Offending command: image

As you may already have guessed, an ‘image’ error points to a problem with one of the bitmap images in your file.

Possible solutions

Often a corrupted image leads to this type or error. You can easily trace which image causes the problem from applications like QuarkXPress that allow you to print jobs without the images. If the PostScript error doesn’t occur then, you can start trying to locate the bad image. Set half of your images to non-printing and try printing again. Again halve the amount of images and print again and keep doing this until you located the bad one.

Updating your application and/or printer driver to the latest release could also solve issues with an offending command ‘Image’ error.

If the info below doesn’t point to a more specific work-around, try the basic troubleshooting tips.

PostScript error Limitcheck

If you get a PostScript error ‘limitcheck’ offending command ‘image’, an image in your document is too large, its resolution is too high or it cannot be rotated. Reduce the size or resolution, rotate the image at a different angle or rotate it in an application like Photoshop.

Some older level 2 versions of PostScript RIPs as well as Acrobat Distiller 4.0 (and 4.05 and probably 3.x) cannot handle copydot files in which the number of pixels exceeds 32000 in either direction. Using such big copydot files (eg larger than about 33 centimeters for a 2400 dpi copydot) can lead to a PostScript error “limitcheck” offending command “image”.

If you get a PostScript error “limitcheck” offending command “image” when printing from InDesign 1.0, the document probably contains a multitone EPS (duotone, tritone,.. ) that uses a spot color. To get around the error, you can either perform the colour separation in InDesign itself (deselect “In-RIP” in the separations tab) or you should upgrade your RIP to Adobe PostScript version 3011 or later.

PostScript error IOerror

An ‘ioerror’, offending command ‘image’ or ‘colorimage’ points to an incorrect amount of data in an image or it indicates that the printer’s PS interpreter reads beyond the end of the job while rendering an image. Two possible solutions:

• Make sure that the channel used to connect the printer to your system is truly binary or try to change you printer driver’s settings from binary to ASCII. In general, parallel (Centronics) interfaces do not support binary datatransfer, serial and network interfaces do.
• Scan, edit or import the image again.

PostScript error Typecheck or Rangecheck

A PostScript error ‘typecheck’ or ‘rangecheck’ orrurs when you try printing a PostScript level 2 file to a PostScript level 1 device. Check the driver settings.