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Citation Software Inc.
Specialists in variable-data publishing since 1986
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www.CitationSoftware.com info@CitationSoftware.com 508-436-2543
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QUESTION: What is a document-composition engine?
ANSWER: A document-composition engine
is a set of software modules that interprets formatting instructions for a particular
document and generates code that can be rendered on a computer screen or on a printer
so that the document can be seen and understood by humans.
People in the printing & publishing industry sometimes refer to a document-composition
engine simply as a "composition engine."
Many document-composition engines can generate a variety of output formats. An
output format is a particular kind of code that is understood by a
printer, a RIP, or a software program that displays
documents on a computer monitor.
Here are few examples of common output formats that are generated by document-composition engines.
- PostScript: Many printers and RIPs understand PostScript.
- PCL: Many printers and RIPs understand PCL.
- PDF: Some software applications that display documents on a computer
monitor understand PDF. For example, the Adobe Acrobat software,
the Adobe Reader software,
and the Jaws PDF Editor
software understand the PDF format.
- JPEG, TIFF, BMP: Some software applications that display
documents on a computer monitor understand these formats. For example, Microsoft Word,
Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator understand these formats.
Well-designed document-composition engines that are geared specifically for the purpose of producing
variable-data documents can generate special
"optimized" output formats that
are targeted for particular printers and RIPs. Some of these special, optimized output formats are VPS,
Fiery FreeForm, and PPML.
When
you are producing variable-data documents, it is very important to use a document-composition
engine that generates an output format that works well with your printer/RIP. Otherwise,
your documents might print very slowly — or worse, you might not be able to print the
documents at all!
Often but not always, software applications that you use to create documents do
not generate the output formats directly. Instead, sometimes these applications generate
an intermediate code format, and then another software program called a "driver"
converts the intermediate code to the output format that is needed. For example, if you
use Microsoft Word on a Windows computer to write a letter, you will probably be printing
the letter on a printer that understands the PCL language or the PostScript language.
However, Microsoft Word itself doesn't generate PCL code or PostScript code. Instead,
Microsoft Word generates an intermediate code format, and then a PCL printer driver or
a PostScript printer driver converts the intermediate code format to either PCL or
PostScript so that your printer can print the letter.
See also What is a page-description language?
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Copyright © 2008 Citation Software Inc.
info@CitationSoftware.com
508-436-2543
www.CitationSoftware.com
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