Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!homxb!mtuxo!mtune!codas!killer!chip
From: chip@killer.UUCP (Chip Rosenthal)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: nroff printer driver for LQ2500
Keywords: nroff tabxxx Epson
Message-ID: <3176@killer.UUCP>
Date: 1 Feb 88 16:38:28 GMT
References: <2447@crash.cts.com>
Reply-To: chip@killer.UUCP (Chip Rosenthal)
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection BBS, Dallas, Tx
Lines: 29

In article <2447@crash.cts.com> bblue@crash.cts.com (Bill Blue) writes:
>
>Before I try to reinvent the wheel, does anyone already have a tabxxx
>driver for nroff and an Epson LQ-2500 printer?

I did one of these for the Okidata 193.  I think they use different escape
codes and special characters, so I don't think my tables will be any help.
But, the problem which bit me might also get you.

The problem is that nroff will only produce 7-bit characters.  The special
characters in my printer (e.g. greek letters) require 8-bit characters.
Fine...what I did is translate 8-bit characters to the two-character
sequence { TRIGGER_CHAR, (8_BIT_CHAR & 0177) } and place this two character
sequence in my table.  Then I modified my line folding/backspace translating
output filter to translate this two-character sequence back to a single 8-bit
character.

All is fine and dandy, until you filter the nroff output through the "col"
command.  If you do it prior to the printer filter, then it eats the
trigger character.  If you do it after the printer filter, it merrily
eats the MSB from 8-bit characters.

As a result, I don't mess around with the special characters anymore, and
I just use the dumb "tablp" nroff driver.

-- 
Chip Rosenthal         chip@vector.UUCP		| But if you want to sing the
Dallas Semiconductor     (214) 450-0400		|  blues, then boy you better
{texsun,codas,ihnp4}!killer!vector!chip		|  learn how to lose.