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News Release from: Global Graphics Software | Subject: Metro RIP
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 27 April 2005
Windows Printing RIP Shows Its Paces
A live demonstration of next generation printing in Microsoft Windows, code-named Longhorn, was presented yesterday at WinHEC, the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference.
A live demonstration of next generation printing in Microsoft Windows, code-named Longhorn, was presented yesterday at WinHEC, the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference The event s was staged in conjunction with the Windows Driver DevCon conference, by Global Graphics, the developer of technology for open document and print systems
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 27 Apr 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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At both the WinHEC and Windows Driver DevCon conferences, Global Graphics' chief technology officer, Dr Adrian Ford, presented native printing of Microsoft's new print and document format, code-named Metro.
Dr Ford demonstrated the advantages users gain when sending a Metro document to a print device that consumes Metro natively, without conversion to another intermediary format.
Metro is said to be an open XML-based format that is used in document workflows and allows users to share, print and archive paginated-layout documents.
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As a Page Description Language (PDL), Metro is claimed to offer improved screen-to-print fidelity to meet knowledge worker demand for documents rich in graphics content as well as the high fidelity needs of the digital imaging marketplace.
At the heart of Global Graphics' demonstrations was its new Raster Image Processor (RIP), which takes text and images that comprise the Metro document and converts them in to a high-quality raster form for printed output, said the company.
Global Graphics said it has been developing core technology to support the new print architecture since 2003.
At WinHEC and Windows Driver DevCon the Company demonstrated its implementation of a true native Metro RIP as part of a print controller.
The company added that native consumption is the recommended route for implementing support for Metro because the best printing is provided when information is retained in the Metro format for as long as possible, without converting to an intermediate or device dependent form.
Live demonstrations of native Metro printing were also run on Global Graphics' stand at the WinHEC Expo.
The company said that it is also currently working with software and hardware vendors to implement complete systems for Metro within the Windows print subsystem.
Those systems are based on the core technology that Global Graphics has developed and will include RIPs for high performance print workflows and for low resource embedded set-ups, and rendering technology that brings added flexibility and performance to the driver for use in host-based systems for converting Metro to raster, together with scalable systems to enable Metro support across product families.
Current print devices do not support Metro.
Independent hardware vendors (IHVs) will need to enable support for Metro in their products to ensure that users benefit from the advantages and features that Metro provides, said the company.
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