01659@AECLCR.BITNET (Greg Csullog) (04/10/89)
WordPerfect (WP) users who use dot matrix printers usually experience few problems with printing - try using a nonPostScript laser printer and watch the nightmares begin. Example, if you have an HP LaserJet you can load soft fonts or plug in ROMs. Each font has an ASCII and extended ASCII mapping (e.g. for English A=65, a=97, etc.). For anyone doing straight forward alpha/numeric outputs life is simple. Watch out when you want math symbols or other nonstandard characters. Suppose you want an alpha character in your doc. You not only have to find out its numeric code in the font table in the laser but you also have to map it out in WP in its ALT character set mapper. Suppose the laser font says alpha is character 200, you have to chose character 200 for alpha in the WP table. Now, you have to do this for EACH font in the laser. When you switch fonts remapping has to be done. Compared to the Mac or GDOS, which output graphics not alpha, WP is archaic.
mark@lakesys.UUCP (Mark Storin) (04/10/89)
In article <8904091847.AA08589@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> 01659@AECLCR.BITNET (Greg Csullog) writes: > >Compared to the Mac or GDOS, which output graphics not alpha, WP is archaic. Granted, WP handling of extended character sets is clumsy but at least the capability is there. It is also the only word processor for the ST that I know of that can handle proportional fonts on a HP LJ compatible, and as far as GDOS, I have yet to see GDOS fonts that look anywhere as nice as BitStream fonts downloaded into a HP LJ II compatible, and it's much faster than sending bit-mapped graphics to the printer. -- Mark A. Storin Lake Systems, Milw., WI mark@lakesys.lakesys.COM