[comp.sys.ibm.pc] HP PaintJet & MS Word

kevino@hpccc.HP.COM (Kevin Owen) (01/05/89)

I am using MS Word with an HP PaintJet printer an would like to exploit the
features of the printer.  The printer description file (hppaint.prd) that
is shipped by Microsoft only knows about PICA font.  Has anybody out there
created a PRD file that knows about additional fonts?  How about soft fonts?
Would you be willing to post your "handiwork"??

Thanks.

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ppa@hpldola.HP.COM (Paul P. Austgen) (01/10/89)

     I use Microsoft Word 4.0 with a Paintjet. I can give you two
sets of answers:  What I do now that I know works,  and
                  What I have read that should work.

     The  paintjet  actually  has two  built-in  fonts.  The 12 point is
Pica, but the 10 and 7 point are Letter Gothic.  The Word printer manual
and program  (through  the .prd files) are  apparently  in error on this
point.  Anyway, the printer will print in these fonts regardless of what
Word says, depending on which size you specify.

     The paintjet does not have enough memory to download  fonts.  Thus,
you are stuck with the built-in  fonts as described  above.  The printer
manual states that custom fonts may be down-loaded  and describes how to
do so, but  this is  intended  to be more on a  character  by  character
basis.  In any event, Word does not know about the escape sequences, and
you would have to do some sort of custom driver.

     Now, to what I have read, that could  expand your usage of fonts on
the  paintjet.  (You can also refer to  Computer  Shopper,  JAN 89, Page
605).  HP has  written  a new  driver  for the  Paintjet  that  works in
Windows.  This  driver  causes  the  printer  to  print  the many  fonts
available in Windows, thus giving you WYSIWYG.  These are "soft"  fonts,
but they are not  down-loaded to the paintjet.  They are "ram" fonts.  I
assume that the printer must be in graphics mode, which may be slow.

     Microsoft has announced a new version of Word for Windows.  There's
a short  blurb  about  it in  December  Byte  Magazine.  An  upgrade  is
available at less than full price.  I haven't tried it yet.