[comp.lang.postscript] NeXT <--> L300

jchin@wimsey.bc.ca (Joseph Chin) (05/05/91)

I need to get in touch with anyone who has successfully or unsuccessfully
connected a NeXT computer (running System 2.0) to any Linotronic imagesetter.

I am trying to hook up a NeXT to a L300 (RIP4) via serial link. A simple
text document from WriteNow printed fine, but I couldn't get output from
FrameMaker and Illustrator to print at all! I also need help setting up
the appropriate ".pdf" file.

Thanks.

:-) Joe
jchin@van-bc.wimsey.bc.ca

-- 
 **************************************************************
 * "Kill the body and the head will die" (Hunter S. Thompson) *
 *    NeXT --> The ultimate electronic publishing platform!   *
 ********** Joseph Chin --> jchin@van-bc.wimsey.bc.ca *********

glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid) (05/06/91)

Joseph Chin writes
> I need to get in touch with anyone who has successfully or unsuccessfully
> connected a NeXT computer (running System 2.0) to any Linotronic imagesetter.
> 
> I am trying to hook up a NeXT to a L300 (RIP4) via serial link. A simple
> text document from WriteNow printed fine, but I couldn't get output from
> FrameMaker and Illustrator to print at all! I also need help setting up
> the appropriate ".pdf" file.

I think the problem may be that the serial link is 7 bits, and a certain
number of NeXT applications assume that you can pass 8-bit data to the
printer.  Try saving your PostScript to a file, running it through the
following filter, and then sending it to the printer with "lpr".  If you're
not comfortable with Terminal and UNIX commands, maybe somebody can help
you with this.


/*
 * highbits.c
 *
 * Glenn Reid
 *
 * Finds bytes with their 8th bit set and escapes them using \XXX notation.
 * Note: doesn't work for binary image data (in fact it breaks it).  But
 * it should work for normal text documents.  Feel free to expand on this
 * idea, write a parentheses checker to make sure it only mucks with bytes
 * inside string bodies, etc.
 */

#include <stdio.h>

main ()
{
    int ch;
    short cont;

    cont = 1;
    while ( cont ) {
	ch=getchar();
	cont = (ch != EOF);
	if ( cont ) {
	    if ( ch > 127 ) {
		printf ( "\\%3o", ch );
		fprintf ( stderr, "\\%3o\n", ch );
	    } else {
		putchar ( ch );
	    }
	}
    }
}



--
 Glenn Reid				RightBrain Software
 glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us		NeXT/PostScript developers
 ..{adobe,next}!heaven!glenn		415-326-2974 (NeXTfax 326-2977)