DocuTech Information for Mac Users

This document and its associated files are intended for Macintosh users. Its purpose is to instruct you in installing the necessary files to use this facility and to give some guidance on its use. Contact Visual Media Services to obtain similar material for other computers.

Your file will go to a print spooler controlled by Duplicating. You will need to contact them to release the print job. You can use our convenient Web form for contacting them.

Superfast Start

The DocuTech 135 looks like any other network-attached printer.

If you don't care about getting access to any advanced features or to better printer resolution, you can just select the LaserWriter 8 driver, the VMS/MAIN ETHERNET zone, and the WHGFNE_DT Postscript Printer all from the Chooser dialogue box. Select the Generic PPD printer description file as part of the Chooser SETUP dialogue.

Then, print to it as you would to any other network-attached printer. You will need to call Duplicating at 3323 to inform them you have sent a job down. You will be asked for a name, mailing address and budget code as well as other information about your job.

DON'T FORGET TO PUT YOUR PRINTER SELECTION BACK TO YOUR REGULAR PRINTER WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED.

Otherwise, you will send any subsequent (possibly inappropriate) printing to Duplicating . While the current method of handling duplicating input from the network does involve someone approving jobs for production on the DocuTech, you still may not want this to occur with your printing. SO MAKE SURE TO SET THE PRINTER SELECTION BACK TO ANOTHER PRINTER AFTER USING THIS FACILITY.

More Leisurely Start

The following instructions and the associated software files will get you going with the DocuTech in a way that makes all of its features available. It would be a good idea, nevertheless, to coordinate with Duplicating when you begin to use the DocuTech--particularly in the case of very large jobs.

What you have

The folder associated with this document contains three files:

1. Readme.1st - this document

2. 135MOD2.PPD - the Printer Description File for the DocuTech Model 135.

3. XPPS - the Macintosh application which gives access to advance DocuTech features

Installation

1. For best results, make sure that your Macintosh is at version System 7 or above of the Mac OS. Make sure also that you have the LaserWriter 8 printer driver.

2. Copy the printer description file, 135MOD2.PPD into the Printer Descriptions folder. This is located within the Extensions folder in the System Folder.

3. Copy the XPPS Macintosh Application on your hard disk. Put it in the place you normally put applications (usually, this is the Applications folder).

Setup

The first time you use the DocuTech you will need to set up the printer via the Chooser dialogue. You may have done this before with other printers on the network; the process with the DocuTech is very similar. You only need to do this once.

1. Bring up Chooser from the Apple Menu.

2. Select the LaserWriter 8 driver from the upper left hand box in the Chooser window.

3. Select the VMS/MAIN ETHERNET AppleTalk Zone from the lower left hand box in the Chooser window.

4. After a short time (30 seconds), WHGFNE_DT (Wilson Hall Ground Floor North East Docu Tech) printer name should appear in the upper right hand box in the Chooser window.

5. Select WHGFNE_DT.

6. Select the Setup button just below the Chooser window. A window indicating the current printer description file will appear.

7. Select the Select PPD... button. A file dialogue box displaying the contents of the Printer Descriptions folder will appear.

8. Scroll the dialogue box display to find the printer description file 135MOD2.PPD which you placed into the Printer Descriptions folder during the installation step above.

9. Select the file 135MOD2.PPD with the mouse and click the Select Button.

You have now specified that the 135MOD2.PPD file should be used to define the printer characteristics for the WHGFNE_DT printer. This file will continue to be used for this particular printer until you set it to something else (which you should not need to do).

Use

There are two ways to use the DocuTech 135. One is "transparent" mode. The other is "application" mode and involves the use of the XPPS Macintosh Application.

Transparent Mode:

Transparent mode involves using the DocuTech just as you would any network-attached printer. With the proper PPD selected, you will get the advantages of higher printer resolution (e.g., 600 dpi) and so on.

Simply select the DocuTech printer called WHGFNE_DT via the Chooser as you did in steps 1-5 in the Setup phase above. You do not need to do the one-time steps 6-9.

Bring up any Macintosh application and open the document you wish to send to Duplicating. If the Macintosh application is already up, you should select the Page Setup menu option under the File menu in order to tell the application about the DocuTech characteristics which you have just selected via the Chooser.

Issue the usual Macintosh Print command (under the File Menu). You will get the usual printer dialogue box. The options, however, will be those available for the DocuTech and include such things as paper color, drilled (hole punch), etc.

DON'T FORGET TO PUT YOUR PRINTER SELECTION BACK TO YOUR REGULAR PRINTER WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED. Otherwise, you will send any subsequent (possibly inappropriate) printing to the Duplicating Facility. While the current method of handling duplicating input from the network does involve someone approving jobs for production on the DocuTech, you still may not want this to occur with your printing. SO MAKE SURE TO SET THE PRINTER SELECTION BACK TO ANOTHER PRINTER AFTER USING THIS FACILITY.

Application mode via the XPPS Macintosh Application:

Use via the XPPS Macintosh Application involves printing as under transparent mode. However, you print to a postscript file and then use the XPPS Macintosh Application to package the postscript file and send it as a duplicating job to the DocuTech facility.

The advantage of this mode over transparent mode is that you can select many more of the DocuTech options such as "covers","chapter starts", etc. Transparent mode should be sufficient for most situations. Use application mode when you wish to make duplicate complex documents.

The use of the XPPS application can be fairly involved--particularly if you choose a lot of the non-default options. The steps below are very schematic. You should consult with Duplicating for advice on using various options.

To use the application mode, go about bringing up your usual application (Word, etc.) in the usual way. Print the document but in the Destination part of the printer dialogue box select "File" rather than "Printer". Even though you will be generating a Postscript file, it still may be a good idea to have the WHGFNE_DT printer selected in the Chooser (because the Macintosh tends to "sense" the characteristics of the selected printer when it is generating a Postscript file).

Issue the Print command. A dialogue box will appear to allow you to specify the file name of the Postscript file which will be generated. Specify the file name and location. Specify Font Inclusion to be "All" so that the fonts for your document will be included in the document. Select OK to generate the file (expect it to be large).

With the Postscript file generated, now bring up the XPPS application.

Specify the print queue via the "Use Chooser Settings" option since you have presumably already used the Chooser to select the WHGFNE_DT queue.

Select the file you wish sent to the DocuTech via the Select File... button.

Send the file to Duplicating via the Print... button. Consult with Duplicating for the proper selection of options in the dialogue window that appears. Generally, taking the defaults will work fine. Do not specify anything in the Account field under the Job Notes button as that presumes an account on the DocuTech has been set up for you.