Data objects

Data objects can either be included inline with a print job or installed in a resource library by using software such as AFP Resource Installer. If you install your data objects in a resource library, you can associate color conversion CMRs with them. For more information, see InfoPrint AFP Resource Installer.

See Resource library management for more information about characteristics of resource libraries.

Types of data objects

• AFPC JPEG Subset (JPEG)

  AFPC (AFP Consortium) JPEG Subset files, formerly called JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF) files, are bitmap image files that are compressed by using Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compression. As a result, AFPC JPEG Subset files are most commonly referred to as JPEG files. JPEG files most commonly use the file extension .jpg, but can also use .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif, and .jif.

  JPEG compression deletes information that it considers unnecessary from images when it converts them. JPEG files vary from having small amounts of compression to having large amounts of compression. The more an image is compressed, the more information is lost. If the image is compressed only once, there usually is no noticeable effect on the image. However, if the image is compressed and decompressed repeatedly, the effects of deleting information become more noticeable.

  JPEG compression is commonly used for photographs, especially photographs that are transmitted or displayed on web pages. The compression makes the files small enough to transmit on a network efficiently, but leaves enough information that the image is still visually appealing.

• Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)

  EPS is a PostScript graphics file format that follows conventions that Adobe Systems defined. EPS files support embedded ICC profiles.

• Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)

  GIF files are bitmap image files that are limited to a palette of 256 RGB colors. Because of the limited color range that it can contain, GIF is not a good format for reproducing photographs, but it is generally adequate for logos or charts. GIF images are widely used on the Internet because they are usually smaller than other image formats. GIF files use the file extension .gif.

• Image Object Content Architecture (IOCA)

  IOCA is an architecture that provides a consistent way to represent images, including conventions and directions for processing and exchanging image information. The architecture defines image information independently of all data objects and environments in which it might exist and uses self-identifying terms; each field contains a description of itself along with its contents.

• Portable Document Format (PDF)

  PDF is a standard file format that Adobe Systems developed.

  PDF files can be used and stored on various operating systems and contain all the required image and font data. Design attributes in a PDF are kept in a single compressed package.

  Note:

  Single-page and multiple-page PDF files can be used as data objects in AFP print jobs.
• Portable Network Graphics (PNG)

  PNG files are bitmap image files that support indexed colors, palette-based images with 24-bit RGB or 32-bit RGBA colors, grayscale images, an optional alpha channel, and lossless compression. PNG is used for transferring images on the Internet, but not for print graphics. PNG files use the file extension .png.

• Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)

  TIFF files are bitmap image files that include headers to provide more information about the image. TIFF files use the file extensions .tif or .tiff.

  TIFF files support embedded ICC profiles. If an ICC profile is embedded in a file, the characteristics of the input color space are known whenever the file is used; however, the profiles increase the file size. When you save a file in the TIFF format, you can use various compression algorithms.

  Note:

  Single-image and multiple-image TIFF files can be used as data objects in AFP print jobs.

Not all printers support all types of data objects.

The embedded ICC profiles in EPS, JPEG, and TIFF files contain the information that a printer uses to convert colors in the image from an input color space into the profile connection space (PCS). The input color space might be an industry-standard space or it can describe the color reproduction capabilities of a device, such as a scanner, digital camera, monitor, or printer.

Data object creation and installation

Data object creation

Most types of data objects are images of some kind. They might be photographs taken with a digital camera, charts or diagrams generated by a software tool, or digital drawings created by using graphics software. Regardless of how images are created, you generally need to manipulate them to include them in print jobs.

The changes include:

• Convert the image into a file type that is appropriate for printing. For example, the file types that many graphics applications (such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and Corel Paint Shop Pro) use to store images while you work on them are not appropriate for printing. To use images that you create from any of those programs, you can save or export those files as a different file type, such as EPS, JPEG, or TIFF.
• Make sure that your image files are associated with an appropriate color space or input profile. Follow the instructions provided with your graphics software to set up color management, including installing and using ICC profiles for digital cameras and monitors, and customizing color management settings. The instructions should also explain how to change the color profile that an image uses and how to save an image with an embedded profile.
• Follow the tips and best practices provided in the other sections for creating images and managing them as data object resources.

Data object installation

You can use AFP Resource Installer to install your images in a resource library. AFP Resource Installer includes wizards that can guide you through the process of installing an image as a data object. When you install an EPS, JPEG, or TIFF image with an embedded ICC profile by using AFP Resource Installer, you can choose how you want to handle the profile:

• Leave the profile in the file without creating a CMR.
• Leave the profile in the file, but also copy the profile and create a CMR from the copy. Associate the new CMR with the data object.
• Remove the profile from the file (to reduce the file size) and make the profile into a CMR. Associate the new CMR with the data object.