Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!yale!eagle!rsilverman
From: rsilverman@eagle.wesleyan.edu
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Apple Pref 5.2 6.0 diffs
Message-ID: <2392@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Date: 23 Oct 89 19:31:21 GMT
References: <761@hutto.UUCP> <19946@ut-emx.UUCP>
Lines: 38

In article <19946@ut-emx.UUCP>, jonabbey@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Jonathan Abbey) writes:

> Along these lines, could someone summarize for me the role of the AppleDict?
> Specifically, I have a MacDrawII drawing dumped using Apple's QuickDraw
> dictionary macros, and it will not print correctly on LaserWriters using
> older drivers (the drawing is a logo with a ring of letters perpendicular
> to the tangent of the circle.. on the old drivers, these letters only come
> out at 90 degree increments).. is the AppleDict driver dependent?  Can I
> dump the AppleDict to laserwriters with older drivers in a save/restore pair?
> 

Jonathan,
	The Apple PostScript dictionary ("md") is kept in the file Laser Prep
which comes with the LaserWriter driver.  Basically, it is a set of procedures
and definitions on which the LaserWriter driver depends as it is generating
code.  Some are just abbreviations, others implement functions that help bridge
the differences between QuickDraw and PostScript.  Since applications are
presumed to all use the Print Manager (and therefore the Apple's LW driver),
rather than send the whole dictionary with every job, it is downloaded
"permanently" (until next time the interpreter restarts) by the driver if it
detects that it is not there.
	The upshot of this is that if you capture the output from the driver,
you must also know what version of the LaserPrep it depends on.  If you do the
capture by holding down the K key instead of the F key just after starting to
print, the contents of the dictionary will be prepended for you -- this is
probably the best way to go.  It will necessary to do a save/restore if this is
the only thing in your job; each job is surrounded by an implicit save/restore.
	I don't know of any documentation available from Apple on the mechanics
of LaserPrep -- we all get what we need to know by (gulp)... reading it :-) 
There is, however, the book "Inside LaserWriter" from Apple, which documents
the structures and mechanisms used by the LW driver in mapping fonts, using
width tables, font coordination, etc.

                                                Richard Silverman

arpa:	rsilverman@eagle.wesleyan.edu           Systems Engineer
bitnet:	rsilverman@wesleyan.bitnet              AM Computer Products
CIS:	[72727,453]                             Southington, CT 06489