Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!epiwrl!shore
From: shore@epiwrl.EPI.COM (John Shore)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: ASCII to Postscript ($$) (yes, again)
Message-ID: <2221@epiwrl.EPI.COM>
Date: 20 May 88 14:24:00 GMT
Organization: Entropic Processing, Inc., Washington, DC
Lines: 42


I need an ASCII to postscript filter (for an Apple LW on a Sun) with the
following characteristics (asterisk means desirable but not a must):

    - does simple pagination
    - allows global choice of font and size
    - works with standard I/O
    - page headers (*)
    - landscape mode (*)

This is a subset of enscript (part of the Transcript package).  Indeed, 
I would like to use enscript, and (gosh) I'm willing to pay for it, 
but Adobe won't sell it separately from Transcript.  I don't need the 
rest of Transcript's programs, and I can't afford the whole package.  
A couple of hundred dollars is what I had in mind.  

I have tried a couple of the programs I've seen on the net, but they 
have not been adequate.  Some assume the presence of files that I don't 
have.  Others do the job by inserting a Postscript program in front of the
ASCII -- the idea is that the program eats the ASCII and prints it.  
That's OK, but I have never been able to make things work with lpr
properly so that the next Postscript job doesn't get eaten and printed 
as well (yes I've tried to get lpr to transmit ^D at the end of each
job via /etc/printcap, but I haven't succeeded).  

Several people have told me that there's no decent program on the 
market because there are too many free programs floating around that
almost do it right.  So here I am, ready to pay, but nothing to buy.  

If anyone knows of a vendor that has a suitable program, I would appreciate
hearing about it.  If anyone has a decent program that's in the public
domain, I would appreciate getting it.  If you have a program you consider
"shareware" (I gather this term is being used when voluntary payments
are encouraged), I would be happy to contribute something for any such
program I end up using.  

Thanks in advance.  

js

- John Shore  shore@wrl.EPI.COM
	      ...uunet!wrl.epi.com!shore