Batch Print^™

All Banta Integrated Media, Publishing Solutions XTensions modules are compatible with Macintosh system software version 9.2 or later and QuarkXPress v4.11 and above (including QuarkXPress v5.0). QuarkXPress Passport systems v4.11 and later are also supported. Hardware platforms supported are Macintosh PowerPC. The Utility XTensions will not run on older, 68000 series computers.

Installation

To install this XTensions module on a Macintosh computer, first decompress (“unstuff”) the contents of the software archive. The resulting folder contains all of the required XTensions modules. Then, quit QuarkXPress if it is running, and simply drag the file called BIM Batch Print into the XTension folder, which is inside of your QuarkXPress application folder, as shown below:

Note: Don’t forget to remove older versions of this XTensions module! Leaving an older version in any of the following folders may cause XTensions conflicts or errors:

Within your QuarkXPress' XTension folder

Within your QuarkXPress XTension Disabled folder.

Within the same folder as your QuarkXPress.exe (application file)

Once you have installed the XTensions module, go ahead and launch QuarkXPress.

The first time that the XTensions module loads, you will be prompted to “Activate” the software. You should have received an activation code via e- mail. Enter that activation code (along with your name and company information) into the dialog and click the Activate button as shown below: If you do not have an activation code and wish to try out the software, click the Run as Demo button. This will activate the software in Demo mode. When running in Demo mode, the software will be restricted in the following way:

• Maximum of 3 documents can be processed at one time.

• If printing each page as a separate PostScript file, the documents must contain no more then 3 pages.

If you entered a valid activation code, or if you clicked the Run as Demo button, you will now be presented with the Software License Agreement. You must accept the terms of this agreement before using the software.

Verifying Installation

To verify that the Batch Print XTensions module installed properly, check the File menu in QuarkXPress. You should see a new menu item appear above the last separator line called Banta-IM Batch Print, as shown below: The screen shot above shows what the File menu looks like when Banta-IM Batch Print has been successfully installed.

Installing Additional Purchased Copies

To install any additional purchased copies of this XTensions module, or to install your copy of this XTensions module within a different copy of QuarkXPress, simply repeat the process outlined above. When installing, always use copies of the original (non-activated) installation files and have your activation code available for entry in the activation dialog.

Cross-Platform Content

This manual was written for both the Macintosh and Windows versions of the XTensions. Since for the most part, the XTensions are the same regardless of the operating system, screen shots from both platforms are used interchangeably throughout the manual.

In the few cases where a particular dialog box or functionality differs significantly from one platform to another, platform-specific screen shots and settings are fully identified.

Internal Links

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Using Batch Print

Starting a Batch Print Session

The Banta-IM Batch Print main menu dialog will be presented. All of the options in the Banta-IM Batch Print main menu dialog are described in detail on the following pages.

The basic procedure for any Batch Print session is as follows:

1) Select the jobs you wish to print.
2) Set up your Batch Print options.
3) Begin the Batch Print session.

1) Choosing Your Print Jobs

Batch Print maintains a list of documents in what it calls the “Print List”. To add jobs to this Print List, click on the Edit Print List button. You will be presented with the following Select Documents to Process dialog: Use this dialog to add the documents you wish to print to the Print List. Batch Print can process hundreds of documents at a time. Click the Done button when you have finished selecting documents to print. You will be returned to the Banta-IM Batch Print main menu dialog.

Batch Print offers many different types of printing options. While you can choose your preferences for most of these options in the Batch Print Configuration dialog described later in this chapter, the three most common options appear as a part of the Banta-IM Batch Print main menu dialog (see below): These three options that you can set in the Banta-IM Batch Print main menu dialog are described below:

Log File Enabled: If this box is checked, information regarding the Batch Print session will be added to a log file. A log file contains a summary of each Batch Print session, including any errors which might have occurred during the session. You can select which log file to use by accessing the Batch Print Configuration Options dialog (described later in this chapter).

Note: If you have not yet selected a Batch Print log file, please do so before enabling this option. See the Optional Configuration Items section (below) for further information.

Verbose Mode: With this option checked, any messages that would normally be written to the log file will also be displayed on-screen. This option is provided for debugging purposes only. Check this box only if you wish Batch Print to interrupt processing and display an error message each time it encounters an error during the Batch Print session.

Note: Any errors that are encountered will be additionally written to the log file if the Log File Enabled option is also checked.

Unless you are having a problem with a particular document, you will probably want to leave Verbose Mode unchecked. Otherwise, you will have to check on the progress of the Batch Print session from time to time to clear any error messages that might be present. If you just check the Log File Enabled option instead, Batch Print will not stop when errors occur. It will simply write those errors to the log file and continue on with the next job in the list.

Print Specified Page Area Only: With this option checked, Batch Print will print only the page area specified in the Batch Print Configuration Options dialog (described later in this chapter). Leave this option unchecked to print the entire document page.

3) Starting the Batch Print Session

Once you have finished selecting documents and checking your options, click the Start Printing button in the Banta-IM Batch Print dialog.

You will be presented with the following dialog at the start of a Batch Print session: This dialog gives you the opportunity to verify/change the default Batch Print session options which will be applied to all of the documents in the Print List. Verify/change any of these settings (described in detail below), or click Continue to go to the Print dialog. You may also click Cancel to stop the Batch Print session at this point. Each of the options contained in this dialog are described below:

Print Picture Info

These options allow you to to add picture information to picture boxes when printing for proofing purposes. Each Print Picture Info option is described below:

Print Picture Names: If you check this option, Batch Print will print the name of each picture in each document on top of the picture box that contains the image. When this option is checked, Batch Print does the following for each picture box in the document:

• Gets the name of the picture.
• Creates a text box on top of the picture box.
• Fills the text box with the name of the picture.
• Adjusts the size of the text box so the name is completely visible.

Print Box Dimensions: If you check this option, Batch Print will print the picture box dimensions of each picture box in each document on top of the picture box for proofing purposes. When this option is checked, Batch Print does the following for each picture box in the document:

• Gets the dimensions of the picture box.
• Creates a text box on top of the picture box.
• Fills the text box with the dimensions information.
• Adjusts the size of the text box so the dimensions information is completely visible.

Note: When batch printing documents with both Print Picture Names and Print Box Dimensions options checked, each image will be printed.

Printing Separate Pages: This option lets you create individual PostScript files for each page in a job, and additionally for only the pages you need. If you check the Print Each Page Separately check box, the Range text box allows you to enter specific page ranges to print. Separate each page with a comma, and each page range with a hyphen character. Each page in the ranges entered here will be printed individually for each document in your Print list. Leave the text box empty or type in the word All to print all pages in each document separately. To disable this option and create one PostScript file that contains all pages (Default Option), simply uncheck the box. The Range text field will be dimmed showing you that this option is no longer available.

Job Title: These options allow you to specify a base job name for the PostScript files that will be printed by this session. Batch Print will add a folio and separator to this base job name to differentiate the file name that will be applied to each job. You can specify how Batch Print will add this folio and separator in the Batch Print Configuration Options dialog (described later in this chapter). Each Job Title option in the Batch Print session options dialog is described below:

Use original document name: (Default Option) If you choose this option, Batch Print will use each document’s name as the base job name for each job that it prints.

Specify: If you choose this option, you can specify a base job name that will be used for each job in the Print List.

After clicking Continue in the Print Setup dialog, you will be presented with your standard Print dialog. Fill in the options for this dialog as you normally would for any QuarkXPress document and click Print. The Batch Print session is now underway. Batch Print will open each document in the list, apply the Print Setup options as specified, and send each document to the selected printer.

Printing To Disk

Note: See the Starting the Batch Print Session option section above and the Batch Print Configuration Items section below for more details regarding these names.

Once the first job has been printed, Batch Print will write a PostScript file for each remaining job in the Print List. All files will be written to the same folder as the first.

Cancelling a Batch Print Session

Batch Print Configuration Items

Each of the items in the Batch Print Configuration dialog are described below:

Document Options

These are options that deal with the exceptions that may be encountered when Batch Print opens the documents in the Print List for processing.

Missing Fonts:

Skip Job: Batch Print will skip printing a document if it uses a font that is missing.

Print Anyway: Batch Print will print a document even if it uses fonts which are missing.

Preferences:

Keep Doc: Batch Print will Keep Document Settings when opening each document in the list.

Use XPress: Batch Print will Use XPress Preferences when opening a document whose settings differ from your current XPress Preferences.

Missing Pics:

Skip Job: Batch Print will skip printing a document if it has any missing pictures.

User Locate: Batch Print will prompt you to find any missing pictures.

Suppress Printing: Batch Print will suppress all missing pictures from printing.

Print Bitmap: Batch Print will print low-resolution bitmap versions of any missing pictures (same as clicking OK in QuarkXPress’ Missing Disk Files for Pictures dialog that is displayed when printing a document that has one or more missing pictures).

Modified Pics:

Skip Job: Batch Print will skip printing a document if it has any modified pictures.

Auto Update: Batch Print will update a document’s modified pictures automatically before printing the document.

Suppress Printing: Batch Print will suppress all modified pictures from printing.

Print Anyway: Batch Print will print the pictures without updating them.

Printing Options

These options relate to the actual printing of the documents in the Print List.

Verify Setup: This option controls when you will be prompted to verify your Page Setup and Print Setup values.

Choose At Start to prompt only once at the beginning of the session.

This lets you enter Page Setup and Print Setup parameters one time at the start of the session for the first job, and instructs Batch Print to make a copy of those parameters and apply them to each subsequent job in the print list.

Choose Before Each Job to prompt at the start of each job in the print list.

Disk File Extension: When PostScript disk files are created, Batch Print must determine which filename to apply to each of these PostScript files. The filename that Batch Print creates consists of the title of the document plus the filename extension entered here. For instance, if the job being printed was entitled JOB1, and the Disk File Extension: was .PS, the resulting disk file would be called JOB1.PS. Note that Macintosh filenames can be no longer than 31 characters in length. Consequently, Batch Print will truncate the original document name as necessary to allow the filename extension to be appended.

Extra Plates: This option deals with spot color usage in a document and is valid only for color separation work that expects only CMYK colors to be present. An example of where this option would be useful is when a document contains EPS images which use spot colors that were not already defined in QuarkXPress. This scenario often causes extra plates to be printed when color separations are created. The reason for this is that the user often did not know that extra colors had been added to the document because QuarkXPress does not warn you when this happens. Consequently, unless the user had modified the imported colors in QuarkXPress’ color list to force them to separate as a process color, each spot color would be printed on a separate plate.

In order to eliminate this potential problem, Batch Print generates a complete list of all colors that are actually used in a document, including those colors which may have been imported into QuarkXPress via an EPS graphic. Batch Print examines this list before printing each document and processes any spot colors that would generate “Extra Plates” based on the selection you have chosen for this option. Each of these options is described below:

Prompt: If spot colors are used in a document, Batch Print will inform you and will give you the option of either skipping that document, or printing it anyway.

Skip Plates: Batch Print will examine each plate before it is printed. If a request for a plate other than CMYK is received, that plate is skipped.

Batch Print will make a note of this in the log file, and continue on with the document.

Skip Job: If spot colors are used in a document, that document will be skipped.

Make Process: If spot colors have been used in a document, Batch Print will temporarily modify these spot colors so that they will be forced to separate as a process color. It will then proceed with the printing of the document. Because the document is closed without saving, the changes to these colors will not be retained and will not be present when the document is edited later.

Make Process + CMYK: This selection is essentially the same as Make Process. The only difference is that in addition to ensuring that the spot colors will be printed as a process color, it also ensures that the spot colors are defined using the CMYK model. The reason for this is that some RIP's have trouble with spot colors based on RGB or other color models even if that color has been set up to separate as a process color.

Print All: Batch Print will print all of the plates in a document.

Missing DCS: Batch Print checks each DCS image and verifies that the required plates are available. If they are not, Batch Print reports (in the log file) the color name and the filename of the FIRST missing plate. The action that is then taken at that point depends on what you have selected in the configuration option for Missing DCS. Each option is described below:

Skip Job: Batch Print will skip the current document and move on to the next document.

Suppress Printing: Batch Print will suppress the printing of any DCS images that are missing a plate.

Print Bitmap: Batch Print will print a low-resolution bitmap of any DCS images that are missing a plate.

Disable: Batch Print will not verify that required plates for DCS images are available

Note: The log file will contain any messages concerning DCS image use.

Folio Options

These user-definable options allow you to specify the type of folio that Batch Print will include in PostScript filenames to uniquely identify each PostScript file when printing to disk.

Position: Use this popup menu to determine where the folio (page number) is placed in the filename relative to the base job name. There are two placement options:

After job name: (Default Option) Batch Print will place the folio after the job name. For example (assume page 22 of “Document”), if you choose

After job name, the resulting PS filename will be “Document-22.ps”.

Before job name: Batch Print will place the folio before the job name.

For example (assume page 22 of “Document”), if you choose Before job name, the resulting PS filename will be “22-Document.ps”.

Separator: The Separator character is what is used to separate the base job name from the folio when creating the output file name. By default, a hyphen character is used. However, you may specify from 0 to 3 characters to use.

Min. Digits: The Min. Digits text box lets you specify the minimum number of digits that will be included in the folio that is added to the base job name. If you select None, then there is no minimum required. For example, for the first page of a document, Batch Print would add the folio 1 to the base job name. If you select a number, such as 3, then Batch Print will create a folio for the job name that will have this minimum number of digits by padding the folio with the digit that you have specified in the Pad Digit text box. For example, if you have specified 0 as the Pad Digit, then Batch Print would add 003 to the base job name.

Pad Digit: The Pad Digit text box lets you specify a digit that will used to pad any folios that do not have your specified minimum number of digits.

Job Naming Option

Use this popup menu to specify how Batch Print should handle potential filename problems.

Truncate job name if too long: Batch Print will truncate job names that are greater than 31 characters (which is the maximum length of a file/job name). Note that the base job name and folio will be truncated on the right side. If the folio is uniquely identifying one file/job name from another, this may cause a file to overwrite another. The filename extension will not be truncated.

For example, page 1567 of MyPrettyDarnLongDocumentName results in the PS file name “MyPrettyDarnLongDocumentName-1567.ps” which is 36 characters long. If you choose this option, Batch Print will truncate the file name to 31 characters, resulting in a file name of “MyPrettyDarnLongDocumentName.ps”.

Prompt for new job name if too long: (Default Option) Batch Print will prompt you to enter a new job name whenever the name is greater than 31 characters. You will be presented with a dialog. For this dialog, you have one option, to enter a new file name.

Enter Name: Enter a new name for the file and click the OK button. Batch Print will check again to see if the new name you entered is too long. If it is, you will be prompted with this same dialog again, and will continue to be prompted until you enter a filename that is 31 characters or less.

Log File Options

These options let you specify the log file that Batch Print is currently using.

Append: Batch Print will append each new session log to the log file if this option is checked. This lets you accumulate multiple sessions in the same log file. Leave this option unchecked to clear the log file at the start of each Batch Print session.

Change Log: Click the Change Log button if you wish to select/create a different log file. The filename of the currently selected Log File is displayed directly above the Change Log button.

Creator: The Creator text box lets you change the log file’s creator type by entering a 4-character string (such as ttxt for TeachText, MSWD for MicroSoft Word, etc.).

These options let you set up a specific Page Area to print. You can use either Page or Spread coordinates to specify the area.

Page or Spread: You can use these radio buttons to indicate whether the values entered are in Page or Spread coordinates.

Note: This print area will only be in effect if you have also checked the Print Specified Page Area Only checkbox which appears in the Banta-IM Batch Print dialog.

Doc. Open/Close Delay Options:

These options are provided to give other XTensions enough time to finish up any processing that may also occur when opening and printing documents. Generally, a four-second delay for each should be sufficient.

Open Delay: You can change the amount of time that Batch Print will wait once a document has been opened before it starts to print the document. This amount of time can be adjusted to allow other third- party XTensions to perform any pre-processing of the document, such as automatically opening required font files.

Close Delay: You can also change the amount of time that Batch Print will wait once it determines that printing is complete before it actually closes a document window.

Install Menu Separator:

The Banta-IM Batch Print menu item is available inside the QuarkXPress File menu. With this option checked, a menu separator bar will be installed before the Banta-IM Batch Print menu item. You may wish to disable this option if you are running other XTensions which add options to the File menu as well. Note that this option is provided for aesthetic purposes only and does not affect the operation of Batch Print.

If this option is checked, a Batch Print Summary dialog will be presented at the end of the session. An example of a Batch Print Summary dialog follows:

Add Open Docs to Print List:

If this option is checked, Batch Print will automatically add any QuarkXPress documents that are currently open to the Print List.

Suppress Errors on Doc Open:

If this option is checked, Batch Print will not stop a batch printing session to display messages regarding errors that may be detected when a document is opened such as missing/modified pictures or missing fonts. Unless you are having a problem with a particular document, you will probably want to leave Suppress Errors on Doc Open checked. Otherwise, you will have to check on the progress of the Batch Print session from time to time to clear any error messages that might be present.

Save Existing Print Lists:

If this option is checked, Batch Print will retain your current Print List until you quit QuarkXPress. If you would like Batch Print to clear your Print List automatically after each session, leave this option unchecked.

************************************************************************

Batch Print Session: Date: 05/07/2003 Time: 6:38 PM ************************************************************************

1) - Batch Print Manual

DCS Image “Q21446B01m” missing “Cyan” plate.

Unable to locate DCS plate file “Q21446B01m.C”. Suppressed picture. EPS Image “MeadowsLogo.Color.eps” uses spot color “PANTONE 422 CV”. EPS Image “MeadowsLogo.Color.eps” uses missing font “CaslonTwoTwentyFour-Bold”. EPS Image “MeadowsLogo.Color.eps” uses missing fonts. Printed as bitmap. EPS Image “CheltCondBold.Illustrator.EPS” uses missing font “Cheltenham-BoldCond”. EPS Image “CheltCondBold.Illustrator.EPS” uses missing fonts. Printed as bitmap. Modified Picture: “Apple Computers.eps”. Auto-Updated.

Missing Picture: “Apple Components.eps”. Printed as bitmap. Spot color: “PANTONE 422 CV”

Spot color “PANTONE 422 CV” was forced to process separate.

Printing complete.

2) - Text Grabber Summary -------------------------------------

Missing Font: Cheltenham. Ignored.

Missing Font: Futura Book. Ignored.

Missing Font: B Frutiger Bold *Error in document. Not printed.

Reading Log Files

The last line in each job log entry indicates whether or not the job actually printed. If the last line reads “Printing complete.” (as in the example above), then the job printed to completion. If the last line reads “*Error in document. Not printed. ”, then some error condition caused Batch Print to cancel the printing of the job.

If a job was printed to completion, that does not necessarily mean that everything was OK with it. For instance, you may have instructed Batch Print to “Print Bitmap” for missing pictures. Consequently, if the job contained any missing pictures, Batch Print would print only the PICT preview of the image. The job would print to completion, but it is unlikely that the job would be completely usable.

Always examine the job log entries for each print job to see if any errors occurred. The job log should list everything that was done to the job in order to get it to print.

Tip: Perhaps one of the easiest ways to utilize the log file feature is to first create the log file in a specific location (such as your QuarkXPress folder). Then, make an alias of the log file and copy the alias into the

Apple Menu Items folder within your System Folder. Then, whenever you wish to view the log file, simply select it from under the Apple menu. This method produces the same result as double-clicking on the actual log file but is much more convenient to use.

Clearing The Log File

If you have checked the Append Log option, then all Batch Print sessions will continue to be appended to the end of the existing log file. If left unchecked, the log file can grow quite large in size. Therefore, if you will be appending to an existing log file you should occasionally clear the log file out, or simply delete the log file by dragging it into the trash. The log file will be re-created the next time a Batch Print session is run (assuming that the Log File Enabled option has been checked).

If you do not check the Append Log option, the log file will automatically be cleared at the start of each Batch Print session. This means that you do not have to clear the log file manually as described above.

Legal Stuff

Copyright © 1999-2003 Meadows Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Portions © 1988 - 2003 Quark, Inc. All rights reserved. Quark, QuarkXPress and QuarkXTensions are registered trademarks of Quark, Inc. All other product names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Quark Disclaimer

QUARK, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE COMPUTER XTENSIONS AND SOFTWARE PRODUCTS LISTED IN THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. QUARK, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF THE DISTRIBUTORS, RETAILERS AND DEVELOPER OF THE SOFTWARE LISTED IN THIS CATALOG. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL QUARK, INC. BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN ANY WAY RELATING TO OR ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE ENCLOSED SOFTWARE. QUARK, INC’.S LIABILITY SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED FIFTY DOLLARS. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND/OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IS NOT ALLOWED IN SOME AREAS, SO THESE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.