ftools gs.book - Kodak

KODAK VERSAMARK
Font Tools 6.0 Software
Getting Started

KODAK VERSAMARK
Font Tools 6.0 Software
Getting Started

KODAK VERSAMARK Font Tools 6.0 Software Getting Started
Part Number Medium Revision Date Description ECN
0114244-602
0114244-603
Print
PDF
001 06/2005 Initial release K4755
© Eastman Kodak Company, 2005.All rights reserved.
This document contains proprietary information of Kodak Versamark, Inc. or its licensors and is their exclusive
property. It may not be reproduced without a written agreement from Kodak Versamark, Inc. No patent or other license
is granted to this information.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software may not be used or
copied except as provided in the license agreement.
Kodak Versamark, Inc. makes no warranty of any kind with regard to the contents of this document, including, but not
limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Kodak Versamark shall not be
liable for any errors or for compensatory, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing,
performance, or use of this document or the examples contained herein. Information concerning products not
manufactured by Kodak Versamark, Inc. is provided without warranty or representation of any kind, and Kodak
Versamark, Inc. will not be liable for any damages resulting from the use of such information.
Kodak and Versamark are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.
0114244-602
0114244-603 06/2005 Printed in U.S.A.

Scope
This manual provides:
• An introduction to the KODAK VERSAMARK Font Tools 6.0 software
• Installation instructions
• An explanation of Demonstration (or ‘Demo’) mode
• A glossary of commonly used terms.
All the information about actually using the Font Tools software is located
in the software’s online Help.
This guide and the online Help are for use by operators, data preparation
specialists, and maintenance personnel who have a basic knowledge of
computers and the MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP or WINDOWS 2000 operating
system as well as a detailed knowledge of inkjet printing terminology and
the components of the Versamark printing systems being used.
Getting Started iii

Scope
Text Notations
Text Notations
This manual uses the following typographical conventions.
This style
Ready
go
ENTER
[NEXT]
Save
File → Open
ALT+F1
ALT, TAB
xx,yy
jobfile.dat
Refers to
Text displayed by the software.
Anything you type, exactly as it appears, whether referenced in
text or at a prompt.
Special keys on the keyboard, such as enter, alt, and spacebar.
Buttons and lights on the printer operator panel.
Software command buttons and sections of dialog boxes, such
as group boxes, text boxes, and text fields.
A menu and a specific menu command.
Pressing more than one key at the same time.
Pressing more than one key in sequence.
Variable in error messages and text.
File names.
Safety Notations
Note:
Caution:
The following definitions indicate safety precautions to the operator.
Information that needs to be brought to the reader’s attention.
A situation where a mistake could result in the destruction of data or
system-type damage.
! WARNING
A potential hazard that could result in serious injury or death.
! DANGER
An imminent hazard that will result in serious injury or death.
iv Font Tools 6.0

Scope
Service and Support
Service and
Support
Technical equipment support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Software and applications support is available 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
EST/EDT, Monday through Friday.
Call for telephone or on-site technical support; to order parts or supplies;
to request documentation or product information.
U.S.A., Canada, and
worldwide
Phone
(+1-800-472-4839)
+1-937-259-3739
Fax
+1-937-259-3808
Europe +41-21-806-0404 +41-21-806-1920
Asia/Pacific Rim +65-6744-6400 +65-6744-6700
Japan +81-3-3256-2613 +81-3-3256-2616
Updated service
information
Customer support
http://www.kodakversamark.com
customer@kodakversamark.com
Getting Started
v

Introduction
KODAK VERSAMARK Font Tools is a font creation and editing tool for use
with any Versamark printing system with a Versamark system controller.
With Font Tools, you can:
• Convert TRUETYPE or OPENTYPE fonts into single-byte or multiple-byte
Versamark printer text fonts
• Create Versamark printer graphic fonts by adding graphic images as
font characters
• Create Versamark printer barcode fonts
• Create ink reduced Versamark printer fonts
• Edit Versamark printer fonts
• Program D-Series flash cards with Versamark printer fonts.
The fonts created by Font Tools require no special software or setup
procedures. Once the fonts are downloaded, the same data preparation
and job layout methods normally used for Versamark printer fonts can be
used.
Getting Started 1

System Requirements
System
Requirements
The system requirements for Font Tools include:
• Any PC capable of running the MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP or
WINDOWS 2000 operating system
• MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP or WINDOWS 2000 operating system
• Any WINDOWS XP or WINDOWS 2000 compatible monitor and video
adapter
• Minimum of one hard disk drive and one drive capable of reading
CDs.
• A mouse
• To program font flash cards, a flash card programming device must
be installed.
Installation
Use the following procedure to install Font Tools 6.0 on your PC.
Note:
Note:
If you are using the WINDOWS 2000 operating system, make sure all the
latest WINDOWS 2000 updates from Microsoft have been applied before
installing the Font Tools software. Also, do not insert your HASP key (see
“Demo Mode and HASP Key”, below) until the Font Tools software has
been installed.
If you uninstall a previous version of the Font Tools software before
installing the current version, you must remove and reinsert your HASP
key or reboot the PC after the new version has been installed.
1. Insert the Font Tools CD into your CD-ROM (or equivalent) drive.
If the Windows Autoplay feature is not disabled, the Font Tools 6.0
Setup window appears.
2. After reading the contents of the Font Tools 6.0 Setup window, click
Next.
3. Enter your user information, specify whether Font Tools should be
installed for all users of the PC or only for the current user, then click
Next.
4. Specify the folder into which Font Tools is to be installed, then click
Next.
Note:
We recommend that you accept the suggested destination folder.
However, you may change the destination folder if you wish.
2 Font Tools 6.0

Demo Mode and HASP Key
5. To begin copying files, click Next.
6. When file copying is complete, click OK to close the Aladdin Device
Driver Installation Utility dialog.
7. Back in the Font Tools 6.0 Setup window, click Finish to complete
the installation.
To use the Font Tools software, either double-click the Font Tools 6.0
icon on your Windows desktop, or select Programs → FontTools →
Font Tools 6.0 from the Start menu.
Demo Mode and
HASP Key
Note:
In order to enable all the Font Tools software’s features and to protect the
software, a HASP key (shown below), a small hardware item that plugs
into a USB port, is delivered with every Font Tools package. For the
HASP key to be active, it must be inserted into one of the PC’s USB ports
and the HASP device driver must be installed (the device driver is
installed during the Font Tools software installation).
Do not insert your HASP key until the Font Tools software has been
installed.
USB port HASP key
If a valid HASP key is not present, or if the HASP key is defective, or if the
HASP device driver is not installed, the Font Tools software will start in
Demo mode; the phrase “[DEMO MODE]” appears in the Main window’s
title bar. In this Demonstration (or ‘Demo’) mode, all of the Font Tools
features are available, except that:
• You cannot save any of the fonts you create.
• You cannot program flash cards.
Online Help
All the information about actually using the Font Tools software is located
in the software’s online Help.
Getting Started 3

Glossary
This glossary contains a list of terms used throughout the manual.
barcode font As used in the Font Tools software, a barcode font is a
Versamark printer font comprised of any one of a variety of barcode
symbologies with custom height and width specifications.
binary The base 2 number system used in computer logic. The only
digits are 0 and 1, which represent off and on respectively.
bitmap An arrangement of dots that represents text or graphics.
A computer uses the dots in an arrangement of binary 1s and 0s to
represent the presence and absence of ink drops. The data station sends
this data to the printheads.
bounding box
image.
An imaginary rectangle that encloses a character
category I font A Kodak Versamark font that defines characters in cells
that include character and line spacing. Character cells cannot overlap.
Line escapement is in the positive Y direction only.
category II font A Kodak Versamark font that defines characters in
bounding boxes that contain only the character image. Character
definitions allow both positive and negative X and Y character
escapements and offsets. Line escapement is defined using positive and
Getting Started

Glossary
negative X and Y values. This font category permits character
overlapping, vertical printing, and right-to-left printing. See also font.
character A letter, number, or symbol used to represent, organize, or
control data.
character cell An imaginary rectangle that encloses a character image
and surrounding spacing. The area can include white space for characterto-character
and interline spacing. See also bounding box.
character escapement The distance the cursor is moved from its
position for the present character to its position for the next character.
The cursor can be moved in both the X and Y dimensions in positive or
negative directions. Character escapement values are specified when
defining the font.
corner marker A black triangle that appears in one corner of a page
layout or message box to indicate the orientation and origin of the item.
When a page layout or message box is rotated to 0°, its corner marker
appears in the upper-left corner.
cue mark A printed mark on the web that is used to synchronize
printing on both sides of the web, synchronize sheeting, and verify
horizontal printhead alignment.
data station The component of the printing system that receives
character-coded input data and produces image data in bitmap format
that is sent to the printheads at the print stations.
default An attribute, value, or option that is assumed when none is
explicitly given.
density A measure of darkness or the light-absorbing properties of the
printed page.
dithering The process of reducing the color bit-depth of an image while
maintaining the illusion of the same color resolution (for example,
converting an 8-bit image to a 1-bit image, but simulating 256 levels of
color).
document A unit of input data that is printed on one area of the
substrate. A document may include more than one page. Most common
data preparation establishes one document for each cue mark on a web
or one document for each piece in cut-sheet printing.
dot 1. The smallest mark that can be printed by the printing system.
2. The distance between pixels (dots) in the printed image. For example,
with a 240-dpi resolution, a distance of 1 dot equals 1/240 inch.
dot gain The tendency for a printed dot to grow larger than the spot it is
filling. Dot gain is necessary to obtain 100 percent coverage.
Font Tools 6.0

Glossary
dpi
duplex
Dots per inch, a measure of resolution.
A job that is printed on both sides of the substrate.
error diffusion A dithering algorithm that uses constant-sized dots but
disperses the dots in patterns with a variable amount of space between
them. (Also known as stochastic screening or frequency-modulated (FM)
screening.)
filament A short, continuous stream of ink that extends from the orifice,
which is broken into drops by the measured application of a physical
vibration. See also orifice.
fixed data Print fields containing text and/or graphics that are printed
on every document or on selected documents. See also variable data.
fixed text A text message composed during data preparation that can
be printed on every document or on selected documents. Also called
fixed message.
font A collection of characters that have the same typeface, style,
weight, and point size. In KODAK VERSAMARK Printing Systems, fonts can
also contain graphics identified by one or more characters. See also
category I font and category II font.
font character encoding scheme Referred to in the Font Tools
software simply as “encoding”, a font character encoding scheme is a
method for presenting characters in digital form by mapping sequences of
code numbers of characters into sequences of bytes. A single-byte
encoding scheme is limited to a maximum 256 characters, with the
characters having assigned values ranging from 0 through 255. A singlebyte
encoding scheme may contain an arbitrary number of characters, but
no single-byte encoding scheme can contain more than 256 characters.
Examples of single-byte encoding schemes are US-ASCII (which uses
only values 0 through 127) and ISO Latin 9. Unicode and many CJKcoded
(Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) multi-byte encoding schemes
use many more than 256 positions, requiring more complex mappings.
font definition file A font template file (.fdf) that stores the settings that
were used to create a printer font.
font family name
name string.
The name that will be embedded in the D-Series font
gamma correction For gray scale, the process of compensating for the
non-linear, gray-scale response of an output device by adjusting the tone
values in the input image.
graphic font As used in the Font Tools software, a graphic font is a
Versamark printer font comprised of images, each of which is a single
character in the font.
Getting Started

Glossary
halftone image A bi-level image, usually black and white, where the
illusion of gray levels is obtained by varying either the size and shape of
the dots or the spacing between uniformly-sized dots.
IJPDS (Inkjet Printer Data Stream) The standard file format for job
files used with KODAK VERSAMARK Printing Systems. See also job file.
ILS (interline spacing) Interline spacing (referred to in the Font Tools
software as “ILS”) is equivalent to leading, the amount of vertical space
between lines of type. ILS is the distance, in dots, to be added to the
space between lines specified by the font.
image A pattern of filled and unfilled dots. It can be a character, a line of
characters, or a graphic.
imposition signature The arrangement of pages being printed in a
document to ensure the correct order after the printed sheet is folded.
inkjet The stream of ink made up of the filament and drops coming from
one orifice.
ink reduction Ink reduction, as used in the Font Tools software, is a
technique for converting an image into an image consisting of less dots to
reduce the amount of ink printed. This may be desired in order to reduce
the amount of “show-through” of a particular ink and paper combination,
or to produce a shading effect. The ink reduction is applied to the solid
areas of images, but the outlines of the shapes are rendered one-dotwide
solid, to avoid introducing jagged edges to ink reduced characters.
item In Web Layout, objects such as the imposition signature, page
layouts, cue marks, trim marks, color registration marks, buffer lines, and
message boxes that are displayed on the web template.
jet The stream of ink made up of the filament and drops coming from
one orifice.
job file A file that contains information describing a print job to be run.
The file can contain setup information, fixed messages, font information,
and variable data. For KODAK VERSAMARK Printing Systems, the standard
file format is IJPDS. See also IJPDS (Inkjet Printer Data Stream).
logical RIP number A number assigned to each unstitched RIP or pair
of stitched RIPs in the printing system for which the IJPDS job file is
intended. See also physical RIP number.
OPENTYPE font An OPENTYPE font file contains data that comprises
either a TRUETYPE or a POSTSCRIPT outline font. Developed in a joint effort
by Adobe Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corporation, some OPENTYPE fonts
come with the MICROSOFT WINDOWS operating system.
orifice A small hole through which pressurized ink extends in a
filament.
Font Tools 6.0

Glossary
outline font A font that is scalable. The outline of each character is
defined by mathematically described paths and then filled by drawing
instructions. OPENTYPE and TRUETYPE are outline fonts.
page buffer Memory in a RIP in which pages are assembled for
printing. The buffer size is RIP dependent.
page layout A page in the imposition signature that is placed in a
specific location on the web template and printed in a specific order.
page layout sequence number The numerical value assigned to a
page layout that determines the order in which the pages in the PDF file
are printed.
physical RIP number A number assigned to each physical RIP in the
printing system for which the IJPDS job file is intended, regardless of
whether the RIP is stitched or not. See also logical RIP number.
piece A discrete segment of substrate upon which an image is printed
(for example, an envelope).
print array The line of orifices in the printhead through which ink jets to
form the image.
print station The component of the printing system that receives image
data in bitmap format from the data station and produces a printed image
as output. Each print station contains a fluid controller and at least one
umbilical and printhead.
print swath A graphical representation of the print area of a printhead,
which appears on the web template as a vertical shaded area. The print
swath indicates the print width, position, and color assignment for the
printhead.
print width The maximum width of the area that can be printed by the
printhead, measured in inches or dots.
printhead The part of the print station that forms charged ink drops,
allows uncharged drops to fall on the substrate, and recovers charged
drops to be returned to the fluid cabinet. The printhead receives data in
bitmap format from the data station through a fiberoptic cable and uses
ink and charge voltages from the fluid cabinet to create inkjet images.
rail
The device upon which a printhead is mounted and positioned.
register Fitting of two or more printing images in exact alignment with
each other.
resolution The degree of sharpness of an image created by a
computer, measured in dots per inch (dpi).
Getting Started

Glossary
RIP (Raster Image Processor) The part of the data station that builds
raster bitmaps from character data received from the data input processor
and sends bitmap data to the printhead.
RIP sequence number A numerical value assigned to a buffer line that
indicates the order in which the buffer line is displayed on the web
template. The top-most buffer line on the web template is assigned
sequence number 1.
simplex
A job that is printed on one side of the substrate.
stitching The process where a single contiguous image is produced by
two or more printheads.
substitution variable A place holder in a message box for variable
data that is substituted with a value during the PDF-to-IJPDS conversion
process. For example, the substitution variable $DOCNUM$ is
substituted with the document number that is currently printing;
$DATETIME$ is substituted with the date and time the job is prepared.
substrate The surface on which an image is printed. The substrate can
be a continuous sheet (web) or separate pieces of various types of
material.
synchronization The process of synchronizing all RIPs so that the
various parts of each document print together on the substrate.
system controller The component of a printing system that accepts
input data from magnetic tape, disk, or network drive. The system
controller formats the data according to job setup instructions and sends
character-coded image data to the appropriate data stations and RIPs.
The system controller is the primary operator interface to the printing
system.
text font As used in the Font Tools software, a text font is a Versamark
printer font based on a TRUETYPE or OPENTYPE font.
trim mark A mark that is printed on the web to indicate the edge of the
page layouts. Trim marks are used for folding and trimming the printed
page layouts.
TRUETYPE font An outline font developed in a joint effort by Apple
Computer, Inc. and Microsoft Corporation. Some TRUETYPE fonts come
with the MICROSOFT WINDOWS operating system.
umbilical The part of the print station that carries the ink and signals
between the fluid cabinet and printhead through an assembly of hoses
and wiring within a flexible, protective shield.
variable data Print fields that change from document to document. See
also fixed data.
Font Tools 6.0

Glossary
web
A continuous sheet of substrate.
web template A graphical representation of the web upon which the job
is printed. The imposition signature, cue marks, trim marks, color
registration marks, buffer lines, and message boxes are placed on the
web template.
Getting Started

0114244-602
0114244-603