Printing and Viewing PostScript Files
|
The easiest way to print PostScriptTM files is with a
PostScript compatible laser printer. These have
become more affordable and are becoming more common; for
instance, the public library in my small town has one
attached to a public-access computer. However, they are
still roughly twice as expensive as the ink jet or dot-matrix
printers that most of us use with our personal computers.
An alternative to a laser printer is software that
interprets PostScript language commands for display on a
computer VGA display or a PC printer. I know of at least two
versions of this type of software: GoScript, a commercial product
and Ghostscript,
[Copyright (C) 1990, 1992 Aladdin Enterprises. All rights
reserved. Distributed by Free Software Foundation, Inc.], which
is freeware. There are probably others which I haven't tried.
I have only used Ghostscript, versions 2.5 and higher, for printing,
and Ghostview, for viewing under Windows 3.1 and 95.
The DOS versions
use Unix style command strings which are difficult
to remember, so I've included two BAT files below to help:
GS_VIEW.BAT
for viewing on a screen, and
GS_PRINT.BAT
for printing on an HP inkjet printer or an Epson dot-matrix printer
(use an editor to remove the REM from the appropriate line).
For other
brands of printer, the command will have to be changed
appropriately, which will require reading of the
documentation. Type GS_VIEW or
GS_PRINT to use them. Be sure to type QUIT
when you are through or your PC may be left in an unhappy
state requiring rebooting.
I've also included
a sample PostScript file,
SQUARE.PS
which draws a four inch square to make sure that templates will
be drawn to scale, and a sample horn template,
HORN18.PS
,to get
you started. If the dimensions of the printed square are
slightly off, you can correct them. Each template has a line
near the beginning of the file:
1.0 1.0 scale
the first number is the scale factor in the x (horizontal)
direction, and the second is the scale factor in the y
(vertical) direction. Edit the SQUARE.PS file with an
editor to change these numbers slightly; when you find a
combination that prints a square exactly four inches on a side,
then you have compensated for your printer. Edit these same
numbers into any template to be printed on the same printer and
the dimensions will come out right.
Windows
The windows versions of Ghostscript are easier to use -- start
the program, then open the PostScript file using pulldown menus.
However, they don't seem to work with the AZ_PROJ mapping program.
Netscape
To view PostScript files found on the Internet, there is a
GoScript plugin for the Windows 95 version of Netscape Navigator
which does a fine job. I tried the evaluation version, but found
that it was prohibitively priced when the evaluation period expired.
AZ_PROJ
AZ_PROJ by Joe,
NA3T
and Michael,
NV3Z,
is a really neat program for drawing custom
maps. However, it has some idiosyncracies which can cause
difficulties in printing; click here for
specific hints.
GhostScript files
The Ghostscript files are available on many bulletin
boards and Internet locations. Some are linked to the
previous page. They
are in ZIP format, so they must me downloaded, unZIPped,
and installed according to the README documentation.
I have not used any of the commercial products, but I would
expect a commercial product to be much easier to install and use
than freeware or shareware.
Contents of files
GS_VIEW.BAT
gs386 %1
GS_PRINT.BAT
REM remove REMark from line for your printer
REM
REM Epson dot-matrix
REM gs386 -sDEVICE=epson -r60x60 %1
REM HP inkjet
REM gs386 -sDEVICE=djet500 %1
REM HP color inkjet
REM gs386 -sDEVICE=cdj550 %1
SQUARE.PS
%! PostScript
% draws a four inch square
/mm { 2.834646 mul } def
/in { 72 mul } def
2 in 2 in translate
1.0 1.0 scale
gsave
newpath
1 setlinewidth
0 in 0 in moveto
4 in 0 in lineto
4 in 4 in lineto
closepath
stroke
grestore
/Helvetica-Bold findfont
14 scalefont
setfont
1 in 2 in moveto
(FOUR INCH SQUARE) show
showpage
N1BWT