Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!travis!hardy!leoh From: leoh@hardy.hdw.csd.harris.com (Leo Hinds) Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms Subject: (LACK OF) MicroSoft TECH SUPPORT (was: Why won't Windows print?) Message-ID: <3307@travis.csd.harris.com> Date: 9 May 91 23:50:58 GMT References: <1991Apr28.203109.9185@midway.uchicago.edu> <1991May1.201553.19249@sbcs.sunysb.edu> <72159@microsoft.UUCP> Sender: news@travis.csd.harris.com Organization: Harris Computer Systems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Lines: 87 In article <72159@microsoft.UUCP> kensy@microsoft.UUCP (Ken SYKES) writes: >In article <1991May1.201553.19249@sbcs.sunysb.edu> altman@sbstaff2.cs.sunysb.edu (Jeff Altman) writes: >>type of printer other than a PS printer. ATM is really printing a bitmap >>Now, Microsoft did not write the PS driver nor do they support it. They >>was written by Aldus. You might consider giving them a call and mention >>the limitation to them. warning: soapbox follows ... I am sure not all uSoft tech support are as I describe below ... but somehow all the ones I end up talking to are I called Aldus about this & they basically said that uSoft sold the driver (with win3) and that therefore the support burden is on uSoft, NOT Aldus. From a business point of view I can understand this, but as an end user, IT SUCKS. When one calls uSoft (either Win3 or the w4w people) NOBODY seems to know s*** about PS ... and when I ask for someone who understands PS the response always seems to be "I can help you" ... so being a different person, I give it a try ... but still useless. Needless to say problems we have been experiencing here (with w4w) ... have gone unresolved. In ALL (5 calls in 4 weeks) cases I was told that there was nothing in the "database" similar to what I was describing (& I asked them to make sure it was added to the database on every call) ... one time I was even promised FAXes of "related problems" (ATM w/ps & w4w) ... but I am still waiting (>2 weeks) >Well, this isn't entirely true. Yes, Aldus wrote the driver initially. >But now the driver is maintained by both Aldus and Microsoft. The softfont >limitation is being looked into and if possible will be fixed for 3.1 (Of >course there are no guarantees!) Softfonts is one of my problems (no wise cracks ... please :-) ) ... ATM/w4w/PS seems to run into difficulties it softfonts >= 130 (memory dependent apparently) ... the uSoft people said no problem, while Adobe people knew immediately what I was talking about it & said that when uSoft fixes "the problem", then my limit will be 461 fonts (or whatever strange number the ATM manual says). Unfortunately if uSoft does not know about the problem (not in the database) & I can't seems to make them (tech support) understand that it is a problem, then IT WILL NEVER be addressed ... a catch 22. Problem #2 - EPS (w/TIFF preview) will not print in w4w if followed by table Our company logo is in EPS format, courtesy of Adobe illustrator. The EPS logo will work fine within a w4w document, as long as neither a table, nor a paragraph are below it, formatted with a line/box: OK +----------+ | EPS logo | +----------+ text of interest goes here FAILS +----------+ | EPS logo | +----------+ ---------------------------------------------------------- (line) text of interest goes here The error message (courtesy of the Ehandler from E in the printer options menu) details an undefined variable (fm ... which is actually just a number ... something like 255) which is basically used before defined. If THE line defining the variable in the HEADER portion of the printjob, /fm 255 def is relocated to a more appropriate place, then all works fine, as does a manual change of all " fm "s to the appropriate number. >Ken Sykes >Disclaimer: The above opinions are solely my own. Unfortunately ... is there any way to talk to a human that can understand problems & that they are not dealing with a novice, & that does not insist on going through a fixed set of questions (along the lines of ...) ? 1) Are you *SURE* the computer is ON? 2) Is windows running 3) Is w4w loaded? 4) ... other similar questions ... leoh@hdw.csd.harris.com Leo Hinds (305)973-5229 Gfx ... gfx ... :-) whfg orpnhfr V "ebg"grq zl fvtangher svyr lbh guvax V nz n creireg ?!!!!!!? ... znlor arkg gvzr