Learning Preps 41

Learning Preps 4.
Preps Learning Preps 4.1
Learning Preps 4.1

This manual is written and designed as an introduction to Preps for new users. It is a product of the Technical Support and Training Department of ScenicSoft, Inc. For more information on anything related to Preps training, please email: training@scenicsoft.com For general information about ScenicSoft or our products, please email: info@scenicsoft.com If you need technical support information, and have a current support contract, please email: support@scenicsoft.com. Please include your full name, your company name, telephone number, and Preps hardware key (dongle) number. Tech notes and additional support information can be found on our Web site: http://www.scenicsoft.com
Publisher
ScenicSoft, Inc. 1133 - 164th Street SW Lynnwood, WA 98037-8192 Tel: 425-355-6655 Fax: 425-355-6898 Email: training@scenicsoft.com Web: http://www.scenicsoft.com No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.
Revision
Version 4.1, December 3, 2001 Copyright 2001 by ScenicSoft, Inc. Lynnwood, Washington, USA. All rights reserved. Preps is a trademark of ScenicSoft, Inc. All other products and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Table of Contents Learning Preps 4.1
Table of Contents LEARNING PREPS 4.1
Step-by-Step Guide to Using Preps A Checklist of Basic Steps

Setting Up Preps
Device Setup ......................................................................................... ii Font Setup ............................................................................................. ii OPI Setup .............................................................................................. ii

Working with Preps
Building a Template .............................................................................. ii Creating a New Job .............................................................................. iii Printing ................................................................................................ iii Chapter 1: Working With Jobs
Creating a Basic Preps Job
Overview............................................................................................... 2 Saving Window Positions ..................................................................... 2 Adding Source Files to a Job ................................................................ 2 Adding Pages to the Run List ............................................................... 3 Saving and Naming a Job ..................................................................... 3
Modifying a Preps Job
Selecting Page Ranges .......................................................................... 4 Deleting Source Files............................................................................ 4 Deleting Pages from the Run List ......................................................... 4 Moving Pages in the Run List .............................................................. 4 Editing the Run List .............................................................................. 4
Selecting a Signature Template
Overview............................................................................................... 5 \Adding Signatures to a Job .................................................................. 5 Selecting Signatures ............................................................................. 6 Modifying Selected Signatures ............................................................. 6 Chapter 2: Working with Placeholders
Using Placeholders in a Preps Job
Overview............................................................................................... 8 Adding a Placeholder to Preps Job ....................................................... 8 Editing a Placeholder ............................................................................ 8 Replacing a Placeholder ....................................................................... 8 Splitting a Placeholder .......................................................................... 9 Converting a Source File to a Placeholder............................................ 9
Chapter 3: Configuring Preps

Configuring Devices
Overview............................................................................................. 12 Device Setup ....................................................................................... 12 Adding a Device ................................................................................ 12 Removing a Device ............................................................................. 13 Device Configuration .......................................................................... 13 Connection .......................................................................................... 15 Error Log ............................................................................................ 16 Fonts ................................................................................................... 16 Job Log ............................................................................................... 16 Media .................................................................................................. 16 Custom Page Size ............................................................................... 17 Punch .................................................................................................. 18
Preferences
Overview............................................................................................. 18 General Tab ......................................................................................... 18 Input Options ...................................................................................... 19 Output Options ................................................................................... 20 Folders Tab ......................................................................................... 21 PDF Tab .............................................................................................. 22 Font Processing Tab ............................................................................ 22 Chapter 4: Templates
Template Basics
Overview............................................................................................. 24 Creating a New Template ................................................................... 26 Exercise .............................................................................................. 26 Naming a Template ............................................................................. 26 Selecting a Binding Style ................................................................... 27 Adding a Signature ............................................................................. 28 Creating an Imposition ....................................................................... 29 Page Numbering ................................................................................. 30 Adjusting Margins and Gutters ........................................................... 31 Saving a Template ............................................................................... 32 Adding Another Signature .................................................................. 32 Independent Pages .............................................................................. 35 Nesting ................................................................................................ 36 Layering .............................................................................................. 36 Chapter 5: Marks
Page Marks
Overview............................................................................................. 38 Adding Crop Marks to Template Pages .............................................. 38 Deleting Crop Marks .......................................................................... 38 Fold Marks .......................................................................................... 39
Table of Contents Learning Preps 4.1
Press Sheet Marks
Overview............................................................................................. 39
Signature/Template Marks
Overview............................................................................................. 40 Mark Position ..................................................................................... 40 Mark Types ......................................................................................... 40 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Marks ................................................. 42 Stepping and Repeating Marks ........................................................... 42 Single and Repeating Marks ............................................................... 43 Color Options for Marks..................................................................... 45 Adding Custom Marks ....................................................................... 45 Text Marks .......................................................................................... 46 Chapter 6: Previewer
Previewing Preps Jobs
Overview............................................................................................. 50 Zooming ............................................................................................. 50 Color Previewing ................................................................................ 51 Color Set-up ........................................................................................ 51 Show Trim Box ................................................................................... 52 Process OPI ........................................................................................ 52 Using Rulers and Guides .................................................................... 52 Chapter 7: Page Adjustments
Page Offsets
Overview............................................................................................. 54 Adjusting Page Positions in the Previewer ......................................... 54 Adjusting Page Positions Without Using the Previewer ..................... 55 Ignoring a Source Files Bounding Box ............................................. 57
Scaling
Scaling Run List Pages ....................................................................... 58

Rotation
Applying Rotation to Run List Pages ................................................. 59 Chapter 8: Fitting & Tiling
Fitting
Overview............................................................................................. 62 Fitting Options .................................................................................... 62

Tiling
Overview............................................................................................. 63 Automatic Tiling ................................................................................. 63 Tiling Options ..................................................................................... 63 Tiling Dimensions .............................................................................. 65 Display Tiles Tool ............................................................................... 65
Chapter 9: Printing
Printing
Overview............................................................................................. 68 Output Options ................................................................................... 68 Print Settings ...................................................................................... 70

General Tab
Overview............................................................................................. 72 Specify Print Range ............................................................................ 72 Output Format ..................................................................................... 72 Imaging Options ................................................................................. 74 Halftone Screening ............................................................................. 75
Color Separations Tab
Overview............................................................................................. 76 Colors ................................................................................................. 76 Build ................................................................................................... 76 Output As ............................................................................................ 76 Overprint/Knockout ............................................................................ 77 Line Screen and Screen Angle ............................................................ 77 Add Color ........................................................................................... 77 Halftone Settings Spot Shape .......................................................... 77
Level 2 Options
Overview............................................................................................. 78 Color Separations ............................................................................... 78 Chapter 10: Native PDF Workflow Overview ............................................................................................ 80 Exercise .............................................................................................. 80 Creating a Native PDF Job ................................................................. 80 Template Marks ................................................................................. 81 Exporting PDF Jobs ............................................................................ 82 Exercises
Learning Preps 4.1
Overview............................................................................................. 84 Building a Job ..................................................................................... 85 Using Placeholders in a Job ................................................................ 87 Creating a Template ............................................................................ 88 Using Page Adjustments ..................................................................... 89
Preps 4.1 STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO USING PREPS

Setting Up Preps Device Setup Font Setup OPI Setup Working With Preps Building a Template Creating a New Job Printing
BASIC STEPS IN PREPS

This is intended to be a simple checklist of things you need to do when you are working in Preps. For specific instructions on how to perform these steps, please refer to the User Guide.
WORKING WITH PREPS

Font Setup
I From the Edit menu, select User Preferences. I Select the Font Processing option you want to use. I If necessary, create Font Locations in either the Font Setup or Job Font Setup dialog windows.
SETTING UP PREPS
Device Setup
I Copy the PPD for your output device(s) into the Preps 4.1:Printers:ppd folder. The name must contain no special characters and must end in .ppd. I From the Setup menu, select Device Setup. I In the Device Setup dialog box, select Add Device. In the Add Device dialog box, select a Device Type from the list and type a Nickname. I In the Device Configuration dialog box, select a Page Size. (Note: If there is not a fixed page size that suits your needs, see the instructions for creating a custom page size in the User Guide.) I Select a Resolution, Line Screen, Screen Angle, and Halftone Spot Shape. (Some RIPs may override the specified options. Line Screen and Screen Angle apply to composite output out of Preps. If you print color separations, you can change the line screen and screen angle in the Color Separations dialog box.) I Click Connection. I In the Connection dialog box, select your output device, then click OK. I In the Device Configuration dialog box and the Device Setup dialog box, click OK.
OPI Setup (Preps Pro and Preps XL only)

If you are using Preps OPI handling: I From the Setup menu, select OPI Processing. I In the OPI Processing dialog box, click Image Locations. I In the Image Locations dialog box, click Add Location. I Navigate to the location of the images you want to use and click the Select <folder name> button. I In the Image Locations dialog box and the OPI Processing dialog box, click OK.
Building a Template
I From the File menu, select New Template. I Type a name for the template and select a Binding Style. I In the Add Signature dialog box, type a name for the Signature, select a Work Style, and type numbers for the press sheet Width and Height, Position of Side Guides, and Length of Center Marks. In the From list, select the side to measure from for the side guides. Then click OK. I From the Template menu, select Create Imposition. I In the Create Imposition dialog box under Finished Page Size, type numbers for the Width and Height. I Under Number of Imposed Pages, type the number of Horizontal and Vertical pages in the imposition. I Under Page Orientation, select the direction the Lower Left Pages Head Faces and the direction to Layout Additional Pages.
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Learning Preps 4.1 Step-by-Step Guide to Using Preps
I Under Distance from Press Sheet Edge to Imposition, select the appropriate option. If you want to measure to the Bottom Margin or Left Margin, type the distance. I Click OK. I In the Template window, set up the gutters and margins. Click on the gutter or margin you want to modify, then from the Edit menu, select Get Information. I If you want to use independent pages, from the Template menu select Add Independent Page to open the Add Template Page dialog box. Type the appropriate numbers in the boxes, then click OK. I Use the Page Numbering tool to number the template pages. (Note: Remember, this is the order in which the pages from the run list flow through the template. Start each signature with the number 1.) I From the Template menu, select Add Template Mark to open the Add Template Mark dialog box, where you can add the template marks you want to use. I Select the template pages. From the Template menu, select Modify Template Page, then select Add Crop Marks. I From the File menu, select Save Template As. I Name the template, then click Save (OK on Windows). (Note: Remember, Preps cannot use a template with a job unless it is located in the Templates folder.)
Creating a New Job

I From the File menu, select New Job. I In the File List window, click Add Files. I Navigate to the source files you want to use and add them to the list. Then click OK. I Or, drag and drop files into the File List. I Drag your pages/files from the File List window to the Run List window, in the order of the final printed piece. I In the Signature List window, click the Signatures button. I In the Select Signatures dialog box, select the Binding Style for the job. I In the Template list and Signature list, select the template and signature you want to use. I Click Auto Select or Add according to your requirements. I Click OK.
Printing
I From the File menu, click Fitting/Tiling Setup. I In the Fitting/Tiling Setup dialog box, select the fitting or tiling options you want to use, then click OK. I From the File menu, select Print. I Select the print options you want to use, then click Print. I If you selected the Color Separations check box, the Color Separations dialog box opens. Select your options, then click Print.
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Chapter 1 WORKING WITH JOBS

Creating a Basic Preps Job Overview Saving Window Positions Adding Source Files to a Job Adding Pages to the Run List Different Options Modifying a Preps Job Selecting Page Ranges Deleting Source Files Deleting Pages from the Run List Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Pages in the Run List Selecting a Signature Template Overview Adding Signatures to a Job Selecting Signatures Modifying Selected Signatures
CREATING A BASIC PREPS JOB

Overview
Preps accepts PostScript, EPS, TIFF, DCS, and PDF source files from more than 120 applications. Preps Pro and Preps XL for Windows accept Xerox RDO files, and Preps Pro and Preps Plus for Windows accept Delta List files. You can mix any combination of these files within a job. There are two choices for working with jobs in Preps: mixed source files with PostScript output, or PDF source files with PDF output. When you create a new Preps job, you choose which workflow you want to use. When you create a Preps job, three empty job windows display on screen. They are: File List window Run List window Signature List window When you add source files to a Preps job, these job windows contain information about the source files, the source file pages, and the selected layout.
Saving Window Positions

You can customize your job window sizes and positions, and save them as the default.
Adding Source Files to a Job

There are three ways to add files to the File List: Click Add Files in the File List window From the Job menu, select Add Files Drag and drop files from the Macintosh Finder or Windows Explorer into the File List Information about the source file appears in the File List window. The file name displays, as well as the number of pages in the file and the page size. Icons representing each page in a source file appear on the right side of the File List window.
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Chapter 1 Working with Jobs
Adding Pages to the Run List Different Options

There are three ways to add pages to the Run List: Check the Add all pages to Run List box when you add source files to the File List using the Add Files button Drag and drop files or pages from the File List to the Run List Drag and drop files files from the Macintosh Finder or Windows Explorer into the Run List; if the file is not already present in the File List, it automatically appears there
Adding Blank Pages to the Run List

You can add single or multiple blank pages to a jobs Run List: Drag the Blank page icon to the position where you want to add the blank page. To add multiple blank pages, hold down the Shift key as you click the Blank page icon and drag it to the Run List. The Add Blank Pages dialog appears. Type the number of blank pages you want to add, then click OK.
Saving and Naming a Job

To save a Preps job: From the File menu, select Save Job or Save Job As. Type the name for this job and select the location where you want to save it. Click Save. Once you have saved and named a Preps job: It can be stored anywhere on your system It is portable between Windows and Macintosh It references all PostScript files used
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MODIFYING A PREPS JOB

Selecting Page Ranges
Select page ranges in either the File List or Run List by choosing Select Page Range under the Edit menu.
Deleting Source Files

To delete a source file from the File List: Select the file and press the Delete key. Preps displays a message to confirm that the file is to be deleted. When a source file is deleted from the File List, its pages are also deleted from the Run List.
Deleting Pages from the Run List

To delete Run List pages: Select the page(s) and press the Delete key. Deleting pages from the Run List does not delete pages or files from the File List.
Moving Pages in the Run List

You can move pages in the Run List by dragging and dropping them to new positions, or by cutting or copying, and pasting them.
Editing the Run List

You can move pages in the Run List by dragging and dropping them to new positions, or by cutting or copying, and pasting them. You can create a copy of a Run List page by holding down the Option key while dragging and dropping the page to a different position. You can replace pages in the Run List by dragging the new page from the File List (or the Finder or Explorer) and dropping it onto the page you wish to replace.
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Chapter 1 Working with Jobs
SELECTING A SIGNATURE TEMPLATE

Overview
Once pages are in the Run List, the next step is to select a template to produce imposed output. Preps then flows the Run List pages through the signatures in a template. Preps ships with a number of templates that contain commonly used layouts for different binding styles.
Adding Signatures to a Job

To add signatures to a job: In the Signature List window, click Signatures. Select the Binding Style from the list. There are five binding styles in Preps: Saddle-stitched Perfect Bound Come n Go Cut and Stack Flat Work The binding style determines the order in which the job pages flow through the template signature. Once a binding style is selected, templates created with that style are available for selection in the Templates window. (More information about binding styles is in Chapter 4, Templates.)
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Selecting Signatures
Templates may contain more than one signature. There are two ways to select signatures.
Automatically Selecting Signatures

To add a signature(s) automatically: Click Auto Select. Preps automatically flows the job pages through the largest signature available until there are no longer enough pages to fill it. Preps then uses the partial signature that most closely matches the number of remaining job pages, and adds blank pages to the end of the job to fill the signature.
Manually Selecting Signatures

To add a signature manually: Select the template and signature you want to add. Click Add. There is no limit to the number of signatures you can add.
Modifying Selected Signatures Moving Signatures Up and Down

Once you have selected the signatures you want to use, you can change their positions within the job. To move signatures: Select the signature to be moved. Click Move Up or Move Down.
Deleting Signatures
To remove selected signatures from the job: Select the signature to be deleted. Click Delete.
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Chapter 2 WORKING WITH PLACEHOLDERS

Using Placeholders in a Preps Job Overview Adding Placeholders to a Job Editing a Placeholder Replacing Placeholders with Source Files Splitting a Placeholder Converting a Source File to a Placeholder
USING PLACEHOLDERS IN A PREPS JOB

Overview
Placeholders are useful for setting up a job before all the source files are available. You add a placeholder to the File List, give it a name and page count, and add it to the File List and Run List. You replace the placeholder with the actual source file when it becomes available.
Adding a Placeholder to a Preps Job

To add a placeholder to a job: Drag the Placeholder icon into the File List. Or, from the Job menu, select Add Placeholder. The Placeholder Information dialog box opens. Type a name for the placeholder. If you do not know the exact name of the source file, you can type any descriptive name, or use the default name of Placeholder 1. Enter the page count. If you want to add pages to the Run List automatically, select the Add all pages to run list check box. Click OK.
Editing a Placeholder
You can change the name of the placeholder or the page count at any time. To edit the placeholder: In the File List, select the Placeholder icon. From the Edit menu, select Get Information. Type the desired changes, then click OK.
Replacing a Placeholder with a Source File

When the actual source file becomes available, you can easily replace the placeholder. In the File List, select the Placeholder. From the Job menu, select Replace Placeholder. Navigate to the source file, select it, then click OK.
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Chapter 2 Working with Placeholders
Different Page Count in Placeholders and Source Files

If the source file contains more pages than you entered for the page count of the placeholder, a warning dialog appears. You have the option of adding the extra pages to the Run List after the last page of the placeholder, not adding them to the Run List, or canceling. If the source file contains fewer pages than you entered for the page count of the placeholder, a warning dialog appears. You have the option of removing the extra pages from the Run List, splitting the placeholder (which creates a new placeholder for the missing pages), or canceling.
Splitting a Placeholder
To split a placeholder into two smaller placeholders: In the File List, select the Placeholder. From the Job menu, select Split Placeholder. The Split Placeholder window appears. Enter the page count for the first placeholder. The second placeholder will contain the remaining pages. Click OK.
Converting a Source File to a Placeholder

To convert a source file into a placeholder: In the File List, select the source file. From the Job menu, select Convert to Placeholder.
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Chapter 3 CONFIGURING PREPS

Configuring Devices Overview Device Setup Adding a Device Removing a Device Device Configuration Connection Error Log Fonts Job Log Media Custom Page Size Punch Preferences General Tab Input Options Output Options Folders Tab PDF Tab Font Processing Tab
CONFIGURING DEVICES
Overview
Preps supports any output device for which a PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file is available. PPDs contain information about the output device, such as available page sizes, recommended resolutions, halftone line screens, halftone spot shape, screen angles, and built-in fonts. Preps ships with many PPD files that were initially provided by the output device manufacturers, but only a few are included when you install Preps. Additional PPDs are available on the Preps CD in the PPD Files folder, but you should use the PPD that was supplied with your output device or that you generated using your RIP utility. You add PPDs to Preps by copying them into the Preps 4.1:Printers:ppd folder; make sure the name ends in .ppd and does not contain any special characters.
Device Setup
When you install Preps for the first time, you need to add, configure, and connect the output devices you want to use. You may add as many output devices as you need, and at any time.
Adding a Device
When you add a device, give it a unique Nickname. Because each instance of a device is uniquely named, you may add the same device more than once. This allows you to save different configuration options for an output device. The name you see in the Device Type list is taken from the Model Name inside the PPD file and is usually different from the file name. To add a device: From the Setup menu, select Device Setup. Click Add Device. From the pull-down list, select the Device Type. Type a Nickname. Click OK.
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Chapter 3 Configuring Preps
Removing a Device
In the Device Setup dialog box, select the device, then click Remove Device.
Device Configuration
When you add an output device, the Device Configuration dialog box automatically displays. Output device options include the page size, resolution, line screen, halftone spot shape, and screen angle. Information about the available options is contained in the PPD or PPX files for the output device. The default configuration options also are specified in these PPD and/or PPX files. You may change the configuration of an output device at any time.
Page Size
The Page Size list displays the page sizes supported by the output device you are configuring.
Alignment
Changing the coordinates in the Alignment fields moves the image data within the imageable area defined by the page size. Do not use Alignment in conjunction with Punch Coordinates because they will conflict.
Punch Coordinates
If the output device has a center punch, the horizontal and vertical coordinates (relative to the current PostScript origin) display for the location of the physical punch on the currently selected Page Size. If no punch coordinates have been specified for the selected page size, nothing displays in this area of the dialog box.
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Resolution
The Resolution list displays the resolutions supported by the selected output device.
Line Screen
The manufacturer-recommended line screens for the output device are listed, but you also may specify other line-screen values. The lines-per-inch (lpi) value sets the line screen for halftones and color composite, or unseparated, output. This halftone screen value is used in conjunction with the Override Line Screen option in the Print dialog box. The line screen specified here also is used as the default line screen for spot colors, unless overridden by values in the PPD
Screen Angle
The manufacturer-recommended screen angles for the selected output device are listed. The screen-angle value specified here is used for composite output and for spot colors, unless overridden by values in the PPD. Screen settings include line screens and angles for spot colors.
Halftone Spot Shape

You can select the halftone spot shape that will be used when you print using this output device. The halftone spot shape is used in conjunction with the Override Halftone Spot Shape options in the Print dialog box. The Halftone Spot Shape you select here is used when you print composite output. You select the spot shape for separated output in the Print dialog box.
OPI Images as
If your job contains OPI-linked TIFF files and Preps Pro or Preps XL is doing the image replacement, you can print composite output on a color output device as either Color or Gray Scale. The type of output you print is generally decided on a per-job basis. Printing grayscale composite output on a color output device is useful for quickly proofing a job.
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Connection Port (Zone)/Printer Dialog Boxes

To establish a connection to the printer: In the Device Configuration dialog box, click Connection. In Windows, in the Select Printer window, select the output device you want to connect. On the Macintosh, select an Apple Talk Zone, then select a printer that is resident in that zone.
Wait for PostScript RIP to Finish Processing

This check box is available only for connections with back-channel communication capabilities. Backchannel communication allows the printer to send error messages back to the Preps Status window. Selecting this box ensures that you receive all error messages. However, this also means that Preps maintains the connection with the printer until the RIP has finished processing the job, preventing any further activity on the workstation. If the output device is connected through a print spooler, this box should never be checked. Back-channel communication is not available on Windows.
Test Print
In order to produce output, a connection between Preps and the currently selected output device must be established. You can confirm the connection by printing a test page.
Device Information
If you have a back-channel connection, you can verify that your connection has been established by requesting status information from the output device.
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Error Log
The Error Log lists PostScript errors on Preps jobs for each device you have configured. You cannot print the Error Log from Preps; however, it can be opened and printed using a text editor. It is called errors.txt and is located in the devices folder in the Preps 4.1:Printers:(device nickname) folder.
Fonts
This window lists the fonts that are resident on your output device as defined in the PPD. To add fonts to the list: Select the font from the list. Click Add Font.
Job Log
The Job Log lists Preps output jobs for each device you have configured. You cannot print the Job Log from Preps; however, it can be opened and printed using a text editor. The job log file is called log.txt and is located in the Preps:Printers:(device nickname) folder.
Media
If the device is a fixed-sheet printer, you can specify the input and output trays by clicking Media. The Fixed Sheet Device window gives you choices for input tray and output tray. Not all fixed-sheet devices provide a list of output trays.
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Custom Page Size

Sometimes the standard page sizes that are defined in the PPD do not suit your needs. This option allows you to add custom page sizes for your device, and edit the custom sizes you create. To create a new page size for a device: From the Setup menu, select Device Setup. Select the output device in the Device Setup dialog box. Click Device Configuration. In the Device Configuration window, click Custom Size. The Edit Page Size dialog box opens. Click Add. Enter a name for the new page size and type in the Width and Height you require. Do not use spaces or special characters. The Orientation list determines the orientation of your new page size. To make sure you have the correct orientation for your new page size, you will need to print a mock-up of a press sheet that will fit on the custom page size in one direction only (see Chapter 9, Printing). We recommend that you start with orientation 0; each of the available orientations represents a 90-degree rotation. Click OK. To edit or delete custom page sizes you have created, click Edit or Delete in the Edit Page Size dialog box.
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Punch
Punch coordinates are used to precisely position the selected page size on the output media when printing from Preps. Some pre-defined page sizes already have punch coordinates. For those that do not, and for any custom page sizes you create, you can add punch coordinates. Even if your output device does not have a punch, you may want to use punch coordinates to precisely position your Preps output.
PREFERENCES
Overview
You access the Preferences from the Edit menu. In the Preferences dialog box, you select options for: General settings, such as workflow, measurement units, language, input file handling, and output options Folder locations PDF handling Font processing
General Tab Default Workflow

You select either Mixed Files -> PostScript or PDF -> PDF (PDF native) for the default workflow that is used when you create a new job using keyboard shortcuts (Command + N on Macintosh and Control + N on Windows).
Measurement Unit
The default measurement unit is set to decimal inches. Picas and points are based on the Adobe PostScript standard 1 inch = 72 points (1 mm = 2.835 points), rather than the traditional 1 inch = 72.31 points (1 mm = 2.847 points). The dimensions of fractional inches display as fractional inches if they are an exact multiple of 1/32 of an inch. Otherwise, they display as decimal inches.
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For example: 228p0 (picas and points) 38.125 in (decimal inches) 96.52 cm (centimeters) 965.2 mm (millimeters) 2745 pt (points) 228.75 pi (picas) 38+1/8 in (fractional inches)
Language
Preps can be used in English, German, French, and Spanish. Select a language from the list, then click OK. Restart Preps for the language change to take effect.
Input Options Autoreverse backward page order

You may encounter a source file that contains pages in reverse numerical order. When this box is checked, Preps changes the order of pages whenever it encounters the tag that indicates descending page order.
Use index files (.PSI files)

Preps reloads large PostScript source files faster by using index files. Index files are created after Preps has read the source file and contain only the information Preps needs to load the file. The next time you open the job containing the same, unchanged source file, Preps reads the index file rather than the source file.
Tech Tip Preps gives you the flexibility to type whatever measurement unit you prefer, automatically converting it to the default measurement unit set in your preferences.
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Report modified source files

If this check box is selected, Preps displays a message notifying you that the source file used in this job has been changed since the last time the job was saved. Changes to a source file may make it necessary to modify the jobs Run List.
Ignore bounding box as default

Sometimes the bounding box defines the element on the page rather than the trim size of the page itself. When Ignore bounding box as default is checked, Preps places all pages that are brought into Preps in the same relative position to the 0,0 point as it appears in the document, rather than using the bounding box to determine placement.
Autocenter run list pages

Some input files are positioned incorrectly when they are added to a Preps job. For example, Rampage FPOs typically require page offsets of about half an inch. This option automatically centers all pages that you add to the Run List in a Preps job.
Add pad pages for missing pages

When you print selected pages from a document to a PostScript or PDF file, the other pages in the document are omitted. By default, when you add the file to a Preps job, Preps adds pad pages to replace the missing pages. This is useful when creating layering jobs (digital double burns).
Output Options Display punch mark

The punch mark is used to accurately position Preps output on the selected page (media) size. If you do not want this mark to print, de-select this check box. This mark always displays in the template editor.
Print side center marks

Preps automatically places center marks at the top and bottom of the press sheet. To print center marks on the sides of the press sheet, select this check box.
Ignore split file output errors

When this option is selected and Preps is printing
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divided output (signatures, sides, etc.), if a PostScript error occurs in one of the parts of the job, you have the option to continue printing the subsequent parts. If this option is de-selected, the remaining parts do not print.
Print crop marks for bleed bounds

This option causes Preps to print crop marks that indicate the bleed margin.
Image by template page number

The default setting is for this option to be deselected. This creates the smallest possible file size output by optimizing processing of the input files. In order to use layering, you must select this option; this causes Preps to image the pages in the order in which they appear on the template. (See the User Guide for more information on layering.)
Folders Tab
You can specify or change the location of several folders that Preps uses: Temporary files Templates and marks Output path Web growth compensation sets To set up or change folder locations: Click Select for the folder location you wish to modify. Navigate to the location you wish to use. If you want to create a new folder, click New; name the folder, then click OK. When you have selected the folder you wish to use, click Select <foldername>.
Temporary Folder Location

On Macintosh, the temporary files that Preps creates are stored in the invisible Temporary Items folder. The operating system automatically empties this folder whenever the computer is shut down or restarted. On Windows, Preps uses the PrepsTemp folder that is stored within a single, system-wide temporary folder called Temp that cannot be changed.
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Templates and Marks Folder

Templates can be stored in a central location, such as a server, so they may be accessed from several workstations. The Templates and Marks folders must be located in the same parent folder. For example, the Templates folder cannot be located on a server with the Marks folder located on a local hard drive. When a location is selected for the Templates and Marks folders, subfolders are automatically created for both the templates and marks. Move the templates and marks to be used with Preps into their respective folders.
Output Path
This establishes the default location for printing from Preps to a PostScript file.
Compensation Sets Path

In Preps Pro, you have the option of using web growth compensation. You select a location for storing the compensation sets. If you are running multiple copies of Preps, you may wish to store the compensation sets on a server that is accessible to all Preps workstations.
PDF Tab
When working in a mixed files workflow, PDF source files must be converted to PostScript. You can use either the internal converter or Adobe Acrobat to do this conversion. If you use Acrobat, you must install an Acrobat plug-in and select the location. (For information on the PDF-in/PDF-out workflow, see the Preps User Guide.)
Font Processing Tab

You configure font-processing options in this section of the Preferences. (See the Preps User Guide for more information on fonts.)
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Chapter 4 TEMPLATES
Template Basics Overview Creating a New Template Naming and Saving a Template Selecting a Binding Style Adding a Signature Work Styles Creating an Imposition Page Numbering Adjusting Margins and Gutters Adding Crop Marks Saving a Template Adding Another Signature Independent Pages Nesting Layering
TEMPLATE BASICS
Overview
Templates are the layout masters that are used in conjunction with jobs to produce imposed output that can be printed. The template pages on a press sheet provide a pattern, or framework, into which job pages are flowed. Templates ensure that when the job is printed, the pages are positioned correctly. Preps ships with a number of templates that contain commonly used layouts for different binding styles. If a template with the appropriate specifications already exists, Preps can quickly flow the job pages through it.
Parts of a Template
Preps templates are based on a specific binding style and may contain: Press sheets Signatures Template pages Template marks Gutters
Basic Rules of a Template

A template is not limited to any specific job A template can be used repeatedly, for multiple jobs, regardless of the number of pages
Margin Center Mark Gutter Signature Press Sheet Template Page
FRONT
Punch Alignment Location Template Marks Head of Page
Templates are Based On

Printing device/press Binding style Finished page trim size Work style
BACK
Fold Mark Template Page
Side Guide
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Chapter 4 Templates
Macintosh Tool Palette
Windows Tool Palette
Template Tool Palette

When a template is created or opened, Preps displays the Template Tool Palette. These tools are used to view, create, and edit templates. Select Object: Use this tool to select objects in the template editor. Fit in Window: Use this tool to fit the entire template in window. Show/Hide Pages: Toggle this tool to show or hide the pages on the imposition. Zoom Twice (Macintosh only): Zoom in at 2X the current magnification. Zoom: Marquee or click on the template to zoom in. Show/Hide Marks: Toggle this tool to show or hide template marks. Fit Press Sheet in Window: Use this tool to fit the selected press sheet in window. Last View: Toggle this tool to switch between the two most recent views of the template. Show/Hide Gutters: Toggle this tool to show or hide the gutters on the template. Page Numbering: Use this tool to determine the order in which pages flow through the template. Show/Hide Grid: Toggle this tool to show or hide the grid. Show/Hide Tiles: Toggle this tool to show or hide the tiles. Grabber (Windows only): Use this tool to scroll around the template.
Select Object
Fit in Window
Show/Hide Pages
Zoom Twice (Macintosh only)
Zoom
Show/Hide Marks
Fit Press Sheet in Window
Last View
Template Menu
When a template is opened or created, Preps adds a Template menu to the menu bar. The commands on this menu are used to add information to templates and adjust the way they display on the screen.
Show/Hide Gutters
Page Numbering
Show/Hide Grid
Show/Hide Tiles
Grabber (Windows only)
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Creating a New Template

In a production environment, job specifications are described on a job ticket. In Preps, job specifications are transferred to a template. To create a template, the following information is needed: Binding style Press sheet size Finished page size Work style Folding dummy Setback amount (plate bend) Imposition layout
Exercise 1 Creating a Saddle-Stitched Template with Multiple Signatures

One of the easiest ways to learn how to build a template is to walk through the steps. This exercise demonstrates how to create a saddle-stitched template that contains three signatures: a 16-page Sheetwise, an 8-page Work and Turn, and a 4-page Work and Turn.
Naming a Template
A newly created template must be named. Since templates are page-size and binding-style dependent, it makes sense to include these attributes in the name. Note: Templates can be used only when they are stored in the Templates folder; however, you can have subfolders within the Templates folder. From the File menu, select New Template. Preps prompts you for a name for the template. In the Template Name field, type SSI Letter Saddlestitched.
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Chapter 4 Templates
Selecting a Binding Style

The binding style determines the order in which job pages are flowed through the template. When Auto Select is used, Preps flows pages in the Run List through the largest signature in the template. If there arent enough Run List pages remaining to complete another full signature and partial signatures exist in that template, Preps flows the remaining pages through the signature that most closely matches the number of remaining pages. Preps adds blank pages if there are not enough pages to fill the last signature. The binding style also determines how automatic shingling is applied to jobs based on the template. Learning Preps 4.1 focuses only on the saddlestitched and perfect-bound binding styles.
Saddle-stitched Binding Style
Saddle Stitched
When a job is based on a saddle-stitched template, Preps flows equal numbers of pages from the beginning and from the end of the Run List through each signature in the job.
Perfect-bound Binding Style
For example, in a saddle-stitched template with a 32page signature, Preps flows the first 16 pages and the last 16 pages of the Run List through the signature.
Perfect Bound
When a job is based on a perfect-bound template, the Run List pages flow through the signature in the order in which they appear in the Run List. From the Binding Style list, select SaddleStitched. Leave the Partial Signature Placement at its default settings. Click OK.
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Adding a Signature
The Add Signature dialog box opens. Preps asks for information about the first signature. In the Signature Name field, type 16-page Sheetwise. Leave the check boxes for Make Signature Available for Auto Select and Multiple Web Signature at their defaults. Do not select the Multiple Sections check box. Multiple sections are considered to be an advanced-user option and are not covered in Learning Preps 4.1. For information on multiple sections, see the User Guide. In the Press Sheet Information area, from the Work Style list, select Sheetwise. For a definition of the different work styles, see the box at right. The Press Sheet size is 38" x 25". Accept the default Width and Height of 38 in by 25 in. Note: Preps always places the gripper edge at the bottom of the computer screen. The Distance from Press Sheet Edge to Punch Center refers to the set back or plate bend. This value is dependent on the press on which the job will be printed. For this exercise, leave this number at 0. Leave the Position of Side Guides and Length of Center Marks at their defaults. Click OK.
Work Styles
There are five work styles available in Preps. The work style depends on how the job will be run on the press.
Sheetwise
Sheetwise is one of the most commonly used styles. Different plates are used to print the front and back of the press sheet. The paper is run through a press that prints on one side of the sheet. The first plate is used to print the front side of the press sheet. The paper is then turned over and run through the press again. The second plate is used to print the back side of the press sheet. Some presses accomplish a sheetwise work style by simply printing both sides at the same time with different plates.
Work-and-Turn
For a work-and-turn work style, both sides of the imposition are on the same plate. Work-and-turn jobs are laid out so that they use the same gripper edge and the opposite side guide for positioning the back and side guides of the press sheet. After the first side is printed, the sheet is turned over from left to right so that the second side can be printed. After printing, the sheet is cut in half before finishing.
Work-and-Tumble
For a work-and-tumble work style, both sides of the imposition are on the same plate. After the first side is printed, the sheet is turned over from gripper edge to tail edge so the second side can be printed. The side guide remains the same. After printing, the sheet is cut in half before finishing.
Perfector
The perfector work style is used for a sheet-fed perfector press. The back side of the press sheet is rotated 180 degrees and is imaged with the tail of the press sheet facing the gripper.
Single-Sided
For a single-sided work style, the press sheet has only a front side. This work style is commonly used for posters and other single-sided pieces.
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Chapter 4 Templates
The first signature appears on the computer screen. The solid black line (green on Windows) represents the signature. The dotted lines represent each side of the press sheet. Remember that only the front side of the press sheet has to be defined; Preps automatically defines the back side.
Creating an Imposition
Now add pages to create the imposition. From the Template menu, select Create Imposition. In the Finished Page Size area, accept the default values of 8.5 in x 11 in. In the Number of Imposed Pages area, type 4 in the Horizontal box and 2 in the Vertical box. In the Page Orientation area, leave the Lower Left Pages Head Faces selection at Up. Leave Layout Additional Pages at Head to Head. In the Distance from Press Sheet Edge to Imposition box, select the Bottom Margin option. This will activate a box for the bottom margin. Type .875 in in this box . Leave the Center Horizontally option active. Leave the Length of Fold Mark at its default of .5 in. Click OK. The press sheet with pages, margins, and gutters now shows on the computer screen. The margins and gutters display as gray areas.
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Page Numbering
You now need to number the pages in the template. The numbering sequence determines the order in which the pages flow through the template when the job is assembled. Each signature in a template starts with the number 1 (for example, a 16page signature is numbered 116, and an 8-page signature in the same template is numbered 1-8). Select the numbering tool (in the lower left corner of the Tool Box). Place the cursor over the page in the upper left-hand corner of the front side of the press sheet and click once. Note that the tool in the tool box now displays the number 4. Place the cursor over the upper right-hand page of the front side and click once. Notice that the back side updates automatically. Follow the numbering pattern on the diagram at right and finish numbering the front side of the press sheet. If a mistake is made in the numbering sequence, double-click on the numbering tool and enter a new number. Notice that the number in the numbering tool in the tool palette changes to reflect the next number in the sequence.
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Chapter 4 Templates
Adjusting Margins and Gutters

Set the remaining margins and gutters. It is important to remember that Preps will never allow the right-hand or top margins to be changed directly. These are automatically adjusted when the left and bottom margins and the gutters are changed. The margins cannot be changed if Center Vertically or Center Horizontally in the Distance from Press Sheet Edge to Punch Center area are selected. Using the Select Object tool (in the upper left corner of the Tool Box), select the vertical gutter between pages 1 and 16. When the gutter is selected, from the Edit menu select Get Information. In the fields for the left and right halves of the gutter, type 0. Select OK. Select the vertical gutter between pages 4 and 13, and Get Information as above. Type 0 in each box. Click OK. Select the vertical gutter between pages 13 and 16, and Get Information as above. Type 1.125 in in each box. Click OK. To verify the left and right margins, first select the left-hand vertical margin and Get Information. This box should read .875 in. Select the right-hand vertical margin and Get Information; it should also read .875 in. If these numbers are incorrect, go back and verify that the numbers for the vertical gutters are correct.
Tech Tips The only way to select a gutter that has a width of 0 is to marquee it, starting and ending off the edges of the press sheet.
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Select the horizontal gutter between the heads of the pages and Get Information. Type .25 in in each of the boxes for the top and bottom halves of the gutter. Select the horizontal margin at the bottom of the press sheet, Get Information, and verify that it says .875 in. Select the horizontal margin at the top of the press sheet, Get Information, and verify that it says 1.625 in.
Saving a Template
It is a good idea to save a template after every signature is created. You can save a template in any location, such as in a customer job folder, but you will not be able to use it in a Preps job unless it is in the Templates folder (this is the default location). You can create subfolders within the Templates folder to aid in organizing your templates. To save the template: From the File menu, select Save Template As. The default name for the template is the name you entered when you first created it, but you can type a different name in the Save as box if you wish. Click Save. A functional signature for any 8.5" x 11" saddle-stitched job has been created. This signature will layout jobs in 16-page increments; Preps will use this signature as many times as needed depending on the page count.
Adding Another Signature

Of course, not all jobs have page counts in 16-page increments. To accommodate this, a 4-page Work and Turn and an 8-page Work and Turn will be created. Any 8.5" x 11" saddle-stitched job with any number of pages in four-page increments will work with this template.
Tech Tips You can create subfolders within the Templates folder; for instance, you may want to group your templates based on the press for which they were created.
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Chapter 4 Templates
From the Template menu, select Add Signature. Name the new signature 4-page Work/ Turn 19x25. From the Work Style list, select Work and Turn. Change the Width to 25 in and the Height to 19 in. As with the 16-page signature, leave the remainder of the settings at their defaults. Click OK. There is now a new signature without any imposed pages on it. Notice that this press sheet appears to have only one side. There is a vertical dotted line in the center of the sheet; the left half of the press sheet represents the front of the sheet and the right half represents the back.
Under the Template menu, select Create Imposition. Leave the Finished Page Size at 8.5" x 11". Enter the number of imposed pages. Remember that only the front of the press sheet needs to be defined, and Preps will define the back. Since Preps views the left half of the press sheet as the front, type 1 in the Horizontal box and 2 in the Vertical box. From the Lower Left Pages Head Faces list, select Right. Leave the Layout of Additional Pages at the default of Head to Head. Select the Bottom Margin option, and in the box type .875 in. Select the Left Margin option, and type 1.25 in. Click OK.
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The only gutter that remains to be set is the horizontal gutter running between the pages. Select this gutter and Get Information. Change the Top and Bottom fields to 0 in. Number the pages according to the diagram at right.
Now create an 8-page Work and Turn using the values in the diagram at right. The steps are: Create a new signature with a press sheet size of 38" x 25". Create an imposition with 8.5" x 11" pages, 2 horizontally by 2 vertically. Change the bottom margin to .875 in and the left margin to .875 in. Change the gutters to 0 in as illustrated in the diagram. Number the pages.
.875"
0" 0"
1.125" 1.125"
0" 0"
.875" 1.625"
.25" .25"
.875"
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Chapter 4 Templates
Independent Pages
You can create layouts that contain pages of different sizes and orientations, which is useful for flat work or gang-up jobs. This is accomplished by using independent pages, which are added to the press sheet one at a time and do not have gutters. Individual independent pages can be deleted or moved.
Adding Independent Pages

Create a new template and add a signature. From the Template menu, select Add Independent Page. Specify the page number, finished page size, position relative to the lower left corner of the press sheet, and the orientation.
Step and Repeat

Use the step-and-repeat feature to duplicate an independent page on a press sheet. Step-and-repeat work is used for jobs such as printing a business card many times on a press sheet. From the Edit menu, select Step and Repeat. Specify the total number of times the page should appear on the press sheet. This number includes the original page, as well as the pages to be added. Specify the displacement offset. Both directions may be stepped at the same time.
Template Page Information

To view and modify template page information in the Template Page Information dialog box: Select an imposed or independent page. From the Edit menu, select Get Information.
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Nesting
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
In PostScript source files, all pages are defined as rectangles by their bounding box. By overlapping the pages, you can nest oddshaped or rotated images, eliminating the wasted area between the edges of the image and the pages border. In this way, all or most of the components required for the panels of a box can be printed on the same press sheet. In order to take advantage of Preps nesting capabilities, the application you use to create the source file must support transparent backgrounds. You can use Preps Previewer to make sure the images are correctly positioned after you impose a job using a template containing nested pages.
Overlapping Independent Template Pages
ScenicSoft, Inc. 11400 Airport Road Everett, WA 98204 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
ScenicSoft, Inc. 11400 Airport Road Everett, WA 98204 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
Layering
Independent template pages can be comScenicSoft, Inc. 11400 Airport Road Everett, WA 98204 pletely overlaid, resulting in the electronic BUSINESS REPLY MAIL equivalent of a double burn. In Preps, this is known as layering. The final imposed page ends up being a combination of two or more images, depending on how many pages you overlay. This technique is useful for jobs that use the same boilerplate information for each page, but also contain variable information. The application you use to generate the source file must support transparent backgrounds and you must select Image by template page number in the General Preferences. (For more information on nesting and layering, see the User Guide.)
ScenicSoft, Inc. 11400 Airport Road Everett, WA 98204 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL ScenicSoft, Inc. 11400 Airport Road Everett, WA 98204 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL ScenicSoft, Inc. 11400 Airport Road Everett, WA 98204 BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
Imposed Job with Nested Images
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BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
ScenicSoft, Inc. 11400 Airport Road Everett, WA 98204
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
Independent pages can be overlapped to fit images together to maximize the use of the film, and to avoid media waste. This technique is referred to as nesting.
Chapter 5 MARKS
Page Marks Overview Adding Crop Marks to Template Pages Deleting Crop Marks Template Marks Overview Built-in Marks Color Options for Marks Single and Repeating Marks Stepping and Repeating Marks Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Marks Adding Custom Marks Text Marks
PAGE MARKS
Overview
Page marks are associated with pages rather than press sheets. This means that if you move the template pages, or if you apply shingling or bottling (see the Preps User Guide), the marks move, too. Crop marks and fold marks are the only marks in Preps that are associated with pages. When you add crop marks to imposed pages, the marks are added to all the selected pages on the press sheet. You may add crop marks around only the outside of the entire imposition, or to all four corners of each imposed page. When you add crop marks to independent template pages, the marks appear at all four page corners. Adding Crop Marks to Template Pages Select the pages to which you want to add crop marks. To select more than one page, hold down the Shift key as you click on each page. From the Template menu, select Modify Template Page > Add Crop Marks. Type the desired amount (or accept the default) in the Distance from Page Corner box.. Enter a length (or accept the default) in the Length of Mark box. Under Mark Placement, select the sides of the press sheet where you want the marks to appear. On the Macintosh, you can set marks individually to print or not by clicking on the marks shown in the preview area. Select the Place crop marks on outside of imposition check box if you want the marks to be added only in the margins of the imposition and not in the gutters. Deleting Crop Marks Set the Length of Mark to 0 (zero) if you want to delete existing crop marks. Or, select the marks in the Template Editor, then press the Delete key.
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Chapter 5 Marks
Fold Marks
Fold marks appear only when you create an imposition. The changes you make to the imposition (for example, changing the gutters and margins), affect the placement of the fold marks. You control the length of the fold marks in the Create Imposition or Modify Imposition dialog boxes. You control whether or not fold marks display and print by editing gutters and margins.
PRESS SHEET MARKS

Overview
Press sheet marks are associated with the press sheet. This means that changes made to the press sheet size affect the placement of the marks. Press sheet marks in Preps include side guides, punch marks, and horizontal and vertical center marks.
Side Guides Center Marks
Side Guides
Punch Mark
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SIGNATURE/TEMPLATE MARKS
Overview
Preps ships with many types of signature/ template marks. You can add these marks to any selected press sheet. The available template marks are listed in the Mark Type list in the Add Template Mark dialog box. Some marks are built into the application; all others are stored in the Marks folder.
Mark Position Information

The starting point for a mark is determined by the values entered in the Left and Bottom boxes. If you enter 0 in each box, the mark begins at the lower-left corner of the press sheet. You center a mark on a specific point by selecting the Center mark on point check box. Left and Bottom change to X Ctr and Y Ctr. If you want an exact mirror image of a mark to print on the back side of the press sheet so that the two marks are perfectly aligned, select the Mirror on Back check box. If you want the mark to appear on top of the pages on the press sheet, select the Bring to front check box.
Mark Types Rectangle Marks

You may specify the size, orientation, position, color, and halftone screen percentage of rectangle marks. The orientation of a rectangle mark is determined by the larger of the height and width values you specify for the mark.
Line Marks
You may specify the length, color, orientation, and halftone screen percentages of line marks. Preps has three types of line marks: Line (Dashed) Line (Dotted) Line (Solid) The values entered in the Height and Width boxes determine the line length. Horizontal lines have a height of 0; vertical lines have a width of 0.
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Chapter 5 Marks
Exposure Bar Marks

Exposure bar marks provide a gray scale from 0 to 100 percent, in 10 percent increments. They have a fixed size, but you may specify their color. Preps has four types of exposure bar marks: left to right, right to left, top to bottom, and bottom to top.
Fillcirc.eps
Registration Marks
Fillcros.eps
Onlycirc.eps
Registration template marks are EPS files and are stored in the Marks folder. You cannot change their size, orientation, color, or halftone screen percentage from within Preps. They appear on all separations when the job is printed. Preps installs with eight registration template marks.
Onlycros.eps
Opencirc.eps
Opencros.eps
Regmark1.eps
Regmark2.eps
Tech Tip The default line marks weight is .25 pt. To change the line weight, open the default.cfg file with a text editor. Locate the line that says AMERICAN_LINE_WIDTH:0.2500 or -METRIC_LINE_WIDTH:0.1700 and change the amount (use Adobe points, 1 in. = 72 points).
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Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Marks

You may cut, copy, and paste template marks on the same press sheet or to a different press sheet. You may cut, copy, and paste more than one template mark at a time. When you paste template marks on another press sheet, they appear in the same position as they did on the press sheet from which they were cut or copied. To delete a mark: Select the mark, then press the Delete key.
Stepping and Repeating Marks

You may duplicate template marks on a press sheet using the step-and-repeat feature. When you stepand-repeat a template mark, you indicate the total number of times that you want the mark to appear on the press sheet. This number includes the original mark, as well as the marks you want to add. You also indicate the horizontal and vertical distance between the marks. To calculate the horizontal distance, you add the mark width to the distance you want between each horizontal mark. To calculate the vertical distance, you add the mark height to the distance you want between each vertical mark. To step and repeat a mark: Select the mark. From the Edit menu, select Step and Repeat. Enter the values.
Tech Tip An independent page and its associated template marks can be stepped and repeated together. Select both the page and the marks with the Select tool by holding down the Shift key, and follow the step-andrepeat instructions outlined above.
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Chapter 5 Marks
Single and Repeating Marks

EPS and TIFF template marks are added to press sheets as single marks or repeating marks, depending on where they are stored.
Single Marks
Single EPS and TIFF template marks are stored in the Marks folder or directory. When you add a single mark, one copy of the template mark is added to the press sheet.
Repeating Marks
Repeating EPS and TIFF template marks are stored in the dupmarks folder or directory. You may specify a width and height for repeating marks. Preps repeats the mark as many times as possible within the specified width and height for the mark. Colors and halftone screen percentages for EPS template marks are defined in the EPS files and cannot be changed in the Template Mark Color dialog box. However, if an EPS mark contains spot colors, you can convert each spot color to another spot color, or to a process color build in the Color Separations dialog box (see Chapter 9, Printing).
Color Bars
Four color bars ship with Preps. The mark called colorbar.eps is based on the GATF Compact Color Test Strip. This color bar mark is 4-color process. There are also a digital 4-color bar, a digital 6-color bar, and a black-plus-5-spot-colors bar. All four color bars are repeating marks and are stored as EPS files in the dupmarks folder. When you add a color bar template mark to a press sheet, Preps repeats, or duplicates, the mark as many times as possible within the width and height you specify for the mark.
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Signature Collation Marks

You may specify the size, orientation, color, and halftone screen percentages for signature collation marks. Signature collation marks ensure the signatures are in the correct order and that none are missing. Preps has five types of signature collation marks. You may specify the total distance along which the marks move. When the mark has stepped along the entire distance, the next mark prints at the initial position. The larger value of the marks height and width determines the total area in which the marks move. Signature collation marks can be positioned vertically or horizontally on a signature. The larger of the height and width values determines whether the mark moves horizontally or vertically. If the height is larger than the width, the mark moves vertically If the width is larger than the height, the mark moves horizontally If the value in the step distance is a negative number, the mark moves in the opposite direction, and the first mark begins at the opposite end For example: If you add a signature collation mark that has a width of 6" (150 mm) and a height of 0.25" (5 mm), and a step distance of 0.5" (10 mm), each mark is 0.5" wide, 0.25" high, and moves vertically on the first six signatures at 0.5" intervals. On the seventh signature, the mark prints in the same position as the mark on the first signature, and the sequence repeats. The exception to this behavior are the sigcollza.eps, sigcollzb.eps, sigcollzc.eps, sigcollzd.eps, and sigcollze.eps marks. These repeat in a zigzag pattern, so on the seventh signature the mark prints in the same position as the mark on the fifth signature, the eighth signature mark prints in the same position as the fourth signature mark, and so on.
Sigcolla.eps Sigcollb.eps
Signature Collation Mark C
Sigcolld.eps
Sigcolle.eps
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Chapter 5 Marks
Color Options for Marks

To change the color and halftone screen percentages when adding or editing a template mark: In the Template Mark dialog box, click Mark Color. In the Template Mark Color dialog box, edit the color.
Separation Black
When you select this option, the mark prints on all separations. You can specify the halftone screen percentage you want to use for the template mark.
Spot Color
When you select this option, you can assign a custom color number to a template mark. Custom color numbers display in the Color Separations dialog box, which you access from the Print dialog box.
SSI Custom Color

You may type any number you want for a custom color. Custom color numbers are simply placeholders that are used when you map a custom color to a spot color. Remapping custom-colored template to spot colors allows you to print template marks, such as ink takeoff bars, using the spot colors in the job.
Adding Custom Marks

Preps Pro and Preps Plus accept custom EPS and TIFF template marks. Preps XL does not support template marks. You can use a graphics application to create your own EPS and TIFF template marks, and then add them to the Marks folder so they are available to add to press sheets. The marks you create must be saved as TIFF or EPS files for Preps to recognize them. If you save a mark as an EPS file with a preview (TIFF on Windows or PICT on a Macintosh) a preview of the mark appears in the Add Template Mark dialog box when you select that mark. On the Macintosh, the preview, rather than a placeholder, displays on the screen.
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To add a custom mark: From the Setup menu, select Add Custom Marks. Navigate to the mark you want to add, select it, and click OK. The mark is copied into the Marks folder.
Text Marks
You may specify the size, content, orientation, color, halftone screen percentage, position, and placement of text marks. Preps has two types of text marks: Flat Identifier Text marks appear in exactly the same position on each side of the press sheet, rather than in a backing-up or mirror-image position Text marks appear in different positions on each side of the press sheet. Preps automatically calculates the correct mirror image position on the back side of the press sheet, depending on the press sheet. When you add a text mark to a press sheet, a box opens in which you can type the text you want to print on the press sheet. The orientation of a text mark is determined by the larger of the height and width values. The smaller of the height and width values determines the size of the font used for the text mark. All text marks are printed in Helvetica font. If the text in the mark is longer than the width you specify, the text is not cut off.
Tech Tip If you would like to change the font for the text mark, open the default.cfg file with a text editor such as BBEdit or TextPad. Locate the line that says TEXTMARKFONT:Helvetica and change it to a different font that is resident on your RIP.
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Chapter 5 Marks
The following table contains a list of the variables that can be printed in text marks:
Variable $jobname $jobdate and $jobtime $date and $time $localelongdate $sig and $web $side $color $comment $customer $jobid $job_title $(variable) Result Name of the Preps job Date and time job was last saved Date and time job was printed Uses the international date format selected for the operating system Current signature and web numbers Side (A, B, etc.) of current press sheet Color of current separation User-defined comment defined in Print dialog box Customer ID or name added from Job Information dialog box Job ID number added from Job Information dialog box Job Title number added from Job Information dialog box User-defined variable comment referenced in Job Information
In-RIP-Color-ID
When using the Level 2 option to color separate in RIP, Preps sends a composite file, and the variable $Color appears as Composite. Instead of using $Color, you should use an In-RIP-Color-ID mark. The mark is available in four different orientations. Pick the appropriate mark, depending on which way you want to read the color names. The mark automatically picks up the color names from the source files. Because the length of the mark varies depending on the name of the color plate, make sure to place the mark where it will not interfere with other elements on the press sheet.
Tech Tip You can add your own variables to the Type list by editing the defaults.ppd file in a text editor.
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Chapter 6 PREVIEWER
Previewing Preps Jobs Overview Zooming Color Previewing Color Set-up Show Trim Box Process OPI Using Rulers and Guides
PREVIEWING PREPS JOBS

Overview
The Preview function allows you to see single pages, multiple pages, and signatures. You may use the Previewer to view a single page or an entire signature. The Previewer views your job as a composite, or you may select a single color plate to preview. To preview a page: Open a job or create a new one. Add files to the File List and Run List if it is a new job. Select the page(s) to preview in the File List or Run List window. From the File menu, select Preview. Click Preview. Click Close to exit the Previewer.
Zooming
Enlarge the view of all or part of a page by dragging a marquee around it, or use one of these key commands:
Zoom In (Macintosh)
Command + + (plus)
Zoom Out (Macintosh)

Command + - (minus)
Fit in Window (Macintosh)

Command + 0 (zero)
Zoom In (Windows)
Control + + (plus)
Zoom Out (Windows)

Control + - (minus)
Fit in Window (Windows)

Control + 0 (zero)
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To Preview a Signature
In the Signature List window, select the signature you want to preview. From the File menu, select Preview. If the signature is double-sided, from the Signature list at the top right of the window, select the desired side to preview. Click Preview.
Color Previewing
You may preview as composite or as separations in the Previewer window. The default is composite; however, you may preview individual color plates by selecting them in the Color list, then clicking Preview again.
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Show Trim Box

Trim size applies only to Run List pages, and is available only when signatures have been added to the Signature List. When this box is checked, a red outline representing the trim size of the page appears in the Previewer window. You cannot adjust the trim size in this window.
Process OPI
When this box is checked, high-resolution images are RIPed to screen, replacing low-resolution images. If the Process OPI check box is selected, the Previewer displays the images according to the OPI settings in Preps OPI setup (not available in Preps Plus).
Using Rulers and Guides Adjusting the 0,0 Point on the Ruler
You may change the 0,0 point of the rulers in the Previewer window as a reference point for your page alignments. Click the box at the bottom left corner and drag it until the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines corresponds to your reference point. The coordinates are displayed on the right side of the Previewer window. Double-click the lower left corner to return the 0,0 point to the default setting.
Adding and Moving Guides

To add guides: Click the horizontal or vertical ruler and drag a guide where you want it. Press the Shift key to snap the guide to a ruler mark. To remove a guide: Drag it back to the ruler.
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Chapter 7 PAGE ADJUSTMENTS

Page Offsets Overview Adjusting Page Positions in the Previewer Adjusting Page Positions Without Using the Previewer Ignoring a Source Files Bounding Box Scaling Scaling Run List Pages Rotation Applying Rotation to Pages
PAGE OFFSETS
Overview
Adjusting page offsets gives you complete control over page placement. There are three ways to adjust page offsets to compensate for alignment problems in source files: Applying offsets to the entire job Applying offsets to a selected file Applying offsets to selected pages
Adjusting Page Positions in the Previewer Changing Page Offsets for the Entire Job
When previewing a signature, you may enter horizontal and vertical offsets for All Even and All Odd pages in the Page Position Adjustment box in the Preview palette. These offsets are recorded in Layout Details and affect the entire job.
Changing Page Offsets for a Source File

When previewing pages from the File List, you may apply offsets that will affect all, all even, or all odd pages in the source file. Place the cursor on the page and press Command (Control) + click, then drag the page to the desired position Or, you may type in new page coordinates in the Previewer palette to the right of the previewed page. These fields are in the Page Position Adjustment box and represent horizontal and vertical page adjustments. These offsets affect the entire source file.
Tech Tip Positive offset values move a page right or up, relative to the orientation of the finished page. Negative offset values move a page down or left, relative to the orientation of the finished page.
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Changing Page Offsets for Run List Pages

When previewing pages from the Run List you may apply offsets the same way as for the pages from the File List. Either type in the amount, or press the Command (Control) key as you click, hold, and drag the page into the correct position. These adjustments are applied two ways: If you click Current, the offsets apply only to the page currently being previewed If you click Selected, the offsets apply to all pages selected in the Run List The offset numbers you enter in the Previewer also show in the Run List window next to the page icon.
Adjusting Page Positions Without Using the Previewer Changing Page Offsets for an Entire Job
You may apply the same offset values to all the source files in a job. This adjustment is useful if you want to move the page away from the binding for easier readability, or if you change the binding method for a job. When you change the offsets for a job, you can specify different page offset values for odd and even pages. To adjust page offsets for an entire job: From the Job menu, select Layout Details. In the Page Position Adjustment area, enter the horizontal and vertical adjustments.
Tech Tip Offsets applied to the File List, Run List and Signature List are added together for a total amount of page position adjustments.
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Changing Page Offsets for a Source File

You may apply the same offsets to all pages in a source file. For example, if the application used to create the source file added .25" (5 mm) binding margins to the file, you may shift all the pages by .25" (5 mm) to remove the margins. To adjust page offsets for a source file: In the File List, select the file. From the File menu, select Get Information. In the File Information dialog box, enter the page position adjustments.
Changing Offsets for Run List Pages

In the Run List, select the page(s) whose positions you want to adjust. From the Job menu, select Modify Run List Page. In the Modify Run List Page dialog box, enter the page position adjustments. The options for Page Position Adjustments are: No Change: There is no change to the page position. Centered: The center point of the source file pages bounding box is positioned in the center point of the template page. Set To: You enter a specific position for the lower-left corner of the page. Change By: The amount entered is added to or subtracted from any existing page adjustments (cumulative). Information about the offsets that have been applied to Run List pages appears in the Run List window next to the page icon. This information does not include any source file or job offset values that have been applied.
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Ignoring a Source Files Bounding Box

PostScript source files contain information about the size of the imageable area of a page. This information is known as the bounding box. In some applications, the lower left corner of the bounding box does not align with the PostScript 0,0 position. Preps can ignore bounding box information contained in the source files. When Ignore bounding box information is selected, Preps places the page in the same relative position to the 0,0 point as it appears in the file. There are two methods to ignore the bounding box: If you select Ignore bounding box by default in the Preferences, this setting applies to all source files that load into Preps after this option has been selected. If you select Ignore bounding box information in the File Information dialog box, the setting applies to only the selected source file. This approach is useful if you have several source files from different applications that may treat bounding box information differently. It is unlikely that ignoring the bounding box information will position the pages correctly. You still need to make offset adjustments to your pages, but by ignoring the bounding box, all the pages in a file will likely require the same offsets. When Preps ignores the source file bounding box information, the original 0,0 position of the PostScript page prints at the lower left corner of the template page.
Tech Tip Preps expects the bounding box for a page in a PostScript or EPS source file to be the trim size of the page. The bounding box for a TIFF source file is the same as the image size.
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SCALING
Scaling Run List Pages
You may adjust the size of Run List pages by scaling proportionally (applying the same values of vertical and horizontal scaling), or anamorphically (applying different values of vertical and horizontal scaling). From the Job menu, select Modify Run List Page to select page scaling options. Use scaling if you want to print smaller versions of your job pages using multiple-up layouts. For example, you could scale 8.5" x 11" (210 x 297 mm) job pages to 5.5" x 8.5" (148 x 210 mm), and then print them two-up and two-sided in a saddle-stitched job on 8.5" x 11" (210 x 297 mm) paper. The options for Page Scaling Adjustments are: No Change: There is no change to the current page scaling. Scale To Fit: The source file is scaled so that its bounding box fits in the template page without any page data being lost; the entire page is scaled proportionately and positioned in the lower-left corner of the template page. If the page does not fit exactly in both dimensions, there may be extra space to the top or right of the page. Set To: You enter a specific amount for page scaling. Change By: The amount entered will be a percentage of the existing amount of page scaling (cumulative).
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ROTATION
Applying Rotation to Run List Pages
You can rotate Run List pages in 90degree increments. To rotate one or more Run List pages: From the Job menu, select Modify Run List Page. In the Modify Run List Page dialog box, select the rotation option. The page icon in the Run List window shows you how the page rotated. The options for Rotation are: No Change: There is no change to the pages current orientation. Change by 90 Degrees: The page is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from its current orientation. Change by 180 Degrees: The page is rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise from its current orientation. Change by 270 Degrees: The page is rotated 270 degrees counterclockwise from its current orientation. Set to No Rotation: The page is positioned in its original orientation, with no rotation. Set to 90 Degrees: The page is positioned at 90 degrees counterclockwise from its original orientation. Set to 180 Degrees: The page is positioned at 180 degrees counterclockwise from its original orientation. Set to 270 Degrees: The page is positioned at 270 degrees counterclockwise from its original orientation.
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Chapter 8 FITTING & TILING

Fitting Overview Fitting Options Tiling Overview Automatic Tiling Tiling Options Tiling Dimensions Display Tiles Tool
FITTING
Overview
Fitting options reduce, enlarge, rotate, and center the press sheet to fit the output device. These options are found under the File menu in the Fitting/Tiling Setup dialog box. They determine how Preps fits output onto a sheet of media. A sheet of media refers to the film, paper, or plate on which a Preps press sheet is being imaged.
Fitting Options Tile if necessary

This option activates automatic tiling. If the size of the press sheet is larger than the size of the media, Preps divides the press sheet into tiles.
Reduce image to fit

If the press sheet size is larger than the media sheet, Preps reduces the size of the press sheet to fit on a single sheet of media.
Enlarge image to fit

This option is used when the press sheet size is smaller than the media sheet. Preps enlarges the size of the press sheet to fill a single sheet of media.
Auto rotate for best fit

Preps automatically rotates the press sheet for the best fit on a sheet of media. This option is available only for media sizes that do not have punch coordinates.
Center image on media

Preps centers the press sheet on the sheet of media. This option is available only for media sizes that do not have punch coordinates.
Border
You may specify an amount for the border around the press sheet. This option is useful to include marks that appear off the edges of the press sheet, or if a printer cannot print all the way to the edge of the paper. Specifying a border when reducing the image to fit ensures that the image is not cut off at the edges.
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TILING
Overview
Tiling options are used for press sheets that are larger than the output device can produce. Tiles may be aligned using tile marks, and manually stripped together to form one piece of film, or a flat. The flat is then exposed to create a fully imposed printing plate. Tiling is generally used for small- and medium-format imagesetters. If you select a different media size or a different output device, Preps automatically recalculates the tiling for the new media size.
Automatic Tiling
If the size of the press sheet is larger than the size of the sheet of media and you select Tile if necessary, Preps divides the press sheet into tiles that can be stripped together. Tiling options are found in the Fitting/Tiling Setup dialog box from the File menu. When the Tile if necessary option is activated, the rest of the fitting options become unavailable.
Tiling Options
You can select only one option button, but as many check boxes as you want.
Least Media Waste

This selection is the default setting and automatically tiles the press sheet in the direction that uses the least amount of media or film.
Least Manual Stripping

This selection automatically tiles the press sheet in the direction that requires the least manual stripping to create the flat (i.e., least number of tiles).
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Vertical Tiling
This selection forces the tile(s) to be vertically oriented.
Horizontal Tiling
This selection forces the tile(s) to be horizontally oriented.
Back Mirrors Front

This selection tiles the back side of the press sheet as a mirror image of the front side.
Allow Split Pages

This selection allows tiles to contain partial pages. Partial pages that appear in the tile overlap area do image. By default, Preps tiles a press sheet so that tiles contain only complete pages. If Preps cannot tile a press sheet without splitting pages, a message is displayed. Splitting pages may save film, but could require more difficult manual stripping. This option might be used for stepand-repeat, or gang-up flat work.
Auto Place Tile Marks

This selection automatically adds tile marks to the overlapping areas of adjacent tiles. These marks are used to align the tiles when they are stripped together. For imposed pages, tile marks are placed in the gutters. For independent pages, tile marks are placed between the pages. If a template has no gutters, or if there is no space between independent pages, Preps does not add tile marks. Tile marks using the automatic tiling feature cannot be selected, moved or edited.
x1y1 x2y1
Sig: 1A Composite
x1y1 x2y1
Sig: 1A Composite
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Tiling Dimensions
Placement of tiles is affected by the following:
Press Sheet Border

If a template contains marks outside the press sheet, you may add a border so the marks print with the job. The amount you enter for the border is added to the left and bottom sides of the press sheet and may affect the number of tiles. For example, a 19" x 25" press sheet with a border of .5" will not fit on a single 19.25" x 24.25" tile.
Minimum Tile Overlap

You may specify the minimum amount of overlap for tiles. As Preps calculates the needed tiles, the overlap area may be larger than the amount you specify but never smaller. The amount you specify for the overlap may affect the number of tiles needed. If Preps determines that only one tile is necessary, this amount is ignored.
Punch to Image Margin

If the selected output device has a punch, you can ensure that the imageable area of the tile (press sheet plus press sheet border) does not appear in the punch area by specifying a Punch to Image Margin distance. If Preps determines that only one tile is necessary, this amount is ignored.
No Punch Margin
If the output device does not have a punch, and the job has only one tile, you may add a strip to the bottom of the press sheet by specifying a No Punch Margin. This allows an image-free area for conventional punching. The default width is 1" (25.4 mm).
Display Tiles Tool

When the Show/Hide Tiles tool in the Template Editor is selected, you can view tiled press sheets by selecting them. Tile if necessary in the Fitting/Tiling Setup dialog box must be activated for this tool to function. The individual tiles are represented by diagonal lines. The area where tiles overlap displays as a cross-hatch pattern.
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Chapter 9 PRINTING
Printing Overview Output Options Print Settings General Tab Overview Specify Print Range Output Format Imaging Options Halftone Screening Color Separations Tab Overview Colors Build Output As Overprint/Knockout Line Screen and Screen Angles Add Color Halftone Settings Spot Shape Level 2 Options Overview Color Separations
PRINTING
Overview
Printing a job with Preps is much like printing from any other application. There are several options to choose, but these are easily accessed and configured.
Output Options
There are five printing options: Sending a PostScript file Thumbnails Template Mock-up Job Mock-up Imposed output Thumbnails, template mock-ups, job mock-ups, and imposed output can all be printed either as composite or color separated.
Sending a PostScript File

You can send a PostScript file directly to your output device, bypassing any processing by Preps. This function is useful for isolating PostScript problems. If there is something wrong with a source file, it does not print correctly. If it does print correctly, it does not necessarily mean the file will impose in Preps, because the file still may be nonDSC-compliant.
Thumbnails
In a thumbnail layout the job pages are laid out in the order in which they appear in the Run List. The number of pages on each sheet is defined by a matrix. Thumbnails are normally printed on a proof printer. Thumbnails are useful for checking the order of your Run List and for isolating PostScript problems. When you print Thumbnails, Preps processes the pages on each output sheet in reverse order. For example, if you print 2 x 2 thumbnails of pages 1-4, Preps processes page 4 first, then page 3, page 2, and finally page 1.
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Template Mock-ups
Mock-ups of a template provide a quick way to verify that the template is correct. Page images are replaced by numbered boxes reflecting the page numbering in the Preps template. All the template and crop marks are also printed. A template mock-up is useful for verifying the template page numbering is correct and testing the integrity of the template and template marks.
Job Mock-ups
Page images are replaced by numbered boxes that indicate the order in which the Run List pages are flowed through the signatures in your template. All template and crop marks also are printed. Job mock-ups are useful for verifying that the page numbering is correct on the imposition. They are printed either reduced-scale on a proof printer, or full-scale on a final output device.
Imposed Output
Final imposed output includes all page images and marks, imposed into signatures according to the template selected in the job.
Status Window
When you print a job from Preps, a log of the printing process, including any PostScript errors, displays in the Status window. PostScript errors do not display on the Windows version of Preps. To display the Status window: From the Windows menu, select Show Status Window. To hide the Status window: From the Windows menu, select Hide Status Window.
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Print Settings
To print a Preps job, from the File menu, select Print. There are several printing options.
Send to
When you print a Preps job, you can send it to a printer, create a PostScript file, output an Adobe Job Ticket, discard the output, create a Job Description File (JDF), or create CIP3 cutting data files (PPF). Printer: The job is sent directly to the selected output device. File: The job is printed to a PostScript file, which can be sent to other locations or downloaded to an output device. When you select this option, Preps prompts you for a file name and a location to save the file. Adobe Job Ticket: An Adobe Portable Job Ticket is a specification about how to impose and print a job. This option creates an Adobe Portable Job Ticket for workflows such as Adobe Extreme that is saved in the designated location. Discard: This option discards the output, and is useful for verifying that a job can be successfully processed, without wasting output media or disk space. JDF: Although the Job Description Format is not widely implemented in the industry at this time, ScenicSoft sees substantial further potential for JDF to increase connectivity among its own suite of applications, as well as integration with thirdparty workflows. PPF: The Print Production Format (PPF) is a cutting description file that allows pre-setting a cutter for the placement and order of cuts.
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Device
You can select any device that is available to Preps directly from the Print dialog box. The connection information displays under the name of the selected device.
Copies
You enter the number of copies you wish to print.
Comment
The text in the Comment field prints if a $Comment text mark is present on the template used for the job.
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GENERAL TAB
Overview
Some of the options in this tab change depending on whether or not tiling is enabled in the Fitting/Tiling Setup.
Specify Print Range

If this option is de-selected, the entire job prints. If you select this option, you can select specific pages, signatures, webs, or tiles to print.
Print sides that include pages

This allows you to specify a page or group of pages to print. Preps prints the entire side of a press sheet that contains those pages. Use a dash to print a range of pages, and a comma to separate individual pages.
Print signatures
This allows you to specify a range of signatures, sides, webs, and/or tiles to print.
Range
Enter the numbers of the signatures you want to print. Use a dash to print a range of signatures, and a comma to print non-consecutive signatures.
Sides
You can print the front, back, or both sides of a press sheet.
Webs
A web is typically two or more press sheets that fold and bind together as a signature. You can print all webs, or specify a range of webs to print.
X1, Y2 X1, Y1
X2, Y2 X2, Y1
X tiles and Y tiles

The X and Y refer to the horizonal and vertical numbers of the tiles. The diagram at right shows how the four tiles that make up a signature are numbered.
Output Format Divide Output

You can print a full job with all Preps versions. With the Pro and Plus versions, you also can print a job in parts. The
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default setting is Divide Output de-selected; this causes the entire job to print. If the job prints to a PostScript file, a single file is created for the whole job. When you divide a Preps job into parts, if one part fails to print, the remaining parts may still print. This feature is used for: Creating a PostScript file for a large job and dividing it into smaller parts to fit on small disks Multiplexing (dual RIPs) Printing large jobs overnight that potentially may error, in which case the RIP can move on to the next file without losing the whole job To divide the Preps output, select Divide Output and select one of the options from the list.
Divide by: Signature

Each signature prints separately. If the job prints to a PostScript file, a separate file is created for each signature.
Divide by: Press Sheet

Each press sheet prints separately. If it is a multiple-web job, each web (sides A and B, C and D, etc.) prints separately. If the job prints to a PostScript file, a separate file is created for each press sheet.
Divide by: Side (or Tile)

Each side of each press sheet prints separately. If tiling is being used, each tile prints separately. If the job prints to a PostScript file, a separate file is created for each side or tile.
Divide by: Separated Side (or Tile)

Each separation for each side or tile prints separately. If the job prints to a PostScript file, a file is created for each separation of each side or tile. This option is commonly used for printing computer-to-plate.
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Reverse order
The signatures print in reverse order, from last to first.
Collated
Multiple copies of a job print in collated sets, usually used for on-demand work.
Double-sided
The job pages print on both sides of a sheet of media, provided the selected output device supports duplexing. This is most often used for on-demand work.
Imaging Options Color Separation None

This produces composite ouput for printing color proofs or single-color jobs.
Color Separation In-RIP

This option tells Preps to include instructions so that the RIP will generate the separations. This option is available only if you have a Level 2 or PostScript 3 RIP with color-separation capabilities and have enabled PostScript Level 2 in-RIP separations in Device Configuration.
Color Separation Host-based

When you select Host-based, Preps creates the color separations using its built-in PostScript Level 1 color separator. You select how you want Preps to group the output. Sort by: Page: Preps outputs all the CMYK plates plus spot colors for each page, followed by subsequent sets for the remaining pages.
Tech Tip The Negatives option overrides any similar options built into the RIP, but does not override options set at the marking engine. If it is selected both in Preps and on the output device, their effects cancel each other. We recommend that you always set them on the output device, rather than in Preps.
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Sort by: Color: Preps outputs the plates for all signatures or tiles in this order: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and spot colors in the order in which they appear in the Color Separation dialog box.
Negatives
The colors black and white are reversed to create a negative image (not available in the XL version).
Emulsion side down

The job is right-reading when the output media is viewed with the emulsion side down. If this box is deselected, the output is right-reading when viewed with the emulsion side up (not available in Preps XL).
Generate CIP3 Cutting Data

If a job is printed as an Adobe Job Ticket, you have the option of including the CIP3 cutting data. This option is not available if you print a PostScript file, JDF, or directly to an output device. If a job is printed as PPF files, this option is not available because PPF files already include the CIP3 cutting data.
Halftone Screening Override Line Screen

Selecting this option ensures that the halftone screens of the images in your final output are consistent, and the quality you want. By checking this option, you set a minimum, or threshold, halftone screen value in the Override above box. Any halftone screen value in your source files greater than this is overridden by Preps.
Override spot shape

If you override the halftone line screen, you may also override the spot shape of the halftone screens to ensure consistency in your final output. Preps uses the spot shape selected in Device Configuration for composite output; Preps uses the spot shape selected on the Color Separations tab for colorseparated output.
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COLOR SEPARATIONS TAB

Overview
In addition to source files containing black only, Preps accepts PostScript, EPS, DCS, TIFF, and PDF source files that contain pre-separated or composite color. If your source files are pre-separated, you must print host-based separations from Preps. However, if your source files are composite, you can print composite or separated. When printing separations, you have a great deal of control from within Preps, whether you are using Preps to create the color separations or using Level 2 in-RIP separations. You can change process color builds for spot colors that are converted to CMYK, overprint and knockout settings, line screens, screen angles, and map spot colors to print with other colors.
Colors
This column lists all colors that are present in the job. To prevent a color from printing, de-select the check box next to the color name. To simultaneously set all colors to print or not to print, click All Colors On or All Colors Off.
Build
You can change the process color build for spot colors that have been converted to process builds. This feature is useful when you have source files from different applications, and the applications have defined the process equivalent of the same spot color differently.
Output As
When working with DSC-compliant composite input files, you can print any spot color on the same plate as any other color in the job, or convert it to a process build. You can convert the colors individually, or click All Spots As Process or All Spots Separately to change all colors in the job simultaneously.
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Overprint/Knockout
Preps has three overprint options. You can select a different option for each color.
Pass through
Retains the overprint that was applied by the application that created the source files.
Overprint
Forces the selected plate color to overprint all other plate colors. This option works only for composite source files that were created without overprint instructions for black plate information. This option applies to all screen values of the selected color.
Knockout
Knocks out the selected color from all other separations. If knockout is applied, any overprint information for the selected color in the composite source file is overridden. This option applies to all screen values of the selected color.
Line Screen and Screen Angle

You may choose line screens and screen angles for each color in the Colors list. The default line screens and screen angles vary, depending upon the selected output device.
Add Color
If a source file does not contain adequate DSC comments about a color, Preps does not receive information about the color and cannot display it in the Color Separations dialog box. You can, however, manually add the color to the Colors list by typing in the name of the color exactly as it appears in the source document.
Halftone Settings Spot Shape

You may change the halftone spot shape for all the colors in the job. The available halftone spot shapes options are in the PPD or PPX file for the selected output device.
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LEVEL 2 OPTIONS
Overview
Level 2 Options work with the selected output device to: Enable PostScript Level 2 color separations Enable PostScript Level 2 forms optimization Change the default settings for forms optimization (for advanced users only and not described here)
Color Separations
You have two options for printing color separations from Preps: Using Preps built-in color-separation engine (host-based separations) Using PostScript Level 2 in-RIP color separations Preps uses a PostScript Level 1 color separator, which allows you to have a lot of control over how the output is separated, including screen angles, mapping one spot color to another, and converting spot colors to process. This option works only with source files that are PostScript Level 1. Preps also supports color separation in the RIP for Level 2 PostScript devices that support this functionality. You have the same control over how the output is separated as you do with Preps color separator, but the output from Preps is a composite file which is separated by the RIP. You must use this option if your source files are PDFs, or if they are PostScript files that contain Level 2 or PostScript 3 information. To enable PostScript Level 2 in-RIP separations: From the Setup menu, select Device Setup. In the Device Setup dialog box, select the output device. Click Device Configuration. Click Level 2 Options. Select the Enable PostScript Level 2 color separations check box. Click OK. This enables the Color Separation: In-RIP option on the General tab in the Print dialog box.
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Chapter 10 NATIVE PDF WORKFLOW
Using a PDF Workflow Overview Creating a PDF Native Job Template Marks Exporting a PDF Job
USING A PDF WORKFLOW

Overview
Preps 4.0 and later allows you to work in native PDF format. This means you use PDF source files and output PDF from Preps. PostScript is not involved in this process. Using a PDF workflow is very similar to a PostScript workflow, with a few exceptions: You use the same templates you use for PostScript or mixed-file workflows, but any custom EPS marks you place must also have PDF versions (most marks that ship with Preps have PDF equivalents) Input (source) files and output must be composite Instead of printing, you export PDF, JDF, Adobe Job Ticket, or PPF files No device information is used No font handling occurs No OPI processing occurs
Exercise 1 Creating a PDF Native Job

The following exercise shows you how to create a PDF native job and export it to a PDF file. (Metric versions are shown in parentheses.) You add PDF files to a job the same way you add any source files (see Chapter 1, Creating a Preps Job). To create a PDF native job: From the File menu, select New Job, then PDF->PDF.
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Chapter 10 Native PDF Workflow
Signature Collation Mark C Signature Collation Mark B Signature Collation Mark A
From the Learning Preps:Exercise Files:US (Metric):Art of Imagery:PDF folder, add to the File List the following files (or their metric equivalents): Cover.pdf Frontmatter.pdf Chapter1_11pg.pdf Chapter2_12pg.pdf Backcover.pdf Add the files to the Run List in the order listed above. In the Signature List window, click Signatures. From the Templates:Sample Templates:US (Metric) folder, select the Saddle Stitched binding style, then select Letter Tutorial Saddle (A4 Tutorial Saddle). Click Auto Select. You should see two 16 page SW signatures in the list at the bottom of the window. Click OK.
Template Marks
All Preps built-in marks will work in a PDF-only workflow, including lines, rectangles, text, and Preps built-in signature collation marks (Signature Collation Mark A, B, and C). However, any dynamic EPS marks (ones that change depending on the environment) such as sigcolla.eps, sigcollb.eps, etc., will not work in a PDF workflow. Custom EPS marks can be used, provided a PDF equivalent of the mark is present in the Marks folder. You create a PDF version of an EPS mark either by exporting from the native application in which you created the EPS, or by using Adobe Acrobat Distiller to create a PDF. Using the latter method may require that you open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat and use the cropping tool to crop it to its correct size; Distiller cannot create a PDF smaller than 1" x 1". You create templates using the EPS or TIFF marks. When exporting PDF out of Preps, the PDF marks are automatically substituted for the EPS or TIFF marks. This allows you to have generic templates that can be used in either a PDF or mixed workflow.
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Exporting PDF Jobs

You can export a PDF job as PDF, Adobe Job Ticket, JDF, or PPF files. To export a PDF job: From the File menu, select Export. In the Export dialog box, from the Export as list, select PDF File, Adobe Job Ticket, JDF, or PPF. From the Divde by: list, select Full Job, Signature, Press Sheet, or Side. If you do not wish to export the entire job, select Specify Export Range and enter the page or signature range you wish to export. Click Export. Enter a name for the file, select a location in which to save it, then click Save. When Preps has finished exporting the job, you can open and view the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Reader.
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Exercises LEARNING PREPS 4.1

Building a Job Using Placeholders in a Job Creating a Template Using Page Adjustments: Part 1 Manual Adjustments Part 2 Autocentering Part 3 Autoscaling
LEARNING PREPS 4.1 EXERCISES

Overview
The following exercises will help you to become more familiar with Preps. The PostScript and PDF source files are located in the Learning Preps:Exercise Files folder, which you will find either in your demonstration version Preps folder that you installed, or on the Preps CD. Measurements are in both inches and millimeters, and there are U.S. and metric equivalents of the source files. Choose one standard to work with as the measurements are not accurate conversions. The metric equivalents are noted in parentheses ( ).
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Learning Preps 4.1 Exercises
Exercise 1 Building a Job The customer has supplied PostScript files for an 8.5" x 11" (A4), 76-page, saddle-stitched book. There is a separate file for each chapter. When the files were created, blank pages were not included, so the total page count is incorrect and many of the chapters do not start on odd-numbered, or right-hand pages.
Create a new job:

From the File menu, select New Job, then Mixed Files -> PostScript. From the Learning Preps:Exercise Files:US (Metric):Art of Imagery folder, add the following files to the File List: Appendix.sep (Appendix_A4.sep) BackCover.sep (BackCover_A4.sep) Chapter1_11pg.sep (Chapter1_11pg_A4.sep) Chapter2_12pg.sep (Chapter2_12pg_A4.sep) Chapter3_15pg.sep (Chapter3_15pg_A4.sep) Chapter4_19pg.sep (Chapter4_19pg_A4.sep) Cover.sep (Cover_A4.sep) Frontmatter.sep (Frontmatter_A4.sep) De-select the Add all pages to run list check box. Click OK. Drag the files individually to the Run List. The correct order is: Cover.sep (Cover_A4.sep) Frontmatter.sep (Frontmatter_A4.sep) Chapter1_11pg.sep (Chapter1_11pg_A4.sep) Chapter2_12pg.sep (Chapter2_12pg_A4.sep) Chapter3_15pg.sep (Chapter3_15pg_A4.sep) Chapter4_19pg.sep (Chapter4_19pg_A4.sep) Appendix.sep (Appendix_A4.sep) BackCover.sep (BackCover_A4.sep) Look through theRun List to examine the chapter starts. Each chapter or section should start with an odd-numbered page. Add Blank pages to the Run List as needed. Remember, the total page count must be a multiple of 4, and the BackCover should be an even-numbered page. Add signatures to the Signature List. The template created for this job is in the Sample Templates:US (Metric) folder and is called Letter Tutorial Saddle (A4 Tutorial Saddle). The signatures required for this job are: 4 16 page SW, 1 8 page WT, and 1 4 page wt. The correct order for the signatures is: 16 page SW 8 page WT 16 page SW 16 page SW 16 page SW 4 page wt Save the job as <yourname>Job1.
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Exercise 1 Building a Job (Checking Your Work)

The finished job should look like this:
NOTE: There should be a total of 76 pages in the Run List. There should be 1 blank page inserted before page 1 of the Frontmatter, page 1 of Chapter 1, page 1 of Chapter 2, (Chapter 3 starts on an odd-numbered page so no blank is needed), page 1 of Chapter 4, page 1 of the Appendix, and 2 blank pages inserted before the BackCover.
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Exercise 2 Using Placeholders in a Job A job has come in that requires a tight production schedule. Not all of the source files are immediately available, but there are enough to begin printing a couple of signatures. You will use placeholders to set up the job and begin printing; when the rest of the source files are available, you will complete the job.
From the File menu, select New Job, Mixed Files -> PostScript. Drag the Placeholder icon to the Run List. The Placeholder Information dialog box appears. In the Name box, type Brochure. In the Page Count box, type 24. Select the Add Pages to Run List check box, then click OK. In the Signature List window, click Signatures. From the Binding Style pull-down, select Saddle-Stitched. The template created for this job is in the Sample Templates:US (Metric) folder and is called Letter Tutorial Saddle. Click Auto Select. You should see 2 signatures in the list; one 16-page Sheetwise, and one 8-page Work and Turn. The customer calls to tell you that instead of one 24-page PostScript file, you will receive a 16-page file called Brochure.ps and an 8-page file called Insert.ps. You can split the Placeholder into two separate Placeholders. Select the Placeholder. From the Job menu, select Split Placeholder. In the First Placeholder box, enter 16 for the page count. Note that the page count for the second placeholder is automatically calculated. Click OK. There are now two Placeholders in the File List. The PostScript files come in from the customer. You can now replace the Placeholders. Select the 16-page Placeholder. From the Job menu, select Replace Placeholder. Navigate to the Learning Preps:Exercise Files:US (Metric):Brochure folder and select Brochure.ps. Click Open. The Placeholder is replaced with the PostScript file. Select the 8-page Placeholder. From the Job menu, select Replace Placeholder. Navigate to the Learning Preps:Exercise Files:US (Metric):Brochure folder and select Insert.ps. Click Open. The Placeholder is replaced with the PostScript file. The customer makes changes to the Brochure and calls to tell you a new PostScript file is coming. Select the Brochure.ps icon in the File List. From the Job menu, select Convert to Placeholder. The new PostScript file comes in, but the customer has made a single file that includes both the Brochure and the Insert. Select the Insert.ps icon in the File List. Press the Delete key. A dialog appears asking, Remove this file from the File List, and remove its pages from the Run List? Click Yes. Select the Placeholder in the File List. From the Job menu, select Replace Placeholder. Navigate to the Learning Preps:Exercise Files:US (Metric):Brochure folder and select Brochure_w/Insert.ps. A dialog appears informing you the page count of the Placeholder is smaller than the PostScript file, and asks if you want to continue. Click Yes. The job is now ready to save and print.
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Exercise 3 Creating a Template
Create a template using the following specifications:

Template Name: <Your Name> Tutorial Binding Style: Saddle-stitched Partial Placement: Last Work Style: Sheetwise (Sig 1), Work-and-Turn (Sig 2) Press Sheet Size: 28" w x 20" h (710 x 500 mm) Distance from press sheet edge to punch center: 1.375" (35 mm) Side Guide Position: 4.5" (115 mm) from bottom Finished Page Size: 6.5" x 9" (165 x 230 mm) Set the gutters and page numbering for the front side of the full signature and the work-and-turn as indicated below:
.5" (10mm)
.5" (10mm) .5" (10mm)
.5" (10mm)
.625" (15mm)
.375" (10mm)
.5" (10mm)
.5" (10mm) .5" (10mm)
.5" (10mm)
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.375" (10mm)
.625" (15mm)
Exercise 4 Using Page Adjustments, Part 1 Making Manual Adjustments This job is a 17" x 22" (A5) poster, plus bleeds. The supplied file is an EPS that was created in an illustration program. These types of files include the bleed amount as part of the page size, so when the file is added to a Preps job, the lower left corner of the outside edge of the bleed, rather than the trim size of the page, is positioned in the lower-left corner of the Preps template page.
Create a new job:

From the File menu, select New Job, then Mixed Files -> PostScript. From the Learning Preps:Exercise Files:US (Metric):Dog Show Poster folder, add Dog-Show-17x22.fh8.eps (DogShow-Poster-A5.fh8.eps) to the File List and to the Run List. Add a signature to the Signature List. The template created for this job is called 17x22 poster (430x560mm poster). Select the page in the Run List and preview it (from the File menu, select Preview; then click the Preview button). Make page adjustments either by moving the page in the Previewer hold down the Command (Control on Windows) key, then click and drag the page image or by entering values in the Run List boxes in the palette at the right side of the Previewer window. When the page is correctly positioned, click the Current button, then click Close. You will see the offset amount in the Run List window. To view the results, select the page in the Run List, then from the File menu, select Preview. Click the Preview button. Your page should now be correctly positioned.
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Exercise 4 Using Page Adjustments, Part 2 Autocentering This is an alternate method of getting the same results as Exercise 4, Part 1.
Use the job from the previous page:

Select the page in the Run List. From the Job menu, select Modify Run List Page. Under Page Position Adjustment, select Centered from the pull-down list, then click OK. You will see the word Centered and the offset amount in the Run List window. To view the results, select the page in the Run List, then from the File menu, select Preview. Click the Preview button. The page should now be correctly positioned.
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Exercise 4 Using Page Adjustments, Part 3 Autoscaling The supplied file is a letter-size magazine cover that the customer wants to reprint as a 17" x 22" poster.
Create a new job:

From the File menu, select New Job, then Mixed Files -> PostScript. From the Learning Preps:Exercise Files:US (Metric):Space Magazine folder, add SpaceMagazine Cover.ps to the File List and to the Run List. Add a signature to the Signature List. The template for this job is called 17x22 poster. Select the page in the Run List. From the Job menu, select Modify Run List Page. In the Page Scaling Adjustment area, select Scale to Fit from the pull-down list, then click OK. You will see the words Scale To Fit and the scaling percentage amount in the Run List window. To view the results, select the page in the Run List, then from the File menu, select Preview. Click the Preview button. The page should now be correctly scaled.
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ScenicSoft, Inc. 1133 - 164th St. SW Lynnwood, WA 98037-8192 USA Tel 425-355-6655 Fax 425-355-6898
E-mail: info@scenicsoft.com www.scenicsoft.com

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Learning Preps 4.

Preps Learning Preps 4.1