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From: stickler@rc.nokia.fi (Patrick Stickler RC 910)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: troff and non-laser printers
Message-ID: <298@pepper.rc.nokia.fi>
Date: 15 Nov 90 13:56:18 GMT
Reply-To: stickler@rc.nokia.fi (Patrick Stickler RC 910)
Organization: Nokia Research Center, Finland
Lines: 28


                            HELP!
 
Does anyone know if troff (and not merely nroff) can be used with
any inexpensive dot-matrix or ink jet printers? The particular
printers that I have in mind are the HP Deskjet or Cannon BJ-10e.
What sort of graphics emulation is necessary to get 'reasonable'
output? Epson FX, IBM Proprinter (X-24E)...? Can the HP Deskjet
emulate an HP Laserjet? How about a CAT (troff output) to PCL
converter?

Please no suggestions to use some other typesetting software (e.g. 
TeX). I have to use troff and need some inexpensive way to get
'local' draft copies of documents. I need 'true' troff output - the
differences between nroff and troff are too great.

If anyone has had experience with using troff on a non-laser printer,
I would *very* much appreciate any advice you could offer.
 
By the way, I'm a poor student, so I can't afford to buy some commercial
troff/ditroff/eroff system - PD or cheap solutions only (I don't ask
for much ;-).

Thanks,

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   Patrick Stickler  University of Helsinki   stickler@cc.helsinki.fi
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