Path: ns-mx!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!nic.umass.edu!risky.ecs.umass.edu!giovin
From: giovin@risky.ecs.umass.edu (Rocky J Giovinazzo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: GS-Postscript printing to disk
Message-ID: <1992Mar20.044532.8624@risky.ecs.umass.edu>
Date: 20 Mar 92 04:45:32 GMT
References: <9203200110.AA25795@balance.cs.mtu.edu>
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Lines: 49


In article <9203200110.AA25795@balance.cs.mtu.edu> :
>
>      Is there a way to print a postscript printer file to disk?  
>
>      I have access to a postscript printer through a unix based machine and I
>would like to be able to re-rout prints from the GS printing port for laser
>printing.  Is there a way to rout a print file to a disk file so that I could
>upload it for printing from the unix.  Have I overlooked a standard option, or
>this a currently unavailable feature?
>
>      I know that once a file is in postscript format, it can be batched
>from the unix as I have a friend who can print to disk (in postscript format)
>using an IBM 386sx w/Windows.
>
>      -I would love to own a laser printer of my own, but every time I get
>enough money together, I find a tuition bill in my mailbox...  :-(
>
>                                    Thanks, Sam
>
>-------- sssmith@balance.cs.mtu.edu --- sssmith@mtus5.cts.mtu.edu ---------

Contrary to what my ignorant apple dealer insisted was true, it
is very possible to create postscript files in GS/OS.

Do this:  copy the laserwriter driver to your system/drivers folder
but rename it something like "postscript."  Before printing your
document, select "direct connect" and "postscript."  Then print
normally but hit open-apple-F (I think only F will work and not f).
This will create a file called postscript.gs00 in your system/drivers
directory.  Other files will be named postscript.gs01, ...02, ...03, ...

I don't know what laserprinter you're sending these files to, but the
one I send to doesn't like the "waittimeout" command that gs postscript
files use.  So, you might need to do this before printing:

search for the line beginning with "/tx"
This line will end with the string "scale statusdict begin waittimeout 300 lt
{/waittimeout 300 def} if end}bdf"

Change this string to just "scale }bdf"

You should also remove the binary stuff that sometimes gets tacked
onto the first line of the postscript file and onto the
line labelled "For:" (about the 4th line in the file).

Feel free to ask for more help.

Rocky Giovinazzo