Harlequin RIP
Encyclopedia
The Harlequin RIP was first released in 1990 under the name “ScriptWorks” running as a command-line application to render PostScript
language files under Unix. It was developed by Harlequin
, a software company based in Cambridge, England.
(RIP) to run on Macintosh
computers to drive their Ultre-based image setters, exposing onto film and resin-coated (RC) paper. The Macintosh version proved successful and Harlequin signed up a number of other Original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) partners to sell it, including Pongrass, ECRM, Autologic, Xitron, Koronix, Purup, Graphic Enterprises and Compose.
In 1992 a DOS
variation of the same core RIP was developed and was also sold through OEM partners before being replaced by a version running under Microsoft Windows
in 1993.
In 1999 The Harlequin Group went into receivership and was bought by Global Graphics
. The Harlequin Group, including all staff and assets, was renamed to Global Graphics Software Limited. The Unix-based command-line version of the RIP was phased out and a few years later the RIP was finally renamed from ScriptWorks to the Harlequin RIP.
The Harlequin RIP is sold only through OEM partners, each of whom builds it into their own prepress
system, Digital Front End (DFE) or controller. It is therefore sold under a variety of names and it is not always easy to identify whether a system uses a Harlequin RIP or not.
This list is incomplete; not all Harlequin OEMs have agreed to their use of the technology being published.
The Harlequin Embedded SDK also supports Printer Command Language 5e, PCL 5c and PCL XL
, including HPGL
and Printer Job Language
(PJL).
All file formats are interpreted natively, without conversion to an intermediate format (PDF is not converted to PostScript and vice versa, for example). Global Graphics claims that processing without conversion allows for higher speeds and avoids artifacts arising from the conversion.
Native processing of live transparency in PDFs was recognized by several awards: Publishing Essential's Impact Award for “RIP of the Year” in 1997 and 1998 and the Silver Award in the Pre-press News and Publishing Awards of 1997 for “RIP/Server product of the year”.
The Harlequin RIP also explicitly supports PDF/X-1a:2001, PDF/X-1a:2003, PDF/X-3:2002, PDF/X-3:2003, PDF/X-4, PDF/X-4p, PDF/X-5g and PDF/X-5pg
and can be set to reject files that do not comply with those standards, or to include conformance information on the control strip of a proof.
Harlequin's OEM partners have built DFEs with full support for additional formats such as the Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML)
around the Harlequin RIP.
Global Graphics has always claimed that the Harlequin RIP offers the highest performance available in a PostScript or PDF RIP. Its selection by Hewlett-Packard
to drive their T300 inkjet production press at 2600 pages per minute (ppm) and the T350 at over 3900ppm http://h10088.www1.hp.com/cda/gap/display/main/index.jsp?zn=gap&cp=20000-13698-25954_4041_100 would appear to support that claim.
A number of extra components are available for the variants of the Harlequin RIP, leading to descriptions of the Harlequin Server RIP as a “prepress workflow in a box”. Included and additional options include:
Several third party products add more functionality around the Harlequin Server RIP, including:
Version 8.3 of the Harlequin Server RIP is supported under Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, Server 2008 and Mac OS X 10.3-10.6.
HHR is supported on Linux and Windows.
).
EBD version 3 was released in 2009. It is supported under a variety of real-time and near-real-time operating systems including Embedded Windows XP, Linux
, VxWorks
and ThreadX
, and on a variety of hardware architectures, including Intel, Freescale and ARM
, with or without a system-on-a-chip
(SOC) around the CPU. Global Graphics has announced a partnership with Conexant
to provide a combination of hardware and Page description language
(PDL) software for home and small office printers.
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
language files under Unix. It was developed by Harlequin
Harlequin (software company)
Harlequin was formerly a technology company based in Cambridge, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts. They specialized in printing applications, graphical applications, law enforcement applications, and programming language implementations...
, a software company based in Cambridge, England.
History
In the early 1990s Harlequin was commissioned by Xenotron to develop a raster image processorRaster image processor
A raster image processor is a component used in a printing system which produces a raster image also known as a bitmap. The bitmap is then sent to a printing device for output. The input may be a page description in a high-level page description language such as PostScript, Portable Document...
(RIP) to run on Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computers to drive their Ultre-based image setters, exposing onto film and resin-coated (RC) paper. The Macintosh version proved successful and Harlequin signed up a number of other Original equipment manufacturer
Original Equipment Manufacturer
An original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, manufactures products or components that are purchased by a company and retailed under that purchasing company's brand name. OEM refers to the company that originally manufactured the product. When referring to automotive parts, OEM designates a...
(OEM) partners to sell it, including Pongrass, ECRM, Autologic, Xitron, Koronix, Purup, Graphic Enterprises and Compose.
In 1992 a DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
variation of the same core RIP was developed and was also sold through OEM partners before being replaced by a version running under Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in 1993.
In 1999 The Harlequin Group went into receivership and was bought by Global Graphics
Global Graphics
Global Graphics SA is a group of companies known for their digital printing products, including the Harlequin and Jaws RIPs. In May 2009 the company launched gDoc Fusion, an edocument builder software application designed for ease of use to create, review, edit, share and archive PDF and XPS...
. The Harlequin Group, including all staff and assets, was renamed to Global Graphics Software Limited. The Unix-based command-line version of the RIP was phased out and a few years later the RIP was finally renamed from ScriptWorks to the Harlequin RIP.
RIP variants
From 2004 onwards Global Graphics expanded the reach of the Harlequin RIP by producing a number of variants for different market sectors:- The Harlequin Server RIP (HSR) is designed for use in most production print segments other than pure-play digital press systems. It includes a graphical user interface (GUI) and can accept files from a wide variety of sources and export rasters to a huge number of output devices and file formats using input and output plugins.
- The Harlequin Host Renderer (HHR) is designed for use in digital front ends (DFEs) for digital production presses. It can be integrated very tightly with the rest of the system and can be effectively implemented in large RIP farms. HHR can also be integrated into software applications where there's a need for creation of raster representations of pages.
- The Harlequin Embedded SDK (EBD) is designed for use on controller-boards embedded within home and office printers.
The Harlequin RIP is sold only through OEM partners, each of whom builds it into their own prepress
Prepress
Prepress is the term used in the printing and publishing industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the creation of a print layout and the final printing...
system, Digital Front End (DFE) or controller. It is therefore sold under a variety of names and it is not always easy to identify whether a system uses a Harlequin RIP or not.
Harlequin RIP OEM partners
Harlequin RIPs are sold through partners under the following names:- Agfa-GevaertAgfa-GevaertAgfa-Gevaert N.V. is a European multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, and distributes analogue and digital imaging products and systems, as well as IT solutions. The company has three divisions. Agfa Graphics offers integrated prepress and industrial inkjet systems to the...
http://www.agfa.com/en/gs/products_services/all_products/arkitex_grafixrip.jsp - :Arkitex Grafix RIP - Compose System, Ltd - Express RIP
- ECRM Imaging Systems - ECRM RIP
- Electronics for ImagingElectronics for ImagingElectronics for Imaging, Inc. Electronics For Imaging, Inc. provides color digital print controllers, format printers and inks, and print management solutions worldwide. The companys controller technologies transform digital copiers and printers into networked printing devices...
http://www.efi.com - MicroPress - Fusion Systems International - Workflow ESP, DigiPage, FTIFF, Fusion RIP, Fusion SiLK, PPS, ColorRay
- Hewlett-PackardHewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
http://www.hp.com - HP Production Pro Print Server, HP Ultra Print Server - Eastman KodakEastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
http://graphics.kodak.com - HQ RIP, RealTimeProof, Composer software - Konica MinoltaKonica Minoltais a Japanese manufacturer of office equipment, medical imaging, graphic imaging, optical devices, and measuring instruments. It is headquartered in the Marunouchi Center Building in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, with a Kansai office in Nishi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture...
http://konicaminolta.jp/ - KONICA HQ RIP - Polkadots Software Inc - Rasterize-it, PrePage-it
- PresstekPresstekPresstek manufactures and markets digital offset printing solutions. Headquartered in Hudson, New Hampshire, Presstek sells offset presses, computer-to-plate systems, and chemistry-free printing plates, as well as prepress consumables. In 2004, Presstek purchased the financially troubled A.B. Dick...
http://www.presstek.com/ - Momentum RIP - Rampage Systems - Rampage RIP
- RTI, Inc. (RealTimeImage) - RTI Rip-Kit
- RyobiRyobiRyobi Limited is a manufacturer of components for the automobile, electronics, and telecommunications industries. They also create printing equipment, power tools and builders' hardware....
http://www.ryobi-group.co.jp/ - RYOBI PS-RIP - S.Ten Nines California LLC (formerly Dainippon Screen USA) - HQ-510 RIP, PixelStream Workflow
- Song & Company Limited - JET Rip
- Xitron Inc. - Navigator RIP
This list is incomplete; not all Harlequin OEMs have agreed to their use of the technology being published.
RIP capabilities
Current versions of the Harlequin RIP can interpret:- PostScriptPostScriptPostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
language files - Portable Document FormatPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
(PDF) - XML Paper Specification (XPS)
- Encapsulated PostScriptEncapsulated PostScriptEncapsulated PostScript, or EPS, is a DSC-conforming PostScript document with additional restrictions which is intended to be usable as a graphics file format...
(EPS) - Desktop Color SeparationsDesktop Color SeparationsDesktop Colour Separation is an enhanced Encapsulated PostScript file format that was introduced by Quark, Inc. It is now primarily used for specialised graphics work particularly images that use multiple channels, eg when applying different spot colours to each part of a greyscale...
(DCS) - Tagged Image File FormatTagged Image File FormatTIFF is a file format for storing images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and both amateur and professional photographers in general. As of 2009, it is under the control of Adobe Systems...
(TIFF) - JPEGJPEGIn computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
- JPEG 2000JPEG 2000JPEG 2000 is an image compression standard and coding system. It was created by the Joint Photographic Experts Group committee in 2000 with the intention of superseding their original discrete cosine transform-based JPEG standard with a newly designed, wavelet-based method...
- JPEG XR / HD Photo
The Harlequin Embedded SDK also supports Printer Command Language 5e, PCL 5c and PCL XL
Printer Command Language
Printer Command Language, more commonly referred to as PCL, is a page description language developed by Hewlett-Packard as a printer protocol and has become a de facto industry standard. Originally developed for early inkjet printers in 1984, PCL has been released in varying levels for thermal,...
, including HPGL
HPGL
HPGL, sometimes hyphenated as HP-GL, was the primary printer control language used by Hewlett-Packard plotters. The name is an initialism for Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language. It later became a standard for almost all plotters...
and Printer Job Language
Printer Job Language
Printer Job Language is a method developed by Hewlett-Packard for switching printer languages at the job level, and for status readback between the printer and the host computer. PJL adds job level controls, such as printer language switching, job separation, environment, status readback, device...
(PJL).
All file formats are interpreted natively, without conversion to an intermediate format (PDF is not converted to PostScript and vice versa, for example). Global Graphics claims that processing without conversion allows for higher speeds and avoids artifacts arising from the conversion.
Native processing of live transparency in PDFs was recognized by several awards: Publishing Essential's Impact Award for “RIP of the Year” in 1997 and 1998 and the Silver Award in the Pre-press News and Publishing Awards of 1997 for “RIP/Server product of the year”.
The Harlequin RIP also explicitly supports PDF/X-1a:2001, PDF/X-1a:2003, PDF/X-3:2002, PDF/X-3:2003, PDF/X-4, PDF/X-4p, PDF/X-5g and PDF/X-5pg
PDF/X
PDF/X is an umbrella term for several ISO standards that define a subset of the PDF standard. The purpose of PDF/X is to facilitate graphics exchange, and it therefore has a series of printing related requirements which do not apply to standard PDF files. For example, in PDF/X-1a all fonts need to...
and can be set to reject files that do not comply with those standards, or to include conformance information on the control strip of a proof.
Harlequin's OEM partners have built DFEs with full support for additional formats such as the Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML)
PPML
PPML is an XML-based industry standard printer language for variable data printing defined by PODi. The industry-wide consortium of 13 companies was initially formed to create PPML, and now has more than 400 member companies.-Overview:PPML is an open, inter-operable, device-independent standard...
around the Harlequin RIP.
Global Graphics has always claimed that the Harlequin RIP offers the highest performance available in a PostScript or PDF RIP. Its selection by Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
to drive their T300 inkjet production press at 2600 pages per minute (ppm) and the T350 at over 3900ppm http://h10088.www1.hp.com/cda/gap/display/main/index.jsp?zn=gap&cp=20000-13698-25954_4041_100 would appear to support that claim.
A number of extra components are available for the variants of the Harlequin RIP, leading to descriptions of the Harlequin Server RIP as a “prepress workflow in a box”. Included and additional options include:
- ColorPro – in-RIP color managementColor managementIn digital imaging systems, color management is the controlled conversion between the color representations of various devices, such as image scanners, digital cameras, monitors, TV screens, film printers, computer printers, offset presses, and corresponding media.The primary goal of color...
(formerly known as Harlequin ICC Profile Processor (HIPP)). (Available in EBD, HHR, HSR). - Font emulation – if a PostScript or PDF file is submitted to the RIP and does not include all of the fontFontIn typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
s required embedded within it, and if those fonts are also not pre-installed in the RIP then they can be emulated to provide a reasonable simulacrum of the original font. The emulated fonts match the widths, weight and general style of the missing font and it is claimed that reproduction is usually good enough that a reader who had not seen the page with the original fonts in place would not notice any issues. Font emulation is therefore very useful for quick-print and corporate reproduction departments, and for display advertising in publication and newsprint. Global Graphics was presented with a GATF Intertech award in 2007 for font emulation. (Available in EBD, HHR, HSR). - Harlequin Cross-Modulated screening (HXM) – this halftoneHalftoneHalftone is the reprographic technique that simulates continuous tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size, in shape or in spacing...
technology combines aspects of stochastic and conventional screens to retain fine detail without the problems of noise occasionally encountered with pure stochastic screens. (Available in HHR, HSR). - Harlequin Dispersed Screening (HDS) – this stochastic screeningStochastic screeningStochastic screening or FM screening is a halftone process based on pseudo-random distribution of halftone dots, using frequency modulation to change the density of dots according to the gray level desired...
technology can be used to retain fine detail in images. (Available in EBD, HHR, HSR). - JDF support – the JDFJDFThe term JDF may refer to:*Jamaica Defence Force*Japan Self-Defense Forces*Job Definition Format*Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation...
Enabler can be added to a Harlequin RIP to enable it to accept jobs in CIP4's Job Definition Format (JDF). The Harlequin RIP with the JDF Enabler was the first product to be formally certified by CIP4 in 2004. (Available in HSR). - Open Prepress Interchange (OPI) – 'thin' PostScript and PDF files containing low resolution “For position only” (FPO) images may be submitted to the RIP, which will replace the image data with high-resolution files held locally. The equivalent Desktop Color SeparationsDesktop Color SeparationsDesktop Colour Separation is an enhanced Encapsulated PostScript file format that was introduced by Quark, Inc. It is now primarily used for specialised graphics work particularly images that use multiple channels, eg when applying different spot colours to each part of a greyscale...
(DCS) format is also supported, as are reference XObjects in PDF files. (Available in HHR, HSR). - PDF Retained Raster – a technology designed to maximize performance of Variable data printingVariable Data PrintingVariable-data printing is a form of digital printing, including on-demand printing, in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping or slowing down the printing process and using information from a database or external file...
(VDP) jobs, even if they are delivered as basic PDF files instead of a specialist VDP format. Shared page backgrounds are identified and rendered only once, then merged with variable text foregrounds. (Available in HHR, HSR). - Simple imposition – fully automated in-RIP impositionImpositionImposition is one of the fundamental steps in the prepress printing process. It consists in the arrangement of the printed product’s pages on the printer’s sheet, in order to obtain faster printing, simplified binding and less waste of paper....
of PDF files for 2- and 4-up saddle stitch, 4-up perfect binding, step & repeat, cut & stack etc. (Available in EBD, HHR, HSR). - TrapPro – in-RIP trapping solution, supporting trap zone and trapping parameters delivered in PostScript language or PJTF commands within a PDF file, and also configuration within the RIP's GUI. TrapPro includes a number of advanced features such as small object protection, mitered, sliding, anamorphic, narrowed and feathered traps. (Available in HHR, HSR).
Several third party products add more functionality around the Harlequin Server RIP, including:
- Auraia screening from Hamillroad Software – a digitally modulated screening solution claimed to provide the equivalent of very high frequency screens on a wide variety of CtP devices and plates.
- FirstProof from Hamillroad Software – providing additional options for soft-proofing of Harlequin raster output.
Harlequin Server RIP release history
- V4.0 (1996) – Addition of output plugin to create CIP3 Print Production Format (PPF) files.
- V4.5 (1997) – in-RIP trapping added under the name EasyTrap
- V5.0 (1998) – Addition of support for PostScript LanguageLevel 3 and PDF 1.2 files as well as PostScript 1 and PostScript Level 2. Addition of 'SetGold' a utility used to create 'golden state' profiles for color proofing devices to ensure that neutrals print neutral and that the gamut of the proofer is used optimally.
- V5.5 (2001) – Support for PDF 1.3 added.
- V6.0 – Eclipse release (2002) – EasyTrap withdrawn and replaced with TrapPro. Previous versions of in-RIP color management withdrawn and replaced with ColorPro, including support for N-color profiles. Support for PDF 1.4 added, including native interpretation and rendering of live transparency in PDF files. Support for PDF/A-1a and PDF/X-3 added. V6.0 was the first version to run under Mac OS X. SetGold upgraded to SetGold Pro, enabling the creation of full profiles for color proofers.
- V6.4 – Eclipse SP4 (2004) – JDF input support added. Users could now “try before you buy” (TBYB) on layered options such as TrapPro, CIP3 output.
- V7.0 – Genesis release (2005) – Simple imposition and Font emulation added. PDF support extended to version 1.5. Supported on Windows XP.
- V7.1 (2006) – Support for ICC v4.0 profiles added in ColorPro. Print Production Manager (PPM added). PDF support extended to version 1.6.
- V7.2 (2007) – TIFF output plugin extended to support spot colors.
- V8.0 (2008) – Support for XPS and HD Photo added. PDF support extended to version 1.7. New output plugin added to create raster PDFs for soft-proofing & approval. Supported on Windows Vista. Addition of multi-threaded renderer to take advantage of multi-core computers and hyper-threading (earlier versions of the Harlequin RIP offered symmetric multi-processing (SMP) designed for use on computers with multiple CPUs). PDF Retained Raster added.
- V8.1 (2009) – TrapPro enhanced to use less memory. Significant enhancements to performance when rendering live PDF transparency.
- V8.3 (2010) – Expanded support for hybrid and digitally modulated screens. Support for PDF Retained Raster extended to more classes of output device. Supported on Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
Version 8.3 of the Harlequin Server RIP is supported under Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, Server 2008 and Mac OS X 10.3-10.6.
Harlequin Host Renderer
The Harlequin Host Renderer was launched in 2005; version 1.3 was released in late 2009. Core RIP functionality in HHR has tracked with Harlequin Server RIP except that HHR currently has the following additional features in comparison to HSR 8.3:- Higher performance, especially when processing live PDF transparency
- Support for PDF/X-4p, PDF/X-5g and PDF/X-5pg, enabling OEMs to create DFEs fully compliant to the PDF/VT standard (ISO 16612-2:2010)
- Support for 2- and 4-bit screening
HHR is supported on Linux and Windows.
Harlequin Embedded SDK
The Harlequin Embedded SDK (EBD) has been optimized for use within home and office printers. To that end it supports several versions of the Printer Control Language (PCL), as well as the Printer Job Language (PJL) and Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language (HPGLHPGL
HPGL, sometimes hyphenated as HP-GL, was the primary printer control language used by Hewlett-Packard plotters. The name is an initialism for Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language. It later became a standard for almost all plotters...
).
EBD version 3 was released in 2009. It is supported under a variety of real-time and near-real-time operating systems including Embedded Windows XP, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, VxWorks
VxWorks
VxWorks is a real-time operating system developed as proprietary software by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, USA. First released in 1987, VxWorks is designed for use in embedded systems.- History :...
and ThreadX
ThreadX
ThreadX, developed and marketed by Express Logic, Inc. of San Diego, California, USA, is a real-time operating system . Similar RTOSes are available from other vendors such as VxWorks, Nucleus RTOS, OSE, QNX, LynxOS, etc...
, and on a variety of hardware architectures, including Intel, Freescale and ARM
ARM architecture
ARM is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings. It was named the Advanced RISC Machine, and before that, the Acorn RISC Machine. The ARM architecture is the most widely used 32-bit ISA in numbers produced...
, with or without a system-on-a-chip
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
(SOC) around the CPU. Global Graphics has announced a partnership with Conexant
Conexant
Conexant Systems, Inc. is an American semiconductor company, formerly the semiconductor division of Rockwell International. Currently it's privately owned by Golden Gate Capital, an equity firm headquartered in San Francisco.-History:...
to provide a combination of hardware and Page description language
Page description language
A page description language is a language that describes the appearance of a printed page in a higher level than an actual output bitmap. An overlapping term is printer control language, but it should not be confused as referring solely to Hewlett-Packard's PCL...
(PDL) software for home and small office printers.