This chapter summarizes all program defaults and system problems that may lead to unexpected results. The facts listed here, have already been mentioned before, but are distributed among various chapters of this manual.
Note: You may restart preview generation from the Admin at any time. If you have e.g. solved a specific problem and want to restart a job that ran into the error queue, just drag this job from the error queue's job window to the preview queue's job window again.
There may be warnings in case Print Preview is not fully licensed. If both, the base product PDF Handshake and Print Preview, run in demo mode and you print to a preview queue using PDF Handshake print, the program will deliver a warning
and print two demo banners on each preview page.
If you specify a hold queue when defining a preview queue the program will adopt the PPD file and the fonts from the hold queue as soon as you save the preview queue's settings. If you do not specify a hold queue the program will prompt a message asking you to select a PPD file. Always choose the same PPD file that has been defined for your final output device. You can check the contents and names of the PPD files that are currently defined for your existing printer queues by selecting the Admin menu items
Printer and
Edit PPD.
Note that you can even edit the contents of the PPD files in the
Edit PPD text window if you have sufficient privileges. However, this requires some experience with the structure of PPD files.
Not enough disk space for preview generation
The required temporary disk space for preview generation is calculated as follows:
Resolution of preview file
x page size
x number of plates
x number of pages that have been printed
= required disk space in bytes
Example for a one-page A4 document with a 72 dpi preview with 4 separation plates and the composite result:
72 x 72 (dpi) x 11 x 8.5 (inches) x 4 (separation plates) x 2 (for the composite preview) x 1 (number of document pages) = 3.9 MB
The selected preview resolution has the most significant influence on the disk space needed in the spool directory. If you double the resolution (e.g. from 72 to 144 dpi) this would quadruple the temporary disk space requirements.
If you do not specify any compression the program will need about twice as much temporary disk space during preview generation. The maximum size of the new PDF file will be identical to the temporary disk space needed for its generation (in case you do not activate compression).
We recommend to create for your preview queue a spool directory that is a good deal larger than the ones you use for your standard printer queues.
No (or too much) rights to access a preview file
For security reasons, access rights to the preview files are pre-defined: you can only access a preview file - i.e. open, save, move, or delete it - if you are root, owner, or member of the printer administration group (includes members of "PrnAdm", "QueueAdm", and "SysAdm"). If you have top-secret print jobs that run through a preview queue, you have to set up the above-mentioned administration groups carefully.
No access to the elements of a preview file
Each page of a PDF preview file is an image. The elements of a page are not accessible separately. Even if you are using Acrobat Exchange you will not be able to edit text or other elements.
Usually, Print Preview recognizes the page size of the document you have printed. If this is impossible - because the application sends incompatible page size information - the default page size is A4.
Unexpected number of copies in a preview file
Usually, Print Preview generates only one preview for each document page you have printed, even if you have specified a higher number of copies in the print dialog. If you move the job from the preview or hold queue to a "real-printing" queue after checking the preview, the number of copies will be recognized again, meaning that if you have specified e.g. 4 copies you will get 4 printouts of each document page.
If your preview file already contains more than one preview of each document page this indicates that your application prints each page several times instead of printing it once and specifying in the PostScript file the number of copies you have entered. At the moment, this problem cannot be solved by Print Preview.
Corrupt composite preview, corrupt separations in preview files
From an application, you can only print either composite or separations. In a preview file, however, you can have both, the composite impression and the separation plates - independent of whether you have printed composite or separations. That means that Print Preview has to calculate one of the previews on its own: If you have printed separations, the composite preview has to be calculated by Print Preview, and if you have printed composite, the separation plates have to be calculated by Print Preview. For these calculations, Print Preview must rely on the information that are sent by the application. In case these information are not ADSC-compliant, the calculations may fail and this may lead to corrupt (or missing) composite or separation previews in a preview file. This does not effect real printing.
So, if your Print Preview software delivers a warning in the printer log file, and if your preview files contain fewer or more separations than expected, or a corrupt composite preview, you should check appendix
A 1: How applications co-operate with Print Preview for more information on this issue.
Unexpected fonts in a preview file
If you only use PDF Handshake fonts for document creation (PostScript 3 fonts) the fonts in the preview files will always be correct and identical to those used on the final printing device. Else, if you use other fonts, you have to make sure that they are available on your final output device, and that they are also installed on your server. Otherwise, printing to a preview queue and printing to the printer may lead to different results.
EtherShare users who run PDF Handshake and Print Preview in demo mode will notice that access to the PDF Handshake fonts is restricted. Preview generation will work, but the fonts will not be available for printing to a physical device. OPI users have to switch off
Check Fonts if PDF Handshake runs in demo mode. Otherwise, even preview generation may fail.
PDF preview files in the Macintosh trash
If you quit the Admin program before closing all preview files in your Acrobat application these preview files remain on your local Macintosh and re-appear as temporary items in your trash after the next system restart. To avoid a full trash, make it a habit to close all preview files before you quit the Admin.
PostScript error from a preview queue
If you receive a PostScript error when printing to a preview queue you should test whether the print job runs without problems when it is sent to a "real-printing" printer queue. If so, please contact our technical support department and send us an error report. This may help us localize potential problems on our preview queues.
Your report should contain:
- Contents of the error message you have received
- PPD file that has been selected for the preview queue
- Contents of the EtherShare Admin's Versions file
- All preview queue settings
- Name and version of the application you have used for printing.
Fax your report to +49-05131-709325. Submit your fax number and your e-mail address.
