ATTENTION!! Demo users have restricted support. Before contacting Support,
we do advise you to visit this FAQ as the answers to most of the queries 
should be here. We do our level best to give support but our resources are 
limited and we would like to concentrate on our existing and new customers. 

Purchase orders are handled for us by our e-commerce partner Plimus.
 To place an order by Purchase Order please go to our purchase page 
http://expert-tools.com/ENGLISH/purchase.html
 and select the product. 
On the order page please select the product and license that you need.
Then enter your address and billing details and select "Purchase Order" 
from the list of payment options. 

purchase.gif (23.0 K)
Then click "Next". 

The system will display a Proforma Invoice. 
Fax your Purchase Order to Plimus at +1-858-777-5553 
together with the displayed Proforma Invoice. 
Please note that your PO must be made out and 
send to Plimus (NOT expert-tools). 

Plimus Mailing Address:
3830 Valley Center Dr. Suite 705-294
San Diego, CA 92130

Plimus Phone:
1-866-312-7733 (toll-free in USA and Canada), 1-858-350-7473 (international)
If you want talk to a Plimus representative, please press option #3 on the voice menu.

Plimus Fax:
1-858-777-5553

Plimus Email: support@plimus.com
If required, W9 information can be obtained here: 
http://plimus.com/jsp/PlimusW9.pdf

xPrint is neither our product nor a  replacement of our Informatik Image Driver.
It is merely an add-on to an MS driver published (WDK) as a sample.
This add-on (Visual Basic clone) has been done by an ex-reseller, 
whose services have been cancelled by ourselves.
It is really inexpensive.

You will get this error message if the system file framedyn.dll cannot be found.
This is usually the result of a bad environment path. To get around this error 
please follow these instructions: 
1. Copy %Windir%\System32\Wbem\framedyn.dll to %Windir%\System32. 
2. Run the installation program again. 
3. Delete framedyn.dll from %Windir%\System32. 

For more details about this issue, please refer to Microsoft Article 319114:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;319114

In Printing Preferences, choose the Layout tab, then click on the 'Advanced' 
button. 
advanced.jpg (37.8 K)
Under Document Options you will find the Bitmap Format selections. 
format.jpg (177.8 K)
Here you can specify the type of TIFF format that you want to use. 
TIFF Black/White Group 4, multi-strip TIFF Black/White Group 4, single strip 
(default), 24-bit Color Packbits (True Color) , 8-bit Color Packbits 
(256 Colors), 4-bit Color Packbits (16 colors) ,
(LZW support available on Request). 24-bit color requires an enormous 
amount of memory. If your system does not have sufficient memory to create 
the color output file, it automatically reverts to black and white output. 
For color output, minimize the memory requierment, use a lower resolution, 
or use the 8-bit color. The 4-bit color mode is specially useful for Excel 
spreadsheets that have charts or graphics. 

Yes, we do customize and personalize drivers. The Informatik Image Driver is 
native, developed and supported by HSM Informatik AG. It does not use Microsoft 
files such as UNIDRV or copyrighted files which cannot be altered. This allows 
us to virtually make any custom modification, if necessary, to the driver to 
suit the users particular needs. If you need to customize the driver, please 
do send us a detailed description of your requirements so that we can estimate 
the amount of time required. In the case of an alteration, in conjunction with 
an application, we would also require a full description of the requirement 
and the application (in the case of a non-standard app.) so that we can 
reproduce your wishes. In either case, we will a make a proposal containing  
costs, payment and time required. 
We have delivered customized software to many satisfied customers such as  
large US businesses, the swiss government and corporations around the 
world. In case of doubt, do not hesitate to contact us at
 
mbose@expert-tools.com. 

Yes we do support (since Version 3.5) the DebugView utility. 
You will find the latest version of this excellent program:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896647.aspx

Support for this feature is provided only for site- or 
developer-licenses.
For further information:
mbose@expert-tools.com

Yes. A VBS script can be run automatically after the Informatik Image Driver 
has created the output file. The VBS script is run via the WSCRIPT.EXE.  
The output file name created by the Informatik Image Driver is automatically 
passed as an argument.In the 'Select Application to be launched' field 
in the Informatik Image Driver window, enter "WSCRIPT.EXE" (without 
quotation marks) followed by complete script file name, including the full path.
For a screen sample of an entry in the 'Select Application to be launched' 
see the launch-script.gif below.   
launch_script.gif (15.5 K)
You can download our example script (test.vbs) by clicking on the link below
test.vbs (497 bytes)
and should see after completing the print job: 

Please download the Temp.vbs to locate the DONE_HSM.TIF file from the 
following link: 

temp.vbs (0.5 K)

Put it in any directory and doubleclick on it. It will show the 
information you request.

The registration information is shown in the about page.To get the about page 
do as follows (instructions for Vista):
1. Click on the Start Button (usually lower left corner of the screen)
2. Select Control Panel
3. Double click on Printers (printers and faxes)
printers.jpg (193.1 K)
4. Right click on Informatik Image Driver and select "Printing Preferences"
5. In the "Printing Preferences" window you will see the "about" tab.

about.jpg (195.2 K)

The only way this can be done is by installing other Instances of the driver 
which have to be bought seperately. 
Please consult mbose@expert-tools.com. 
Upto 15 instances may be installed on a PC. Each one will appear under a 
different name and use their own Windows Registry. Each Instance writes 
to a separate Windows Registry tree (under the original used, under the 
number 01 for the first instance, 02 for the second instance, etc.) 
allowing to keep different "image printers" with its own settings.

Go Start => Printers. Right click on the column "Names".
Server_properties.gif (36.7 K)
Create a custom printer form
In Form name, type a name for the new form. 
Under Form description (measurements), type the dimensions you want for the 
new form.
Server_Properties2.gif (36.9 K)
Printer forms define a paper size and type used by a print device. 
Forms are provided for all standard paper sizes. 
You can define a custom paper form for nonstandard paper sizes

See :
http://www.expert-tools.com/server2003.swf

Yes. If the file name contains blanks eg. "Copy of XXX.tif" it requires 
to be surrounded by double quotes; especially with commandline apps. 
If the app is not aware that file names(since Windows 2K)may contain blanks, 
this may cause errors. 
Most users know it, BUT some do not and it may give non expected results.
Double quotes will do no harm even when used with file names without blanks.

This happens when you try to use a Standalone Version as a "shared" Driver in a
network environment. Or you try to share a printer with other users or PC's on 
a peer to peer environment.Just uncheck the "shared" attribute of the printer 
and it will work as before.

Insert:
(for example or use the adequate path) 
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\OUTLOOK.EXE" /a 
in "Set Application to be launched".If there are blanks in the string, 
it is very important that the path is inserted within " " before the 
blank space.

With /a the output of the driver will be sent to Outlook as attachment 
and is compatible with all versions

OUTLOOK.JPEG (52.4 K)

They are saved under
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/HSM/X.XX/Settings
X.XX stands for the version number eg: 4.01

You may:
1. Use a BAT or CMD file which allows the use of REG commands. You either call the file directly (in a shell) or double click on it. This is ideal for batch processing.
2. A REG file allows you to add, delete or modify registry entries directly.

A sample CMD and a sample REG are provided. 
Click here to download:

Registry.zip (0.8 K)

WARNING!
Be advised that the Windows Registry is the backbone of Windows. If you decide to make changes to the registry, please create a backup before doing so.

A new link to download is given free of charge up to 30 days from the date
of purchase. Thereafter and upto one year from the date of purchase, a new 
link will be charged depending on the type of license to be reissued. 

After one year, we recommend upgrading to a newer version if available.
Under circumstances, a copy of the original will no more be available. 

Since we do not have current versions of AutoCad, we use PowerPoint to test PaperFormats. 
Like all Office programs, PowerPoint outputs (fulfills 100% Standard Formats) upto A0. 

Unfortunately we are not AutoCad experts. But we may show you that our driver outputs correct paper sizes: 

1- Download a PPT file (A0 size) from: 

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/search/?q=landscape&within=www.ncl.ac.uk%2Flibrary%2Fservices%2Fgeneral&num=10 

2- Open it in PPT and use the Informatik Image driver as the 'printer'

3- Under properties set the paper size to A0

The output TIF must be an A0 

Also, see our FAQ: 

http://www.expert-tools.com/cgi-bin/FAQ/fom?file=25 

Due to problems with legacy ports (in this case LPT1:) it is better to
switch the used port to a NULL port. This problem has been eliminated in
version 3.60 and higher.

The attached Document explains how to do this. Follow the instructions 
exactly as indicated. During the procedure you will be asked to reboot; and on 
completion once again. 

NULL_PORT.DOC (63.0 K)

The attached Document explains how to set it up. Follow the instructions 
exactly as indicated. During the procedure you will be asked to reboot; and on 
completion once again. 

NULL_PORT.DOC (63.0 K)

When using JPEG an application cannot be launched due to synchronization 
problems related to this format (reduction due to quality loss). 

USERDEFINED PAPERFORMATS

The are 2 possibilities of using formats other than those integrated in 
the Informatik Image Driver

1. 
The desired paper formats will be added by us into the driver. This is liable 
to costs and an offer will be made accordingly depending on which or how many 
formats should be added as well as how many licenses the customer will have or
 has.
Attention!!  If paper formats, larger than A0 are desired, the customer must 
be aware that these formats demand a very large amount of storage and the 
output of colour TIF files is hardly possible.

2. 
User defined paper formats are added via the System. This can be done by the 
customer himself and is free of charge. 
Attention!!   The maximum  paper size in the Informatik Image Driver is A0. 
Defined formats larger than A0 will not be accepted by the driver. 

Addition of paper formats via the System can be done as follows: 

Go to 
-       ‘Start’ – bottom left corner
-       Choose ‘Printers & Faxes’ 
-       Mark the Image Driver 
-       Click ‘File’ – upper left corner 
-       Click ‘Serverproperties’

See screenshot ss1 below.

On clicking ‘Serverproperties (see ss2 below) user 
defined sizes/formulars can be set in Menu "Formulars"

ss1 (24.3 K)

ss2 (37.2 K)

Yes! It was tested on the 3rd. August 2008 and the results were:
1) All options work correctly
2) Highspeed is given.

Please make sure that the following files are in the path:
- HSM_PDF_RASTER.dll
- tiffcp.exe
- VB_P2T.DLL 
so that they can be "seen".

The DIR psfonts must be in the directory underneath  

We have seen that you get a 0 size tiff if the tiffcp.exe is missing.  

ATTENTION!! - Some firewalls do not allow EXE Files to go through. 

Be sure we do thoroughly test all samples published in our Website.  
Samples are thought to be used by progammers with a minimum knowledge of the 
techniques involved.

Please (for a VBNET sample) follow these steps:
1. Download the sample and unzip to a "trusted" folder. 
zip.gif (25.1 K)
2. Do not change the structure of the folder.
3, Double-click on the *.sln file. The correct version of the Visual Studio 
should appear.
vb_vs2005.gif (30.4 K)
4. Click to build.

The exe file which is now build runs coreecty:
result_03.gif (20.9 K)

You will find the details of your registration:
-Copy MP2T.EXE or VB_P2T.DLL or CP2T.DLL to the Desktop
-Right click on the .EXE or .DLL
-Choose "Properties" 
-Choose "Version" (XP) or "Details" (VISTA)
-(XP) Under "Version Information" click on each position ...
And you will see your registrations' details.

P2T_REG.GIF (18.2 K)

Before calling Convert you must call SetCompress(5).
The default value for SetCompress is 4, hence without using SetCompress the 
resulting TIFF would be B/W (group 4 compressed).
The correct sequence to convert color PDF's to color TIFF's is:
1. SetBPP(3)
2. SetCompress(5)
3. Convert(Inputfile, Outputfile)

No but you may use PDF2TIFF calls in any batch or cmd file. 
Look at foreach.cmd which shows how to use "for ... in" in order 
to do the same as when using wildcards.

foreach.cmd (55 bytes)

Our PDF2TIFF utility "translates" the PDF code to raster instructions 
and is therefore sensitive to an absolute correct syntax. 

Our SimpleP2T utility converts PDF's to TIFFS using our own image 
driver with its own "rasterizer" to display the PDF and capture the 
displayed image to a TIFF file.  This way of "direct image conversion" 
is somehow slower, needs more memory but in the most cases avoids translation 
problems. 

Commandline 5.0
DLL (C++ NET) 5.0
DLL (VB 6.0) 5.0

No; if you look for this compression in the internet you will see many problems related to this compression.
This compression is difficult to use with "image conversion" and poses many reported problems.
Hence our DLL does not support it . The supported compressions by our utility (as stated in the manual)are:
  
        1 = NONE (uncompressed)
        2 = RLE
        3 = FAX3 (TIFF Group 3)
        4 = G4 (TIFF Group 4)
        5 = LZW

Due to compatibility problems (bug in VISTA) when using XP you should install:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/1/1/1116b75a-9ec3-481a-a3c8-1777b5381140/vcredist_x86.exe

-Copy MP2T.EXE to the Desktop
-Right click on the file 
-Choose "Properties" 
-Choose "Version" or "Details" 
-(XP)Under "Version Information" click on each position ...
And you will see your registrations' details

DPI means Dots Per Inch. DPI is used to measure the resolution of display and 
printing systems. A typical CRT screen provides 96 dpi, which provides 9,216 
dots per square inch (96x96). Flat panel displays from 110 to 200 dpi have also
been developed. The higher the resoultion(DPI), the sharper the resulting image.
Changing DPI's DOES NOT change the size of the resulting TIFF file.

Two articles are worth while reading in order to understand the terms used:

http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00075.htm

http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/coming-to-terms-with-dpi-ppi-and-size.html

Download this package (to be used with the commandline):

p2t_faq.zip (1.4 M)

It contains:

300r600.pdf (The original PDF)
TEST_CMD_DPI.CMD (The command file to convert to test1 - test3.tif)
TEST_CMD_SIZE.CMD (The commad file to output test4.tif - reduce size)
test1.tif
test2.tif
test3.tif
test4.tif

You will see that modifying the dpi does not change the size of the resulting
file. Using -w -l changes the size of the file 

Answers in this category:
Where do I find the details of my registration?
How can I register the DLL (BT2P.dll) in order to instantiate it from ASP page?

You will find the details of your registration:
-Copy T2PDF.EXE or BT2P.DLL or CT2P.DLL to the Desktop
-Right click on the .EXE or .DLL
-Choose "Properties" (XP)
-Choose "Version" or "Details" (VISTA)
-(XP)Under "Version Information" click on each position ...
And you will see your registrations' details

Jim Kinter answers:
 I worked around the problem by creating an
ActiveX DLL that implemented Methods that mirrored the methods exposed
by your component. The ActiveX DLL was then able to be
registered....which means that it can be instantiated by the ASP page.

SNIP
VERSION 1.0 CLASS
BEGIN
  MultiUse = -1  'True
  Persistable = 0  'NotPersistable
  DataBindingBehavior = 0  'vbNone
  DataSourceBehavior  = 0  'vbNone
  MTSTransactionMode  = 0  'NotAnMTSObject
END
Attribute VB_Name = "Converter"
Attribute VB_GlobalNameSpace = False
Attribute VB_Creatable = True
Attribute VB_PredeclaredId = False
Attribute VB_Exposed = True
Private m_ReturnCode As String
Private Declare Function t2p_s Lib "BT2P.dll" (ByVal strOutFile As
String) As Long
Private Declare Function t2p_d Lib "BT2P.dll" (ByVal strOutFile1 As
String, ByVal strOutFile2 As String) As Long
Private Declare Function t2p_x Lib "BT2P.dll" (ByVal list As String) As
Long
Private Declare Function t2p_mx Lib "BT2P.dll" (ByVal multiple As
String, ByVal Out As String) As Long
Private Declare Function ValidateTiff Lib "BT2P.dll" (ByVal strOutFile
As String) As Long


Public Function Convert(ByVal SourceFileName As String) As Long
    m_ReturnCode = t2p_s(SourceFileName)
    Convert = m_ReturnCode
End Function


Public Function ConvertAndRename(ByVal SourceFileName As String, ByVal
TargetFileName As String) As Long
    m_ReturnCode = t2p_d(SourceFileName, TargetFileName)
    ConvertAndRename = m_ReturnCode
End Function


Public Function Merge(ByVal FileList As String) As Long
    m_ReturnCode = t2p_x(FileList)
    Merge = m_ReturnCode
End Function


Public Function MergeAndRename(ByVal FileList As String, ByVal
TargetFileName As String) As Long
    m_ReturnCode = t2p_mx(FileList, TargetFileName)
    MergeAndRename = m_ReturnCode
End Function


Public Function Validate(ByVal SourceFileName As String) As Long
    m_ReturnCode = ValidateTiff(SourceFileName)
    Validate = m_ReturnCode
End Function


Public Property Get Status() As String
    Select Case m_ReturnCode
        Case -1
            Status = "The function has not been executed"
        Case 0
            Status = "No Error. Conversion Succeeded"
        Case 1
            Status = "Incorrect syntax of the input argument"
        Case 2
            Status = "Invalid input file (wrong format or non-existing
file)"
        Case 3
            Status = "Invalid output file (non-existing or locked
folder, locked/write-protected file)"
        Case 4
            Status = "Output file is not specified"
        Case 202
            Status = "Program must be run in compilation mode"
    End Select
End Property



Private Sub Class_Initialize()
    m_ReturnCode = -1
End Sub
/SNIP

Follows the implementation code from the ASP side.


Function ConvertTifToPDF(ByVal SourceFilePath, ByVal DestFilePath)
        dim objT2P, bIsEmptyDest, strError, intRetCode


        strError=""


        if len(DestFilePath)=0 then
                bIsEmptyDest=true
        else
                bIsEmptyDest=false
        end if


        set objT2P =server.createobject("t2pwrapper.converter")
        
        if bIsEmptyDest then
                intRetCode = objT2P.Convert(SourceFilePath)
        else
                intRetCode = objT2P.ConvertAndRename(SourceFilePath,
DestFilePath)
        end if


        if intRetCode<>0 then
                strError= objT2P.Status 
        end if


        set objT2P=nothing
        
        ConvertTifToPDF=strError
End Function

Answers in this category:
According to your Website the demo version is non crippled. What is the difference between the demo and the release version?

Each time a page is 'printed' with the demo version, the user is made aware 
that a demo version is being used. So, if a 'multipage' .tif has to be printed, 
this comment will be displayed after each page. For example, if a .tif file 
has 3 pages, then this comment will appear 3 times. This annoying display is 
not present in the release version. 

demo_t2x.gif (36.9 K)