Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!noao!stsci!sgate
From: sgate@stsci.EDU (Steve Southgate)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Need Help: Shakespeare/PostScript/Laser Printer
Message-ID: <377@obi-wan>
Date: 13 Jul 88 22:27:16 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218
Lines: 63


Question for Laserwriter/Postscript/Shakespeare whizzes (NEED HELP PLEASE):

I just purchased a copy of Shakespeare (Desk Top Publisher by Infinity), 
and found that it produces Postscript output.  At work I have access to 
Macs that are hooked up to a LaserWriterPlus (which happens to be the Laser 
printer recommended for this particular software package, although any 
true postscript printer should be compatible).  The Macs are also hooked up
to VAXes.

I attempted to print some output from Shakespeare, that I created on my Amiga 
at home, on the LaserWriter at work using the following scheme:

First, I directed my Shakespeare output at home to a file.  There is a menu
option supporting this function, so I can't imagine I did that incorrectly.

Second, I Kermit-ed the file to our VAXes at work.  As Postscript is actually
an ASCII code sequence (it is read by an interpreter in the LaserWriter),
the transfer is pretty reliable.  I visually verified the output after the 
transfer, and it looked good.

Third, a friend and I transferred the file down to a Mac Plus from the VAX 
using Red Ryder software (as an aside, let me say that I find working with 
Macs to be a pain in the neck -- I'm glad I own a real computer ;-) ).  

Fourth, as this document had no "application" associated with it (I'm using
Mac jargon now), we had to look all over hell and back to find some software
that would let us look at the damn file (ie, an "editor", what a concept).
Finding that, we were able to verify that the file *appeared* to be OK.

Fifth, again, as this postscript file had no "application" associated with
it, we had to look all over hell and back to find a program ("PSout", I
believe) that would send the Postscript file directly to the Laser printer
without just printing the Postscript source code itself (I was getting ready
to do harm to a few Macs at this point).

Finally, the stuff goes to the printer, but I get an error.  I found some
postscript manuals, and was able to determine that the error was programmatic
(not syntactic).  I was able to look up the error.  The error was on a "get" 
operation to a supposedly "stacked" "dictionary" that apparently either wasn't
"stacked" or was stacked but didn't have whatever it was that the program
wanted to "get".  My knowledge of Postscript is practically nil, so you'll
have to pardon my vague interpretaion.

Called Infinity.  Described the scenario.  Their guy said they'd never had
their postscript output NOT work.  He was surprized, but couldn't really
be difinitive because, after all, this wasn't a supported procedure.

Don't know what's wrong.  Could be that the LaserWriter is initialized in a
particular way, and that this initializaiton is screwing things up.
Could be, and I forgot to ask Infinity, that Shakespeare initializes
the printer a particular way, and my method prevents that from happening 
(although I think the only initialization it does is tacked onto the 
beginning of the file).

Please mail/post help.  If mailed, and it works, I'll re-post.

Thanks much,

Steve Southgate
Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore, MD 
sgate@stsci.edu