[comp.sys.mac] Printing Mac Postscript

sstaton@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Steven Staton) (10/24/89)

Using Cmd-K, one can print a Postscript(r) file on a Macintosh to disk.
This file can be FTP'd to the NeXT (I use DataViz's product instead) and
examined in a text editor.  It is clear that the LaserPrep file is added
to the front of the output Postscript file, but the NeXT Postscript en-
gine seems unwilling or unable to handle some of the LaserWriter specific
Postscript commands such as settimeout.

How does one clean up the LaserPrep file for this transferred printing?

Steve Staton - Deltos Fleet Computing
sstaton@attctc
"What part of NO didn't you understand?"

gelphman@adobe.COM (David Gelphman) (11/22/89)

In article <19294@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> schuler@euler.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Carlos Alejandro Schuler) writes:
>In article <9851@attctc.Dallas.TX.US- sstaton@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Steven Staton) writes:
...
>-How does one clean up the LaserPrep file for this transferred printing?
>-Steve Staton - Deltos Fleet Computing

>One more question regarding this: How do you add LaserPrep to the front
>of the output Postcript file? I am interested actually in getting a WORD 4.0
>document to print in a Postscript printer attached to a DECstation 3100. The
>idea, however, is the same: to get a complete, transportable Postscript
>file. Any help is greatfully appreciated. Please repply to both this account
>and comp.sys.mac if possible. Thanks.
>Carlos Schuler

   There are two parts to the answer to the question. First, versions
of the LaserWriter driver prior to version 6.0 produced less portable
PostScript code than version 6.0. This lack of portability comes from
use of device dependent features (there is no setdefaulttimeouts in
all PostScript language implementations, such as the Display PostScript
system on the NeXT machine). This was cleaned up considerably with
version 6.0. Version 6.0 is unfortunately not shipped with any Macintosh
nor is it on the System 6.0.x update disks. Version 5.2 of the LaserWriter
driver is shipped with System 6.0.x (really!). It is available on the
'Apple Color Disk' which also contains 32-bit QuickDraw. You do not 
need to use 32-Bit QuickDraw or Color QuickDraw to use LaserWriter 6.0. 

The way to get the LaserPrep file inserted at the beginning of the file is to
use COMMAND-K instead of COMMAND-F. The resulting file can be sent to
a PostScript printer or the Display PostScript system, even if LaserPrep
hasn't already been loaded.

Hope this helps,
David Gelphman
Adobe Systems Incorporated