[comp.sources.wanted] Postscript: How to produce it

rcw@qetzal.UUCP (sysop) (07/27/87)

I have purchased Microport Unix's Text Preparation System, and
need to support postscript.

1. Does anyone have a postprocessor to process troff output?
2. The manual mentions support for the Xerox 9700 Laser printer
   and the Imprint-10 Laser printer. Are there other laser printers
   which can be used, or which will emulate these laser printers?
3. Are there any vendors out there who can help?

Thanks. I'd appreciate any info you might have.


-- 
Robert C. White, Jr. Graphics Information, Inc.   ****************
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tim@ora.UUCP (Tim O'Reilly) (07/27/87)

In article <178@qetzal.UUCP>, rcw@qetzal.UUCP (sysop) writes:
> I have purchased Microport Unix's Text Preparation System, and
> need to support postscript.
> 
We use devps from Pipeline Associates (39 E. 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
   (212) 598-4650 or bellcore!phw5!pat) ....$495 for source license
   We used devps to typeset our book on troff and were very
   happy with the results.

Adobe Systems in Palo Alto, producers of PostScript, have
     their own package, called TranScript.  .... $1495 for
     source license; binaries only on VAX and 3B2

A company called Elan, somewhere out in the Bay Area, has a
package, but we don't know it.

SoftQuad in Toronto has an enhanced version of troff called
sqtroff that can produce PostScript.  I'm not sure that you
can buy the PostScript driver separately from sqtroff.
-- 
Tim O'Reilly (617) 527-4210
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., Publishers of Nutshell Handbooks
981 Chestnut Street, Newton, MA 02164
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kg@elan.UUCP (Ken Greer) (07/28/87)

    > I have purchased Microport Unix's Text Preparation System,

That's too bad.

    > and need to support postscript.
    > 1. Does anyone have a postprocessor to process troff output?

Elan Computer Group, Inc. 415-322-2450.

    > 2. The manual mentions support for the Xerox 9700 Laser printer
    >    and the Imprint-10 Laser printer. Are there other laser printers
    >    which can be used?

A number of vendors offer postprocessors for ditroff for 
a variety of laser printers.  Elan supports all Imagen printers
and the HP LaserJet printer line in addition to Postscript printers.

gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) (07/28/87)

In article <178@qetzal.UUCP> rcw@qetzal.UUCP (sysop) writes:
>need to support postscript.
>1. Does anyone have a postprocessor to process troff output?
Try Adobe Systems "TranScript".
>3. Are there any vendors out there who can help?
Try SoftQuad in Toronto.

harrison@utfyzx.UUCP (07/29/87)

In article <642@ora.UUCP> tim@ora.UUCP (Tim O'Reilly) writes:
>SoftQuad in Toronto has an enhanced version of troff called
>sqtroff that can produce PostScript.  I'm not sure that you
>can buy the PostScript driver separately from sqtroff.

Since SoftQuad has re-written the output language of troff (they
call it "context"), the PostScript driver from SoftQuad ("sqdps")
is useless without sqtroff.
-- 
    David Harrison, Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Toronto
    {ihnp4,utzoo}!utgpu!utfyzx!harrison

romwa@utgpu.UUCP (07/29/87)

In article <6188@brl-smoke.ARPA>, gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) writes:
> In article <178@qetzal.UUCP> rcw@qetzal.UUCP (sysop) writes:
> >need to support postscript.
> >1. Does anyone have a postprocessor to process troff output?
> Try Adobe Systems "TranScript".
> >3. Are there any vendors out there who can help?
> Try SoftQuad in Toronto.

It is certainly worth trying SoftQuad, but they have
significantly changed the intermediate "Context" language in
ditroff so that it is not the same as "old ditroff". Therefore
the postprocessors that they support are based on their
Context Language.  Perhaps they still do postprocessors for
standard ditroff.

Mark T. Dornfeld
Royal Ontario Museum

utgpu!rom!mark

fyl@ssc.UUCP (Phil Hughes) (07/30/87)

In article <202@elan.UUCP>, kg@elan.UUCP (Ken Greer) writes:
>     > I have purchased Microport Unix's Text Preparation System,
> That's too bad.

Well, I sort of agree but it does work.
>     > and need to support postscript.
>     > 1. Does anyone have a postprocessor to process troff output?
> Elan Computer Group, Inc. 415-322-2450.

SSC has devps, a ditroff to PostScript translator, available for
Microport as well as other systems.  Both source and binaries are
available.
Contact Belinda at 206-FOR-UNIX for more information.
-- 
Phil Hughes, SSC, Inc. P.O. Box 55549,       +----------------+
Seattle, WA 98155  (206)FOR-UNIX             | NO CONTRA AID! |
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paul%tut.cis.ohio-state.edu@osu-eddie.UUCP (Paul Placeway) (07/31/87)

In article <1987Jul29.085018.1872@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> romwa@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Mark Dornfeld) writes:
>In article <6188@brl-smoke.ARPA>, gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) writes:
>> In article <178@qetzal.UUCP> rcw@qetzal.UUCP (sysop) writes:
>> >need to support postscript.
>> >1. Does anyone have a postprocessor to process troff output?
>> Try Adobe Systems "TranScript".
>> >3. Are there any vendors out there who can help?
>> Try SoftQuad in Toronto.
>
>It is certainly worth trying SoftQuad, but they have
>significantly changed the intermediate "Context" language in
>ditroff so that it is not the same as "old ditroff". Therefore
>the postprocessors that they support are based on their
>Context Language.  Perhaps they still do postprocessors for
>standard ditroff.
>
>Mark T. Dornfeld
>Royal Ontario Museum
>
>utgpu!rom!mark

SoftQuad has another interesting problem: They want $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
(as in many, many, many dollars) for their product.  If you want to
run on more than one machine, or more than one printer, it is just too
expensive.  Also, their pricing schedule seems to be based on how
expensive the computer and printer in question are.  For instance, if
you are running on a 3b20, your binary will cost at least twice as
much as for a 3b2.  Also, the price for a 3b2 varies with the options
that are on it.  It is my _personal_ opinion that pricing like this is
absurd, considering that a givin 3b2 binary will run on a 3b20 too.

Needless to say, the CIS dept. here at Ohio State bought TranScript.
Not only did we get a very nice PostScript troff package, but we got a
bunch of other goodies besides.  The license didn't cost us a fortune,
either.

	The opinions in this article are my own, period.
-=-
	     -- Paul Placeway
		Department of Computer and Information Science
	SNail:	The Ohio State University
		2036 Neil Ave. Columbus OH USA 43210-1277
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gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) (08/02/87)

In article <3886@osu-eddie.UUCP> paul%tut.cis.ohio-state.edu@osu-eddie.UUCP (Paul Placeway) writes:
>I still claim that such a pricing structure is absurd.  The other
>example that I have is that SoftQuad wants a different ammount of
>money (less) for a Vax 750 than they do for an 8600 (or for that
>matter, a 780).  Ditto for various flavors of Sun 3.

This is known as "charging what the market will bear", and it is
quite common, especially among mainframes -- but even micros have
different prices for what is essentially the same software
package for different machines.  To some degree such a policy
makes sense, when you consider that hundreds of people may use
the product on a large system instead of just one on a small system.

richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (08/05/87)

>I still claim that such a pricing structure is absurd.  The other
>example that I have is that SoftQuad wants a different ammount of
>money (less) for a Vax 750 than they do for an 8600 (or for that
>matter, a 780).  Ditto for various flavors of Sun 3.
>
>I have seen worse pricing schemes, but this comes close.
>-=-
>	     -- Paul Placeway

Well I suppose the reason for this to happen is that on a $150,000 computer
a $5000 software package is a reasonable percentage of the purchase price, 
but on a $15,000 computer, $5000 is a lot.
-- 
Richard Sexton
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