korn@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (12/20/86)
I've finally had a chance to sit down and play with TopsPrint. I like
it. I like it a LOT.
TopsPrint allows pc users to print text & graphics to any PostScript
printer, and specifically to spool print jobs to any such printer over
the AppleTalk network. The only requirements are these: you need
to also have the pc end of the Tops network as well (where else will
you get the appletalk board?), and the software that you are printing
from needs to have an Epson FX-80 driver. Given all this, text,
graphics, etc. will all print smoothly, cleanly, effortlessly to
your appletalk PostScript laserprinter. In fact, up to 32 jobs
can be spooled!
How it works (in part I'm making educated guesses here) is as follows:
Once installed on a PC that's running the PC end of the Tops network,
TopsPrint will wait, listening at port lpt1 for some program to send
the initializing escape sequence for an FX-80, which then brings
TopsPrint into action. TopsPrint captures the stuff sent to the printer
port, and, taking careful note of the escape sequences sent to the
(presumably) FX-80 printer, then translates this into Postscript, which
is then (at the user's option) sent over the network to the laser printer.
The environment I tested it in involved 1 pc compatible, 1 mac+ (not
used for this test), 1 laserwriter, and phoneNet cabling. The software
I used was WordPerfect4.2 (but I used the FX-80 driver, & not the
LaserWriter driver). The document I printed was the printer.tst document.
Everything worked beautifully except that double underlining came out
as equal signs, and the lines that had double underlining contained
run-ons/typovers as well. This is perhaps b/c the FX-80 doesn't
support double underling (at least, I don't think it does). I'm in
communication w/Centram about this--if anyone is interested in the
outcome, send me mail.
Other than that, it performed quite nicely. If you have need of
sharing a postscript laser amoungst several pcs, or pcs and macs,
I heartilly recomment this product.
Peter
Disclaimer: I work neither for Centram, or anyone direclty affiliated
with them. I work in a computer store that happens to sell Tops &
TopsPrint; but on the basis of the merits of the program. I make no
commission on the sale of these items. Besides, you have no idea
which store it is I work for anyway.
-----
Peter "Arrgh" Korn I know lots of honorary jews! Why,
korn@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU some of my very best friends
{decvax,dual,hplabs,sdcsvax,ulysses}!ucbvax!korn are honorary jews!