revatt@aluxz.UUCP (EVATT) (07/19/85)
Thanks to all who responded to my query about PC "typesetting/graphics" programs. The most recent issue of Creative Computing had an article on so-called "printer enhancement" programs that might be of interest to some. Here are the responses: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Fontrix: After reading a rave review in Infoworld's Inside Track column, I bought it. Fontrix was represented as a typesetting program. This may be true for the IBM_PC version, but definitely not for the Apple ][ (the version I bought). Although there are many fonts and graphics avaliable which do reproduce quite nicely on a dot matrix printer, the program is virtually useless except for the most trivial tasks. When entering text, you type directly to the graphics screen in the desired font. HOWEVER, if you edit a word, there is no automatic justification to get everything all spiffy again. You must retype any words/lines which you want reformatted. Further, when entering letters on the graphics screen, you must manually keep track where you are on Fontrix's virtual screen (several times larger than the CRT screen). Since the fonts use proportional spacing (different characters have different widths), it is almost impossible to tell how text is lining up. Worse, I didn't even know when I was coming to the margin. Lastly, the program is slow when typing. I think the IBM_PC version will accept text files (called import files) which it then types in the specified fonts. Thats all I know about the IBM version. I suppose if you want to spend a lot of time with the program (and I do mean lots, like dozens of hours) you might get reasonably proficient at it. I don't and don't use the program. In fact, I would even consider selling it for a reasonable price. I pity the fools who typed the Fontrix add on an Apple. Must have taken days. ----- Of course, there is now MicroTeX from Addison-Wesley: full mainframe TeX (can even run LaTeX macro package) with dot-matrix printer drivers for $495. No arbitrary graphics ability, but LaTeX has a very nice font-based graphics environment. ----- There are a couple versions of Donald Knuth's TeX typesetting system which run on the PC. One is called Microtex and is published by Addison-Wesley, and the other is PC-TeX published by I-forget-whom. I've not seen Microtex, but I have seen PC-TeX and it seems to work, although the documentation is not very complete. I think both versions require 512K and a hard disk. ----- Addison-Wesley is now marketing a PC version of Donald Knuth's TeX typesetting system. TeX is without doubt the most flexible and powerful typesetting system available on ANY machine today. The major part of TeX is public domain, and is written in a language called WEB which gets run through a preprocessor (written in WEB of course) that emits Pascal. The value Addison-Wesley adds is device drivers for Epson dot-matrix printers and I think one or two laser printers as well. (And of course they port it for you so you don't need to mess around with WEB.) They say they will soon be shipping LaTeX (a frontend package for TeX that gives it a Scribe-like flavor) also. I think they get around $500 for TeX; don't know if they'll charge extra for LaTeX. Not cheap, but it's the best. If you're producing material for publication, and not just fooling around, you should consider it. ----- I use FancyFont (TM) from SoftCraft, Inc. On the Epson QX-10. With this Z-80 machine and the cheap Epson RX-80 printer I have produced fairly high quality text. You have many fonts, and resolution is very high. The results are publishable, acceptable by the major Physics journals. ----- I recently received a rag by the dubious name of Silicon Gulch Gazette that has on every page "Jim Warren's MYTYPEtm Typeset This Newspaper". The quality of the newspaper looks pretty professional, with bold and italic fonts in at least two sizes, multiple columns, etc. (in other words, all the things you expect in a newspaper). There is, of course, imbedded within the Silicon Gulch Gazette, an ad for (you guessed it) Jim Warren's MyType (tm) software. Currently available only for Alpha Micros, priced at "under $800", MyType "will be available, shortly, for IBM PC's, Apple computers, and Digital Research CP/M- and Microsoft MSDOS-based machines; using the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet, Apple LaserWriter, as well as some other laser-based printers, high-quality photo- typesetters, and lower-quality daiseywheel [sic] and dot-matrix printers." ------ TeX is available for the IBM PC. The output on an FX-100 is fantastic! Sources are: Personal TeX Inc. 415-388-8853 Addison Wesley 617-944-3700 ----- There are 2 versions of TeX available for the pc. One is available from the book publishers Addison-Wesley. The other i don't have their name or address nearby at the moment. You could drop a line to drf@su-score.arpa and ask him for more complete information; i think he did the one for Addison-Wesley, he is also one of the main members of the TeX group. If you don't know about TeX you should pick up the TeXbook by Donald Knuth, published by Addison-Wesley. It is much (MUCH) better and more powerfull than troff. It is hard to imagine that software of this capability is available for a micro, but it's true. TeX runs on a variety of mainframes and superminis (4bsd is one of them). One of the things that is nice about it is that the device independent output file is identical on all machines. For example, i often run TeX on one of our 68000 based sun workstations because the load level is too high on the vax, i can then copy the .dvi file to the vax and convert it (for our laser printer) there. The same input file, if run on the vax, will produce identical output (likewise for the pc, but we don't have one). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of responses ---------------- I have received info from SoftCraft on Fancy Font that included actual print samples. They look fantastic on an FX-80 and ok on Okidata with plug'n'play. Apparently, Fancy Font has troff-like embedded commands so there's no preview on the CRT, but it does have a draft mode for quicker printing. According to Creative Computing, a sample 500 word file took 18 minutes to print on IBM Graphics printer vs. <1 minute using the printer's default character set. If really nice print from an Epson is your top priority, this might be a good choice. TEX sounds great, but is too expensive for "fooling around". It also sounds like it might strain the resources of my system [i.e. no hard disk]. Though I have received mixed opinions regarding Fontrix, I think I'm going to try it. A couple of people have told me that they are relatively happy with the PC version of the program. It seems to be the only PC program that purports to support a wide variey of fonts and text input from a file and to allow freehand drawing ala MacPaint. Also it is relatively cheap -- ~$100 mail order. The only way I know to get large graphic images from other programs would be to tile parts of the image as font characters. Robert Evatt AT&T Bell Labs, Allentown, PA {ihnp4!aluxz!revatt}