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From: haverty@BBN.COM (Jack Haverty)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re:  PostScript Versus ASCII
Message-ID: <8910021348.AA26853@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 2 Oct 89 12:39:13 GMT
References: <8909301233.aa05407@huey.udel.edu>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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Another idea into the fray:

MCIMail has a capability which allows me to send it a message for paper
delivery, by running any program on my Macintosh and "Print"ing to a
special output device which creates a file instead of actual output
(i.e., a pseudo-device).   I then tell MCIMail that this is an "image"
message, which causes it to laser-print it and deliver the hardcopy.

I'm not sure whether the "image" is actually postscript.  It's also a
bit clunky since I have to send any particular message twice - once to
recipients who can accept it electronically and deal with it (i.e. they
have a Mac), and once to recipients who need hadcopy.  

It does work however, and demonstrates that there *could* be a server
somewhere on the Internet to which the sender, or receiver, of a
document could send that document and get a hardcopy delivered.  It
might make sense to even offer two qualities of output (QOS bits at
layer 7!), one for laser-print, and one for FAX (which could be
delivered to most people directly as well).

Comments?  Anyone got something like this working yet?

Jack