[comp.sys.atari.st] PostScript printing from Timeworks

Aaron.Roydhouse@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Aaron Roydhouse) (04/08/90)

In article <foo> swklassen@tiger.waterloo.edu (Steven W. Klassen) writes:
>- The PostScript file prints fine on a NeXt laser printer.  I had
>  some trouble, however, with an Apple LaserWriter (Plus ?).  It
>  did not seem to like the "magic word" at the beginning of the
>  PostScript file (something like %!PS-Adobe-1.0 but I'm not
>  entirely sure that is correct).  I had to delete that first line
>  then things worked fine on the Apple.  (To be honest, I'm not
>  sure that it was the LaserWriter that was the problem.  I was
>  printing through an IBM model 30 which was connected to the
>  LaserWriter, along with a number of Macs, via an AppleTalk
>  network.  It may have been AppleTalk that didn't like my
>  "magic number" and not the printer itself.  Anyway, once I
>  removed the first line everything worked just fine!)

I might be able to tell to why you had trouble with the Apple LP. 
You see most PC Postscript files (and perhaps Timeworks DTP) put
an EOT (end of text) character (ASCII 04 I think) at the beginning and
end of the file (To make sure print jobs are separated). However Apple
doesn't and Apple Postscript printers hate them, and won't print files
that contain them. That is probably why when you deleted the first
line it started printing. Anyway, remove the first and last characters
of the file and you should be right.

I have written a text file preprocessor for DTP, and one of its options
is to do just as described above. Unfortunately this version has yet
to be finished for the ST (only the PC version has it at the moment). I
wrote it on contract, but I retain the rights to it, so I will
probably make the ST version postcard-ware when I make it.

(Postcard-ware is a (possibly) new concept of mine - you can use the
software unmodified free, and pass on copies - provided you send me a
postcard, or at least some email. If you don't you can still use it,
but I'll mutter nasty things about you!)

BTW I tried to email this to you (Steven) but it bounced within 10
minutes, so since I thought it might be of general interest, I posted
it. Please send me a reply if I was right, and it will spur me on into
finishing the ST version!

Aaron.

>Steven W. Klassen
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