palmer@tybalt.caltech.edu (David Palmer) (10/06/89)
The age old question: How to I print Mac files on a postscript printer
attached to a Unix machine? Please mail the replies rather than post,
as this question comes up very often. The answer (which I will summarize)
only gets as far as getting the postscript file to the Unix machine.
I have a postscript file (with laserprep header) on my Mac. (I got it
by
a) do not be on an appletalk net
b) turn on appletalk with chooser.
c) If under multifinder, turn off background printing
d) choose a laserwriter under chooser
e) Run the application and choose "print..." from the menu
f) Click down on "OK", hold down clover-K, release mouse button,
wait for an indication that the program is storing the postscript
to a file. Release clover-K
)
I transferred the file, in binary mode, to a Sun. Binary mode keeps the ^Ms
('\015') from being changed into ^Js ('\012').
This process (all per the notes on Sumex) results in a 38K file,~28K of
which is header.
Attached to the Sun (serial port) is a LaserWriter IINT. [Side question,
is it possible to hook up both Appletalk and the serial port at the same
time so that it may print from either? probably not.]
I do an 'lpr -Pprintername filename'. The LaserWriter spits out a page with
the top line a smear of characters.
'man lpr' Indicates that only files that start with '%!' are printed in
postscript. A Sun application which outputs postscript files (which
can successfully be lpr'ed) produces files with the first line '%!'
and separated by newlines (^J's instead of ^M's)
I make these modifications (adding a line with just '%!' and replaing
the ^Ms with ^Js)
Now when I print the file, nothing is printed out. The green light blinks
for a while, then stays on steadily.
What am I doing wrong?
Mail me the answers. This question, and variants thereof, seem to eat
a lot of net.bandwidth. If you need the answer, mail a request and I
will send you what I am find out.
Thanks in advance.
David Palmer
palmer@tybalt.caltech.edu
...rutgers!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!palmer
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