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From: brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: HPGL<->PostscriptPCL<->Postscript
Message-ID: <1679@vidiot.UUCP>
Date: 1 May 91 05:58:31 GMT
References: <13409.281846cb@ecs.umass.edu> <12178@ilog.fr>
Reply-To: brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot)
Organization: Vidiot's Hangout
Lines: 30

In article <12178@ilog.fr> samarcq@ilog.UUCP (Vincent Samarcq) writes:
<
<I am looking for a PostScript->HPGL converter on UNIX. Thanks for any 
<information on the subject.

Sorry, as this has been discussed many a time before, you can do HPGL to
PostScript, you can't do PostScript to HPGL.

The reasons are many...1) fonts.  HPGL has a very simple set of internal
fonts.  Every HPGL program I have seen, which is limited, prints out characters
by drawing the character so that it will scale correctly.  Any font used in
the PostScript program has NO font in the HPGL program.  2) Curves.  The
curve drawing facility of PostScript is totally different than the curve
drawing facility of HPGL.  If a complex curve is drawn in PostScript, I
wouldn't want to write to code to convert it to HPGL.  3) Limited.  HPGL
is just plain inferior to PostScript.  Trying to convert complex PostScript
drawings to HPGL is just not worth the time to attempt to write code for,
when PostScript printers are so plentiful.

You don't explain why you want to convert PostScript to HPGL.  Why not just
print your file on a PostScript printer?

I have a HPGL to PostScript conversion program, but it isn't what you want.
I know people have asked for this program and I have said nothing.  That is
because there is a flaw in one of the curve drawing procedures and I just
haven't had time to fix it yet.  When I do, I will release it to the net.
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