[net.micro.mac] Mac XL LaserWriter Incompatibility

bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys) (06/18/85)

We have recently gotten a LaserWriter here and I have run
into a strange incompatibility when using it with documents
prepared on my Mac XL (running Finder 4.1 and the prerelease
autoboot system).  Although I installed a complete set of
laserwriter fonts and the LaserPrep and LaserWriter drivers,
I do not have a LaserWriter attached to my machine, and instead
must take disks upstairs to be printed.

When I do so, I find that the formatting of MS Word documents is
subtly changed because character widths assumed when I format
the document on the XL are altered.  This changes pagination,
etc., and propagates throughout the document.  (The machine
attached to the LaserWriter is a fat Mac).  I assume the same
thing would happen with MacWrite but I haven't tried it.

By experimentation, I found that when I freshly install the
LaserWriter stuff on the XL (using "Install LaserWriter"),
the problem goes away temporarily, i.e., documents formatted
on the XL will print correctly on the Fat Mac attached to the
LaserWriter.  This is apparently due to the fact that the XL
thinks it can use the LaserWriter - for example, if you try to
print a file, you get the LaserWriter print menu.  However, when
I change the XL printer to the ImageWriter, to print a draft,
for example, the formatting then gets screwed up (although you
have to quit Word and restart it to see this).  Unfortunately, 
there is no convenient way to restore the status quo ante, since
no LaserWriter is actually attached to my XL and the "Choose Printer"
DA doesn't allow me to change to a nonexistent LaserWriter.

Has anyone else encountered this problem?  Is there a more convenient
work-around than using "Install LaserWriter" every time you want
to format a document?

-- 
"Men never do evil so cheerfully and so completely as when they do so from
	religious conviction."  -- Blaise Pascal

	Bill Jefferys  8-%
	Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712   (USnail)
	{allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill	(uucp)
	bill%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA		(ARPANET)

bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys) (06/22/85)

> We have recently gotten a LaserWriter here and I have run
> into a strange incompatibility when using it with documents
> prepared on my Mac XL (running Finder 4.1 and the prerelease
> autoboot system).  Although I installed a complete set of
> laserwriter fonts and the LaserPrep and LaserWriter drivers,
> I do not have a LaserWriter attached to my machine, and instead
> must take disks upstairs to be printed.
> 
> When I do so, I find that the formatting of MS Word documents is
> subtly changed because character widths assumed when I format
> the document on the XL are altered.  This changes pagination,
> etc., and propagates throughout the document.

I have found a more convenient workaround to this problem which
I will share.

	(a) Launch Word or MacWrite.
	(b) Deselect the ImageWriter by using the Choose Printer
	    DA; click on the empty area of the menu to unhilight
	    the ImageWriter choice.
	(c) Pull down "Print" from the File menu.
	(d) Click "Cancel" when the LaserWriter dialog box
	    pops up.
	(e) Quit the application and start it up again.

All of these steps appear to be required.  It doesn't seem to work,
e.g., from the desktop.  I have no idea why it works.  I consider
this a terrible kludge, but at least it does work and for the moment
I can get things done.  APPLE OUGHT TO FIX THIS IN THE NEXT RELEASE!!
Apple--Are you listening?

-- 
"Men never do evil so cheerfully and so completely as when they do so from
	religious conviction."  -- Blaise Pascal

	Bill Jefferys  8-%
	Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712   (USnail)
	{allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill	(uucp)
	bill%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA		(ARPANET)

darin@tmq.UUCP (Darin Adler) (07/01/85)

> I have found a more convenient workaround to this problem which
> I will share.
> 
> 	(a) Launch Word or MacWrite.
> 	(b) Deselect the ImageWriter by using the Choose Printer
> 	    DA; click on the empty area of the menu to unhilight
> 	    the ImageWriter choice.
> 	(c) Pull down "Print" from the File menu.
> 	(d) Click "Cancel" when the LaserWriter dialog box
> 	    pops up.
> 	(e) Quit the application and start it up again.

I use a shorter version of this process.  I do steps (a) and (b) above and
then:

	(c) Choose "Page Setup..." from the File menu.
	(d) Click "OK" when the LaserWriter dialog box pops up.

The document that I am working on is set up for the LaserWriter and any
applications that I continue to use are also set up correctly.

Darin Adler
ihnp4!tmq!darin