Setting Up Printing to Xinet Print Spoolers Xinet uses the central server to provide access to any PostScript printer or imaging device on the network. Using the Xinet server does not require that you change the way that you usually print documents: most of what the Xinet server does is transparent. Printing options With a Xinet server available, you may choose between four ways of printing: • Directly from your Macintosh to the printer or imaging device This method is built into your desktop system. • Through a central spooler A spooler is a software mechanism for holding print requests in a queue, processing them and sending them to the printer or imaging device in order. It offers the advantage in some situations of freeing up your Macintosh much more quickly than is possible when you print directly. • Through an OPI replacement spooler This process also quickly queues print requests on the server, but in addition, automatically substitutes high-resolution images for any FPO images embedded in documents and triggers some of the advantages printing through a Xinet server brings; to name two, scaling images up or down, as appropriate for the output devices and automatically color-correcting images in a way that’s appropriate for the particular output device. • Through a hot folder Hot folders provide an alternative for putting files onto the server for print processing. As soon as a hot folder receives a complete job, it sends the file to an output print queue on the server—and then deletes the file. It really works as a sort of funnel to print queuing. Hot folders can handle any type of asset a Xinet server can print. That includes any of the image files listed in FPO resolution. Strategies for choosing printers How do you know when to use a Xinet OPI spooler and when to use a regular Xinet spooler? • Printing final, high-resolution output Any time you want the Xinet server to automatically substitute high-resolution images for low-resolution FPO images, you must print through an OPI spooler. Keep in mind that for proper image substitution to take place, the OPI volume must be on the same server as the OPI spooler. (This will only be a problem you need to watch for if your site has more than one Xinet server.) You may also use an OPI spooler for any other printing. • Printing final, high-resolution output when you haven’t incorporated FPO images When you are not incorporating FPO images in a document, you may use a regular Xinet spooler for printing. You may also use OPI spoolers for this purpose. • Printing low-resolution proofs Use regular Xinet spoolers when you want to print documents quickly using low-resolution images rather than the final high-resolution versions. Simply send documents with FPO images through the regular spooler. Since the regular spooler doesn’t understand OPI protocols, it will ignore pointers to high-resolution documents and print the lower-resolution images. If you have used EPS FPO files without preview images and print a proof through a non-OPI spooler, you will get gray boxes bound with a thin line in your proofs. (Your administrator determines whether or not you have printable EPS FPOs.) Another strategy is for the system administrator to make a proofing spooler which still does replacement, but at a lower resolution. • Printing to hot folders Some RIPs must receive their input via hot folders. Hot folders can also be used to automate aspects of a given workflow. Your system administrator can tell you whether or not you should send jobs to a hot folder queue. • Printing to create specialized file formats Your system administrator can also create queues that produce particular kinds of output, for example, low-resolution PDFs for online proofing, high-resolution PDFs, PDF/X1-a files, Pass4Press files, or TIFF/IT files. To produce any of these files automatically, choose the appropriate queue. About Asset Timer and Printing The Xinet database ships with built-in Asset Timer Data Fields that allow access to assets to be controlled by Usage Start and End dates and/or to be otherwise locked from further use. Depending on how your administrator has set up your system, expired images under Asset Timer control may be watermarked during printing or simply not print. Xinet Portal provides a mechanism for requesting restoration of use and for administering rights.
