crb@raybed2.UUCP (CHRIS BURTTON) (05/08/89)
Can the output from any of the ray trace programs, such as Turbo Silver or Scuplt 3D, be sent to a professional offset printer? If so, can the resolution be increased beyond the Amiga screen resolution? What I'm interested in is produce 8X10s or even poster size pictures without the jaggies. I don't necessarily want to go to an offset printer, but I don't want the picture to look like it came from a computer. Anybody got the inside dope?? Chris Burton ...rayssd!raybed2!crb
perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) (05/10/89)
In article <1312@raybed2.UUCP> crb@raybed2.UUCP (CHRIS BURTTON) writes: > Can the output from any of the ray trace programs, such as > Turbo Silver or Scuplt 3D, be sent to a professional offset > printer? If so, can the resolution be increased beyond the > Amiga screen resolution? ASDG has a product which is almost never discussed here on UseNet. It's called Professional ScanLab(TM). Professional ScanLab is a hardware and software combination which allows the Amiga personal computer to control a Sharp JX series 24 bit color scanner and perform super high precision operations upon such data like four color process separations. Professional ScanLab will manipulate images as large as 5000 x 3000 (approximately) and performs all operations at the 24 bit level (other operations include global color balancing, size reductions, color conversions). The quality of our 24 bit color separations has been judged by others to be the best available on any small computer. This has been a point of pride for those in the Amiga market, since this fact gives the Amiga a slight advantage over the MacII in color publishing. Oh, did I mention that on an A2500, our color separations take place about 6 times faster than an inferior sep done on a MacII? We have a utility which will convert 24 bit Sculpt 4D files into our 24 bit format (24 bit IFF, many newcomers to the Amiga 24 bit scene are adopting our standard). Then, these files can be manipulated by Professional ScanLab as if they were scanned. This includes the ability to perform color balancing and color separations at the 24 bit level. Another new ASDG product, called ASDG-ReSEP (or ReSEP for short) allows Gold Disk's Professional Page to utilize 24 bit color separations produced by Pro ScanLab. As you know, ProPage can only produce (or deal with) 12 bit separatios. Using ReSEP, pages can be composited with ProPage and then merged with 24 bit separations done with ProScanLab. ReSEP allows the Amiga to automatically (and internally) perform the function of a ``stripper'' who would otherwise have to perform this task by hand if you wanted professional quality output from ProPage. Check out issue V1.5 of AmigoTimes. Everything (everything) that is not an ad and is not a screen shot is a 24 bit print. This includes ALL of the Sculpt output. AmigoTimes has had our equipment for about a month now and is still getting better at using it, but I think you'll agree that this issue is the best looking magazine ever produced entirely on the Amiga personal computer. Perry -- Perry Kivolowitz, ASDG Inc. ARPA: madnix!perry@cs.wisc.edu {uunet|ncoast}!marque! UUCP: {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!perry CIS: 76004,1765 (what was that about ``giggling teenagers''?)
cfchiesa@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Christopher Chiesa) (05/10/89)
In article <1312@raybed2.UUCP>, crb@raybed2.UUCP (CHRIS BURTTON) writes: > > > > > Can the output from any of the ray trace programs, such as > Turbo Silver or Scuplt 3D, be sent to a professional offset > printer? If so, can the resolution be increased beyond the > Amiga screen resolution? > > What I'm interested in is produce 8X10s or even poster size > pictures without the jaggies. I don't necessarily want to > go to an offset printer, but I don't want the picture to look > like it came from a computer. > > Anybody got the inside dope?? > > > > Chris Burton > ...rayssd!raybed2!crb Well, Chris, I can't send pictures to an OFFSET PRINTER, per se, but the com- pany I work for (Light Valve Technology, or LVT for short) manufactures and sells a PHOTOGRAPHIC printer that produces, from RGB data (eight bits per color), images on photographic paper or film up to 16 by 20 inches. The COARSEST resolution we support is 10 pixels/mm (254/inch), and the finest is 40 pixels/mm (1016/inch). Obviously, that would require some pixel-expan- sion to produce a reasonably-sized print of an Amiga image -- by a factor of three at the very least -- and, as you say, a certain amount of processing to remove jaggies. My job consists of writing format-conversion and pixel-move- ment utility programs for this beast, so it wouldn't be hard to work in an attempt to convert Amiga IFF or HAM (what's the storage format for HAM files, way???) anyway?) files to our company's format; I just haven't had time to look into it yet. Incidentally, our machines are installed and operating in a number of major cities; if you would like to personally go see the results (just to get an idea...), write me and I'll tell you the location of the nearest LVT installation. Chris Chiesa -- UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!cfchiesa cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP
hue@netcom.UUCP (Jonathan Hue) (05/17/89)
In article <655@madnix.UUCP>, perry@madnix.UUCP (Perry Kivolowitz) writes: > The quality of our 24 bit color separations has been judged by others to be > the best available on any small computer. This has been a point of pride for > those in the Amiga market, since this fact gives the Amiga a slight advantage > over the MacII in color publishing. Oh, did I mention that on an A2500, our > color separations take place about 6 times faster than an inferior sep done > on a MacII? Perry, Could you tell us what other hardware/software combinations you have compared your product to? The only examples I have seen of Professional Scanlab were pretty atrocious (the fault of the operator, not the fault of Scanlab). In my opinion, the only color desktop publishing package that can produce usable output is the Pre-Press Technologies/Quark Express combination with an Eikonix 1435 scanner. Even then, a skilled operator is required for scanned images to look anything like the original. One good example of output from the PPT system is their ad with the dead trees against the cloudy sky. It is the best example I have seen from any desktop system, though still not nearly as good as that from a conventional pre-press system (Scitex, Crosfield, etc). If the quality of output of your system is as good or better than this, then you deserve the title of "Best Desktop Color Separations". In order to make this a valid comparision, you have to output to a Linotronic 300, going out to a Hell scanner isn't fair. I don't doubt Scanlab is a fine product, but I have a hard time believing that a Sharp scanner could ever produce anything useful (other than line art). I have used the Sharp scanner and it is not in the same league as the Eikonix scanner. -Jonathan
dwl10@uts.amdahl.com (Dave Lowrey) (05/17/89)
For an example of professional "desk top" publishing on an Amiga,
check out the "AmigoTimes" magazine.
They do "All non-advertising" copy on the Amiga.
The current issue (#1.5) includes a review of "Professional Scanlab" also.
--
"What is another word | Dave Lowrey | [The opinions expressed MAY be
for 'Thesaurus'?" | Amdahl Corp. | those of the author and are not
| Houston, Texas | necessarily those of his
Steven Wright | amdahl!dwl10 | employer] (`nuff said!)