rock@lighthouse.com (Roger Rock Rosner) (09/18/89)
We would like to be able to print PostScript files generated by Mac
programs (like MacDraw and MacPaint) on our NeXT Printer. Is there
any software out there to simulate the PostScript functions with which
Apple initializes printers?
Thanks,
Roger Rosner
Usenet: ...!uunet!lighthouse!rock
Internet: rock@lighthouse.com
US mail: 7100 Edgevale Street
Chevy Chase, MD 20815-5906
Phone: 301-907-4621ali@polya.Stanford.EDU (Ali T. Ozer) (09/19/89)
In article <1989Sep18.033423.7053@lighthouse.com> Roger Rock Rosner writes: >We would like to be able to print PostScript files generated by Mac >programs (like MacDraw and MacPaint) on our NeXT Printer. Is there >any software out there to simulate the PostScript functions with which >Apple initializes printers? I don't think so; however, getting rid of the initialization code or defining those operators to do nothing might work just fine. Some programs generate PostScript documents which have page-size commands such as "letter" in the middle, rather than up front. These documents do not print on the NeXT machine --- if you come across such documents, you'll need to either get rid of the "letter" (or "legal" or "note") command or bring it near the front, where it belongs. Ali Ozer, NeXT Developer Support aozer@NeXT.com
dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) (09/20/89)
In article <11843@polya.Stanford.EDU> aozer@NeXT.com (Ali Ozer) writes: >In article <1989Sep18.033423.7053@lighthouse.com> Roger Rock Rosner writes: >>Is there >>any software out there to simulate the PostScript functions with which >>Apple initializes printers? > >I don't think so; however, getting rid of the initialization code >or defining those operators to do nothing might work just fine. Unfortunately, the folks from Apple do several nasty things in their PostScript. 1) They download 68000 code into the controller. 2) They do this in hex, no line breaks. 3) They use returns, not newlines. 4) They use operators defined only in laserwriters. 5) They speak entirely their own dialect of PostScript; the apple dictionary MUST be present. Fortunately, this is all easy to fix. Generate your Mac PostScript file with CMD-K, to include apple's dictionary. Move it to your NeXT; for sake of argument, call it mac.ps. Now, give the following command: tr '\015' '\012' <mac.ps | sed -f fix.sed | lpr I provide "fix.sed" below, which I know to work for the LaserPrep from Mac System 6.0.2. Note that there are more efficient variations on this theme; this is just one simple way to do it. The best way, if you have a kinetics or gator box, is to use CAP. You still have to diddle Apple's laserprep, but the result is that you can "see" the NeXT's printer in the Macintosh "Chooser". --- cut here for fix.sed --- 1i\ %!PS-Adobe-2.0 402,421d 82,83d 20,24c\ /ok true def\ /LW false def\ /waittimeout 300 def\ /fc {} def 8,18d --- end of fix.sed --- -- Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu UUCP: {convex,uunet}!uiucuxc!dorner IfUMust: (217) 244-1765
greid@adobe.com (Glenn Reid) (09/20/89)
In article <1989Sep18.033423.7053@lighthouse.com> Roger Rock Rosner writes: >We would like to be able to print PostScript files generated by Mac >programs (like MacDraw and MacPaint) on our NeXT Printer. Is there >any software out there to simulate the PostScript functions with which >Apple initializes printers? I don't know how well these will work for you, but I hacked up the following "simulations" of some LaserWriter built-in features so that I could work with Mac-generated PostScript files on my Display PostScript work-brew system (it's not a NeXT, but it is Display PostScript). I forget which version of LaserPrep this was written to defend itself against; give it a try: %%BeginProcSet: preview_compat 1.0 0 % Glenn's previewer compatibility package % things have been added as problems are discovered /statusdict where { pop }{ /statusdict 20 dict def } ifelse statusdict begin /waittimeout 600 def /setjobtimeout /pop load def /printername { (Sun 3/50) } def /setsccinteractive /pop load def /pagecount 0 def end /product (NeXT) def % modified for posting to net /letter {} def /legal {} def % the following hack fools the Mac LaserPrep file into % flushing only as far as the next comment, not through EOF: /*buff 1 string def /*flushfile /flushfile load def /flushfile { %def % userdict exch /*currfile exch put { %loop dup *buff readstring { 0 get (%) 0 get eq { pop exit } if } if } loop } bind def /serverdict where { pop }{ %ifelse /serverdict 10 dict def serverdict begin /exitserver { (%%[Exitserver: something weird will probably happen.]%%) = flush pop % password end % serverdict } def /setrealdevice {} def /execjob { exec } def end } ifelse % not necessary unless there is no default clipping path defined in the % device installation: /*initgraphics /initgraphics load def /initgraphics { *initgraphics initclip newpath 0 0 moveto 612 0 rlineto 0 792 rlineto -612 0 rlineto closepath clip newpath } bind def initgraphics mark clippath {}{}{}{} pathforall counttomark 0 eq { %if /clippath { %def 0 0 moveto 612 0 rlineto 0 792 rlineto -612 0 rlineto closepath } bind def } if cleartomark newpath %%EndProcSet
space@ncc1701.UUCP (Lars Soltau) (09/20/89)
In article <11843@polya.Stanford.EDU> ali@polya.Stanford.EDU (Ali T. Ozer) writes: >In article <1989Sep18.033423.7053@lighthouse.com> Roger Rock Rosner writes: >>We would like to be able to print PostScript files generated by Mac >>programs (like MacDraw and MacPaint) on our NeXT Printer. Is there >>any software out there to simulate the PostScript functions with which >>Apple initializes printers? > >I don't think so; however, getting rid of the initialization code >or defining those operators to do nothing might work just fine. > >Ali Ozer, NeXT Developer Support >aozer@NeXT.com Say, I've heard that the NeXT PostScript license only permits printing of documents generated on the NeXT itself on a NeXT laser printer. So, is it illegal to upload Mac generated PS docs to the NeXT and use the NeXT laser printer with its better resolution to print them? I'd sure like to hear that it isn't. :-) Why I'm at it, is there any chance that NeXT will extend its University sponsor program to European universities? If not, will I as a European (German) student be able to purchase one directly from NeXT? If so, what address should I write to? What is the meaning of live, the universe and everything? :-) -- Lars Soltau uucp: ...uunet!unido!nadia!ncc1701!space BIX: no bucks
feldman@umd5.umd.edu (Mark Feldman) (09/21/89)
In article <101@ncc1701.UUCP> space@ncc1701.UUCP (Lars Soltau) writes: ... > >Say, I've heard that the NeXT PostScript license only permits printing of >documents generated on the NeXT itself on a NeXT laser printer. >So, is it illegal to upload Mac generated PS docs to the NeXT and use the >NeXT laser printer with its better resolution to print them? I'd sure like >to hear that it isn't. :-) The only limitation that has ever been placed on the NeXT Window Server (the Display PostScript engine) was that the final bitstreams/images generated by the window server and sent to the MegaPixel Display (92dpi) or the printer (300/400 dpi) could only be used on NeXT equipment (Hmmm... I wonder how projectors fit into this scheme). This is the device-dependent stuff that the window server generated from your PostScript. There has never been a limitation on importing or exporting PostScript. This requirement was part of the shrink-wrap license agreement under release 0.8 and was documented in the "Read this first!" manual. Here is the actual text from that manual: ... The Next Preliminary Software is intended to be used to generate screen displays with resolutions of 92 dots per inch on a NeXT Computer and to print imahes with print resolutions of up to 400 dots per inch on a NeXT Printer. You agree not to make use of the NeXT Preliminary Software, directly or indirectly, to print bitmap images generated by the NeXT Preliminary Software, or to generate fonts or typefaces, other than on a single NeXT Computer in conjunction with a single NeXT Printer. ... No mention of PostScript. The NeXT model, which fits in with the above restriction, is that the PostScript language is used to manipulate images every which way (on the same NeXT, to another NeXT, to or from another type of computer or printer...), but the PostScript to device dependent translation and subsequent bitmaps are limited to the NeXT devices on the NeXT on which the translation is done. Phew. I haven't seen anything similar in the 0.9 or 1.0 documentation, though I may not have looked hard enough. NeXT heard a fair amount on this subject the first time it was brought up back in the old days of 0.8. Many people argued that such a shrink-wrap requirement was absurd, not to mention unproven in the courts. The argument was that as long as you follow the copyright laws, NeXT (or anyone else) can not (and should not try to) prevent you from using their product in any way you see fit. Mark
rkpc@mergvax (Rob Kedoin) (09/26/89)
In article <1989Sep19.183019.991@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) writes: > In article <11843@polya.Stanford.EDU> aozer@NeXT.com (Ali Ozer) writes: > >In article <1989Sep18.033423.7053@lighthouse.com> Roger Rock Rosner writes: > >>Is there > >>any software out there to simulate the PostScript functions with which > >>Apple initializes printers? > > There are a pair of programs available on sumex-aim.stanford.edu (sorry, I can't remember the file path) called "macps" and "prepfix". The ReadMe file included below explains the operation of the software. The ReadMe also indicates that it should work for NeXT systems. -Rob Kedoin UUCP: {decvax, motown, cpmain, icus}!mergvax.uucp!rkpc ARPA: rkpc%mergvax.UUCP@decvax.dec.com USMail: Linotype Company - R&D 425 Oser Avenue Hauppauge, NY 11788 VOICE: (516) 434 - 2729 FAX: (516) 434 - 2072 --- COPYRIGHT NOTICE (SCCSid = "@(#)ReadMe 2.1 3/29/89") Copyright (c) 1988, The Regents of the University of California. Edward Moy, Workstation Software Support Group, Workstation Support Serices, Information Systems and Technology. Permission is granted to any individual or institution to use, copy, or redistribute this software so long as it is not sold for profit, provided that this notice and the original copyright notices are retained. The University of California makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty. WHAT IS MACPS? Macps is a Unix program that takes an uploaded PostScript file created on a Macintosh (by typing Command-F at the LaserWriter dialog box; see macps.1 for more details) and includes an appropriately modified LaserPrep file so that the result can be sent to a PostScript printer >From Unix. The LaserPrep file contains macros used by the PostScript generator on the Macintosh. WHY IS MACPS NEEDED? This is how Mac printing works. When a Mac talks to a LaserWriter, it asks if the LaserWriter has had a LaserPrep file downloaded to it. A LaserWriter that is first powered up, has no such LaserPrep file, and so the Mac downloads it and makes the LaserPrep file resident in memory. Then the actual print file is sent to the LaserWriter. Subsequent print requests need not download the LaserPrep file, unless it is a different version. Since a LaserWriter connected to a Unix system usually does things other than Mac printing, it is unwise to make LaserPrep files resident in memory so that other PostScript jobs have less memory to work with. What prepfix does is to modify a LaserPrep file so that, among other things, it does not make itself resident in memory. Thus, the LaserPrep file must be downloaded for each Mac print job. This is the function of macps, to automatically append the appropriate LaserPrep file. WHICH VERSION OF THE LASERPREP WILL BE USED? Macps interprets the %%IncludeProcSet directive found in the PostScript generated by LaserWriter driver 4.0 and greater. It takes the ProcSet id and looks it up in a file "macps.config", to get the pathname of the prep file, and thus macps can convert PostScript generated by different versions of the LaserWriter driver. HOW ARE THE LASERPREP FILES GENERATED? Since the Apple LaserPrep files are copyrighted, I've included a program, prepfix, that reads version 4.0 and up LaserPrep files, and edits them so that they are compatible with Unix, and are even electronically mailable (See prepfix.1 for more details). WHERE IS THE MACPS.CONFIG FILE LOCATED? Macps has some special code that is able to figure out from which directory it was called from. It will then look in a "lib" subdiretory for the macps.config file. WHAT ABOUT BIT-SMOOTHING ON NON-LASERWRITER PRINTERS? For PostScript printers using Motorola 680x0 processors and Adobe PostScript firmware other than LaserWriters, there is an option that will allow these printers to do bit-smoothing, just like LaserWriters. CHANGES IN VERSION 2.1 Version 2.1 of prepfix uses a safer method for turning on bit-smoothing for non-Apple printers. This should get around some of the problems people have been having with specialized macros in the LaserPreps that are Apple printer specific. The -l and -p options in version 1.1 have been replaced with the single -l option, and the limit on the number of printers you can specify has been removed. Also, prepfix removes some other various macros that cause unpredictable problems, and a problem with Apple LaserWriter II/NTs (but not other Apple printers). Version 2.1 macps has several new options. The -c option allow you to specify the number of copies to generate (overriding any multiple copy option that was specified on the Macintosh). The -d option allows an alternate directory to look for the macps.config file. Finally, the -r (raw) option suppresses the conversion of 8-bit binary into ASCII, and is useful for some graphics programs that manipulate gray-scale images, and produce 8-bit binary PostScript output. Macps will even work with a NeXT laser printer, but (at least the 0.8 version of the operating system) will not do bit smoothing. Beware, though, that if you print Macintosh patterns at 400 dpi, they will look funny.
gelphman@adobe.COM (David Gelphman) (09/30/89)
In article <1221@adobe.UUCP> greid@adobe.COM (Glenn Reid) writes: >In article <1989Sep18.033423.7053@lighthouse.com> Roger Rock Rosner writes: >>We would like to be able to print PostScript files generated by Mac >>programs (like MacDraw and MacPaint) on our NeXT Printer. Is there >>any software out there to simulate the PostScript functions with which >>Apple initializes printers? > >I don't know how well these will work for you, but I hacked up the >following "simulations" of some LaserWriter built-in features so >that I could work with Mac-generated PostScript files on my Display >PostScript work-brew system (it's not a NeXT, but it is Display >PostScript). I forget which version of LaserPrep this was written >to defend itself against; give it a try: Users of the Macintosh who wish to move the PostScript files generated by the LaserWriter driver will benefit greatly by using the lastest version of the LaserWriter driver, version 6.0. I've been able to use 'command-k' generated files from that version of the driver directly in Display PostScript environments, although I haven't tried it on the NeXT machine. Regarding the use of carriage returns instead of linefeed characters: this is perfectly acceptable in the PostScript language. Newline characters are not required to be linefeeds: cr, lf, and crlf are acceptable newline characters to the PostScript interpreter. David Gelphman Adobe Systems Incorporated