[comp.sys.mac] print error in new MacDraw II update

jjs@mickey.PRC.Unisys.COM (James Solderitsch) (03/18/89)

Thought the net might be interested, and perhaps someone (at Claris?)
can offer a solution.

I eagerly awaited the upgrade of Claris' MacDraw II to version 1.1 because
there was to be a viewgraph preparation option, including the
ability to print handouts that contain either 2, 3 or 6 slides per page.

Well the package came this week while I was out of town, but last
night I created a bunch of slides and set out to print a handout
master, using the 6 per page option.  My only non-standard requirement
was that the laserwriter I intend to use to print the handouts is located
at work on a local area network.  Thus I wanted to use the Command-F (or
I guess just F works too) option on exiting the laserwriter print
dialog box.

This is where the error occurs.  Initially I get the creating the
postscript file message, the little MacDraw window that draws dots to
show that something is happening, and things begin normally.  BUT, in a 
second or too, the "creating postscript" message goes away, the
"looking for laserwriter" message appears, and in another few seconds.
MacDraw II "unexpectedly quits".  This is under multifinder -- under the
finder its worse -- I get a system bomb (id 25 I think, I can't recall
the multifinder error message).

This whole process is perfectly repeatable.  MacDraw II will create a
postscript file of the slides OK, it just can't handle the handout
option that I was looking forward too.  I have a Plus, running 6.02,
2.5 megs.  I must confess that a few inits are running, but I don't
expect them to be a problem.  I have been using the current init assortment
for several months now with no difficulties.

I have a call in to Claris technical support, and the technician I talked
to was able to reproduce the problem on his test station (I don't know
what configuration he was running).  They promise to get back to me
but knowing how busy tech support staffs can be (I was on hold for
about 15 minutes before I was able to talk to him), I am not holding my
breath.

Thus, if any of you are also waiting to use MacDraw II as a minimal
Powerpoint as I was, unless your laserwriter is appletalked to your machine,
the full functionality you seek may be currently unavailable.

Have a good day.

Jim Solderitsch

USENET: sdcrdcf!burdvax!jjs
        {sdcrdcf,bpa,psuvax1}!burdvax!jjs
ARPANET: jjs@burdvax.prc.unisys.com

hegarty@janus.uucp (Christopher Hegarty) (03/18/89)

In article <9597@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> jjs@mickey.PRC.Unisys.COM (James Solderitsch) writes:
>
>Thought the net might be interested, and perhaps someone (at Claris?)
>can offer a solution.

[problem with generating Macdraw II 1.1 postscript files]

The way around this problem is to delay pressing the 'f' key until after
the dialog box informing you that printing is in progress appears.
If you hit the 'f' key just as the dialog box appears, the postscript
file to print the slides will appear as normal.

However, if you select the option to print either the handouts or the
slides + handouts, the printer actually receives two postscript files
to print --- one for the slides (which is just some header stuff if
you haven't selected the 'print slides + handouts' option) and a
second one for the handouts.  So you need to hold down the 'f' key
until the dialog box tells you that it's printing the handouts (pages)
rather than the slides.

Christoper Hegarty (hegarty@janus.berkeley.edu)

gae@sphere.mast.ohio-state.edu (Gerald Edgar) (03/18/89)

In article <28435@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> hegarty@janus.UUCP (Christopher Hegarty) writes:
>In article <9597@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> jjs@mickey.PRC.Unisys.COM (James Solderitsch) writes:
>
>The way around this problem is to delay pressing the 'f' key until after
>the dialog box informing you that printing is in progress appears.

I hit the F too soon, and MacDraw started typing FFFFFF onto my
document.  A new "feature" is that you can start typing without first
selecting the text tool.  Apparently COMMAND-F doesn't have this problem.

-- 
  Gerald A. Edgar          
  Department of Mathematics                     TS1871@OHSTVMA.bitnet
  The Ohio State University                     gae@sphere.mast.ohio-state.edu
  Columbus, OH 43210   ...!{att,pyramid}!osu-cis!sphere.mast.ohio-state.edu!gae