mongoose@trwdis.UUCP (mongoose) (12/23/87)
I am trying to take a form template from a MacDraw drawing and print text on
it using Microsoft Word. I "print" the form template to disk using Clover-F
to create a PostScript file in MacDraw. I then put this postscript into the
header for my document and give it the style "postscript". There is a funny
character near the end of the PostScript file that appears on the screen to
look like a rectangle, I delete this character and presto, I get the form
printed, followed by another page that contains the text that I wanted on
the same page as the form.
Has anyone done this before and have some experiences I could benefit from?
I have wasted about fifty pages of paper trying to solve this problem. I
have looked through my PostScript reference manual (by Adobe Press) to no
avail. A problem I have is that MacDraw seems to use abreviated macro names
for all the ordinary PostScript instructions, maybe even using some custom
macros to do fancy things. As such, I have a hard time figuring out what
is going on. Is there anywhere that the MacDraw dialect of PostScript is
documented? Do all Macintosh applications abreviate in the same fashion?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
--
Julian Watkins [TRW - Data Systems Lab]
USENET: ...!{ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!trwdis!mongoose
2525 E. El Segundo Bl. El Segundo, CA 90245 (213) 536-0600 x259hallett@hamlet.steinmetz (Jeff A. Hallett) (12/30/87)
In article <22@trwdis.UUCP> mongoose@trwdis.UUCP (mongoose) writes: >I am trying to take a form template from a MacDraw drawing and print text on >it using Microsoft Word. I "print" the form template to disk using Clover-F >to create a PostScript file in MacDraw. I then put this postscript into the >header for my document and give it the style "postscript". There is a funny >character near the end of the PostScript file that appears on the screen to >look like a rectangle, I delete this character and presto, I get the form >printed, followed by another page that contains the text that I wanted on >the same page as the form. > >Has anyone done this before and have some experiences I could benefit from? >I have wasted about fifty pages of paper trying to solve this problem. I >have looked through my PostScript reference manual (by Adobe Press) to no >avail. A problem I have is that MacDraw seems to use abreviated macro names >for all the ordinary PostScript instructions, maybe even using some custom >macros to do fancy things. As such, I have a hard time figuring out what >is going on. Is there anywhere that the MacDraw dialect of PostScript is >documented? Do all Macintosh applications abreviate in the same fashion? > >Any help will be greatly appreciated. What you are trying to do is very difficult and, I wonder, if worth the time. Yes, Apple should be shot for the braindamaged PostScript macro package they have created. To help, try to get Post-A-Matic; there was a demo copy on Sumex-Aim or send me mail and I'll send you the guy's address when I'm in my office. It attempts to translate the MacDraw PostScript into pure PostScript - ie. remove the funky macros. Does a good job; I did a review of it a while ago. If this doesn't work, I would suggest you become a PostScript hacker and do the form by hand. Forms are pretty easy in PostScript and with the help of the rulers in MacDraw, it should be fairly easy to duplicate the layout. Sorry to sound so pessimistic. Jeffrey A. Hallett (ARPANET: hallett@ge-crd.arpa Software Technology Program UUCP: desdemona!hallett@steinmetz.uucp) General Electric Corporate Research and Development "The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many" -- Kirk (STIII)