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From: armstrng@cs.dal.ca (Stan Armstrong)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Landscape on HP--Need driver supporting special command
Message-ID: <1990Nov30.163110.3101@cs.dal.ca>
Date: 30 Nov 90 16:31:10 GMT
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Lines: 37

I am looking for a DVI to HP LaserJet series II (or Plus) driver which
supports the \special command so that I can print from TeX in landscape
mode.  The Beebe driver which I have on our VAX/VMS system (DVIJEP) does
not support \special's.  (I have version 2.10).

If I had such a driver, I could simply place the escape sequence to put
the HP into landscape mode, include it with a \special command, and voila!
my TeX document gets printed in landscape mode.  Then all there is to do
is make sure that the margins are set properly--a trivial task.

There are two other solutions which I can think of off the top of my head.
If anyone can think of something better, please let me know.

First, if I don't find the driver, I could create a device control module
which contains the escape sequence to put the HP into landscape mode.  I
would then define a form which uses that module to set up the printer at
the beginning of the print job.  Only thing is, I don't know if the escape
sequence will be overridden by some later sequence occurring within the
print job.  Besides, since this solution involves yet another thing for
the user to remember to do to print the document correctly, I do not favor
it.

Failing this, I read in the TeXBook about using MetaFont to create rotated
fonts.  I will try anything before I resort to this.  I don't care to maintain
any more fonts on this system than I absolutely need, thank-you.

So, if anybody has or knows of a driver (preferably the source, executable and
documentation) that will suit my needs, please let me know where and how I can
get it.  Otherwise, if anyone has any bright ideas how to print in landscape
mode on an HP LaserJet series II printer from TeX on VAX/VMS, I'm all ears.

Thanks,

Ben.
---
Ben Armstrong. Saint Mary's University, Halifax, N.S.
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