Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!ukc!its63b!jcb
From: jcb@its63b.ed.ac.uk (J Bradfield)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: page counting; books
Message-ID: <1209@its63b.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 26 Apr 88 11:07:48 GMT
References: <8030003@eecs.nwu.edu>
Reply-To: jcb@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (J Bradfield)
Organization: Lab. for Foundations of Computer Science, Univ. Edinburgh, UK
Lines: 28
Keywords: pages manuals reference structuring conforming
Summary: Follow structuring conventions; the Red and Blue Books

In article <8030003@eecs.nwu.edu> gore@eecs.nwu.edu (Jacob Gore) writes:
>1.  Is there an easy way to count, request, or guess the number of pages that
>a Postscript printer will produce for a given print job (LaserWriter II/NT, in
>this specific case)?

Only if the Postscript conforms to the structuring conventions given in 
Appendix C of the Red Book (see below). In that case, you simply look for 
the line
%%Pages: n 
in the header, or the line
%%Pages: (atend)
in the header and 
%%Pages: n 
in the trailer. If your Postscript does not conform to the convention, you're
stuck, unless you want to employ dodgy strategies like counting the number
of showpage and copypage commands (which may well be wrapped up in 
procedures!).

>2.  Could somebody recommend a book or books on Postscript?  I could use both
>a textbook or user guide, and a reference manual? 

The definitive reference manual is the `Red Book':
PostScript Language Reference Manual   by   Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0 201 10174 2

and the corresponding tutorial is the `Blue Book':
PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook
                ISBN 0 201 10179 3