Mark.Williams@eastern.FIDONET.ORG (Mark Williams) (06/14/89)
I need some help please.
Can POSTSCRIPT be utilised in a UNIX environment? Specifically I want to
know how to program POSTSCRIPT into a software package to print out
reports etc...to a POSTSCIPT compatible printer (like the new PAGE
Printers from IBM)....
I am trying to gather some info in this area and would appreciate to be
set straight as to POSTSCRIPT'S power AND limitations within a UNIX
environment or at the very least as an interface with a UNIX system.
/\/\ark
--
--
Eastern Graphics Services, Toronto (416) 286-6192
don@eastern.UUCP (Don O'Shaughnessy)
or ...!uunet!attcan!telly!moore!eastern
or ...!utgpu!lsuc!easternafoiani@dante.nmsu.EDU (Anthony Foiani) (06/17/89)
I am not sure how pervasive it is, but here at NMSU we have a utility
(written here) called 'text2ps'. It translates text to postscript
code (to print the text), using the specified font, margins, size,
etc.
I can get my hands on the source, and the executable (sun3,sun4) if
you like.
Mail to me if you are interested.
--
tony foiani (afoiani@nmsu.edu) "And remember...don't lose your
(mcsajf@nmsuvm1.bitnet) head..." -The Kurgan, HIGHLANDERlindsay@dscatl.UUCP (Lindsay Cleveland) (06/22/89)
In article <30.2495ED6B@eastern.FIDONET.ORG> Mark.Williams@eastern.FIDONET.ORG (Mark Williams) writes: > > >I need some help please. >Can POSTSCRIPT be utilised in a UNIX environment? Specifically I want to >know how to program POSTSCRIPT into a software package to print out >reports etc...to a POSTSCIPT compatible printer (like the new PAGE >Printers from IBM).... >I am trying to gather some info in this area and would appreciate to be >set straight as to POSTSCRIPT'S power AND limitations within a UNIX >environment or at the very least as an interface with a UNIX system. > /\/\ark I don't know if this really answers your question, but here goes... UNIX has no bearing on this situation since Postscript files are really just ASCII text! I have little desire to learn Postscript as such. So I use "ditroff" for device-independent work. Then the output is run through a filter to convert it to whatever is needed (Postscript, LaserJet, Imagen, ...) We use the "eroff" package from ELAN, which has all of the above. There are WYSIWYG packages, but I have been using *roff packages for some time and find that with "MM" macros I can generate the text in one concentrated stream of thought, and not worry at all about how it is to be placed on paper..."MM" takes care of all that. Just for a worst-case example: 1. Compose a document using my favorite editor on a laptop DOS computer onto a 3-inch micro-disk. Input format is for the "mm" macro package of nroff/troff. 2. Back at the home office, process the text: doscp /dev/microdisk:memo.doc /tmp/memo eroff -dps -mm /tmp/memo 3. Everything is now queued for the Postscript printer...but it is not available today because the sales department is using it in a demonstration 300 miles away! Time for "Plan B". There is a Postscript printer attached to a DOS computer in a friend's office two floors down. 4. Make a DOS 5-inch diskette with the raw Postscript data: troff -Tps -mm /tmp/memo | eps >/tmp/raw.ps doscp /tmp/raw.ps /dev/floppydisk: (note: 'eps' is the filter to process "ditroff" output into Postscript language. Other filters are available for LaserJet and Imagen printers) 5. Run the floppy disk down the elevator to the DOS computer: COPY A:RAW.PS LPT1 6. Make points with the boss as I present him my beautiful memo while the other guys are still grubling about the printer being taken away! Cheers, Lindsay Lindsay Cleveland Digital Systems Co. Atlanta, Ga gatech!dscatl!lindsay (404) 497-1902 (U.S. Mail: PO Box 1149, Duluth, GA 30136)
lindsay@dscatl.UUCP (Lindsay Cleveland) (06/22/89)
ELAN has "psprint" as part of their "eroff" package. It takes text
files and converts them to Postscript with tab expansion. Using
command-line arguments, you can set the top and bottom margins,
left and right margins, print size (10-point, 24-point, ...), font
name, sideways printing (landscape mode), and two or four pages per
physical page.
Cheers,
Lindsay
Lindsay Cleveland Digital Systems Co. Atlanta, Ga
gatech!dscatl!lindsay (404) 497-1902
(U.S. Mail: PO Box 1149, Duluth, GA 30136)ncpmont@amdcad.AMD.COM (Mark Montgomery) (07/23/89)
In article <AFOIANI.89Jun16220434@dante.nmsu.EDU> afoiani@dante.nmsu.EDU (Anthony Foiani) writes: > >I am not sure how pervasive it is, but here at NMSU we have a utility >(written here) called 'text2ps'. It translates text to postscript >code (to print the text), using the specified font, margins, size, >etc. Adobe also has available a program called "enscript" available that does the same. It's available for Unix as we run it on Vax at work.