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Part No. 1H9659

KODAK Digital Science

Calibration Utility

User’s Guide

for MICROSOFT WINDOWS

and MACINTOSH

Summary of content (132 pages)

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Part No.
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Contents Introduction What’s in this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v 1 Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–1 Recommended System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents Option Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–45 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–45 Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–46 Calibration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–46 Printer Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents Option Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–41 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–41 Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–42 Calibration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–42 Printer Menu . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Introduction t The Kodak Digital Science Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS and MACINTOSH (Calibration Utility) allows you to bring your printing system to the best possible color response. Kodak thermal dye diffusion printing systems are composed of printers and printer media (thermal ribbon and paper or transparency material). Normal variability in the manufacturing processes of printers and media may cause slight variations in light gray (low density) areas of prints.
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1 Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS This chapter describes how to install and use the Calibration Utility on a system that uses Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, or Windows 95. You should be familiar with the Windows environment. Installation See the "Read Me" for instructions for installing the calibration utility. System Requirements Recommended System Configuration D 486 or Pentium processor D MS-DOS, version 6.22 or later D Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Installing the Software This section describes how to install the Calibration Utility. Follow the steps for your particular Windows system. Windows 3.1x 1. Place the Calibration Utility CD or diskette in the appropriate drive. 2. Open and read the readme.wri file (which contains last-minute changes and information). 3. Open the Program Manager window. 4. Pull down the File menu and select Run. 5. Type d:\setup .
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Operating the Calibration Utility The following steps describe how to start the Calibration Utility. NOTE: The export module for the printer you want to calibrate must be installed before you start the Calibration Utility. The Calibration Utility prompts you for the location of the folder containing the export module. If you use another version of Windows, your dialog boxes will look slightly different than those shown in this chapter. Starting in Windows 3.1x 1.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS NOTE: If you want to go directly to Normal Utility without the Calibration Utility selection dialog appearing each time you start the Calibration Utility, select the check box labeled At start-up, launch normal utility and don’t show this screen. The corresponding check box (Show Easy Cal selection screen at start-up) in the Preferences dialog box (accessed from the File menu) is deselected.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 5. Do one of the following: D Click on the Begin Easy Cal button to start up Easy Cal. Information about the Easy Cal calibration procedure is in “Using Easy Cal to Calibrate Your Printer” on page 1–6. or D Click on the Launch Normal Utility button to start up Normal Utility. Information about the Normal Utility calibration procedure is in “Using Normal Utility to Calibrate Your Printer” on page 1–16.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Using Easy Cal to Calibrate Your Printer The Easy Cal calibration procedure provides you with steps that guide you through the process of calibrating your printer using a Visual Gray Balance calibration. NOTE: The Easy Cal calibration procedure cannot be used to calibrate a printer that is using black-only ribbon.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Easy Cal Step 1 The Easy Cal Step 1 dialog box allows you to select a printer model to calibrate and find the corresponding export module. NOTE: If you do not need to specify a different printer, click on the Next>> button in the Easy Cal Step 1 dialog box and go to “Easy Cal Step 2.” 1. Select a printer on the Printer Model drop-down list.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 4. Click on the OK button. You return to the Easy Cal Step 1 dialog box. The Calibration Utility now can find and use the export module so it can transfer data to the printer. 5. Click on the Next >> button. The Easy Cal Step 2 dialog box appears. Easy Cal Step 2 The Easy Cal Step 2 dialog box allows you to specify a different printer to calibrate than the one that appears in the Printer box.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS The Select a Printer dialog box appears. NOTE: Your Select Printer dialog box may appear different, depending on your printer export module. If this is the first time that the Calibration Utility has been run or if the Preferences files have been deleted, you must locate an export module folder. At this time some export modules may require that you locate the necessary files. 2. Click on the button for the port to which the printer is connected. 3.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 4. Click on the Next >> button. The Easy Cal Step 3 dialog box appears. Easy Cal Step 3 The Easy Cal Step 3 dialog box allows you to specify a different printer media to calibrate than the one that appears in the Printer Setup box. 1. Make sure that the paper and media types for which you want to calibrate are loaded in the printer.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS The Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box appears. NOTE: Your Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box may appear different, depending on your printer export module. 3. Make any necessary changes in the Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box. 4. Click on the OK button. You return to the Easy Cal Step 3 dialog box. 5. Click on the Next >> button. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS The Easy Cal Step 4 dialog box appears. Easy Cal Step 4 The Easy Cal Step 4 dialog box contains printer and printer setup information that will be used for the test print that is created in this step. NOTE: If the Easy Cal Step 4 dialog box does not contain printer and printer setup information, click on the <
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 2. Click on the Next >> button. The default table is sent to the printer and the previous table is overwritten. The Send and Print dialog box appears. NOTE: Your Send and Print dialog box may appear different, depending on your printer export module. 3. Click on the Print button. Your computer begins processing information. This may take a few minutes. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. The Easy Cal Step 5 dialog box appears. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Easy Cal Step 5 Use the test print to calibrate your printer in the Easy Cal Step 5 dialog box. 1. Look at the test print and decide which grayscale cluster appears the most neutral gray. NOTE: If you want to print another test print, click on the <
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 4. Do one of the following: D If you do not want to make another test print and you do not want to save the calibration table, click on the Exit button to quit the Calibration Utility. or D If you want to save the calibration table, click on the Proceed button to access a document window. Refer to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 1–28.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Using Normal Utility to Calibrate Your Printer The Normal Utility calibration procedure allows you to create a new calibration document or start from a calibration document that was previously created and saved. When you click on the Launch Normal Utility button in the Calibration Utility selection box, the Normal Utility calibration procedure starts up and the Calibration Utility window opens.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Setting Preferences You can specify the folders that contains the export module and the import module (used for densitometer settings) in the Preferences dialog box. 1. Pull down the File menu and select Preferences. The Preferences dialog box appears. 2. Click on the Select button next to “Printer Export Modules Folder.” A selection box appears. 3. Find and open the folder in which the export module is located. 4. Click on the OK button.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Selecting and Setting Up a Printer Select a printer and specify the printer media before you start a calibration. 1. Pull down the Printer menu. 2. Choose Select Printer and highlight the printer you want to calibrate. 3. Pull down the Printer menu and choose Printer Setup. The Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box appears. NOTE: The Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box may appear different, depending on the selected printer. 4.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Creating a New Calibration Document You can either create a new calibration document or open an existing one to calibrate your printer. 1. Pull down the File menu and select New. The Calibration Table dialog box appears. Ribbon and paper type information may not appear in the Printer Setup box if you have not first used the Printer menu’s Printer Setup... option.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Selecting a Starting Point for the Calibration Document This section describes how to select a starting point (base file) for the calibration document. There are three ways to access a base file: D Read Current Table From Printer—uses the printer’s current table (refer to “Using the Printer’s Current Calibration Table as the Starting Point” on this page).
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS A Calibration Document window appears. 3. Go to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 1–28. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Using the Printer’s Default Calibration Table as the Starting Point 1. Select the Use Printer’s Default Table radio button in the Starting Point box. 2. Click on the OK button. A Calibration Document window appears. 3. Go to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 1–28. 1–22 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Using an Existing Calibration Table as the Starting Point You can follow the steps below only if you have previously created and saved a calibration table. If you are using the Calibration Utility for the first time, no calibration tables exist yet for use as a starting point. The table you select to use as a starting point does not contain printer setup information.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 3. Find and open the directory that contains the calibration table you want to use as the starting point for your new table. 4. Select the calibration table you want to copy. NOTE: The data in the table selected as a starting point is specific to the paper and media types specified when the table was created. You cannot select documents for the incorrect paper and ribbon type.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS A Calibration Document window appears. 7. Go to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 1–28. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Opening an Existing Calibration Table 1. Pull down the File menu and select Open. A file selection dialog box appears. 2. Find and open the directory that contains the calibration table you want to use. 3. Select the calibration table you want to use. 4. Click on the Open button. 1–26 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS A Calibration Document window appears. 5. Go to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 1–28. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Using the Calibration Document Window Use the Calibration Document window to set up and run Visual Gray Balance, Visual Linearity, and Densitometer calibrations. 1. Make sure that the information in the Printer Setup Information box is correct and make sure that you are creating a calibration table for the media you want to use. 2. Type information about the printer you are calibrating in the Printer Description text box. 3.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Calibrating the Printer You can now calibrate your printer by running the Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibration procedures. If you have a densitometer, you can run just the Densitometer calibration procedure. You do not have to do Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibrations. Refer to “Running a Densitometer Calibration” on page 1–40. Visual Gray Balance Visual Gray Balance calibrates your printer so it produces a neutral gray.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Fine—offers the least degree of difference between clusters. This print is useful when it is difficult to choose between clusters on the Normal calibration print. For example, you printed a Normal print and you find that the most neutral-looking clusters are next to each other, but one still looks slightly green while the other still looks slightly magenta. You can print a Fine calibration print to get more choices within a smaller range of colors.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 4. Click on the OK button. You return to the Calibration Document window. 5. Click on the Send & Print button. The Send and Print dialog box appears. NOTE: Your Send and Print dialog box may appear different, depending on your printer export module. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 6. Click on the Print button. You return to the Calibration Document window. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. 7. View the calibration test print and determine which cluster appears the most neutral. If the Visual Gray Balance most-neutral cluster number on the test print ends in 25, the printer is already calibrated. You should now perform a Visual Linearity calibration.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS The Input Test Print Values dialog box appears. 9. Type the number of the most-neutral cluster in the Cluster Number box. 10. Click on the Recompute the Table button. The calibration table data is updated and the Calibration Document window appears. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 11. Click on the Send button if you are satisfied with the neutral in the cluster you selected and you do not want to look at another calibration print. A confirmation box appears. 12. Click on the Send button. The recomputed table is sent to the printer and the following message appears. 13. Click on the OK button. The calibration table is computed using the specified values and you return to the Calibration Document window.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Visual Linearity Visual Linearity calibrates your printer so it produces the correct shading (lightness/darkness). Use the Linearity Reference Card to select a cluster for each of the six density ranges. Visual Linearity calibration prints look similar to the following examples. CMY K CMYK Using the Linearity Reference Card The Linearity Reference Card is included with the Calibration Utility. Use this Reference Card for performing Visual Linearity calibrations.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Running a Visual Linearity Calibration After you have run a calibration using the Visual Gray Balance option, use the Visual Linearity option to recompute the current calibration table using values from the test print. 1. Pull down the Calibration menu and select Visual Linearity. You return to the Calibration Document window. 2. Click on the Send & Print button. 1–36 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS The Send and Print dialog box opens. NOTE: Your Send and Print dialog box may appear different, depending on your printer export module. 3. Click on the Print button. You return to the Calibration Document window. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 4. Use the Linearity Reference Card to select a box number for each of the six density ranges. If all of the Visual Linearity numbers on the test print are box number 5, the printer is already calibrated. You can close the Calibration Utility. If the Visual Linearity numbers on the test print are not all box number 5, you must recalibrate the printer. Go to step 5. 5. Click on the Input button. The Input Test Print Values dialog box opens. 6.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Densitometer A Densitometer calibration corrects the printer’s response based on the densitometer reading for selected patches. If you have a densitometer, you do not need to run Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibrations. You only have to run the Densitometer calibration. Print a test print and read it with a densitometer. There are two kinds of densitometer prints: process and separation. The kind of print you get depends on your printer.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Running a Densitometer Calibration If you have a densitometer, you can run the Densitometer calibration instead of the Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibrations. 1. Set up your densitometer. 2. Pull down the Calibration menu and select Densitometer. 3. Pull down the Calibration menu and select Setup Densitometer.... The Calibration Setup – Densitometer dialog box appears. 4. Select a densitometer status in the Densitometer box. 5.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS You return to the Calibration Document window. 7. Click on the Send & Print button. The Send and Print dialog box appears. NOTE: Your Send and Print dialog box may appear different, depending on your printer export module. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 8. Click on the Print button. You return to the Calibration Document window. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. 9. Click on the Input button. The Input Test Print Values dialog box appears. 1–42 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS One, three, or four Density Value columns appear in the Input Test Print Values dialog box, depending on the calibration your printer requires (for black ribbon, three-color ribbon, or four-color ribbon). The number of Density Value rows is determined by the selection in the Number of Squares menu (15 or 38). Valid characters in this dialog box include numbers from 0 to 9, periods (.), and commas (,). The valid range is 0 to 3.999 (0 to 3,999).
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Import The selected import module opens a dialog box when you click on the Import button in the Densitometer — Input Test Print Values dialog box. For the Kodak File Reader, the following dialog box appears when you click on the Import button. End of Field Character—specify the end-of-field character used in your densitometer file: “space,” “comma,” “tab,” “CR” (carriage return), “CR-LF” (carriage return/line feed), “LF” (line feed), and “Semi-colon.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Option Descriptions This section describes the Calibration Utility menu and dialog box options. File Menu This section describes the features on the File pulldown menu. New—accesses the Calibration Document window so you can select options for the current printer setup. Open—accesses a file selection box so you can select an existing calibration table from which to start. Close—closes the current calibration document.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Edit Menu The Edit menu is enabled only when a Calibration Document window is open. The options in the Edit menu are enabled only when you enter text in the Printer Description and Media Description boxes. Calibration Menu The Calibration menu is enabled when a Calibration Document window is open. You can choose to calibrate based on your input to the Visual Gray Balance, Visual Linearity, and Densitometer dialog boxes.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Amount of Correction The Amount of Correction radio buttons allow you to specify the degree of difference between neutrals the calibration print will present. Fine—the calibration print offers the least degree of difference in neutrals between the cluster in the upper left corner and the cluster in the lower right corner. The cluster in the upper left corner is only slightly green and the cluster in the lower right corner is only slightly magenta.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Calibration Setup — Densitometer This dialog box allows you to use values from a densitometer text table to recompute the calibration table. NOTE: Make sure that your densitometer is calibrated before you try to calibrate your printer with the densitometer values. Densitometer The Densitometer radio buttons allow you to specify what type of density data (Status A or Status T) your densitometer provides.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Printer Menu The Printer menu allows you to select a printer or set up the printer from the menu bar. Select Printer—a menu with the printer selections for your system appears. Printer Setup...—the Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box appears so you can make changes for the selected printer. Easy-Cal Menu The Easy-Cal menu allows you to start the Easy Cal calibration procedure from the menu bar. Begin...—the Easy Cal calibration procedure starts up.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Calibration Table Dialog Box Pull down the File menu and select New to access a dialog box that allows you to create a new calibration table. Printer Setup The Printer Setup box lists information about the ribbon and paper type for which the printer will be calibrated. Click on the Change Setup button to change the information that appears.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Starting Point The Starting Point box allows you to select the data that will act as a base for the new calibration table. Read Current Table From Printer—allows you to retrieve and begin with the printer’s current table. Once the table is loaded, you can edit it and recalibrate the printer. This option is not always available as a starting point. Use Printer’s Default Table—default printer data acts as the starting point for the new calibration document.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Calibration Document Window The Calibration Document window allows you to specify information about the calibration table. Printer Setup Information The Printer Setup Information box lists information about the printer type, ribbon, and paper type for which the printer will be calibrated. 1–52 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MICROSOFT WINDOWS Printer Description The Printer Description text box allows you to enter information that describes the printer for which the calibration table will be used. The text you enter is used to help describe the specifics of a particular calibration table. This text is not printed on the test print. An entry is optional. Use the Edit menu when you enter text.
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2 Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH This chapter describes how to install and use the Calibration Utility on a Macintosh system. You should be familiar with the Macintosh environment. Installation See the "Read Me" for instructions for installing the calibration utility. System Requirements Recommended System Configuration D 68040 or PowerPC processor D APPLE System 7.5 D 16 MB of RAM D color monitor D CD-ROM drive Minimum System Configuration D 68030 processor D APPLE System 7.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Installing the Software 1. Place the CD or diskette containing the Calibration Utility in the appropriate drive. An icon appears on the desktop. 2. Open and read the README file (which contains last-minute changes and information). 3. Open a folder on your hard drive in which you want to place the Calibration Utility. 4. Double-click on the icon to open it. 5. Select the Kodak DS Calibration Utility folder and drag it into the folder you created on your hard drive.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Operating the Calibration Utility The following steps describe how to start the Calibration Utility. 1. Double-click on the Kodak DS Calibration Utility icon on your hard drive. A splash screen appears, then the Calibration Utility selection box appears. 2. Do one of the following: D Click on the Begin Easy Cal button to start up Easy Cal. Information about the Easy Cal calibration procedure is in “Using Easy Cal to Calibrate Your Printer” on page 2–4.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Using Easy Cal to Calibrate Your Printer The Easy Cal calibration procedure provides you with steps that guide you through the process of calibrating your printer using a Visual Gray Balance calibration. NOTE: The Easy Cal calibration procedure cannot be used to calibrate a printer that is using black-only ribbon.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Easy Cal Step 1 The Easy Cal Step 1 dialog box allows you to select a printer model to calibrate and find the corresponding export module. If you do not need to specify a different printer, click on the Next>> button in the Easy Cal Step 1 dialog box and go to “Easy Cal Step 2.” 1. Select a printer on the Printer Model menu.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 3. Find and open the folder that contains the export module. 4. Select the export module you want to use. 5. Click on Open button. You return to the Easy Cal Step 1 dialog box. The Calibration Utility now can find and use the export module so it can transfer data to the printer. 6. Click on the Next >> button. The Easy Cal Step 2 dialog box appears. 2–6 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Easy Cal Step 2 The Easy Cal Step 2 dialog box allows you to specify a different printer to calibrate than the one that appears in the Printer box. NOTE: If you do not need to specify a different printer, you can ignore the following steps and click on the Next>> button in the Easy Cal Step 2 dialog box and go to “Easy Cal Step 3.” 1. Click on the Select Printer... button. The Select Printer dialog box appears.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH You return to the Easy Cal Step 2 dialog box. 4. Click on the Next >> button. The Easy Cal Step 3 dialog box appears. 2–8 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Easy Cal Step 3 The Easy Cal Step 3 dialog box allows you to specify a different printer media to calibrate than the one that appears in the Printer Setup box. 1. Make sure that the paper and media types for which you want to calibrate are loaded in the printer. NOTE: If you do not need to specify a different printer media, you can ignore the following steps and click on the Next>> button in the Easy Cal Step 3 dialog box and go to “Easy Cal Step 4.” 2.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 3. Make any necessary changes in the Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box. 4. Click on the OK button. You return to the Easy Cal Step 3 dialog box. 5. Click on the Next >> button. The Easy Cal Step 4 dialog box appears. 2–10 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Easy Cal Step 4 The Easy Cal Step 4 dialog box contains printer and printer setup information that will be used in the test print that is created in this step. NOTE: If the Easy Cal Step 4 dialog box does not contain printer and printer setup information, click on the <> button sends the default table to the printer.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 3. Click on the Print button. Your computer begins processing information. This may take a few minutes. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. The Easy Cal Step 5 dialog box appears. Easy Cal Step 5 Use the test print to calibrate your printer in the Easy Cal Step 5 dialog box. 1. Look at the test print and decide which grayscale cluster appears the most neutral gray.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH NOTE: If you want to print an updated test print, you can click on the <
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Using Normal Utility to Calibrate Your Printer The Normal Utility calibration procedure allows you to create a new calibration document or start from a calibration document that was previously created and saved. When you click on the Launch Normal Utility button in the Calibration Utility selection box, the Normal Utility calibration procedure starts up and the Printer Calibration Utility window opens.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Setting Preferences You can specify the folders that contains the export module and the import module (used for densitometer settings) in the Preferences dialog box. 1. Pull down the File menu and select Preferences. The Preferences dialog box appears. 2. Click on the Select button next to “Printer Export Modules Folder.” A file selection dialog box appears. 3. Find and open the folder in which the export module is located. 4. Click on the OK button.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Selecting and Setting Up a Printer Select a printer and specify the printer media before you start a calibration. 1. Pull down the Printer menu. 2. Choose Select Printer and highlight the printer you want to calibrate. 3. Pull down the Printer menu and choose Printer Setup. The Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box appears. NOTE: The Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box may appear different, depending on the selected printer. 4.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Creating a New Calibration Document You can either create a new calibration document or open an existing one to calibrate your printer. 1. Pull down the File menu and select New. The Calibration Table dialog box appears. Ribbon and paper type information may not appear in the Printer Setup box if you have not first used the Printer menu’s Printer Setup... option.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Selecting a Starting Point for the Calibration Document This section describes how to select a starting point (base file) for the calibration document. There are three ways to access a base file: D Read Current Table from Printer—uses the printer’s current table (refer to “Using the Printer’s Current Calibration Table as the Starting Point” on this page).
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH A Calibration Document window appears. 3. Go to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 2–24. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Using the Printer’s Default Calibration Table as the Starting Point 1. Select the Use Printer’s Default Table radio button in the Starting Point box. 2. Click on the OK button. A Calibration Document window appears. 3. Go to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 2–24. 2–20 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Using an Existing Calibration Table as the Starting Point You can follow the steps below only if you have previously created and saved a calibration table. If you are using the Calibration Utility for the first time, no calibration tables exist yet for use as a starting point. The table you select to use as a starting point does not contain printer setup information.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH NOTE: The data in the table selected as a starting point is specific to the paper and media types specified when the table was created. You cannot select documents for the incorrect paper and ribbon type. The files you can select are files created by the Calibration Utility or any file that has a .kcu extension. However, you can only choose tables that are configured for that particular printer and media. 5. Click on the Open button. The file selection dialog box closes.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Opening an Existing Calibration Table 1. Pull down the File menu and select Open. A file selection dialog box appears. 2. Find and open the folder that contains the calibration table you want to use. 3. Select the calibration table you want to use. 4. Click on the Open button. A Calibration Document window appears. 5. Go to “Using the Calibration Document Window” on page 2–24. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Using the Calibration Document Window Use the Calibration Document window to set up and run Visual Gray Balance, Visual Linearity, and Densitometer calibrations. 1. Make sure that the information in the Printer Setup Information box is correct and make sure that you are creating a calibration table for the media you want to use. 2. Type information about the printer you are calibrating in the Printer Description text box. 3.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Calibrating the Printer You can now calibrate your printer by running the Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibration procedures. If you have a densitometer, you can run just the Densitometer calibration procedure. You do not have to do Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibrations. Refer to “Running a Densitometer Calibration” on page 2–36. Visual Gray Balance Visual Gray Balance calibrates your printer so it produces a neutral gray.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Fine—offers the least degree of difference between clusters. This print is useful when it is difficult to choose between clusters on the Normal calibration print. For example, you printed a Normal print and you find that the most neutral-looking clusters are next to each other, but one still looks slightly green while the other still looks slightly magenta. You can print a Fine calibration print to get more choices within a smaller range of colors.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 4. Click on the OK button. You return to the Calibration Document window. 5. Click on the Send & Print button. The Send and Print dialog box appears. NOTE: Your Send and Print dialog box may appear different, depending on your printer export module. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 6. Click on the Print button. You return to the Calibration Document window. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. 7. View the calibration test print and determine which cluster appears the most neutral. If the Visual Gray Balance most-neutral cluster number on the test print ends in 25, the printer is already calibrated. You should now perform a Visual Linearity calibration.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH The Input Test Print Values dialog box appears. 9. Type the number of the most-neutral cluster in the Cluster Number box. 10. Click on the Recompute the Table button. The calibration table data is updated and the Calibration Document window appears. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 11. Click on the Send button if you are satisfied with the neutral in the cluster you selected and you do not want to look at another calibration print. A confirmation box appears. 12. Click on the Send button. The recomputed table is sent to the printer and the following message appears. 13. Click on the OK button. The calibration table is computed using the specified values and you return to the Calibration Document window.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Visual Linearity Visual Linearity calibrates your printer so it produces the correct shading (lightness/darkness). Use the Linearity Reference Card to select a cluster for each of the six density ranges. Visual Linearity calibration prints look similar to the following examples. CMY K CMYK Using the Linearity Reference Card The Linearity Reference Card is included with the Calibration Utility. Use this Reference Card for performing Visual Linearity calibrations.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Running a Visual Linearity Calibration After you have run a calibration using the Visual Gray Balance option, use the Visual Linearity option to recompute the current calibration table using values from the test print. 1. Pull down the Calibration menu and select Visual Linearity. You return to the Calibration Document window. 2. Click on the Send & Print button. The Send and Print dialog box opens.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 3. Click on the Print button. You return to the Calibration Document window. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. 4. Use the Linearity Reference Card to select a box number for each of the six density ranges. If all of the Visual Linearity numbers on the test print are box number 5, the printer is already calibrated. You can close the Calibration Utility.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 6. Type in the values you select from the test print in the text boxes. 7. Click on the Recompute the Table button. The calibration table is computed using the specified values and the Calibration Document window appears. 8. Click on the Send button to send the table to the printer. 2–34 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Densitometer A Densitometer calibration corrects the printer’s response based on the densitometer reading for selected patches. If you have a densitometer, you do not need to run Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibrations. You only have to run the Densitometer calibration. Print a test print and read it with a densitometer. There are two kinds of densitometer prints: process and separation. The kind of print you get depends on your printer.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Running a Densitometer Calibration If you have a densitometer, you can run the Densitometer calibration instead of the Visual Gray Balance and Visual Linearity calibrations. 1. Set up your densitometer. 2. Pull down the Calibration menu and select Densitometer. 3. Pull down the Calibration menu and select Setup Densitometer.... The Calibration Setup – Densitometer dialog box appears. 4. Select a densitometer status in the Densitometer box. 5.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH You return to the Calibration Document window. 7. Click on the Send & Print button. The Send and Print dialog box appears. NOTE: Your Send and Print dialog box may appear different, depending on your export module. Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH 8. Click on the Print button. You return to the Calibration Document window. The calibration test print is printed on the specified printer. 9. Click on the Input button. The Input Test Print Values dialog box appears. 2–38 September 1997 Part No.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH One, three, or four Density Value columns appear in the Input Test Print Values dialog box, depending on the calibration your printer requires (for black ribbon, three-color ribbon, or four-color ribbon). The number of Density Value rows is determined by the selection in the Number of Squares menu (15 or 38). Valid characters in this dialog box include numbers from 0 to 9, periods (.), and commas (,). The valid range is 0 to 3.999 (0 to 3,999).
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Import The selected import module opens a dialog box when you click on the Import button in the Densitometer — Input Test Print Values dialog box. For the Kodak File Reader, the following dialog box appears when you click on the Import button. End of Field Character—specify the end-of-field character used in your densitometer file: “space,” “comma,” “tab,” “CR” (carriage return), “CR-LF” (carriage return/line feed), “LF” (line feed), and “Semi-colon.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Option Descriptions This section describes the Calibration Utility menu and dialog box options. File Menu This section describes the options on the File pulldown menu. New—accesses the Calibration Document window so you can select options for the current printer setup. Open—accesses a file selection dialog box so you can select an existing calibration table from which to start. Close—closes the current calibration document.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Edit Menu The Edit menu is enabled only when the Calibration Document window is open. The options in the Edit menu are enabled only when you enter text in the Printer Description and Media Description boxes. Calibration Menu The Calibration menu is enabled when the Calibration Document window is open. You can choose to calibrate based on your input to the Visual Gray Balance, Visual Linearity, and Densitometer dialog boxes.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Amount of Correction The Amount of Correction buttons allow you to specify the degree of difference between neutrals the calibration print will present. Fine—the calibration print offers the least degree of difference in neutrals between the cluster in the upper left corner and the cluster in the lower right corner. The cluster in the upper left corner is only slightly green and the cluster in the lower right corner is only slightly magenta.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Calibration Setup — Densitometer This dialog box allows you to use values from a densitometer text table to recompute the calibration table. NOTE: Make sure that your densitometer is calibrated before you try to calibrate your printer with the densitometer values. Densitometer The Densitometer radio buttons allow you to specify what type of density data (Status A or Status T) your densitometer provides.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Printer Menu The Printer menu allows you to select a printer or set up the printer from the menu bar. Select Printer—a menu with the printer selections for your system appears. Printer Setup...—the Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box appears so you can make changes for the selected printer. Easy-Cal Menu The Easy-Cal menu allows you to start the Easy Cal calibration procedure from the menu bar. Begin...—the Easy Cal calibration procedure starts up.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Calibration Table Dialog Box Pull down the File menu and select New to access a dialog box that allows you to create a new calibration table. Printer Setup The Printer Setup box lists information about the ribbon and paper type for which the printer will be calibrated. Click on the Change Setup button to change the information that appears.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Starting Point The Starting Point box allows you to select the data that will act as a base for the new calibration table. Read Current Table From Printer—allows you to retrieve and begin with the printer’s current table. Once the table is loaded, you can edit it and recalibrate the printer. This option is not always available as a starting point. Use Printer’s Default Table—default printer data acts as the starting point for the new calibration document.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Calibration Document Window The Calibration Document window allows you to specify information about the calibration table. Printer Setup Information The Printer Setup Information box lists information about the printer type, ribbon, and paper type for which the printer will be calibrated. Printer Description The Printer Description text box allows you to enter information that describes the printer for which the calibration table will be used.
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Calibration Utility for MACINTOSH Media Description The Media Description text box allows you to enter information that describes the media for which the calibration table will be used. The text you enter is used to help describe the specifics of a particular calibration table. This text is not printed on the test print. An entry is optional. Use the Edit menu when you enter text. Calibration Tools Calibration Tools offers handling options for the calibration table.
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Appendix A Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers Ribbon Media Choices Kodak is introducing new thermal three-color (CMY) media ribbons (V1.5) which are improved versions of the V1.0 three-color (CMY) ribbons. These changes affect only KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Three-Color Ribbon products. The Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box in the Calibration Utility allows you to select a media file in the Media File option. You must specify the media file that relates to the printer ribbon that your printer uses.
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Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers Printer Ribbons (V1.0) Product Name Catalog Number Product Code KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Three-Color Ribbon /XTRALIFE Media 873–3925 5305 KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Oversize Three-Color Ribbon /XTRALIFE Media/CMY 162–7298 6304 KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Oversize Three-Color Ribbon /CMY 871–5963 7304 KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Three-Color Ribbon /CMY 887–3945 2336 Kodak XLS 8600 Media Files for V1.0 Windows 8600V100.
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Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers Printer Ribbons (V1.5) Product Name Catalog Number Product Code KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Three-Color Ribbon /XTRALIFE Media V1.5 807–6135 5306 KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Oversize Three-Color Ribbon /XTRALIFE Media V1.5 801–3716 8304 KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Oversize Three-Color Ribbon /CMY V1.5 821–4082 7305 KODAK EKTATHERM XLS Three-Color Ribbon /CMY V1.5 163–0474 4336 Kodak XLS 8600 Media Files for V1.5 Windows 8600V150.
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Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers Using the Calibration Utility to Download Default Calibration Tables Check the tables on the previous pages to determine your printer ribbon version (V1.0 or V1.5). If your printer ribbon version does not match the calibration tables in your printer, you must download the correct calibration tables. Putting Your Printer in Raster Mode Use the printer front panel to place printer into Raster Mode for Calibration.
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Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers Calibrating Your Printer for V1.5 Ribbon Follow these steps to calibrate your printer for V1.5 printer ribbon. 1. Put your printer in Raster Mode via the printer’s front panel. NOTE: For instructions, refer to the previous section,“Putting Your Printer in Raster Mode.” 2. Install the export module for your printer. NOTE: For more information about installing the export module, refer to the export module user’s guide. t Calibration Utility on your 3.
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Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers The Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box appears. IMPORTANT: The following list of media type conditions must be updated for the new V1.5 ribbon media. Make each update from the Printer Setup for Calibration dialog box in the following order: 1. Reflective with XtraLife 2. Reflective without XtraLife 3. Fast Transparency (Kodak DS 8650 only) 4. Transparency 10. Select “Three-Color (CMY)” on the Ribbon Type drop-down menu. 11.
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Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers The calibration table is sent to printer. 19. Pull down the Printer menu and choose Printer Setup. 20. Repeat steps 9 through 12, step 15, and step 18 for each of the media types listed in the IMPORTANT note on the previous page. 21. Exit the Calibration Utility. Your printer is now calibrated for the new media. Calibrating Your Printer for V1.0 Ribbon To calibrate your printer for V1.0 printer ribbon, follow the instructions in “Calibrating Your Printer for V1.
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Kodak XLS 8600 and Kodak DS 8650 Printers Do I Need to Calibrate My Printer? In order for your thermal prints to have the correct color balance, the printer ribbon must match the calibration tables contained in your printer. D If your prints have a slight pinkish hue, you are using V1.5 printer ribbon with V1.0 calibration tables. D If your prints have a slight greenish hue, you are using a V1.0 printer ribbon with V1.5 calibration tables.
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Index A Amount of Correction, 1–47, 2–43 Coarse, 1–30, 1–47, 2–26, 2–43 Fine, 1–30, 1–47, 2–26, 2–43 Normal, 1–30, 1–47, 2–26, 2–43 B Begin, 1–49, 2–45 Begin with Previous Settings, 1–49, 2–45 Black-only ribbon, 1–6, 1–28, 2–4, 2–24 C Calibrating printer, A–8 for V1.0 ribbon, A–7 for V1.
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Index Calibration document creating new, 1–16, 1–19, 2–17 opening existing, 1–19, 2–17 table, 1–26 to 1–27, 2–23 selecting starting point, 1–20 to 1–25, 2–18 to 2–22 starting from previously created and saved, 1–16 starting point using existing table, 1–23 to 1–25, 2–21 to 2–22 using printer’s current calibration table, 1–20 to 1–21, 2–18 to 2–19 using printer’s default table, 1–22, 2–20 using existing table, 1–23 to 1–25, 2–21 to 2–22 using printer’s current calibration table, 1–20 to 1–21, 2–18 to 2–19 us
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Index Change Setup, 1–50, 2–46 Close, 1–45, 2–41 Coarse Visual Gray Balance, 1–30, 1–47, 2–26 Configuration minimum Macintosh, 2–1 Windows, 1–1 recommended Macintosh, 2–1 Windows, 1–1 Copy Table from File, 1–51, 2–47 Creating new calibration document, 1–19, 2–17 new calibration table, 1–16, 2–14 test print, 1–12 to 1–13, 2–11 to 2–12 D Default calibration tables loading, A–4 to A–7 sending to printer, 1–12, 1–13, 2–11 Densitometer, 1–17, 1–48, 2–15, 2–44 calibration, 1–39 to 1–44, 2–35 to 2–40 running, 1–4
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Index E Easy Cal calibration procedure Easy Cal Step 1, 1–7 to 1–8, 2–5 to 2–6 Easy Cal Step 2, 1–8 to 1–10, 2–7 to 2–8 Easy Cal Step 3, 1–10 to 1–12, 2–9 to 2–10 Easy Cal Step 4, 1–12 to 1–13, 2–11 to 2–12 Easy Cal Step 5, 1–14 to 1–15, 2–12 to 2–13 Macintosh systems, 2–4 to 2–13 Windows systems, 1–6 to 1–15 menu option descriptions, 1–49, 2–45 Begin, 1–49, 2–45 Begin with Previous Settings, 1–49, 2–45 starting up Macintosh systems, 2–3 Windows 3.
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Index I Import, 1–44, 2–40 End of Field Character, 1–44, 2–40 End of Record Character, 1–44, 2–40 module, 1–17, 1–44, 2–15, 2–40 for densitometer settings, 1–17 Open, 1–44, 2–40 Input, 1–53, 2–49 Introduction, v K Kodak DS 8650 Printer, A–1 to A–8 ribbon media choices, A–1 to A–3 V1.0, A–2 V1.5, A–3 Kodak XLS 8600 Printer, A–1 to A–8 ribbon media choices, A–1 to A–3 V1.0, A–2 V1.
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Index N Neutral gray, choosing, 1–14, 1–29, 2–12, 2–25 New, 1–45, 2–41 New calibration table, creating, 1–16, 2–14 Normal Utility, starting up Macintosh systems, 2–3 Windows 3.
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Index P Preferences, 1–45, 2–41 setting, 1–17, 2–15 Printer media, selecting, 1–10 to 1–12, 2–9 to 2–10 menu option descriptions, 1–49, 2–45 Printer Setup, 1–49, 2–45 Select Printer, 1–49, 2–45 model, selecting, 1–7 to 1–10, 2–5 to 2–6, 2–7 to 2–8 selecting, 1–18, 2–16 setting up, 1–18, 2–16 Printer calibration, 1–29 to 1–44, 2–25 to 2–40 Densitometer Macintosh, 2–35 to 2–40 Windows, 1–39 to 1–44 Visual Gray Balance Macintosh, 2–25 to 2–30 Windows, 1–29 to 1–34 Visual Linearity Macintosh, 2–31 to 2–34 Wind
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Index S Save, 1–45 Save As, 1–45, 2–41 Saving calibration tables, 1–15, 2–13 Select File, 1–51, 2–47 Select Printer, 1–49, 2–45 Selecting export module, 1–7 to 1–8, 2–5 to 2–6 printer, 1–18, 2–16 media, 1–10 to 1–12, 2–9 to 2–10 model, 1–7 to 1–10, 2–5 to 2–6, 2–7 to 2–8 Send, 1–53, 2–49 Send & Print, 1–53, 2–49 Setting preferences, 1–17, 2–15 Starting Calibration Utility in Windows 3.
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Index U Use Printer’s Default Table, 1–51, 2–47 Using Calibration Document window, 1–28, 2–24 V Visual Gray Balance, 1–46 to 1–47, 2–42 to 2–43 Amount of Correction, 1–47, 2–43 Coarse, 1–30, 1–47, 2–26, 2–43 Fine, 1–30, 1–47, 2–26, 2–43 Normal, 1–30, 1–47, 2–26, 2–43 calibration, 1–6, 1–29 to 1–34, 2–4, 2–25 to 2–30 running, 1–30 to 1–34, 2–26 to 2–30 printer calibration Macintosh, 2–25 to 2–30 Windows, 1–29 to 1–34 Visual Linearity, 1–47, 2–43 calibration, 1–35 to 1–38, 2–31 to 2–34 running, 1–36 to 1–38
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EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY Rochester, New York 14653 USA Kodak, Digital Science, and the ds monogram symbol are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. Part No. 1H9659 9/97 E Eastman Kodak Company, 1997 Printed in U.S.A.