CAMBRIDGE, England & CENTREVILLE, Va.--May 15, 2007-- Global Graphics has launched a next generation SDK to provide printer and Multi Function Peripheral (MFP) manufacturers with high performance components for Page Description Language (PDL) interpretation and rendering across a wide range of embedded controller architectures and operating systems. The Harlequin(R) Embedded SDK is based on a new iteration of the powerful RIP kernel found at the heart of the Harlequin RIP with significant expansion, modularity and optimization. It provides fast and efficient support for multiple PDL formats, including XPS, PDF, PostScript and in the future PCL while enabling the peripheral manufacturer to achieve low costs and rapid time to market. "We provide the tools that allow a peripheral manufacturer to engineer competitive differentiation into their product range with fast processing and PDL fidelity," says John Aitken, Global Graphics' embedded RIP product manager. "Our code-base is designed for portability to commonly used embedded processors and real-time operating systems and to run in low-memory environments enabling manufacturers to achieve low costs. We are uniquely positioned to assist printer/MFP manufacturers who want to best realize the benefits of native XPS printing on an output device without incurring additional cost. This is achievable because our scalable consumption technology may be used to off-load a portion of the PDL processing from the printing device to another process upstream allowing for a vastly more efficient use of available resource." The Harlequin Embedded SDK offers a compact and efficient software kernel with a modular architecture that enables small footprint and low memory operation. These characteristics, combined with highly configurable support for multiple PDL formats and sophisticated graphics and color handling routines, present a software solution that is suitable for a wide range of devices and whose extensive configuration options facilitate integration with an OEM's printer controller software. Flexible application programming interfaces allow for easy integration of OEM or third-party intellectual property including color management, font handling, screening or compression/decompression technology. The Harlequin Embedded SDK is one product in a new range of SDKs for driver-based, embedded and server-based solutions that use Global Graphics' next-generation RIP technology. The new solutions share a common core architecture that delivers industry-leading high-performance output levels and ensures consistency across a manufacturer's product lines. Native XPS rendering using scalable consumption Using a combination of the Harlequin Embedded SDK and Global Graphics' next-generation eDocument Library SDK, a peripheral manufacturer can realize the benefits of native XPS rendering on the printer controller board while minimizing the resources on that device. Together these two technologies form a scalable consumption solution whereby some portion of the print stream processing is off-loaded from the printing device to another process upstream from the output devices. Scalable consumption solutions can be optimized for specific types of device, or even specific instances of a device, to maximize the efficiency and cost- effectiveness of the printing workflow.