Lightning PDF

Lightning PDF is a high performance PDF output plugin for the Harlequin RIP that is designed to replace the standard PDF raster plugin. As well as providing a significant number of additional features, its main benefit is its lightning fast performance; users should see anything up to a 5x (or more) overall improvement in performance and throughput when it is used, depending on output mode, compression mode, resolution, screening, job content and platform.

The high performance that the Lightning PDF output plugin achieves is obtained through a unique method for implementing CCITT compression, along with a significant number of code optimisation techniques that have been applied to all the various compression modes. In addition, Hamillroad engineers have built in the use of advanced multi-threading software techniques, which when used with the latest multi-core CPUs, such as the Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7, provide a near linear additional increase in performance.

The results of this are the creation of PDF raster files at extremely high speed, allowing for both greatly increased throughput and faster last minute production of time critical plates.

Highlights

• High performance compression algorithms
• Multi-threaded on multi-core CPUs
• Provides a wide range of data formats
• Offers a wide choice of compression formats
• Conventional and (extended) template naming
• Advanced file and job scripting capabilities
• Fully optimised 64-bit version for HMR-10/11

For Windows

For Mac

High performance compression

At the heart of Lightning PDF is a wide range of highly optimised, high performance algorithms for implementing the standard compression methods required to create PDF raster files. These along with the multi-threading capabilities make Lightning PDF the output plugin of choice for the most demanding users and applications.

Multi-threading

Taking advantage of the latest multi-core CPUs, Lightning PDF is multi-threaded so as to provide maximum performance on today’s hardware. This offers the highest performance possible, for last minute production of time critical jobs.

Image formats

As well as the data formats supported by the standard PDF plugin, Lightning PDF also supports “ASCII (Hex)” encoded PDF.

Compression formats

As well as the compression formats supported by the standard PDF plugin, Lightning PDF also supports CCITT Fax Group 4, CCITT Fax Group 3 1D & 2D, LZW and Packbits.

Conventional and (extended) template based naming

In addition to the options provided by the standard PDF raster plugin, Lightning PDF provides additional controls for conventional based naming (the ability to place all output from a given job into its own folder and the ability to use the file name instead of the job name) and an extended set of template variables for template based naming.

Advanced file and job scripting

In addition to post-processing per specific file, Lightning PDF also provides post-processing for each job. This combined with the ability to place all output from a job into its own unique folder allows for sophisticated customisation by writing post- processing scripts to perform additional tasks.

Image formats

Monochrome (halftone) – 1 bit per pixel
Monochrome (contone) – 8 bits per pixel
CMYK Separations (halftone) – 1 bit per pixel
CMYK Separations (contone) – 8 bits per pixel
CMYK Composite (halftone) – 1 bit per pixel
CMYK Composite (contone) – 8 bits per pixel

PDF formats

PDF 1.4
PDF/X 1a:2003 (PDF 1.4) – PDF Reference sixth edition v1.7, Section 10.10.4

Compression formats *

None
LZW
Flate (ZIP)
Packbits
CCITT Fax Group 3 1D
CCITT Fax Group 3 2D
CCITT Fax Group 4
Support for TIFF Predictor 2

Data formats

Binary
ASCII (Hex)
ASCII (85)

RIPs supported

Harlequin RIP version 5
Harlequin RIP version 6 (Eclipse Release)
Harlequin RIP version 7 (Genesis Release)
Harlequin RIP version 8 (Plus Server RIP)
Harlequin RIP version 9 (Plus Server RIP)
Harlequin RIP version 10 (Multi-RIP, both 32-bit and 64-bit)
Harlequin RIP version 11 (Multi-RIP, 64-bit only)

Operating systems supported

Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10
Mac OS X (Intel) 10.2 – 10.10