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From: smedley@udel.edu (Trevor Smedley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Generating Postscript with TrueType
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Date: 20 Mar 91 18:13:09 GMT
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The LaserWriter driver that comes with the new TrueType stuff has a radio button for generating a postscript file.  I was very pleased to see this, but something is a little weird.

First, it seems to include the LaserPrep file.  Up until now I have been
generating Postscript without the LaserPrep and then adding a modified version
with macps.  The file produced by the new driver _does_ print when I send it to
our Personal LaserWriter (NT?).  Does anyone know if this is because the
LaserWriter is adding a modified version of LaserPrep, or am I just getting
lucky because it is an Apple printer I am sending things to?

Second, the files generated are huge!  I had a file which contained the string
"This is a TrueType test..." repeated 5 times.  Always in Times, with the point
sizes 12, 14, 18, 20 and 24.  The resulting Postscript file was over 393716
bytes.  This looks like it is the LaserPrep file (around 30k), followed by
roughly 300k of what looks like a hex encoding of something (font
definitions?), followed by the couple of lines specifying the actual postscript
for the file.  Is there any way to get rid of all this hex stuff?  I only use
fonts that the printer already knows about, so if this is font definition
information it isn't necessary.

In case you are curious, using the old LaserWriter driver, the file generated (without the LaserPrep) is 1177 bytes, and once the modified LaserPrep is added with macps is is 35517 bytes.  The difference in transferring a 1177 byte file and a approx 400k file from my Mac to my Sun, and from the Sun to the printer is _very_ significant.

Looks like I won't be using TrueType for now...  Perhaps on my Plus at home with my ImageWriterLQ, but not here.

Thanks,  Trevor Smedley
smedley@udel.edu