ECMS - Configuring the ImageNow Printer and Tiff Compression Formats

If you need to print in color with ImageNow Printer, some configuration changes will need to be made. In order to configure the ImageNow Printer, you need to make changes to the inowprint.ini file with a text editor program such as Textpad or Notepad++.

Use the following steps to configure a color ImageNow Printer without adding an additional printer, either via BigFix or manually:

Via BigFix:

  1. Close the Perceptive Content Client.
  2. Open BigFix.
  3. Locate the offer for "Perceptive Content Updated .ini File" and select the offer.
  4. Choose "Get".
  5. BigFix will indicate the update is in process with "Pending Start".
  6. Once you see the action has completed you can exit BigFix and test printing to your ImageNow Printer in color.

Manually:

  1. Close the Perceptive Content Client.
  2. In Windows File Explorer, enter %ProgramFiles(x86)%\ImageNow\etc in the address bar, and then open the inowprint.ini file in a text editor (Right-click and select Open With and select a text editor program such as Textpad or Notepad++. Do not use Microsoft Word).

    Note: If the etc folder or the inowprint.ini file does not exist, it is likely that ImageNow Printer was not installed during the Perceptive Content installation, or the installation was not performed as an administrator.

  3. Adjust the following settings as follows:
    • Section [TIFF File Format]
      • BW compression = Group4
      • Color compression = Medium quality JPEG
      • Indexed compression = Packbits
      • Greyscale compression = Medium quality JPEG
    • Section [Save]
      • Color reduction = Optimal

  4. Test the ImageNow Printer.

    If it still does not print in color, remove the asterisk (*) from the beginning of the *[Devmode settings] line in the Graphics settings section at the top of inowprint.ini

Why are these changes necessary?

  • TIFF files with LZW compression cannot be annotated in the Perceptive Content client.
    Color and Grayscale compression should be set to Medium quality JPEG instead of LZW to allow for annotations.
  • Updating the Indexed compression setting allows thumbnails to be created properly when printing certain file types (e.g. JPEGs).
  • Updating the Color reduction setting allows for color printing.


Keywords:
ECMS Perceptive Content desktop client ImageNow printer install inowprint color reduction jpeg thumbnails blank dithering method BW greyscale compression LZW optimal packbits tiff format compression 
Doc ID:
65625
Owned by:
Craig S. in ECMS
Created:
2016-08-01
Updated:
2023-11-02
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, ECMS