Using FreeHandTM 7 with a PhaserTM Printer - PC
Question: How do I print from FreeHand 7 to my TektronixTM Phaser Color Printer (PC)?
Answer:
FreeHand 7 uses a PostscriptTM Printer Description (PPD) file to get printer-specific information
when printing.
This requires that a current version of your printer's PPD be installed.
Locate the 4.x PPD in the APPSPEC directory on the Driver & Utilities diskette or
in the root directory on the
CD-ROM shipped with the printer.
- Copy your printer's PPD into the FH7\Usenglsh\Ppds directory.
Note: For FreeHand versions prior to FreeHand 5, place the PPD in the Aldus\Usenglsh\Ppds directory.
- After installing the PPD, restart FreeHand.
FreeHand 7
To print from FreeHand, select Print from the File menu; the print dialgo box appears.
In the Print dialog box, click Use PPD. The current PPD information selected appears.
If this information is
not for your printer, click the ... button. This allows you
to select the correct PPD for your printer.
For correct colors from FreeHand, select File, then select Output Options. Uncheck Convert RGB to
process. This feature is checked when placing an RGB TIFF image into PageMaker for separations. Its
use is not recommended when printing directly from FreeHand.
FreeHand 5.x and earlier
In the Print dialog box, locate the Print and Output buttons in the lower left hand corner.
Print
Print Options gives access to many features, such as paper size, halftone screens, and printer type.
Make sure that the correct PPD is selected in this option.
The PPD provides control over the correct page size options as well as the halftone screens. If the
printer doesn't show in the list, go to the section in this article titled
Updating PPDs.
Output
In the Output Options dialog box, uncheck Convert RGB TIFFs to CMYK. This feature is
checked when placing an RGB TIFF image into another application for separations. Its use is
not recommended when printing directly from FreeHand.
Updating PPDs
The latest PPDs for all Tektronix printers are available via the TektronixTM on-line services.
These include:
Troubleshooting
Verify the PPD version
The external PPD names (such as, TKPHZR32.PPD) are shared by version 3.0, 4.0, and 4.1 PPDs. In
some cases a TKPHZR32.PPD will be more current than a TKPHZR33.PPD. To determine the PPD
version, open the PPD file as a text file and check the FormatVersion4.X line at the start of the file.
Refer to HAL document
#9412
(24K
PDF  ) for a PPD listing.
Printer is not listed in the select PPD list
If the printer doesn't appear in the PPD list, it means that the correct PPD is not installed on the system.
To install a PPD, download the latest version from one of the on-line services. See the section in this article
titled
Updating PPDs, then refer to the beginning of this article for the proper PPD location.
TIFF Files Print with the wrong colors
If printing an RGB TIFF file from FreeHand, make sure that Convert RGB TIFFs to CMYK is not checked in the
Output Options dialog box. Symptoms are colors that look polarized, that is, colors are very bright or very dark;
for example, reds look magenta, greens look lime, or blacks look brown.
Getting unreliable results when tiling prints
FreeHand 5.0a has many tiling problems. Macromedia recommends that you update to a later version of
FreeHand. The most likely cause of problems is the Auto Tiling feature found in FreeHand's Print window.
The most reliable way to get correct tiles is by selecting Manual Tile. When doing this, FreeHand allows you
to choose the tile's starting point, the lower left hand corner of the intended document. Keep in mind your
printer's image area. MacroMedia plans to fix these problems in later versions of FreeHand.
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