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From: jeff@ism780c.UUCP (Jeff Copeland)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: devps from Pipeline
Message-ID: <6173@ism780c.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-May-87 13:40:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: ism780c.6173
Posted: Mon May  4 13:40:55 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 5-May-87 04:51:05 EDT
References: <87@casey.UUCP>
Reply-To: jeff@ism780c.UUCP (Jeff Copeland)
Organization: Interactive Systems Corp., Santa Monica CA
Lines: 32

In article <87@casey.UUCP> donna@casey.UUCP (Donna Hrynkiw) writes:
>We got 'devps' from Pipeline via their distributor SSC (Specialized 
>Systems Consultants) in Seattle and are fairly happy with it.
>
>but please note that according to SSC's catalogue TranScript 
>is a >troff< to PS Translator while devps is a >ditroff< to 
>PS translator.
>
>Some Problems: 
>- Formulas generated with eqn have a problem with vertical spacing.
>  Characters overlap each other; output is unacceptable.
>- pic diagrams are reduced by a factor of about 2.5.  We think inches are
>  being interpreted as centimeters somewhere.  Output can be fudged.
>
>Donna Hrynkiw
>donna@casey.kwantlen.bcc.cdn

TranScript has both troff and ditroff to PostScript filters.  More
importantly, though, your eqn and pic problems are likely the result of
both pic and eqn being "device dependent" software.  They both need to
know the resolution of the ultimate output device, just like ditroff
does.  If my memory is correct, the default for both is the l202, with
a resolution somewhat higher than a LW+.  (Unless you're using original
eqn, which assumes the C/A/T resolution of 432 x 144 dpi.)  Both
programs need to be invoked with a -Txxx, where xxx is the device.
Unfortunately, the device names are compiled into the code.  The
workaround, for pic at least, is that you can use -Tnnn, where nnn is
the resolution of the output device.  (The real workaround is to go in
and modify the code to get the device name and look up the ditroff
device description to get the resolution...)

Jeff Copeland