Under certain conditions, issues may be encountered when printing to a PostScript device. The following information will aid the user in isolating and removing any issue that may be encountered when printing to a PostScript device To date, the most current revision of the LaserWriter Extension is 8.4.1. To check the version of the driver, locate the LaserWriter driver in the HARD DISK / SYSTEM / EXTENSIONS folder. Click the LaserWriter icon, and click File, Get Info.If the driver is not the most current, contact Apple to obtain the updated drive. Selecting the Proper Page Size PPD files which are stored in the Printer Description Folder, provide information to the LaserWriter Extension about specific capabilities of the printer. If you do not have the correct page sizes available in the CorelDRAW 6 for MacIntosh page setup, make sure you have selected the proper PPD. PPD files should be placed in a folder named PRINTER DESCRIPTIONS. If you use System 7, this folder belongs in the \SYSTEM\EXTENSIONS folder. Some applications that use PPD files may require that the PPD file have a specific filename and location. Refer to the manual or contact the application developer to determine how to use PPD files with these applications. PostScript errors The most common error encountered when printing graphics files is the LIMITCHECK error. This type of error can arise if a PostScript limit has been exceeded. This can be caused by commands such as EOFILL, EOCLIP, STROKE, FILL and CURVETO. These operators are all sensitive to the resolution of the PostScript device to some extent. The cause of this issue is usually an object(s) that is too complex, most often a curve with an excess of 300-400 nodes with complex fills. Although PostScript is a universal language, these errors may not become apparent until the file is printed on an imagesetter. This is because high resolution devices typically create many more line segments when flattening a path, hence the susceptibility to complexity problems. The frequency of this type of error will be substantially lower on Level 2 devices due to improvements made to PostScript language. Offending Command= EOCLIP Nametype: Limitcheck. This message indicates a path implementation error, usually where PostScript is unable to complete the clipping routine for filled objects. Try these suggestions: 1. Set Maximum Points per Curve value to 300. To do this click File, Print, Corel Print Options, Options tab, PostScript Preferences. 2. Enable Auto Increase Flatness in the PostScript Preferences dialog box. To do this click File, Print, Corel Print Options, Options, PostScript Preferences. 3. Remove any unnecessary outlines from objects. 4. Consider substituting solid color fills for gradients or pattern fills in irregular shaped objects Offending Command= EOFILL Nametype: Limitcheck. This message indicates a path implementation error when PostScript is completing a fill routine. Set Maximum Points per Curve value to 300. To do this click File, Print, Corel Print Options, Options tab, PostScript Preferences. Offending Command= LINETO or CURVETO Nametype: Limitcheck. An implementation limit has been exceeded, usually indicating too many nodes on a straight or curved path. Use the Auto Reduce Nodes option in the Node Edit RollUp in CorelDRAW 6 for MacIntosh or manually remove extraneous nodes from the objects. Offending Command= STACK OVERFLOW Nametype: Limitcheck. The stack limit has been exceeded, often indicating embedded EPS files, too many nodes on a path, or complex fill patterns and bitmap fill patterns in complex shapes. Try the suggestions for EOCLIP. Offending Command= STACK UNDERFLOW Nametype: Limitcheck. 1. Set Maximum Points per Curve value to 300. To do this click File, Print, Corel Print Options, Options tab, PostScript Preferences. 2. Enable Auto Increase Flatness in the PostScript Preferences dialog box. To do this click File, Print, Corel Print Options, Options, PostScript Preferences. 3. Remove any unnecessary outlines from objects. 4. Consider substituting solid color fills for gradients or pattern fills in irregular shaped objects Offending Command= INVALID RESTORE Nametype: Limitcheck. This message may appear after canceling a print job. Try clearing the Print Spooler (Turn printer off then on and repeating the printing process. Offending Command= INVALID FONT Nametype: Limitcheck. This error message may appear if the file requires a font that has become corrupted. Try reinstalling the specific font. Suggestions to avoid error messages Make sure the correct printer has been selected and that the printer is functioning properly from other applications. Make sure that the proper PPD has been selected for use with the LaserWriter driver Reduce the number of nodes on long paths. CorelDRAW 6 for MacIntosh allows you to globally change the complexity of a path. Marquee select the object with the Shape tool, and click Auto Reduce. If the object has a fountain fill, reduce the number of fountain steps in the Fountain Fill dialog box.(the maximum number of steps is 256.) Note: To determine the correct number of steps to have in an object, refer to Fax on Demand document #5013. Break a complex object into smaller less detailed objects. In order to do so you must select any combined objects and click Arrange, Break Apart. Printing Alert This message box indicates a potential problem regarding linear fountain fills in which distinct steps, rather than a smooth progression of shades, are visible on the output. To help prevent the banding from showing on output, you can let Corel automatically adjust some settings as needed. This can be performed by enabling the Auto Increase Flatness, Auto Increase Fountain Steps and the Optimize Fountain Fills check boxes. To do this, click File, Print, Corel Print Options, Options, PostScript Preferences. Refer to the section: Suggestions To Avoid Error Messages, for more information. Auto Increase Flatness If you select auto increase flatness, CorelDRAW 6 for MacIntoshwill automatically increase the flatness value in increments of two until the drawing prints. Attempts to print an object will halt when the flatness value exceeds the value set in the Set Flatness Box by 10. At this point, the printer skips the problematic object and prints the next object. If you are able to print a particular file to a 300 DPI PS printer but the service bureau cannot to a higher dpi device, you can try reducing the flatness value to simulate the calculations needed to produce the graphic on the high end device for troubleshooting purposes. Lowering the flatness value to .20 will simulate the complexity of an image setter printing at 1270 DPI. Since this increases the complexity of the paths, it's a good way to test whether the file will print to a higher resolution output device (although it is not a guarantee. If the file will not print to a laser PostScript printer, at this flatness setting, then chances are it won't print to an image setter. Auto Increase Fountain Steps This option in the PostScript Preferences dialog box, permits you to enable an analysis of the file and the various print settings you have specified, and, if necessary, CorelDRAW 6 for MacIntosh automatically increases the number of steps used to render fountain fills to avoid banding. Optimize fountain fills This option in the PostScript Preferences screen, permits you to enable an analysis of the file and the various print settings you have specified. If the number of steps in a fountain fill is greater than the number that the output device can render, the number of steps used to render the fountain fill is decreased automatically. Note: For more information on fountain fills & banding, refer to Fax on Demand document #2007. Maximum Points Per Curve This option specifies the maximum allowable number of control points per curve. Reducing this number helps alleviate printing problems caused by objects that are too complex. You can change this value to be lower or higher (This value can range between 20 and 20,000. When printing files that have complex fills (i.e.: fountain fills, vector fills, bitmap fills, texture fills and PostScript textures within complex shapes (text or a freehand drawn shape then you should lower the value to 300 to help simplify the data sent to the printer. Note: Lowering this value will lengthen print times, however the file will be more inclined to print properly. Set Flatness To This option in the PostScript Preferences by default is equal to 1.000. Increasing this value will simplify the print job but it will also affect the overall quality of the image. As a general rule, try increasing the value in increments of 4 or 5 until the drawing prints. Note: When bezier curves are used to describe a path on a PostScript printer, the device must first flatten the path in order to render it as straight lines. The Flatness setting affects the degree of accuracy used during the 'flattening' process and hence the number of straight lines that are used to describe the curved path. The higher the value, the less accurate the path will be. A circle, for example, will start to look more like a stop sign as the Flatness setting is raised. Dealing With Corrupted Objects or Files Open the problem file. Select one object, then use SHIFT, TAB to scroll through the objects on the page. Sometimes a very small object that you didn't notice will become selected, or the object may have control points that are not positioned properly around the object. This object may be corrupted. Try deleting the object or dragging it off the page. Then save the remaining objects enable the Selected Only check box in the Save Dialog box. Another way to locate a corrupted object is to marquee select half of the objects on the page, then print with the Selected Objects Only check box enabled. If a problem occurs again, marquee select a smaller number of objects until you locate the corrupted object. By process of elimination you should be able to isolate the corrupted object, and delete it. For large files, often the error can be reproduced by selecting the offending object and copying it to the clipboard. To isolate the object, marquee select half of the objects on the page and copy them to the clipboard. If no error occurs, then marquee select another area and try the same. Once the error occurs you will need to select fewer objects from that area and continue with the copying process until you have located the offending object. Once identified, delete and recreate it.