stevenz@carr.UUCP (Steven Zepp) (07/20/88)
The Learning Disabilities Programme at York University owns a QMS
810ps laserprinter (running postscript). As a typesetter we use
(plain)TeX and "translate" the dvi output with dvi2ps. I'm having two
problems:
1. We've been using the letter format found in the _TeXBook_ quite
successfully for a while now, and like the results. The problem is
that printing the address labels on plain paper to be later
photocopied onto address labels seems to be a waste of effort, toner,
etc. Handwriting the address for a typeset-and-laserprinted letter
looks stupid. What I'd like to do is have the printer print the
address label right on the envelope, but of course York's standard
envelopes are too wide for the manual feed slot. Can someone please
tell me how to rotate the text (address label) 90 degrees so that the
short side of the envelope can enter the printer first?
2. I suspect this problem may be related to the way dvi2ps inverts
the dvi grid to conform with postscript. The problem is that no
matter what spacing commands I put at the top of the page, the
laserprinter always leaves approx. 1.5 inches of space at the top of
the page. What I ended up doing to get around this was to print a
*tiny* (height 1sp width 1sp depth 0sp) dot in the upper-left-hand
corner of the page, after which vertical spacing works the way I
expect it to. There must be a better way!
Please email any advice/answers/etc. to the address listed below. If
feedback warrants, I'll post a summary.
Thank you very much in advance.
Steven
-----
Steven Zepp (416) 736-5376
Computer-Assisted Writing Centre
530 Scott Library, York University stevenz@writer.UUCP
4700 Keele Street stevenz@writer.yorku.ca
Downsview, Ontario, M3J 1P3 ...!{utzoo, mnetor, utgpu}!yunexus!writer!stevenzalex@eneevax.UUCP (James Alexander) (07/23/88)
>2. I suspect this problem may be related to the way dvi2ps inverts >the dvi grid to conform with postscript. The problem is that no >matter what spacing commands I put at the top of the page, the >laserprinter always leaves approx. 1.5 inches of space at the top of >the page. What I ended up doing to get around this was to print a >*tiny* (height 1sp width 1sp depth 0sp) dot in the upper-left-hand >corner of the page, after which vertical spacing works the way I >expect it to. There must be a better way! Sorry. I tried a half dozen way to e-mail this, but it wouldn't go through. Your problem is not with postscript, but rather with TeX. As the TeXbook explains, TeX discards any spacing commands before something is printed on a page. To get around it, you trick TeX like you have done or by an empty \line, or even { }, before your spacing commands. Maybe even \noindent will work (you have to force TeX out of vertical mode). -- alex@eneevax.umd.edu {seismo,allegra}!mimsy!eneevax!alex
mrd@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Mike DeCorte) (07/24/88)
In article <1654@eneevax.UUCP> alex@eneevax.UUCP (James Alexander) writes:
Your problem is not with postscript, but rather with TeX. As the
TeXbook explains, TeX discards any spacing commands before something is
printed on a page. To get around it, you trick TeX like you have done
or by an empty \line, or even { }, before your spacing commands. Maybe
even \noindent will work (you have to force TeX out of vertical mode).
\leavevmode will get TeX out of vertical mode.
If you wan't to print something but don't want it to
be seen, one way to do it would be "\ " (without the "'s
of course)
--
Michael DeCorte // (315)268-2292 // P.O. Box 652, Potsdam, NY 13676
Internet mrd@sun.soe.clarkson.edu // Bitnet mrd@clutx.bitnet simpson@minotaur.uucp (Scott Simpson) (07/25/88)
>In article <1654@eneevax.UUCP> alex@eneevax.UUCP (James Alexander) writes: > Your problem is not with postscript, but rather with TeX. As the > TeXbook explains, TeX discards any spacing commands before something is > printed on a page. To get around it, you trick TeX like you have done > or by an empty \line, or even { }, before your spacing commands. Maybe > even \noindent will work (you have to force TeX out of vertical mode). Try \vglue. \vglue won't throw away the space at the top of a page. See The TeXbook. Scott Simpson TRW Space and Defense Sector oberon!trwarcadia!simpson (UUCP) trwarcadia!simpson@oberon.usc.edu (Internet)