Harlequin RIP SDK and Skin Documentation

Preface

The Harlequin RIP is a high-performance Raster Image Processor used to convert page description languages into rasters. The Harlequin RIP SDK allows you to use the Harlequin RIP in a wide range of applications, from host-based servers and drivers, to embedding in hardware devices. This document provides information on how to integrate the Harlequin RIP into your own applications.

This documentation is API-level reference documentation for the Harlequin RIP SDK and example application layers, and is generated directly from comments in the source code of the example skin. This documentation contains interface descriptions generated from the Harlequin RIP SDK header files.

These chapters provide an introduction and information to help guide choices on how to integrate the Harlequin RIP into your application:

• Harlequin RIP SDK structure describes what the major components of the Harlequin RIP SDK are and what they contain.
• Integrating the Harlequin RIP SDK describes some of the options for integrating the Harlequin RIP into an application.
• Programming with the Harlequin SDK provides a general overview of C language types and include files required when writing code to interface with the Harlequin RIP.
• Linking the Harlequin RIP SDK components describes how the components of the Harlequin RIP SDK may be linked with customer code, and the steps required to get a functioning integration of the Harlequin RIP.
• Starting the Harlequin RIP describes how to start the Harlequin RIP.
• Processing jobs describes how to process one or more jobs submitted to the RIP.
• Stopping the Harlequin RIP and SDK describes how to shut the Harlequin RIP down, and how to abort or interrupt job processing.
• Inputting data describes how jobs should be submitted to the Harlequin RIP, and how to create and add new input methods.
• Configuring the Harlequin RIP describes how the Harlequin RIP is configured, and how to augment, replace, or dynamically manage configurations.
• Outputting rasters describes how to add or replace raster output modules, how to select raster outputs modules, and optimizations and support functions provided for raster output.
• Monitoring progress provides information on how log messages are provided by the Harlequin RIP, and how to capture and monitor progress of internal operations.
• RIP Farm: API and Library to split jobs across multiple RIPs describes how to use the preferred interface for integrating the Scalable RIP.
• The "clrip" application describes capabilities of the application layer provided by the Harlequin RIP SDK, and how it may be used directly by a customer application.
• The "minrip" application describes the minimal RIP application layer example provided to help you understand how to integrate the Harlequin RIP SDK.
• The Scalable RIP describes the Harlequin Scalable RIP, as implemented in the "clrip" application layer.
• Configuring memory provides information about how the Harlequin RIP and SDK allocate and manage memory.
• Programming interfaces in the Harlequin RIP core and SDK provides detail about the interfaces available in the Harlequin RIP SDK, what they provide, and how to use them.

Note

The Harlequin RIP natively processes PDF, PostScript®, and some image formats. There are references throughout this documentation to "PostScript" filenames, and "PostScript" devices. The Harlequin RIP uses the PostScript language (with extensions by Global Graphics) as a configuration and scripting language, to control the complex settings required to set up the raster output format and parameters, color management, halftoning, and many other capabilities in the RIP. The use of the term "PostScript" filename or "PostScript" device does not imply that they are only of use in PostScript language jobs, but that they are used as consistent abstractions for communication between the core of the Harlequin RIP and its integration environment. The PostScript language is documented in the PostScript Language Reference Manual, by Adobe Systems Inc., published by Addison Wesley. This manual is more familiarly known as the Red Book. There have been three editions of the Red Book; for convenience, Global Graphics documentation refers to these editions as [RB], [RB2], and [RB3]. In general, the rest of this document refers to [RB3].