[comp.lang.postscript] FrameMaker PostScript problems.

tj@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (Terry Jones) (06/20/91)

I haven't seen this one before but I can't believe that I am
the only one with these problems. 

I don't even use FrameMaker but people bring in PostScript files
from FrameMaker. 

They fail on Helvetica-Narrow on our Linotronic.
They cause Pageview on the Sun to die horribly.

It all seems to be because of a VERY different manner in which they access
fonts. Our Lino has the Helvetica-Narrow code store on its disk and PageMaker
and other programs work fine with it. Frame doesn't find it and uses Courier.

Pageview seems to get a corrupted stack with a FrameMaker image when it
comes time to use a font.

FrameMaker seems to do a get on fonts instead of a findfont. This I think
is the root of the Lino problem cause the Lino Helvetica-Narrow is code that
generates it from Helvetica (Helvetica-Narrow is a bastardized Helvetica, not
a REAL font... unfortunately LaserWriter Plus printer use it so we make it
available... use Helvetica COndensed and you are fine!) Downloading
Helvetica-Narrow to RAM is NOT an option cause a) the lino is short
of RAM already b) it gets reset and power-cycled often and this would be a
ROYAL PAIN.

The Pageview problem seems related to the way FrameMaker makes a dictionary
of already scaled fonts then chooses them later. It fails at the
time you use the fonts. In the PostScript file the first "0 F" causes
pageview to give an error. Modify the F function to add a pstack before the
setfont causes pageview to go away completely saying "bogus tag ......"
(the ..... stuff went by too quick to tell you what it was...)

Now, I know that the PostScript can't be completely wrong cause it
obviously DOES work on printers, but it is a pain. ANybody got any
hints???

tj