Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!munnari.oz.au!murtoa.cs.mu.oz.au!ditmela!latcs1!suter
From: suter@latcs1.oz.au (David Suter)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: dvi files and printer drivers
Message-ID: <7457@latcs1.oz.au>
Date: 20 Mar 90 11:01:37 GMT
Organization: Comp Sci, La Trobe Uni, Australia
Lines: 18

I have tried to print dvi files produced by PCtex (on a PC) by kermit'ing
the files on to a mainframe which has a laser printer attached. All I get
is virtually blank pages with a few lines (straight lines - not text) 
every now and then. On checking the dvi files produced on the PC
and on the mainframe I find that the PC files are generally longer. The
previewer (dvi2scr) on the PC "correctly" displays dvi files produced
either on the PC or on the mainframe. So - at least in some sense
the contents of the files are "equivalent". My knowledge of dvi files
is virtually nonexistent but I can imagine that two different latex programs
can produce two different but essentially equivalent dvi files. But I
am at a loss as to why the dvi files will not print the same. I suspect
the answer has something to do with a deficiency in the printer driver
causing it to fail to interpret properly the dvi file produced by the PCtex
program. Can anyone enlighten me further on the possible causes and
remedies.
(p.s. the files are not being corrupted in transfer from one machine to the
other)
d.s.