[comp.sys.atari.st] Printing Manuals on an ST

covertr@gtephx.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) (02/11/89)

This is a request for help in printing out manuals on my Atari ST, but I
am posting it to the MAC newsgroups because I can run Macintosh DTP programs
on my Mega ST using the Spectre 128 Mac emulator. So, if I can't find a way
to print out the manuals with an Atari ST program, I would like to know if there
is a way to print out the manuals using a Macintosh program.

So, here is my request:

I need a program to print out 5.5" x 8.5" double sided manuals on my SLM804 
laser printer usinf standard  8.5" x 11" paper. The printout should be as follows:
  
LANDSCAPE LAYOUT
| <----           11"        ---->   |
--------------------------------------   -
| left header      |   right header  |   ^      You would print out the front side
|                  |                 |   |      of all the pages first. So, for a
|                  |                 |   |      twenty page manual you would print
|                  |                 |  5.5"    pages 20 and 1
|                  |                 |   |
|                  |                 |   |
|                  |                 |   |
|      -20-        |       -1-       |   V
--------------------------------------   -


--------------------------------------              
| left header      |   right header  |         then you would print 18 and 3
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|      -18-        |       -3-       | 
--------------------------------------


--------------------------------------
| left header      |   right header  | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|      -16-        |       -5-       | 
--------------------------------------



                   o
                   o
                   o
                   o


--------------------------------------
| left header      |   right header  |            the last front page would be
|                  |                 |            pages 12 and 9
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|      -12-        |       -9-       | 
--------------------------------------


The Back Pages!!!

--------------------------------------
| left header      |   right header  |           You would then feed the paper back
|                  |                 |           thru the SLM804 so that the back pages
|                  |                 |          wwould be printed starting at 
|                  |                 |           pages 2 and 19.
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|      -2 -        |       -19-      | 
--------------------------------------


--------------------------------------
| left header      |   right header  | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|      -4 -        |       -17-      | 
--------------------------------------


--------------------------------------
| left header      |   right header  | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|      -6-         |       -15-      | 
--------------------------------------



                   o
                   o
                   o
                   o


--------------------------------------            And ending with pages 10 and 11.
| left header      |   right header  | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|                  |                 | 
|      -10-        |       -11-      | 
--------------------------------------



This method would allow you to fold the printouts in half and staple them to form
the final manual.   I need to be able to preview the manual before printing, and I
need to be able to insert graphics.

Now, we have Timework's PUBLSIHER ST, Softlogik's Page Stream, Michtron's FLEET
STREET PUBLISHER 2.0, and ISD's CALAMUS desktop publishing programs to choose
between. My question is: Can any of them print out a manual in the manner that
I described above?? I need to have the DTP program print out all of the front pages
first, and then all of the back pages last. I want to make printouts in landscape
mode so that I can use my standard 8.5" x 11" stock paper. I am not even certain
that the SLM804 can feed 5.5" x 8.0" note sized paper. 


Please respond on the net as there may be others who could use an answer to this
thorny problem.

Richard (I own all of the above DTP packages!!) Covert