[comp.sys.next] Does bbfig or still.ps work on NeXT?

izumi@mindseye.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa) (06/29/90)

Is anybody using 'bbfig' or 'still.ps' on NeXT to figure out
%%BoundingBox of PostScript files?

To figure out %%BoundingBox: of PostScript graphics (for making
the files into EPS), I have been using a ruler to measure
bottom-left and upper-right corners -- as recommended as the
fool-proof way of coming up with the numbers.

Yesterday, however, I obtained 'bbfig' from comp.lang.postscript,
which claims to figure out the bounding box information automagically.
This is a PostScript program which is prepended to your PS file
for which you want to have your PS printer figure out the bounding
box information.  The BB info is printed superimposed on the
graphics of the origial PS file.

Now, it seems that NeXT is ideal for such a task, because PS
interpreter is right on the machine.
It seems possible to come up with a shell script command which
works like, for example;

hostname% nxbbfig myfile.ps
Connection established to PostScript..
%%BoundingBox: 123 456 123 456

I have modified bbfig.ps to print the BB info to 'stdout' and
tried;

(cat bbfig.ps myfile.ps ; sleep 5) | pft

This works for some very limited graphics, but I haven't had
much success.  Has anybody tried this?

There is another PS program called 'still.ps' or 'distill.ps'
written by Glenn Reid, formerly of Adobe.  This works
similarly, and condenses PS files, but it also figures out 
the bounding box info using a PS printer.  I have tried this
on NeXT, again without any luck.

Izumi Ohzawa, izumi@violet.berkeley.edu


 

glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid) (06/29/90)

In article <1990Jun29.084047.27779@agate.berkeley.edu> izumi@mindseye.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa) writes:
>Is anybody using 'bbfig' or 'still.ps' on NeXT to figure out
>%%BoundingBox of PostScript files?
 ...
>There is another PS program called 'still.ps' or 'distill.ps'
>written by Glenn Reid, formerly of Adobe.  This works
>similarly, and condenses PS files, but it also figures out 
>the bounding box info using a PS printer.  I have tried this
>on NeXT, again without any luck.

I'm not sure which version of 'still.ps' you have, but the
early ones didn't work correctly on the NeXT machine.  I have
fixed it (for the most part) and I will mail you the newer
version.  I've also written a very simple NeXTStep application
that sits on top of 'still.ps' and lets you choose the files
to be distilled, etc.

Let me know if you have problems.

Glenn


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