Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: PostScript page counter?
Message-ID: <1990Jul30.153325.15342@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <1990Jul26.173633.13911@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 90 15:33:25 GMT

In article <1990Jul26.173633.13911@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> tdd@convex.cl.msu.edu (Thomas D. Davis) writes:
>looking for software that will read a PostScript file and do nothing more
>than determine the number of pages it will print.  Does anyone know of 
>such a beast?

Basically, it can't be done.  You essentially have to do full PostScript
interpretation.  The language is too complex for any simple shortcut.
The usual technique is to read the printer's page count before and after,
and subtract -- *it* knows how many pages it printed.
-- 
The 486 is to a modern CPU as a Jules  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
Verne reprint is to a modern SF novel. |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry