The Kodak Distiller Assistant helps Acrobat Distiller produce press-optimized, spot-color-enabled, top-quality PDF files for a composite PDF 1.3 or PostScript 3 workflow.
The extra features of the Kodak Distiller Assistant, which are added via a PostScript start-up file, are derived from the Prinergy normalize function. Implementation of these features is identical between the Prinergy normalize function and Acrobat Distiller, assuring users of consistent results. The Kodak Distiller Assistant makes extensive use of PostScript 3 features, including the following features:
- Idiom Recognition recognizes existing legacy PostScript code and dynamically replaces it with optimized PostScript code.
- Smooth Shades is a graphical object describing a gradient or gradient mesh. Instead of describing many small overlapping rectangles, the PostScript code describes an area to fill and the mathematical representation of the gradient in the gradient's natural color space. Thus, the RIP can apply extended halftoning and advanced rendering algorithms to eliminate the stepping typically found in large areas.
- DeviceN Colorspace allows the PostScript file to describe composite colors involving combinations of process and spot colors, and allows multiple spot colors to be expressed together. This is crucial for describing spot-to-spot blends, duotones, and so on.
For more information, see the PostScript 3 Language Reference Manual.
The Kodak Distiller Assistant is technically a file that consists of a group of PostScript "helper" files that resides in the StartUp folder within the Distiller software. These files are active within both Prinergy Connect and Prinergy Evo and are invoked whenever PostScript and EPS files are encountered on input.