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Path: utzoo!utgpu!tj
From: tj@utgpu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: WordPerfect and Apple LaserWriter
Message-ID: <1987Sep9.102331.20798@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Date: Wed, 9-Sep-87 10:23:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: gpu.1987Sep9.102331.20798
Posted: Wed Sep  9 10:23:31 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 10-Sep-87 05:49:17 EDT
References: <497@leah.Albany.Edu>
Reply-To: tj@gpu.utcs.UUCP (tj)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Toronto Computing Services
Lines: 67
Keywords: pulling my hair out....
Checksum: 00896

It is about time that I posted another note like this on the net. 
I wrote to WordPerfect 2 MONTHS ago with a nice letter explaining
all the problems with WordPerfect and Proportional spaced printers, in
particular the Apple LAserWriter. We have gone the direction of PostScript
here at U of T Computing Services and so the software we use supports
PostScript. WordPerfect has many problems.

First, the problem you report sounds like a font setting problem. When
using the LaserWriter, you must use pitch 13* for font 1 to get things right.
You also have to set the margins to 13 and 97 to fill out a page. This is the
beginning of the problems. If you want to use a smaller font for say a quote,
you have to switch the font, the pitch, and the margins. Often the margins
are impossible to line up in the different fonts simply because it wants 
margins in integer character positions and roundoff causes differences.

The fact that it prints only the first page may be because the LaserWriter
and the PC are not handshaking. WordPerfect (unlike Word and Final Word and
PC-Write etc...) chose not to support Xon-Xoff handshaking between the
PC and the LaserWriter. Not only does this mean that SOME OLD LaserWriters
CANNOT work with WordPerfect (the rev 23 LaserWriters cannot hardware
handshake) but it also means that a factory fresh LaserWriter will not
work right off without sending the WordPerfect INITLWRT.PS file to it.
Note that this file changes the handshaking to hardware permanently. It does
not reset back on power off. It you share the ALW with other programs that
use the serial port then you have to set and reset it each time. This
uses up the 100k lives of the EEROM in the ALW where this non-volatile
information is stored. 

Other problems? Here is a brief list. This is strictly for information
purposes, this list will have no effect on WordPerfect Corporation
even if they are listening they do not seem to do anything about it
even when you write them.

1) From printer control screen you issue the print command and tell
WordPerfect to start at the 18th page or so and WordPerfect initializes
the LaserWriter, starts going through the file to find the 18th page and the
ALW times out before it gets there. THEY DIDN'T CHNAGE THE DEFAULT 60 SECOND
TIMEOUT!!!!!

2) The "PostScript" output uses 8 bit data. something that even the BASIC
PostScript programmer knows is a bad idea. It makes it real hard to send
the stuff to a network printer.

3) As mentioned, margins have to be changed all over the document. A
WordPerfect document entered for the ALW is just about DEVICE DEPENDANT.
You would be really hard pressed to preview it on a dot matrix non
proportional spaced printer. This is the biggest problem.

4) You can NORMALLY bold text with the bold function. On the ALW this
switches to a bold NORMAL font. If you bold some large or some small text it
changes it to the normal sized. You cannot get some combinations very easily.
If you bold an italics font it switches to bold normal. Bold italics
must be done with a font change instead. 

5) A document is only one font style. You cannot switch from Times to Helvetica
in a document. You can get a VERY limited selection of sizes of the font, but
only one font.

6) Non Encapsulated PostScript output (EPS). Not even the slightest
attempt to make conforming PostScript. Not even the simple %! comment
as documented in the PostScript reference manual.

These are the ones I can remember. It is a shame that such a popular
program is such a dog when used with such a good printer. I used
Microsoft Word to write my letter to WordPerfect!!!

tj