coleman@lll-lcc.llnl.gov (Sam Coleman) (02/01/89)
I've written some code that sends a Postscript file from a PC to a Postscript printer (Laserwriter II, etc.). It also sends ASCII files by converting them to Postscript. Now I'm wondering if there's a commercial or non-commercial product that might do a better job. For example, I'd prefer a TSR code. Anything out there?
pjh@mccc.UUCP (Pete Holsberg) (02/04/89)
In article <2264@lll-lcc.llnl.gov> coleman@lll-lcc.llnl.gov (Sam Coleman) writes:
=
=I've written some code that sends a Postscript file from a PC to a Postscript
=printer (Laserwriter II, etc.). It also sends ASCII files by converting them
=to Postscript.
=
=Now I'm wondering if there's a commercial or non-commercial product that might
=do a better job. For example, I'd prefer a TSR code.
Sam, do you of a way to do a PrintScreen to a PS printer? Thx.
Pete
--
Pete Holsberg UUCP: {...!rutgers!}princeton!mccc!pjh
Mercer College CompuServe: 70240,334
1200 Old Trenton Road GEnie: PJHOLSBERG
Trenton, NJ 08690 Voice: 1-609-586-4800izumi@violet.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa) (02/05/89)
In article <2264@lll-lcc.llnl.gov> coleman@lll-lcc.llnl.gov (Sam Coleman) writes: >=I've written some code that sends a Postscript file from a PC to a Postscript >=printer (Laserwriter II, etc.). It also sends ASCII files by converting them >=to Postscript. >= >=Now I'm wondering if there's a commercial or non-commercial >= product that might >=do a better job. For example, I'd prefer a TSR code. > I think what you really need is not a PostScript driver, but a serial port (COMx) driver which implements XON/XOFF (CTL-S/CTL-Q) hand shake. All the problems are due to the lack of decent COMx port driver in IBM PC BIOS, or in MS-DOS. If there were a decent driver, we should be able to write PostScript directly via COM port by directly writing to it (by opening COMx as a file/device), or by using DOS copy command. Alas what we have is a pretty useless BIOS driver which only implements HARDWARE Handshake. And LaserWriter, in default mode, can only do software handshake via XON/XOFF characters (see below though). The simplest way to do this is to use a TSR printer spooler which allows spooling from LPTx and redirected output via COM port. I think most spooling software can do this, for example, I know that SUPRSPL.COM (sp?) from AST which comes with addin boards like 6 Pak Plus etc does this. Install this software with LPTx redirected to COMx. Then, after that, anything written to LPTx will be sent automatically to COMx with appropriate handshake for LaserWriter xxx. Your PostScript generating program can directly write to LPTx, or if you want to send a file from DOS, you can use a simple copy as in "copy output.ps lptx". In reality, all that software is unnecessary. All LaserWriters except for the original one (pre-LaserWriter Plus printer) can do HARDWARE HANDSHAKE with the COMx port. You must use a RS232C cable with handshake line appropriately connected. Also, I believe, you must activate the HARDWARE HANDSHAKE on the LaserWriter by sending a short PostScript Command. Unfortunately, I don't have the detailed information handy. I can dig it up, if you need it. Izumi Ohzawa izumi@violet.berkeley.edu ...ucbvax!violet!izumi