spencer@heinlein.cgrg.ohio-state.edu (Stephen N. Spencer) (05/28/91)
Anyone have any tips on printing PostScript files generated by the
Macintosh on UNIX machines, under System 7.0?
I'm well-accustomed to doing this under System 6.0.x. I use "macps"
to filter the PostScript files I upload from my Macintosh, then send
the filtered PostScript to one of our LaserWriters.
Under System 7.0, though, I'm stumped so far. I like the availability
of printing to disk file straight from the printer driver, but the
file generated had the LaserPrep file prepended.
(1) Is there a way to get the PostScript file generated without
the LaserPrep file prepended?
I uploaded the PostScript file (which contained three or four sentences,
in different fonts/sizes: a mix of fonts the LaserWriter knows about
and TrueType fonts) to the UNIX machine.
First experiment: send the file straight to the printer.
Result: about five minutes of loading and a blank piece of paper.
Second experiment: Sliced the LaserPrep file off of the document PostScript.
Ran it through "prepfix", installed it in the proper directory and updated
the "macps" config file so it would find it. Did the following:
macps document.ps | lpr -PprinterName
("document.ps" contains just the document's PostScript).
Result: Didn't work either. The file which was sent to the LaserWriter was
about 721K, much larger (try 2x) than the original PostScript file generated
by the Macintosh. The printer loaded for a long time (~15 minutes) then
stopped loading. No output. At one point it made a noise as if it was going
to start printing a page, then stopped.
I could have (COULD HAVE) erred in how I sliced the PostScript file up.
I will try a more controlled experiment as soon as possible this coming week.
But this should work. (Print an empty document in order to get the LaserPrep
file all by itself, re-install it.)
(2) Has anyone successfully printed PostScript files from System 7.0 Macs
on UNIX machines in this manner? Is there hope of this working?
Thanks for any assistance. This is keeping me from upgrading my Mac at home,
as it is the only method available to me for printing files at the present
time. I'd love to upgrade, but I won't if I can't print.
Stephen N. Spencer "Love is never easy (John Gorka)
ACCAD - The Ohio State University It's almost always out of your way
1224 Kinnear Road Columbus OH 43212-1154 It's not the path of least resistance
spencer@cgrg.ohio-state.edu It's not some words you get to say..."spencer@heinlein.cgrg.ohio-state.edu (Stephen N. Spencer) (05/30/91)
Well, I tried a more controlled test over lunch today. I printed two PostScript files from Microsoft Word 4.0 on a IIci running System 7.0. The first file was an empty document, so that file contained just the LaserPrep file. The second document had two lines of text, each line in Times, one at 12 point, one at 24 point. I uploaded both files to the UNIX machine, ran the former file through "prepfix" and installed it in the macps directory and updated "macps.config". I then did: macps PostScript1 | lpr -PprinterName and waited. And waited. The file which was sent to the laser printer (LW IINT) was a little under 400K, the VAST majority of it being the TrueType font scaling engine, I believe. It printed. (Yeah!) Since the Times-Roman font of the document IS built-in to the LaserWriter, I replaced all occurrences of "Times-Roman" with "Fred-Roman" in the PostScript file and sent it to the LaserWriter again. I thought I'd see if, even though the PostScript file contained TrueType stuff, the PostScript file accessed the built-in PostScript fonts on the LaserWriter. It printed, too. (Yeah! Yeah!) I'm a little dismayed at the length of time it takes to print even the simple document out (about seven minutes, but it DID have to load almost 400K) but it does work, and that's what matters to me. -- Stephen N. Spencer "Love is never easy (John Gorka) ACCAD - The Ohio State University It's almost always out of your way 1224 Kinnear Road Columbus OH 43212-1154 It's not the path of least resistance spencer@cgrg.ohio-state.edu It's not some words you get to say..."