Re: PostScript from a IIgs

[nathan@cco.caltech.edu (Nathan Mates)]

In article <4pamd6$jf5@Mercury.mcs.com>, J. L. Walters <bird@MCS.COM> wrote:
>Sometime ago I saw a post by someone (Gareth Jones?)
>giving instructions on how one could create a PostScript
>file on an HFS disk from GraphicWriter III or AppleWorks
>GS that could subsequently be printed by a Mac at
>Kinko's. Unfortunately, it seems that I somehow didn't
>save this post - even though I thought I did at the time!

   Quick summary of how to do this:

0) The Laserwriter driver (39K) and other printer software (DC [Direct
Connect] printer Control Panel, general Printer driver) must be
installed to your boot disk. Further, the driver writes out the
postscript files to your boot disk (no way to change that.... yet :),
so make sure that you've got about 100K free. That sorta rules out an
800K bootdisk unless you don't have the Finder or otherwise _really_
strip it down.

1) Install Laserwriter driver from System 6.0.1. Appletalk is _not_
required to run it while printing to disk. If you want to try breaking
the rules a bit (sorry, have not verified that this works offhand, but
at worst it just won't work) and already have a printer installed, you
should be able to copy the 'Laserwriter' file from the 6.0.1 System
Tools Disk 2 System/Drivers folder to the System/Drivers folder on
your GS boot disk. Reboot, and you should be able to select the
Laserwriter driver from the 'DC Printer' graphical Control Panel.

2) Once that is selectable, you should be able to go into 'Page Setup'
in the application you want to print from and verify that the printer
is a laserwriter. [Warning: page sizes are very subtly different, and
AppleWorks GS won't properly reformat everything unless you go to the
beginning and scroll down (hold down the down arrow on the keyboard
or that on the window) through the whole document. Graphic Writer III
should be better]

3) When doing this, please beware that fonts outside of those
supported directly by the Laserwriter (i.e. those that came with
system 6, except for Shaston, plus a bunch like Bookman) will NOT be
used, even if you have postscript. Apparently the print to file does
not properly download fonts, even with Pointless installed. Since the
printer uses internal fonts, you do not have to have the exact sizes
for each and every font you want to use installed-- you might be able
to get away with having only a 12-point font installed and the
occasional heading in 24. [The chunkiness you see without Pointless
installed is NOT what you'll get]

4) Finally, when you're ready to print, hit open-apple-P to get the
'number of copies' dialog, etc. At the top of that dialog, it may
complain about 'LaserWriter "No network- not supported" v3.3'. That's
normal if you don't have an actual laserwriter connected. Do NOT press
return to print. Instead, while holding down open-apple-F, click on
the 'OK' button. It'll print to disk.

5) Quit the word processor, and go to the System/Drivers folder on
your boot disk. In it should be a few files with names like
'PostScript.GS00' (or 01, 02...). Copy those files to a HFS disk, and
take them to Kinko's. Use the 'Laserwriter Utility' (Sys 7.1 or 7.5
might have renamed that to 'Printer Utility'-- it also might not be
installed by default, despite being part of the Mac System Software)
program to send a Postscript file to the printer, and select the files
on your disk.

6) Things should work. Oh yeah-- you might want to delete off those
'PostScript.GSxx' files after copying them to another disk. They're
not needed anymore and only eat up disk space. Their names are rather
undescriptive, so if you're paying by the page, you don't want to
print the wrong one by mistake. However, renaming them is perfectly
legal]

Nathan Mates
-- 
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~nathan/      <*>
# And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the
# Kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in 
# parables" Mark 4:11, NRSV