From: neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Postlethwaite)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: NEWSprint and dodgy Postscript Clones
Date: 9 Apr 92 09:43:21 GMT
Organization: Dept of Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland


	Was asked to post this for someone.

	All flames to /dev/null or C.D.Latham@cen.ex.ac.uk not me !

	Neil

----------------------------------------
From C.D.Latham@cen.ex.ac.uk Tue Apr  7 17:12:35 1992
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 92 12:29:09 -0100
Message-Id: <14609.9203271329@olib>
To: neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Postlethwaite)
Subject: Re: NeWSprint
Status: R

Reply article follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In-reply-to: neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk's message of 20 Mar 92 10:32:43 GMT
In article <1992Mar20.103243.11444@cs.hw.ac.uk> neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Postlethwaite) writes:
>In article <9026@baird.cs.strath.ac.uk> gpalmer@cs.strath.ac.uk (Gary J Palmer 2nd Year I.E. student) writes:
> >
> >Using the version 2.44 !PrinterPS application to generate a postscript file,
> >I get the following error page on the local laser printers, which are Sun
> >SPARCprinters, being driven by a server running NeWSprint. Can anyone help
> >me to cure this problem?? 
>
>	   I would guess that it is a dodgy Postscript clone. I have had
>   similar problems with DEC LNO3R 'scriptprinters'. They use a DEC
>   postscript clone. It barfs up on the find font.
>-----
>The Postscript viewer in Sun Openwindows 2 doesn't understand Acorn Postscript
>files for similar reasons.
>-----
>	   The Apple laserwriter uses a PROPER version of postscript and
>   has the full 35 Adobe fonts (some postscript only have 17 - see above).
>   A Adobe interpreter should be generic and !PSPrint should always work.
>   For the DEC printer, it could be used either by some careful hand
>   editing of the font includes, or using the original !PSPrint on the
>   first issue Riscos 3 apps disc (which includes fonts in the Postscript 
>   output file as and when needed. Later versions stuff all the fonts
>   in (Arc Ghostscript barfs on this problem too).
>
>	   Absolutely never had any problem with out departmental 
>   Apple Laserwriter IINT.
>-----
With RISC OS 3 !Printers there is a choice of different Postscript
configurations from Generic with a small set of fonts up to Laserwriter
II NTX with the full works.

There was a bug in RISC OS 3 !Printers which produced faulty Postscript
under certain circumstances.  I moaned to Acorn about this and they fixed
it in a few days.  Now !Printers works _perfectly_ with our departmental
Laserwriter II NTX.  I have _never_ had any problem with !PrinterPS in
RISC OS 2 and to a variety of Postscript printers.  Various people I
have emailed Postscript (uuencoded, compressed) created by !Printers or
!PrinterPS have reported that the files printed alright.  I can't say
the same for Postscript sent to me generated on Apple Macs!

The problem with Arc Ghostscript is different.  It can't find the fonts
because it is looking in the wrong place.  It looks in the current directory
rather than in the application's own directory where they are.  A quick fix
is just to put dir <GS$Dir> in !GS.!Run.  Postscript generated by !Printers
(RISC OS 3) work just fine then.
-----

Regards,

Christopher.