Conference hydra::amiga_v1

I had the same problem going from City Desk to Professional Page.  Doing
a /notify when sending it to the lps40 told me that it did not like the 
dict command "waittimeout".  PPage will include that command on two lines
in front of each bit map graphic  imported to your file.  Search with an
editor for waittimeout then comment that line out with a "%" or delete it
completly and you should be cruising.  It really is a great program, 
wait till you see the output!  By the way PPage handles Aegis Draw files
just fine (no jaggies), but dimensions with arrowheads and extension
lines don't make it thru unfortunatly.


						Steve	
< Note 1347.0 by HYSTER::DEARBORN "Trouvez Mieux" >
                             -< Professional Page >-

    Well, I finally decided to buy it.  
    
    What a package!  It is really quite extensive.  The manual is well
    written.  It has features galore.
    
    I have been using PageSetter and LaserScript...so adapting to
    Professional Page was a breeze.
    
    My only problem?  Output.  For some reason, the LaserScript files
    created with PageSetter were no problem for my LPS40.  The PPage
    files give me blank pages.  I still have to figure out what's going
    on.
    
    Anyone else experience this?
    
    Randy
    

    
    What version do you have? 1.1 claims that  it'll support my 360dpi
    dot matrix printer. 
    
    
    
    Thanks,
    
    
    -ph

    I have 1.0.  1.1 will support dot matrix printers...and will also
    include the Color Separation Module, free of charge.
    
    Randy
    

    Success!
    
    I fixed the bad line in the PostScript file and like magic, beautiful
    halftones of pictures scanned with DigiView, cleaned up with
    DeluxePaintII and sized using Professional Page.  WOW!
    
    Another reason for no output:  I specified fonts that weren't available
    on the printer.  The printer aborts the job the minute it spots
    a font it doesn't understand.  You don't even get a blank page.
    It just goes on to the next job in the queue.  I went back into
    the file and changed all the fonts to Times-Roman, and that took
    care of the problem.
    
    This is exciting.  Even more exciting than using LaserScript with
    PageSetter, because now I can do 'real' pictures instead of poorly
    translated bit-mapped output.
    
    Now if I could just find out what fonts are installed on my LPS40.
    Any ideas?  I tried running a job with all the fonts that PPage
    comes with, but like before, the instant the LPS40 sees a font it
    doesn't have, it stops printing.
    
    I know that it has Times Roman and Helvetica.  Oh what I would give
    if it had Garamond (the official Digital typeface for promotional
    literature.)
    
    The other drawback is the size of the files.  The last one I uploaded
    to the vax was 300K long!  Try doing that at 1200 baud.  (the LAT
    I use switched back to 1200 baud due to a power outage, and Field Service
    has not come to the rescue to set it back to 2400 yet) Life in the
    slow lane...
    
    Randy
    
          

    I love it...
    
    DECdirect says that the LPS40 has '29 resident typefaces.'  Do they
    tell you what they are?
    
    
    Of course not.
    
    
    I guess that would be giving information to the enemy...the customer
    ;^)
    

    Since I just got an ln03r for our little LAVC, I've not yet fully
    delved into all the wonders of postscript, but did see mention of
    a little PS program that could list all the fonts in the postscrip
    notes file...can't remember where, but its in there somewhere...
    
    			see  regent::postscript  (kp7)
    or			     regent::printserver
    or			     regent::scriptprinter
    
    I'd love to here more about these PS tools on the amiga...keep those
    notes comming!
    
    scott
    

    This a reply to .5.............
    
    On the LPS40 on initial powerup the printer prints out a status
    sheet and a display of all resident fonts.
    
    Burt
    

    
    I would like to know if this package has the ability to be edited
    in the display or do you have to go to another editor?
    
    I would like to know if this package also has the ability to change
    fonts in the display for individule characters or words?
    
    Thanks for the Help...
    
    I have been looking for a publishing program the would allow these
    capabilities and more.
    
    Burt
    

    Yes, to both questions.
    
    The only problem with this is that the screen display of the fonts
    isn't very good, making editing a little difficult at times.  Using
    a package like WordPerfect or TexCraft Plus to format and edit most
    of your text first will really save time.  Using the default point
    size to do your on screen editing work, then re-sizing to another
    point size helps.  The default size (10pt.) displays clearest.
                                                                  
    The screen display is sometimes slow to respond to keyboard and
    mouse input.                                                  
                                                                  
    I find that the biggest precision problem is the default pointer.
    Its fine for working in 600x200, but is too fat for the 600x400
    interlaced screen.  You might want to use preferences to create
    a 'pointier' pointer.  Grabbing the corners of the reference boxes
    can be a hit or miss...mostly miss...proposition with the default
    pointer.                                                      
                                                                  
                                                                  
    Here's another little thing I found out:  You can make mini-versions
    of output for thumbnails...grouping several pages on one output
    page.  The only problem is that the output file is actually slightly
    larger than the combination of the original pages.  It saves paper,
    but not file space or transfer times.
                               
    Randy
    

    More for .8:
                                          
    I did a test last night.  I took the word "Style" and changed the
    typeface, attributes (bold, italic,etc.) color (% of black) and point 
    size of each letter, individually.  Everything worked great.  
    
    As I said before, the on screen fonts were not very good
    representations of the output, so I was a little concerned about
    alignment of the characters.
                                
    Although the bases of the letters on-screen did not line up exactly,
    the PostScript output is flawless.  The bases align.  This is nice, 
    because it allows you to have oversized initial caps for paragraphs 
    without having to create a separate box.  Getting the 'tops' of the 
    characters to line up is another matter.  In that case, a separate box would
    be better, as text is aligned to the upper left hand corner of boxes.
                                          
    I also did a test of shaded characters over shaded areas.  Unlike
    PageSetter/LaserScript, you can have reversed type.  You can specify
    the percentage of black to be printed. 
                                 
    
    Randy
                                 

    A little more about this process:
    
    Like the Mac, you simply select an area of text with the mouse.
    It will appear hi-lited on screen.  The area can be a single character
    or a block of text.  Then pull down the appropriate menu to select
    a new color, size, font, leading, attribute, etc.
    
    Click outside of the selected area with the pointer, and the text
    is changed to the new settings.
    
    You can also put coding to do a lot of this in your original document,
    just like typesetters do.  There is a short cut card that lists
    all the coding.  A lot of it is similar to the ones used in PageSetter
    (i.e. \B for bold, \O for outline...)
    
    I find that making the modifications on screen is easier and more
    interactive.
    
    Randy
    

    Here's a list of the available fonts for the LPS40.  One of my
    co-workers has a PostScript file which produces a full alphabet
    of each so we could see what they look like.
    
    Courier		      Helvetica			Times-Roman
    Courier-Bold	      Helvetica-Bold		Times-Bold
    Courier-Oblique	      Helvetica-Oblique		Times-Italic
    Courier-BoldOblique	      Helvetica-BoldOblique	Times-BoldItalic
    
    AvantGarde-Book	      LubalinGraph-Book		Souvenir-Light
    AvantGarde-Demi	      LubalinGraph-Demi		Souvenir-Demi
    AvantGarde-BookOblique    LubalinGraph-BookOblique	Souvenir-LightItalic
    AvantGarde-DemiOblique    LubalinGraph-DemiOblique	Souvenir-DemiItalic
    
    NewCenturySchlbk-Roman    Symbol
    NewCenturySchlbk-Bold
    NewCenturySchlbk-Italic
    NewCenturySchlbk-BoldItalic

    I'm using PPage 1.1 with an LA250: absolutely standard set-up, loading
    to a 1-meg, dual drive A500 from the PPage disk with the PaintJet
    printer set in Preferences.
    Problem is that the dot-matrix printing seems to be sensitive to
    various combinations that I cannot pin (sorry) down.
    For a start I don't know enough about the pixel image scale stuff
    to do anything other than 'Scale to size', which often works provoded
    I'm set to 100% magnification. I suspect that the 'Page/Alter' menu
    is interacting with it too.
    Bad symptoms are (at vsrying times):
    Printer throws whole page with no printing;
    Printer prints top part of the page and ignores the rest;
    On the way there, the 'printing gadget' also varies in its behaviour;
    sometimes appearing and rolling through 'strip n of m' sequences,
    other times just staying blank and disappearing fast.
    Just to be really awkward, it has also given me really nice results
    on occasion, and doesn't run out of memory more than twice a day.
    Anyone got this down to a scientific approach?
    

    Professional Page is designed to rely on dot matrix (non-PostScript)
    output for draft purposes only. Keep that in mind. It was NEVER
    designed for producing finished copy on any but a PostScript printer.
    
    Now, regarding your problem ... if you change the density of the
    dot matrix output (i.e., 1 2 3 4, etc.), you must also change the
    Scale to Size reference. For a density of '2' try a scale of 1.2x2.4
    for starters. Every printer is different. Also, make sure you have
    a proper printer driver. If you are using an LA250, there is a
    possibilitythat the firmware ios different than that of the HP.
    Only your LA250 design tech will know for sure.

    A couple of quickies here...
    
    
    1/ Does anyone have the Postal Address of Gold Disk?
    
    2/ What happens if you purchase upgrades of a particular font-related
       package and the kit has new fonts that the printer wont
       understand...is is possible to purchase fint cartridges for various
       laser printers...if not you are limited to the fonts your printer
       can handle - Correct?
    
    Cheers
    
    Phil

    Gold Disk Inc.
    P.O. Box 789
    Streetsville, 
    Mississauga, Ontario, Canada    L5M 2C2
    
    
    Pro-Page V1.2 is out.  This version supports the structured drawing
    import from Pro-Draw.
    
    

    RE: .15 .. 2/
    
    If it's Pro Page you are referring to, then what will happen if
    you attempt to print the PostScript output file to a PostScript
    printer that does not have the necessary resident fonts is this:
    
    o  The printer will default to a resident font, usually the default
       Adobe font in the printer.
    
    Yes, you can order additional Adobe fonts for most PostScript printers
    at moderate cost. 
    
    Products such as PageStream get around that limitation by providing
    their own scalable fonts for PostScript and dot matrix. The fonts
    they provide do not have to be resident in the printer.
    
    Paul
    

    re .16/.17 
    
    
    Thanks guys...
    
    Cheers
    
    Phil
    

    I just bought PPAGE and was wondering what luck other PPAGE people
    had in sending Postscript PPAGE output to an LPS40?  Is there any
    problem with fonts (as might be hinted at from the manual)?
    
    George
    

You can only use the resident fonts on the LPS40.  If you select 
any other fonts, the printer will abort the job.  A listing of 
the resident fonts is printed every time the printer powers up.

Also, if you have any IFF or HAM pictures in the document, you 
will have to edit the Postscript file before you try to print it. 
The Postscript formatter inserts a wait command that the LPS40 
does not know.  Just search the file for WAIT, and insert a % at 
the beginning of the line wherever it occurs.  Then send the file 
to the printer.  If you don't do this first, the printer will 
abort the job.

Good Luck!

Randy

There is something funny in the last line of the postscript file that our
LPS40 chokes on and gives an error. After editing out one byte it did fine.
Look at the last few bytes with VMS DUMP.  It still printed fine a page at a
time, I just had problems doing PRINT *.PS.  This may have been fixed by now.

	Dick

    I haven't looked at the file, but I suspect the errant character is a
    control D.  When system software sends a PostScript file to a printer
    on a serial line, it is supposed to terminate the file with a control
    D, so the printer can know to initialize itself for the next user's
    file.  Unfortunately, print spooling software isn't yet smart enough
    to do that, so file preparation software puts the control D at the
    end of the PostScript file.
    
    The LPS40, being an EtherNet device, uses a very different method for
    detecting end of file, so doesn't like the control D.
    
    If you have access to the PostScript header, you can define control D
    (004 octal) to do nothing.  This won't effect a serial printer because
    the control D is processed at a very low level---almost as low as
    control Q and control S.
        John Sauter