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Format: CD

Developer: Strydent Software

Minimum Requirements: Power PC running Mac OS 7.5.3 (serial port or ethernet connection) or G3 processor running MacOS 8.1 (USB connection), 17 MB RAM, 45MB hard disk space, CD ROM

Printers Supported: Epson Style Color models 740/740i, 760, 860, 900/900N/900G and 1160 and the Hewlett-Packard Deskjet 1120C

Retail Price: $99.99 ($49.99 upgrade)

Availability: Out now

I used to consider myself to be anal rententive. My boss, however, felt that term had too much a negative conotation to it, so we've now decided that I'm merely fastidious. How so? Well, on the computer, for instance, I'm the type of guy who has to have snap to grid turned on (set to tight, of course), I never keep windows open, and all of my folders are neatly colored with the labeller.

The one facet of the Mac OS that I've always had trouble keeping neat is font management. Sure, I'm a satisfied user of Font Reserve, but it's this whole TrueType vs. PostScript thing that brings me down. Because I worked in electronic prepress in another life and still do quite a bit of desktop publishing, I'm pretty much a PostScript only kind of guy except where necessary. But suppose I write something up at home and want to print it off over the weekend while I'm at my fiancee's? She has an Espon 740i, so I'm out of luck, right?

Wrong. But you knew that...hence this review. Enter Strydent Software's StyleScript Adobe PostScript 3 RIP to save the day.

First, a bit of an explanation here. PostScript, as defined in Maclopedia (© 1996 Hayden Books), is "...essentially a coded output language consisting of commands that instruct a device to draw lines, fill shapes, render type, and so on." This allows text and graphics to be printed at very high resolutions. Trouble is, in order for this to work, the device mentioned above has to have a raster image processor to interpret these commands. Otherwise your PostScript images appear pixelated and your fonts appear...well, however they want. This is where StyleScript steps in. If your printer does not have PostScript capabilities built in, StyleScript can behave like a "virtual" PostScript printer, performing the same functions in software that a PostScript printer would in hardware.

Example. I created a resume for Tieraney (the aforementioned fiancee) on my G4 using the typeface Adobe Garamond. Tieraney has this typeface as well, but because her 740i was not PostScript compatible, the descenders on applicable letters got cut off when printing. I didn't want to do all the printing myself, and buying her a new PostScript compatible printer was out of the question (unless we were to forgo our honeymoon, perhpas, but I doubt she'd consider that a decent trade off). So instead we installed StyleScript. Voila! The software intepreted the PostScript typeface for the printer, sent it over, and everything looked fine...

Eventually, that is. The trouble with PostScript emulation is that it's slow. Often painfully slow. What her 740i shot out in a minute before took over ten when running through StyleScript, and we're talking strictly text here. But hey, that's the different between a software and hardware RIP. It's the same with the Epson StylusRIP I use for my Stylus 800N.

So how about pictures? Well, it's slow there too, but boy does it make a difference. If you do any kind of desktop publishing/layout using EPS images, you know that a PostScript printer is a must. Now no self-respecting DTPer is going to run a full print job on an ink jet printer, but with StyleScript, your little Hewlett-Packard or Epson becomes a fine comping machine. Images become much crisper and you're now afforded the option of PostScript color matching. Again, it's slower, but aren't all good things worth the wait? Additionally, StyleScript RGB to CMYK color matching and can deliver a true CMYK workflow. And as we all know, the closer the color of the proof is to the final run, the happier the client and the fewer headaches for you.

StyleScript can be configured to connect with any of the printers listed above using the serial port, a USB port or a network connection. This flexibility is nice, but the small number of compatible printers is not. Likewise, the fact that AppleTalk must be set to active is a bit of an annoyance. This is not unreasonable, standard PostScript printers require the same, but it may confuse some users during set-up.

Speaking of set-up, installing and running StyleScript was a breeze (barring the AppleTake issue, of course). Shutting it off, however, was a different matter. Unbeknownst to us, the installer placed a file in the Startup Items folder that could only be turned off with an extensions manager. Although PostScript capability is nice, it's not a feature we need so often that we need the RIP turned on automatically. However, it seems that Strydent's target audience are print shops looking for an inexpensive proofing system. In this case, having the RIP on at all points would make sense. In fact, with automatic optimization for your specific printer along with networking capabilities (one Mac can serve as a PostScript print server for all the Macs on the network), StyleScript could just be the most reliable worker you'll have. In fact, I found documents generated with StyleScript to be more accurate than some using hardware PostScript emulation instead of true hardware PostScript. Still slower, though.

So do most people need a PostScript 3 RIP for their printer? Probably not. But for those that do, StyleScript provides an excellent, accurate, low-cost solution. Just make sure you keep a good book near by...you'll have plenty of time to read while you're waiting for your documents to print.