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From: vthrc@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au (Danny Thomas)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: downloading a PostScript header, interacting with a PS printer
Message-ID: <1991Feb12.101257.23988@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au>
Date: 12 Feb 91 10:12:57 GMT
Sender: news@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au
Organization: VTHRC, University of Queensland
Lines: 47
Nntp-Posting-Host: 130.102.176.150

I would like to know the best way(s) to communicate between an application 
and a PostScript printer. This means both for simply downloading 
PostScript to print a document, and to interact with the PS interpreter, 
eg control startup page, query font set, resolution etc. I had a 
non-exhaustive look in the Usenet Mac Prog Guide, TN91 & IM2 but none 
seemed to cover the dynamics of interaction nor how to download a PS 
header file. I guess IUm looking for a good, preferably concise document 
describing how to use PostScript from a mac

I've just started playing with Prograph, the OO visual dataflow 
environment for the mac, but the problem I've run into is in using the 
Printing Manager. The following may have a few mistakes cause it is based 
on memory while the local netnews system wasn't accepting postings.

My application has to print 4 labels on each page and I thought it would 
be easier doing this directly in PostScript which I am more familiar with 
than QuickDraw. Depending upon your programming skill, native PostScript 
is also likely to run quite a bit faster than that produced by the LW 
driver. I defined a set of procedures culminating in one which takes a few 
strings off the stack and renders a label on the page. This part was easy, 
as was using pic comments to begin/end PostScript. Using the 
TextIsPostScript comment seems a lot easier than using a text handle - I 
couldn't figure out how to get Prograph to append a CR anyway. BTW the 
application is emitting only PostScript, no QD stuff.

The PS header proc set canUt be defined within a page (ie first) unless it 
is going to be prepended to every one because each close page does a 
grestore to the state at the beginning of the page erasing those 
definitions, but I donUt seem to be able to include the PS code in the 
stuff going to the printer unless it is being RoutputS on an open page. 
How do you output PS to the Printer Manager so it is placed in the RProc 
SetS component of a PS file? preferably with the Printer Manager placing 
it between the proper document structuring comments, or do you have to 
bypass the Printing Manager?

As far as querying with the PS interpreter, IUve written a test page which 
prints the information I am after and I think it would be easy to channel 
that the output stream of the PS interpreter but I donUt know to have my 
mac application accept what is coming back from the LW. A few times in the 
past IUve done some PS debugging by outputing what looks like an error msg 
from the LW R[%%Error:   ]S and that has been picked up and displayed by 
TOPS Spool.

Any advice/suggestions gratefully accepted
Danny Thomas
Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre
University of Queensland.