Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-winken!uunet!littlei!omepd!merlyn
From: merlyn@intelob.intel.com (Randal L. Schwartz @ Stonehenge)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: UltraScript (was Re: looking for a Postscript converter program)
Message-ID: <4306@omepd.UUCP>
Date: 13 Apr 89 23:14:35 GMT
References: <1226@ncr-sd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> <980001@hpwrce.HP.COM> <28837@apple.Apple.COM>
Sender: news@omepd.UUCP
Reply-To: merlyn@intelob.intel.com (Randal L. Schwartz @ Stonehenge)
Followup-To: comp.lang.postscript
Organization: Stonehenge; netaccess via BiiN, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
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In-reply-to: austing@Apple.COM (Glenn L. Austin)
Xref: utzoo comp.lang.postscript:1930 comp.sys.atari.st:15560

In article <28837@apple.Apple.COM>, austing@Apple (Glenn L. Austin) writes:
| What is required is something to read and interpret the Postscript code and
| output what the printing device is capable of understanding.  That means
| that even old printers could be capable of Postscript, it just would require
| CPU time from somewhere, even if it was from your computer.

I played with UltraScript yesterday on an Atari Mega ST, which takes
very-standard PostScript and interprets it for the Atari SLM804 Laser
Printer (a dump-a-whole-buncha-bits-at-it interface -- no internal
smarts).

I was pleased by the results.  The few quick benchmarks I typed in at
it placed it about the speed of a standard LaserWriter.  Although the
familiar fonts (except for Courier) were not there, I understand they
can be purchased as a package.

I'm told that you can purchase a Mega ST-4, SLM 804, and UltraScript
with all the expected fonts for about the same price as a LaserWriter.
(~ $3500 or so.)  You'd then have a printer that doubles as a
workstation (and runs FlightSimulator at real-time speeds, and for
$200 more runs Mac software faster than a Mac, and for $150 more runs
IBM PC s/w off the shelf, etc, etc :-).

Note: I am not connected with Atari except as a happy owner of one of
the first STs off the line.  My brother, on the other hand, sells 'em.
-- 
/=====Randal L. Schwartz, Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095========\
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