Qualifying Questions for Variable Data Programming & Techniques

Variable Data Programming and Techniques is the name given to the final three days of the Variable Data PostScript class. This half of the class may be taken separately if the student has already taken the Advanced PostScript class or has equivalent experience. It particularly presumes the student has experience with forms, filters, and other features of PostScript Levels 2 and 3 that are of use to the production of variable data documents. Taking these three days without adequate background will be frustrating and not very useful.

To help you judge whether you have enough background in PostScript to take the Variable Data class, please examine the set of questions below. If you can answer most of them, you probably have had enough experience to take the class.

1. How do the operators rectfill and rectstroke work?

2. What does a PaintProc procedure do? What arguments does it take?

3. How would you insert an arbitrary EPS file into a PostScript form?

4. How do you set up a color table?

5. How do you specify spot colors?

6. What is the purpose of binary-encoded PostScript?

7. What is an uncolored pattern?

8. How do you print a colored image?

9. How do you supply compressed data to the image operator?

10. Of what use are function dictionaries?

11. How do you do an axial gradient?

12. How do composite fonts apply to the printing of Roman text?