

 

[scarletthaze]

and i get all hapy because i think IT WORKED, then it goes back to green and stays green. soetimes it goes red, green, red, green, red and then rips it..


^^^^^^^
whoops, i meant to say sometimes, when it does work for programs in os9, it goes reg, green, red, green then red and rips it, but not so for quark 6 in osx.

 

[kopyrite]

We have the same problem, you could always tell Quark to make a PDF and then send that to the imagesetter