OvPro problem
M Harding
"hardware".
My aim is to print out a 36-page A5 magazine using the "line-screen"
image printing style I used to use via CCs' TurboPrint system (which
requires FastSpool+ to get round the original dongle problem and uses
Printers 1.52).
I use OvPro v.2.77 to DTP the magazine, using a SA-VRPC with RISC OS
4.02 and max. memory allocation. No problem here, except that I can't
use CCs' TurboDrivers to work on the Windows XP machine, since
FastSpool+ doesn't seem to play ball; so the printing is not to the
required standard.
I do the DTP work on the SA-VRPC (for processor speed and also
because it works in conjunction with Windows programs). Then using
ShareFS, I import the OvPro file to a Kinetic computer which does
have CCs' TurboPrint with FastSpool+. The Kinetic has RISC OS 4.03
and 190 MB of memory.
I have identical fonts on both machines using FontDir2. Usually (but
not always) the moment I try to load the OvPro document on the
Kinetic, it crashes, sometimes giving an "Error 5", sometimes just
freezing, occasionally giving an "Abort on data transfer at
&0382B8FC" or whatever the number is. I have to switch off and on
again to reset it. Very occasionally it meekly loads, and I print it
out while I can.
I tried using Task Manager to tweak the 'Next' allocation - that
didn't work. Then I tried tweaking the Font cache to a very large
number. That worked - but the rejoicing was premature, since it still
crashes.
I need the 'line screen' style of printing since it's ideal for
photocopying/ duplicating. If I could get the SA-VRPC to print using
a 'line screen' system - either via the printer driver or from within
OvPro - I wouldn't need the Kinetic work-around. The VRPC print
quality is inadequate.
Can anyone help solve either the VRPC printer driver problem or the
Kinetic crashing problem, please?
Michael Harding
Rev. Preb. M.D. Harding ris...@mdharding.org.uk
Martin Wuerthner
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> I don't know whether this plea for help comes under "apps" or
> "hardware".
> My aim is to print out a 36-page A5 magazine using the "line-screen"
> image printing style I used to use via CCs' TurboPrint system (which
> requires FastSpool+ to get round the original dongle problem and uses
> Printers 1.52).
> I use OvPro v.2.77 to DTP the magazine, using a SA-VRPC with RISC OS
> 4.02 and max. memory allocation. No problem here, except that I can't
> use CCs' TurboDrivers to work on the Windows XP machine, since
> FastSpool+ doesn't seem to play ball
There is no reason why this should not be possible. You have not
really told us what the problem is.
Martin
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Dr Peter Young
> I don't know whether this plea for help comes under "apps" or
> "hardware".
[snip]
Possibly better on David Pilling's software list :-) Advice from the
horse's mouth.
[quote]
To unsubscribe or subscribe goto:
http://www.freelists.org/list/davidpilling
[unquote]
HTH,
With best wishes,
Peter.
--
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Anne \ / __ __ \ England.
and / / \ | | |\ | / _ \ http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk
family / \__/ \_/ | \| \__/ \______________ pny...@ormail.co.uk.
M Harding
Martin Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> In message <50bbb87a...@mdharding.org.uk>
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > I don't know whether this plea for help comes under "apps" or
> > "hardware".
> > My aim is to print out a 36-page A5 magazine using the
> > "line-screen" image printing style I used to use via CCs'
> > TurboPrint system (which requires FastSpool+ to get round the
> > original dongle problem and uses Printers 1.52).
> > I use OvPro v.2.77 to DTP the magazine, using a SA-VRPC with RISC
> > OS 4.02 and max. memory allocation. No problem here, except that
> > I can't use CCs' TurboDrivers to work on the Windows XP machine,
> > since FastSpool+ doesn't seem to play ball
> There is no reason why this should not be possible. You have not
> really told us what the problem is.
TurboPrinters were associated with Printers 1.52 and so I checked that
this would work with a straightforward printer definition (LJIV) on
SA-VRPC.
I then set up the TurboPrinter to print to file, specifying this as
"FastSpool:turbo". (As with my Kinetic.) That part worked, I assume.
The problem, I think, lies with FastSpool+ in that it offers a
configuration choice between FastSpool, Parallel and Serial, but not
To File. To print on SA-VRPC, I think you have to specify the file's
target - certainly the normal Printers is set as Print to File,
"HostFS::Samsung_ML_2570_Series_" .
Having set it up to 'FastSpool', I tried printing and the FastSpool
'Idle' turned to 'Error'. On looking at its 'Configure' the options
were now greyed out.
I presume then that the issue is one of how to get the FastSpool to
print to the PC's target file? That would be my best option, but
failing that, how to prevent OvPro from falling over on the Kinetic?
The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC dongle
problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
M Harding
Dr Peter Young <pny...@ormail.co.uk> wrote:
> On 17 Nov 2009 M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > I don't know whether this plea for help comes under "apps" or
> > "hardware".
> [snip]
> Possibly better on David Pilling's software list :-) Advice from the
> horse's mouth.
> [quote]
> To unsubscribe or subscribe goto:
> http://www.freelists.org/list/davidpilling
Thanks, Peter - previous searches there, when I was trying to see
whether this was a common problem, seemed to be fruitless.
Ideally, though, I'd like to get TurboPrinters to work on the SA-VRPC,
since I realise that the days of the native RISC OS hardware are sadly
numbered.
20 years ago I used to use the TurboPrinters in LineScreen format for
my parish magazine, and people accustomed to Windows machines used to
be astonished at the quality of reproduced images.
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts
> I don't know whether this plea for help comes under "apps" or
> "hardware".
>
> My aim is to print out a 36-page A5 magazine using the "line-screen"
> image printing style I used to use via CCs' TurboPrint system (which
> requires FastSpool+ to get round the original dongle problem and uses
> Printers 1.52).
I don't know what you mean by "line-screen", and I don't know if that
matters for what comes next.
> I do the DTP work on the SA-VRPC (for processor speed and also
> because it works in conjunction with Windows programs). Then using
> ShareFS, I import the OvPro file to a Kinetic computer which does
> have CCs' TurboPrint with FastSpool+. The Kinetic has RISC OS 4.03
> and 190 MB of memory.
>
> I have identical fonts on both machines using FontDir2. Usually (but
> not always) the moment I try to load the OvPro document on the
> Kinetic, it crashes,
So are you saying that the file which could be opened and shut ok by OvPro
running on the VRPC system, frequently - but not always- cannot be opened ok
on the Kinetic?
When you've copied the file via ShareFS, does it have the exact same length
(ie byte count)? If you copy a non-working one back to the VRPC system does
it then work?
If instead of copying the file as OvPro, you save it as DDL on the VRPC and
copy that across, does it then work?
> sometimes giving an "Error 5", sometimes just freezing, occasionally
> giving an "Abort on data transfer at &0382B8FC" or whatever the number is.
> I have to switch off and on again to reset it.
Do the VRPC and Kinetic have the same levels of RO? The same amount of
installed RAM? Are both Ovn Pros running in the same wimpslot size?
> I tried using Task Manager to tweak the 'Next' allocation - that
> didn't work.
Do you mean you couldn't adjust it, or that adjusting it made no difference?
What were the slot sizes?
> Then I tried tweaking the Font cache to a very large number. That worked -
> but the rejoicing was premature, since it still crashes.
In what sense did it 'work' then?
--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.
Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to newsre...@wingsandbeaks.org.uk replacing "nnn" by "284".
Chris Evans
> The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC dongle
> problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
Both FastSpool & CCs Turb driver fiddly with the parallel port.
I wonder if they are mutually incompatible, has anyone ever used them
together on a standard RiscPC.
Then you have the complication of the emulator.
Changing the order that FastSpool & CCs Turb driver are run might make a
difference.
Chris Evans
--
CJE Micro's / 4D 'RISC OS Specialists'
Telephone: 01903 523222 Fax: 01903 523679
ch...@cjemicros.co.uk http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/
78 Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 2EN
The most beautiful thing anyone can wear, is a smile!
M Harding
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts <jn.nntp....@wingsandbeaks.org.uk>
wrote:
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> >
> > My aim is to print out a 36-page A5 magazine using the
> > "line-screen" image printing style I used to use via CCs'
> > TurboPrint system (which requires FastSpool+ to get round the
> > original dongle problem and uses Printers 1.52).
> I don't know what you mean by "line-screen", and I don't know if
> that matters for what comes next.
(It's the dot-screen pattern for printing images. When printed as
parallel thin diagonal lines photocopying seems much better quality.
Exporting to the Kinetic is my work-around for its seeming
unavailability on the VRPC.)
> > I do the DTP work on the SA-VRPC (for processor speed and also
> > because it works in conjunction with Windows programs). Then
> > using ShareFS, I import the OvPro file to a Kinetic computer
> > which does have CCs' TurboPrint with FastSpool+. The Kinetic has
> > RISC OS 4.03 and 190 MB of memory.
> >
> > I have identical fonts on both machines using FontDir2. Usually
> > (but not always) the moment I try to load the OvPro document on
> > the Kinetic, it crashes,
> So are you saying that the file which could be opened and shut ok
> by OvPro running on the VRPC system, frequently - but not always-
> cannot be opened ok on the Kinetic?
Yes. It very rarely works on the Kinetic.
> When you've copied the file via ShareFS, does it have the exact
> same length (ie byte count)? If you copy a non-working one back to
> the VRPC system does it then work?
Exactly the same. Copied back to the VRPC it works - much quicker of
course.
> If instead of copying the file as OvPro, you save it as DDL on the
> VRPC and copy that across, does it then work?
No. The file doesn't cause the machine to crash immediately, as the
OvPro format does: it's more polite in that it warns of Error 5 and
the OvPro icon disappears, leaving the machine still operable. But the
moment I try to load OvPro again, then it gives an Abort on transfer
warning and crashes totally.
> > sometimes giving an "Error 5", sometimes just freezing,
> > occasionally giving an "Abort on data transfer at &0382B8FC" or
> > whatever the number is. I have to switch off and on again to
> > reset it.
> Do the VRPC and Kinetic have the same levels of RO? The same
> amount of installed RAM? Are both Ovn Pros running in the same
> wimpslot size?
Sorry, don't know what RO stands for.
RAM's different: VRPC is set at max. (It reads 123060). Kinetic
starts with 190M. In use, the VRPC reads 118088; the Kinetic 177M.
Does Wimpslot = figure in Task manager?? VRPC reads 2224K, Kinetic
reads 2216K. (The versions of OvPro are identical, as are the fonts
and the versions of FontDir2.)
I did inadvertently find one thing. I loaded the OvPro file by mistake
using ShareFS and it worked! The Task Manager then read 2224K on the
Kinetic - the same as VRPC. But when I tried to load from the Kinetic
HD, it crashed each time. [Perhaps loading the Kinetic from the VRPC
is the workaround for this workaround? 8-) ]
> > I tried using Task Manager to tweak the 'Next' allocation - that
> > didn't work.
> Do you mean you couldn't adjust it, or that adjusting it made no
> difference?
I once thought adjusting Next to almost max. had caused it to work. I
was wrong.
> What were the slot sizes?
Of Next? At startup, 640K. That can be increased to 28640K. (The size
of the OvPro document is 3,491,616.)
> > Then I tried tweaking the Font cache to a very large number. That
> > worked - but the rejoicing was premature, since it still crashes.
> In what sense did it 'work' then?
I happened to read that the cache could be tweaked in Task Manager so
I tried that. At first it loaded and I was able to print a draft copy.
But next day having tweaked the Font cache to an absurd 1M, it crashed
again.
Thanks for your patience. I'd be succinct if I understood what it all
meant!
M Harding
> > The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC dongle
> > problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
> Both FastSpool & CCs Turb driver fiddly with the parallel port.
> I wonder if they are mutually incompatible, has anyone ever used
> them together on a standard RiscPC.
Yes I always produced the Parish Mag on an SARPC using CCs
TurboDriver, and you needed FastSpool to get over CCs'
piracy-protection dongle (superseded by an oddly-wired parallel port
cable). Turbo & FastSpool currently work happily together on my
replacement Kinetic also - but not on large OvPro documents. (You
kindly revealed to me that I could upgrade the Kinetic's memory, which
I did.)
> Then you have the complication of the emulator.
> Changing the order that FastSpool & CCs Turb driver are run might
> make a difference.
Mine works with FastSpool run first. But FastSpool doesn't seem
compatible with VRPC?
Mr John FO Evans
Ovation Pro for Windows.
The other approach is to create jpegs of each page (we use 600dpi)* on the
RISCPC and then to drop them into blank pages in Ovation Pro for Windows.
This has the advantage that the are no font matching problems and you can
also include pages from virtually any RISC OS or Windows Software.
John
NB * David Pillings Sprinter to make Sprites and then his DPScan (was
IM..Master) to create Jpegs. On the PC we use an image printer.
John
--
_ _________________________________________
/ \._._ |_ _ _ /' Orpheus Internet Services
\_/| |_)| |(/_|_|_> / 'Internet for Everyone'
_______ | ___________./ http://www.orpheusinternet.co.uk
trevj
particularly not for text. Tiffs might be better if you decide to
adopt an approach along these lines.
Martin Wuerthner
Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <50bbc953...@mdharding.org.uk>, M Harding
>> The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC dongle
>> problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
> Both FastSpool & CCs Turb driver fiddly with the parallel port.
> I wonder if they are mutually incompatible
Quite to the contrary. As described by Michael, FastSpool even offers
a TurboDriver-specific feature (which is to unscramble the data stream
produced by TurboDriver, to allow a standard parallel cable to be
used).
Martin Wuerthner
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> Does Wimpslot = figure in Task manager?? VRPC reads 2224K, Kinetic
> reads 2216K. (The versions of OvPro are identical, as are the fonts
> and the versions of FontDir2.)
> I did inadvertently find one thing. I loaded the OvPro file by mistake
> using ShareFS and it worked!
Did you really mean "OvPro *file*"? Or did you maybe mean "OvPro
*application*"? I suspect the latter, which would prove that your two
copies of OvPro are not identical.
Chris Evans
<URL:mailto:spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> In message <ant18105...@client.cjemicros.co.uk>
> Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > In article <50bbc953...@mdharding.org.uk>, M Harding
>
> >> The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC dongle
> >> problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
>
> > Both FastSpool & CCs Turb driver fiddly with the parallel port.
>
> > I wonder if they are mutually incompatible
>
> Quite to the contrary. As described by Michael, FastSpool even offers
> a TurboDriver-specific feature (which is to unscramble the data stream
> produced by TurboDriver, to allow a standard parallel cable to be
> used).
There are a lot of things I don't about the products I sell;-)
This being one of them!
The next question is, is FastSpool VirtualRPC compatible?
It addresses the parallel port at a low level AIUI.
M Harding
Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <698532bc...@bach.planiverse.com>, Martin Wuerthner
> <URL:mailto:spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> > In message <ant18105...@client.cjemicros.co.uk>
> > Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > > In article <50bbc953...@mdharding.org.uk>, M Harding
> >
> > >> The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC
> > >> dongle problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
> >
> > > Both FastSpool & CCs Turb driver fiddly with the parallel port.
> >
> > > I wonder if they are mutually incompatible
> >
> > Quite to the contrary. As described by Michael, FastSpool even
> > offers a TurboDriver-specific feature (which is to unscramble
> > the data stream produced by TurboDriver, to allow a standard
> > parallel cable to be used).
> The next question is, is FastSpool VirtualRPC compatible? It
> addresses the parallel port at a low level AIUI.
That, I suspect, is the nub of the problem. The printer driver from
the VRPC is, I think, supposed to offer the file to the XP printer
driver?
But FastSpool doesn't seem to have such a facility: you can only
choose between FastSpool (what that does I have no idea) or Parallel
(but with no ability to specify the name of the printer, which is
required) or Serial.
M Harding
Martin Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> In message <50bc1a3c...@mdharding.org.uk>
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > Does Wimpslot = figure in Task manager?? VRPC reads 2224K,
> > Kinetic reads 2216K. (The versions of OvPro are identical, as are
> > the fonts and the versions of FontDir2.)
> > I did inadvertently find one thing. I loaded the OvPro file by
> > mistake using ShareFS and it worked!
> Did you really mean "OvPro *file*"? Or did you maybe mean "OvPro
> *application*"? I suspect the latter, which would prove that your
> two copies of OvPro are not identical.
I did indeed mean "file" - the Kinetic was already running OvPro but
inadvertently I loaded the file from the VRPC which happened to be
there in the pinboard.
A month ago I thought I'd cracked it, when I noticed that the 2
versions of OvPro were minutely different, and I then synchronised
their versions to 2.77. But that didn't in fact solve the problem.
Steffen Huber
> In message <ant18105...@client.cjemicros.co.uk>
> Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> In article <50bbc953...@mdharding.org.uk>, M Harding
>
>>> The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC dongle
>>> problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
>
>> Both FastSpool & CCs Turb driver fiddly with the parallel port.
>
>> I wonder if they are mutually incompatible
>
> Quite to the contrary. As described by Michael, FastSpool even offers
> a TurboDriver-specific feature (which is to unscramble the data stream
> produced by TurboDriver, to allow a standard parallel cable to be
> used).
It is important to distinguish between FastSpool (which is a free
utility allowing fast sending of printer data via the parallel port)
and FastSpool+ which is an integrated printer spooling system with
a lot of options including the fast sending via advanced parallel port
control.
IIRC, only FastSpool+ has the Turbo Driver feature.
Steffen
--
Steffen Huber
hubersn Software - http://www.hubersn-software.com/
M Harding
I'm using FastSpool+. It's of no real value in my case, I think,
except in unscrambling CCs' anti-piracy trap, since CCs' TurboDriver
already speeds up the process of returning control to the desktop
after pressing Print.
Martin Wuerthner
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> In article <ant18172...@client.cjemicros.co.uk>,
> Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
>> In article <698532bc...@bach.planiverse.com>, Martin Wuerthner
>> <URL:mailto:spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
>>> In message <ant18105...@client.cjemicros.co.uk>
>>> Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>> In article <50bbc953...@mdharding.org.uk>, M Harding
>>>
>>>>> The only reason for having FastSpool, is to get over the CC
>>>>> dongle problem, with CCs' scrambled connector.
>>>
>>>> Both FastSpool & CCs Turb driver fiddly with the parallel port.
>>>
>>>> I wonder if they are mutually incompatible
>>>
>>> Quite to the contrary. As described by Michael, FastSpool even
>>> offers a TurboDriver-specific feature (which is to unscramble
>>> the data stream produced by TurboDriver, to allow a standard
>>> parallel cable to be used).
> [ . . . ]
>> The next question is, is FastSpool VirtualRPC compatible? It
>> addresses the parallel port at a low level AIUI.
> That, I suspect, is the nub of the problem. The printer driver from
> the VRPC is, I think, supposed to offer the file to the XP printer
> driver?
Not quite. There is no "printer driver from the VRPC". You run a copy
of the standard unmodified !Printers application. The point is that
you set up the printer connection to a special file that sends the
data over to the Windows printer queue. NB: That does *not* send the
data to the XP printer *driver*, just to the queue that connects to
the printer.
> But FastSpool doesn't seem to have such a facility: you can only
> choose between FastSpool (what that does I have no idea) or Parallel
> (but with no ability to specify the name of the printer, which is
> required)
A printer name would make no sense. "Parallel" is a port. I think (but
I do not have the manual to hand) the "FastSpool" option sends the
data to the parallel port as well, but using FastSpool+'s own high
speed code, which was the main selling point of FastSpool+.
> or Serial.
If you cannot set up a file connection, then there is no way to use it
to send the data to the Windows side.
If VRPC emulated the parallel port (which I doubt), then the
"Parallel" option would send the data to a printer connected to your
PC's parallel port.
Martin Wuerthner
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
TurboDriver only speeds up the first half of the printing process.
FastSpool+ speeds up the second half. So, they complement each other.
However, using a complex utility such as FastSpool+ that cannot work
on VRPC just to unscramble the data is pointless. A five line BASIC
program can unscramble the data.
M Harding
Martin Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> In message <50bc9756...@mdharding.org.uk>
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > In article <7mjctbF...@mid.individual.net>,
> > Steffen Huber <sp...@huber-net.de> wrote:
> >> It is important to distinguish between FastSpool (which is a
> >> free utility allowing fast sending of printer data via the
> >> parallel port) and FastSpool+ which is an integrated printer
> >> spooling system with a lot of options including the fast sending
> >> via advanced parallel port control.
> >> IIRC, only FastSpool+ has the Turbo Driver feature.
> > I'm using FastSpool+. It's of no real value in my case, I think,
> > except in unscrambling CCs' anti-piracy trap, since CCs'
> > TurboDriver already speeds up the process of returning control to
> > the desktop after pressing Print.
> TurboDriver only speeds up the first half of the printing process.
> FastSpool+ speeds up the second half. So, they complement each
> other.
> However, using a complex utility such as FastSpool+ that cannot
> work on VRPC just to unscramble the data is pointless. A five line
> BASIC program can unscramble the data.
I'm not seeking to speed up the process, just to access the Halftone
options of CCs' TurboDriver, which allows the choice for graphics
between 4 dot screen patterns, crosshatch and Line screen. I found
many years ago that for reproduction from a master printout by
photocopying or duplicating, the Line screen is excellent. (If I could
reproduce it on a Windows DTP program that would be marvellous, since
I could hand over DTP work to someone else! But RISC OS seems to be
unique in this hidden gem.)
Sadly I have no programming expertise even for 5 lines!
John Sandford
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
[snip]
>>
> I'm not seeking to speed up the process, just to access the Halftone
> options of CCs' TurboDriver, which allows the choice for graphics
> between 4 dot screen patterns, crosshatch and Line screen. I found
> many years ago that for reproduction from a master printout by
> photocopying or duplicating, the Line screen is excellent. (If I could
> reproduce it on a Windows DTP program that would be marvellous, since
> I could hand over DTP work to someone else! But RISC OS seems to be
> unique in this hidden gem.)
Does making all the text bold not give the contrast for a good photo
copy ?
Alternatively you can change the contrast on the printer preferences
before you print (not tried, may not work on black text only)
> Sadly I have no programming expertise even for 5 lines!
> Michael Harding
> Rev. Preb. M.D. Harding ris...@mdharding.org.uk
John
--
John Sandford West Herts UK
Hemel Hempstead RISC OS User Group email info @ hhrug.org
Martin Wuerthner
John Sandford <fornew...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> In message <50bc9d57...@mdharding.org.uk>
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
>> I'm not seeking to speed up the process, just to access the Halftone
>> options of CCs' TurboDriver, which allows the choice for graphics
>> between 4 dot screen patterns, crosshatch and Line screen. I found
>> many years ago that for reproduction from a master printout by
>> photocopying or duplicating, the Line screen is excellent. (If I could
>> reproduce it on a Windows DTP program that would be marvellous, since
>> I could hand over DTP work to someone else! But RISC OS seems to be
>> unique in this hidden gem.)
> Does making all the text bold not give the contrast for a good photo
> copy ?
> Alternatively you can change the contrast on the printer preferences
> before you print (not tried, may not work on black text only)
I do not think there is any alternative to what Michael asks for. This
is about printing greyscales. Laser printer drivers usually try to
represent greyscales using dot patterns that are as fine as possible
to give smooth shadings. That is OK for a single printout but such
patterns often do not photocopy well. TurboDriver was unique in that
it gave you precise control over the screening process, in particular
you could use diagonal line patterns, which are perfect for
photocopying. I have not seen anything that comes close to it.
At the same time TurboDrivers also do the smoothest fine patterning
that I have ever seen at 300dpi. Much better than that done even by
expensive PostScript printers at that time.
Chris Evans
<URL:mailto:spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> In message <50bc5596...@mdharding.org.uk>
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> If you cannot set up a file connection, then there is no way to use it
> to send the data to the Windows side.
>
> If VRPC emulated the parallel port (which I doubt), then the
> "Parallel" option would send the data to a printer connected to your
> PC's parallel port.
Possible method (maybe just to test the possibility)
Print to file [preferably unscrambled but I don't think this is possible]
Unscramble the file [A]
Send to the PCs printer port by a PD(shareware?) application (see [1]):
or for Windows XP
start
all programs
accessories
Command Prompt
now type :
copy a:xxxxx.prn lpt1/b
n.b. IIRC lpt1/b is the parallel port I don't know the sytax for a USB port
or if that is possible even.
[A] program required, easily done as a non wimp program if the bit dwiddling
used was known.
[1]
1.5MB can be downloaded from:
http://www.sharewareriver.com/products/1035.htm
Alan Calder
Martin Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
[Snip]
> > In message <50bc9d57...@mdharding.org.uk>
> > M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> >> I'm not seeking to speed up the process, just to access the Halftone
> >> options of CCs' TurboDriver, which allows the choice for graphics
> >> between 4 dot screen patterns, crosshatch and Line screen. I found
> >> many years ago that for reproduction from a master printout by
> >> photocopying or duplicating, the Line screen is excellent. (If I could
> >> reproduce it on a Windows DTP program that would be marvellous, since
> >> I could hand over DTP work to someone else! But RISC OS seems to be
> >> unique in this hidden gem.)
[Snip]
> I do not think there is any alternative to what Michael asks for. This
> is about printing greyscales. Laser printer drivers usually try to
> represent greyscales using dot patterns that are as fine as possible
> to give smooth shadings. That is OK for a single printout but such
> patterns often do not photocopy well. TurboDriver was unique in that
> it gave you precise control over the screening process, in particular
> you could use diagonal line patterns, which are perfect for
> photocopying. I have not seen anything that comes close to it.
When I used to produce newsletters for school and others the ability to
have the graphics 'screened' was often essential for good reproduction
whether photo-copied or offset printed. Back in the 1980s I remember
taking photos to a local printers to have them 'screened' - a real pain and
not cheap.
Impression Publisher was a boon when I got it as it had the ability to make
a fair fist of this process in its printing setup in that you could chamge
the screen pattern in a variety of ways. Although the dialogue implied
that this was aimed at Postscript printers I am sure that it also worked on
the LPB4 I then had, it may even have worked with my earlier inkjets but
that is too long ago to recall. Certainly it works well with my current
Kyocera 3750 and I do occasionally use the 'line' screen option when
printing a photo that is going to be photopied.
Is this what Michael actually wanted? I presume that there is no such
option available in OvPro (I need to update my copy as it complains,
correctly, that it wasn't installed on the current harddisk)?
Cheers
Alan
[Snip]
--
Alan Calder, Milton Keynes, UK.
M Harding
It really is a killer application for photocopying. An absolute gem.
If I could get it to work on the VRPC I would be a happy man.
If someone could point me to a Windows solution so that I could
share/hand over the DTP production I would be delighted, but I rather
think that it's unique to RISC OS.
M Harding
> Unscramble the file [A]
> or for Windows XP
The VRPC is set, I'm sure, to address the parallel port. (I seem to
recall that there's no alternative.)
> [A] program required, easily done as a non wimp program if the bit
> dwiddling used was known.
It's decades since I bought TurboPrinters, though I still use them
daily. I vaguely recall that Computer Concepts initially guarded
Impression with a dongle. Then they produced TurboPrinters, and
certainly that worked in conjunction with an eccentric parallel port
cable.
Somewhere in the loft I must have their original cable, and I seem to
recall reading that this simply had some of the wires crossed to
'wrong' pins. Presumably then, with a multimeter I could find out what
is the pattern of those links?
I purchased FastSpool+ precisely because in software it switched
those output links to the conventional ones of a parallel port cable.
It works daily on my Kinetic with most printing; but for some reason
when I try to print a 36-page OvPro document the Kinetic usually fails
to load it into memory.
John Williams (News)
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > At the same time TurboDrivers also do the smoothest fine patterning
> > that I have ever seen at 300dpi. Much better than that done even
> > by expensive PostScript printers at that time.
> It really is a killer application for photocopying. An absolute gem.
> If I could get it to work on the VRPC I would be a happy man.
> If someone could point me to a Windows solution so that I could
> share/hand over the DTP production I would be delighted, but I rather
> think that it's unique to RISC OS.
As an alternative, I remember using a transparent lined screen to interpose
between a copier bed and the item being copied which considerably enhanced
the copying of photo materials. Unfortunately I can neither remember a name
nor a source - but such things /did/ exist at one time!
John
--
John Williams, Brittany, Northern France - no attachments to these addresses!
Non-RISC OS posters change user to johnrwilliams or put 'risc' in subject!
Who is John Williams? http://petit.four.free.fr/picindex/author/ Somewhere nice to stay in Brittany? http://petit.four.free.fr/visitors/locate
Brian Carroll
Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
[Snip]
> ...TurboDriver was unique in that it gave you precise control
> over the screening process, in particular you could use
> diagonal line patterns, which are perfect for photocopying. I
> have not seen anything that comes close to it.
> At the same time TurboDrivers also do the smoothest fine
> patterning that I have ever seen at 300dpi. Much better than
> that done even by expensive PostScript printers at that time.
I have never used TurboDrivers, but out of interest are the
processes they use similar to the 'Typesetting' options in
Impression Publisher? I have just used that for printing text +
halftone monochrome images via your PS3 driver (at 300 & 600 dpi)
to my new HP CP1515n and have obtained excellent results.
Brian.
--
______________________________________________________________
Brian Carroll, Ripon, N Yorks, UK briancarroll at f2s dot com
______________________________________________________________
M Harding
Alan Calder <alan_...@o2.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <88caa7bc...@bach.planiverse.com>,
> Martin Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> [Snip]
> > I do not think there is any alternative to what Michael asks for.
> > This is about printing greyscales. Laser printer drivers usually
> > try to represent greyscales using dot patterns that are as fine
> > as possible to give smooth shadings. That is OK for a single
> > printout but such patterns often do not photocopy well.
> > TurboDriver was unique in that it gave you precise control over
> > the screening process, in particular you could use diagonal line
> > patterns, which are perfect for photocopying. I have not seen
> > anything that comes close to it.
> When I used to produce newsletters for school and others the
> ability to have the graphics 'screened' was often essential for
> good reproduction whether photo-copied or offset printed. Back in
> the 1980s I remember taking photos to a local printers to have them
> 'screened' - a real pain and not cheap.
> Impression Publisher was a boon when I got it as it had the ability
> to make a fair fist of this process in its printing setup in that
> you could chamge the screen pattern in a variety of ways. Although
> the dialogue implied that this was aimed at Postscript printers I
> am sure that it also worked on the LPB4 I then had, it may even
> have worked with my earlier inkjets but that is too long ago to
> recall. Certainly it works well with my current Kyocera 3750 and I
> do occasionally use the 'line' screen option when printing a photo
> that is going to be photopied.
I just tried this on the VRPC, using Publisher in the line/screen
Postscript mode, but it doesn't seem to work.
> Is this what Michael actually wanted? I presume that there is no
> such option available in OvPro (I need to update my copy as it
> complains, correctly, that it wasn't installed on the current
> harddisk)?
That's exactly what I'm trying to achieve.
Yes OvPro also allows the use of a Postscript line screen, but when I
again experimented a few moments ago using that, it didn't seem to
make any difference - the result was the usual fine dot pattern on the
VRPC.
M Harding
Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <d13098bc...@bach.planiverse.com>, Martin Wuerthner
> <URL:mailto:spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> > In message <50bc5596...@mdharding.org.uk>
> > M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > If you cannot set up a file connection, then there is no way to
> > use it to send the data to the Windows side.
> >
> > If VRPC emulated the parallel port (which I doubt), then the
> > "Parallel" option would send the data to a printer connected to
> > your PC's parallel port.
> Possible method (maybe just to test the possibility)
> Print to file [preferably unscrambled but I don't think this is
> possible]
> Unscramble the file [A]
You've set me on another train of thought about unscrambling the
TurboPrinters. I have a switch-box to connect either the Kinetic or
the XP to the Samsung laser printer via the parallel port. The Samsung
also allows the XP machine to print via USB.
So I suppose that I could get all Windows programs to use the USB
connection, reserving the parallel port output for the VRPC. Then if I
were to search in the loft for that ancient twisted Turbo cable, I
could connect that between the switchbox and the printer, do away with
FastSpool+, and the VRPC should work even with the scrambled output?
A tortuous work-around, but possible, I suppose.
Mind you, it would be great if CJE could sell lots of TurboDrivers for
VRPC, to produce a RISC OS printer output which puts Windows to shame!
(I presume you have them in stock?!)
Thinks . . did I throw out the CC cable when I retired and downsized
house . . . ?
Martin Wuerthner
Brian Carroll <bric-...@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <88caa7bc...@bach.planiverse.com>, Martin
> Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> [Snip]
>> ...TurboDriver was unique in that it gave you precise control
>> over the screening process, in particular you could use
>> diagonal line patterns, which are perfect for photocopying. I
>> have not seen anything that comes close to it.
>> At the same time TurboDrivers also do the smoothest fine
>> patterning that I have ever seen at 300dpi. Much better than
>> that done even by expensive PostScript printers at that time.
> I have never used TurboDrivers, but out of interest are the
> processes they use similar to the 'Typesetting' options in
> Impression Publisher? I have just used that for printing text +
> halftone monochrome images via your PS3 driver (at 300 & 600 dpi)
> to my new HP CP1515n and have obtained excellent results.
Yes, they are similar to those options in Impression and OvationPro,
but the latter are for PostScript only.
Martin Wuerthner
Chris Evans <ch...@cjemicros.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <d13098bc...@bach.planiverse.com>, Martin Wuerthner
> <URL:mailto:spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
>> In message <50bc5596...@mdharding.org.uk>
>> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
>> If you cannot set up a file connection, then there is no way to use it
>> to send the data to the Windows side.
>>
>> If VRPC emulated the parallel port (which I doubt), then the
>> "Parallel" option would send the data to a printer connected to your
>> PC's parallel port.
> Possible method (maybe just to test the possibility)
> Print to file [preferably unscrambled but I don't think this is possible]
> Unscramble the file [A]
> Send to the PCs printer port by a PD(shareware?) application (see [1]):
Once you have unscrambled the file, you are done. You can just drag
the unscrambled file to the RISC OS printe icon. There is no need for
any Windows activities.
Alan Calder
Martin Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> In message <50bcc3a225...@argonet.co.uk>
> Brian Carroll <bric-...@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
[Snip]
> > processes they use similar to the 'Typesetting' options in
> > Impression Publisher? I have just used that for printing text +
> > halftone monochrome images via your PS3 driver (at 300 & 600 dpi)
> > to my new HP CP1515n and have obtained excellent results.
> Yes, they are similar to those options in Impression and OvationPro,
> but the latter are for PostScript only.
I bow to your expertise, Martin, but that doesn't explain why they used to
work on my late-lamented CC Laserdirect LPB4 - unless my memory is totally
screwed on the matter. Which is always possible, of course. Did the
Laserdirect operate in a pseudo-postscript manner?
Cheers
Alan
Jeremy Nicoll - news posts
> In article <gemini.kta4x...@wingsandbeaks.org.uk.invalid>,
> Jeremy Nicoll - news posts <jn.nntp....@wingsandbeaks.org.uk>
> wrote:
> > So are you saying that the file which could be opened and shut ok
> > by OvPro running on the VRPC system, frequently - but not always-
> > cannot be opened ok on the Kinetic?
>
> Yes. It very rarely works on the Kinetic.
I really think you should pursue this problem, probably directly with David
Pilling.
> > If instead of copying the file as OvPro, you save it as DDL on the
> > VRPC and copy that across, does it then work?
>
> No. The file doesn't cause the machine to crash immediately, as the
> OvPro format does: it's more polite in that it warns of Error 5 and
> the OvPro icon disappears, leaving the machine still operable. But the
> moment I try to load OvPro again, then it gives an Abort on transfer
> warning and crashes totally.
Is your OvnPro uptodate? I mean, it'd be sad if this is a known problem,
long ago fixed...
>
> > > sometimes giving an "Error 5", sometimes just freezing,
> > > occasionally giving an "Abort on data transfer at &0382B8FC" or
> > > whatever the number is. I have to switch off and on again to
> > > reset it.
>
> > Do the VRPC and Kinetic have the same levels of RO? The same
> > amount of installed RAM? Are both Ovn Pros running in the same
> > wimpslot size?
>
> Sorry, don't know what RO stands for.
RISC OS
Different levels of OS could account for problems.
> RAM's different: VRPC is set at max. (It reads 123060).
That's the 128 MB of 'real' memory that the VRPC has
> Kinetic starts with 190M.
while this machine has half as much again.
> In use, the VRPC reads 118088;
ie 115.3 MB
>the Kinetic 177M.
So, Kinetic is using 190-177 = 13 MB,
VRPC is using 128-115 = 13 MB ish
> Does Wimpslot = figure in Task manager?? VRPC reads 2224K, Kinetic
> reads 2216K.
Those figures are the amount an app is actually using.
There's a wimplsot command used just before an app starts to tell the OS how
much memory it thinks it might need. Some apps don't specify an amount and
get a default amount - that shown as the 'next' figure in task manager.
Clearly your two OPs are getting near enough the same amount of memory, a
bit under 2.2 MB. That's got to hold the OP program itself, the document
being worked on, and any tables of info that OP needs to keep track of what
it is doing.
> (The versions of OvPro are identical, as are the fonts and the versions of
> FontDir2.)
>
> I did inadvertently find one thing. I loaded the OvPro file by mistake
> using ShareFS and it worked! The Task Manager then read 2224K on the
> Kinetic - the same as VRPC. But when I tried to load from the Kinetic
> HD, it crashed each time. [Perhaps loading the Kinetic from the VRPC
> is the workaround for this workaround? 8-) ]
That maybe implies that the Kinetic's failing vew of the document doesn't
encompass quite the whole file, but I don't know what to do with that info -
except ask DP.
You say that OvnPro is the same on each box... but have you gone through the
configuration options and made sure each one is configured the same way?
>
> > > I tried using Task Manager to tweak the 'Next' allocation - that
> > > didn't work.
>
> > Do you mean you couldn't adjust it, or that adjusting it made no
> > difference?
>
> I once thought adjusting Next to almost max. had caused it to work. I
> was wrong.
It would only work if the code that starts the OP application doesn't
already have a *WimpSlot command in it. Probably OP does have such a
command. Even if OP doesn't issue its own command, you'd have had to tweak
next immediately before starting OP, and it would only have worked until the
next boot whereupon the normal default value would be reapplied.
To make a permanent change to the 'next' figure that's used as a default for
apps that don't specify their own value, you need to issue a *WimpSlot -next
command, eg:
*WimpSlot -next 3000K
sometime in your boot process (eg put it in an Obey file and have that file
run as the machine boots).
> > What were the slot sizes?
>
> Of Next? At startup, 640K. That can be increased to 28640K.
> (The size of the OvPro document is 3,491,616.)
On the face of it that doesn't make sense, because you said above that the
wimpslot on both machines when the file is loaded(?) is 2.2MB, which clearly
isn't enough to hold OP itself and a 3.3 MB document.
But I don't know how OP works. Maybe it only keeps part of the document
being worked on in memory at one time, or keeps some in one or more 'dynamic
area's (which would appear elsewhere in the task manager display).
--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.
Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to newsre...@wingsandbeaks.org.uk replacing "nnn" by "284".
Martin Wuerthner
Alan Calder <alan_...@o2.co.uk> wrote:
> [Snip]
No, LaserDirect could not be more different from PostScript.
Nevertheless, it is conceivable that Impression is able to directly
communicate with LaserDirect in some way. ArtWorks does some special
things when printing to TurboDriver.
Steffen Huber
[snip]
> Somewhere in the loft I must have their original cable, and I seem to
> recall reading that this simply had some of the wires crossed to
> 'wrong' pins. Presumably then, with a multimeter I could find out what
> is the pattern of those links?
Indeed. Basically, they just crossed a few of the data lines, so in
effect juggling bits around.
I used to have notes and IIRC a decoder somewhere, I'll have to
dig around...I also have the original TurboDriver cable (or even
multiple, since I have the HP, Epson and Canon TurboDrivers!)
somewhere, so could always decode it again.
Maybe even Ian Hamilton wants to add this feature to PrintSpool?
Ian Hamilton
Steffen Huber <sp...@huber-net.de> wrote:
> M Harding wrote:
> [snip]
> > Somewhere in the loft I must have their original cable, and I seem to
> > recall reading that this simply had some of the wires crossed to
> > 'wrong' pins. Presumably then, with a multimeter I could find out what
> > is the pattern of those links?
[Snip]
> I used to have notes and IIRC a decoder somewhere, I'll have to
> dig around...I also have the original TurboDriver cable (or even
> multiple, since I have the HP, Epson and Canon TurboDrivers!)
> somewhere, so could always decode it again.
> Maybe even Ian Hamilton wants to add this feature to PrintSpool?
I'd certainly consider it if anyone has the details.
--
Ian Hamilton (Iyonix RO5) http://www.hamiltoni.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
M Harding
> [Snip]
This sounds a great offer, if Turbodrivers (for which I too have the
Canon bubble-jet and the HP LJIV versions) can be made to work with
the VRPC.
Does Bob Latham's description of the pin connections provide the
information needed?
I'd even wondered about trying to get my VRPC to work with PostScript,
if that would enable line screens in OvPro; but to get TurboPrinters
to act globally would be far more elegant, avoiding the need to set
every greyscale graphic individually.
Alan Calder
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
[Snip]
> I'd even wondered about trying to get my VRPC to work with PostScript,
> if that would enable line screens in OvPro; but to get TurboPrinters
> to act globally would be far more elegant, avoiding the need to set
> every greyscale graphic individually.
Impression Publisher seems to be able to do the screening globally for all
graphics in the document through setting up the typesetting options in the
print dialogue, although it does also have the ability to deal with
individual graphics also.
Is it not possible to do a global setting OvPro also?
Ian Hamilton
> Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> > In article <7mnfo6F...@mid.individual.net>,
> > Steffen Huber <sp...@huber-net.de> wrote:
> > > M Harding wrote:
[Snip]
> > > I used to have notes and IIRC a decoder somewhere, I'll have to
> > > dig around...I also have the original TurboDriver cable (or even
> > > multiple, since I have the HP, Epson and Canon TurboDrivers!)
> > > somewhere, so could always decode it again.
> > > Maybe even Ian Hamilton wants to add this feature to PrintSpool?
> > I'd certainly consider it if anyone has the details.
> This sounds a great offer, if Turbodrivers (for which I too have the
> Canon bubble-jet and the HP LJIV versions) can be made to work with
> the VRPC.
> Does Bob Latham's description of the pin connections provide the
> information needed?
It think it probably does. Please create a small print via turbodrivers
and email it to me.
Ian
M Harding
Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> In article <50bd3bb1...@mdharding.org.uk>,
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > In article <50bd2c42d7I...@AAUG.Net>,
> > Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> > > In article <7mnfo6F...@mid.individual.net>,
> > > Steffen Huber <sp...@huber-net.de> wrote:
> > > > M Harding wrote:
> [Snip]
> > > > I used to have notes and IIRC a decoder somewhere, I'll have
> > > > to dig around...I also have the original TurboDriver cable
> > > > (or even multiple, since I have the HP, Epson and Canon
> > > > TurboDrivers!) somewhere, so could always decode it again.
> > > > Maybe even Ian Hamilton wants to add this feature to
> > > > PrintSpool?
> > > I'd certainly consider it if anyone has the details.
> > This sounds a great offer, if Turbodrivers (for which I too have
> > the Canon bubble-jet and the HP LJIV versions) can be made to
> > work with the VRPC.
> > Does Bob Latham's description of the pin connections provide the
> > information needed?
> It think it probably does. Please create a small print via
> turbodrivers and email it to me.
I need a bit of hand-holding here. How do I set up the Turbodrivers to
do that? Presumably I set it to print to file (not to FastSpool+) but
how and where do I specify the file to look for it, please?
[This is getting like my Italian - I have enough for a rough
conversation, but then people imagine I fully understand them. 8-) ]
M Harding
Alan Calder <alan_...@o2.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <50bd3bb1...@mdharding.org.uk>,
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> [Snip]
> > I'd even wondered about trying to get my VRPC to work with
> > PostScript, if that would enable line screens in OvPro; but to
> > get TurboPrinters to act globally would be far more elegant,
> > avoiding the need to set every greyscale graphic individually.
> Impression Publisher seems to be able to do the screening globally
> for all graphics in the document through setting up the typesetting
> options in the print dialogue, although it does also have the
> ability to deal with individual graphics also.
Using VRPC, yes it does - for Postscript. I just tried it with the
Postscript ticked and allegedly in line screen, and it did in fact
print out differently - not as lines, but in a pattern which I'm not
sure is dot screen 1 or 2 or cross hatch. (I'd never tried it
previously because I assumed the Postscript option wasn't applicable.)
We may be getting somewhere! On the other hand, I'd hate now going
back to trying to produce an A5 36-page pamphlet using Publisher!
> Is it not possible to do a global setting OvPro also?
I can't see that option, and I've never found anything in the manual.
Again using VRPC, if in OvPro I set the Postcript option for the
individual image to line screen, it doesn't operate with the ordinary
Printers 1.91a.
Steve Fryatt
<gemini.ktdor...@wingsandbeaks.org.uk.invalid>:
> You say that OvnPro is the same on each box... but have you gone through
> the configuration options and made sure each one is configured the same
> way?
Check the dates as well as the version numbers. David has released many
versions of O-Pro 2.77 for RISC OS, and the only way to tell them apart is
the date in the Info window.
--
Steve Fryatt - Leeds, England
Brian Carroll
<ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
[Snip]
> ... Presumably I set it to print to file (not to FastSpool+)
> but how and where do I specify the file to look for it, please?
If TurboDriver is like all other 'print to file' actions, you
click on the drop-down list icon to the right of the 'File' line
and drag the 'Printout' file icon in the Save_as dialogue
anywhere you like on your hard disc. That's he file you send to
Ian.
M Harding
Steve Fryatt <ne...@stevefryatt.org.uk> wrote:
> On 19 Nov, Jeremy Nicoll - news posts wrote in message
> <gemini.ktdor...@wingsandbeaks.org.uk.invalid>:
> > You say that OvnPro is the same on each box... but have you gone
> > through the configuration options and made sure each one is
> > configured the same way?
> Check the dates as well as the version numbers. David has released
> many versions of O-Pro 2.77 for RISC OS, and the only way to tell
> them apart is the date in the Info window.
Both are 2.77 of 28 Jan 2009. I thought I'd cracked it when I noticed
that the versions were slightly different and synchronising them
seemed to work for one month's magazine, but still the problem
persists.
Which leads to another thought: could it be a legacy issue, in using
the previous month's edition of the magazine as a template for the
next, to keep up with changes e.g. in adverts? On the other hand, it
would now be a major job to start from scratch and reconstitute the
lot, including lots of drawfile adverts.
<Still thinking aloud> Since I've gathered that PostScript could
produce line screen greyscale images (is that a correct assumption?)
and my printer (Samsung ML-2571) is postscript-capable and a test page
states PSCRIPT5.DLL as the XP driver; and since my edition of EFF
Professional Typography 2 has all the fonts in Postscript and Truetype
as well; I suppose I could possibly go down the mind-boggling PS
route?
On the other hand, for a bear of little brain, making Turbodrivers
available to VRPC would be greatly preferable - and let any Windows
successor in taking on the magazine DTP face PostScript usage!
M Harding
Brian Carroll <bric-...@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <50bda0e6...@mdharding.org.uk>, M Harding
> <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> [Snip]
> > ... Presumably I set it to print to file (not to FastSpool+)
> > but how and where do I specify the file to look for it, please?
> If TurboDriver is like all other 'print to file' actions, you
> click on the drop-down list icon to the right of the 'File' line
> and drag the 'Printout' file icon in the Save_as dialogue
> anywhere you like on your hard disc. That's he file you send to
> Ian.
It worked. Thanks.
M Harding
Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> In article <50bd3bb1...@mdharding.org.uk>,
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > In article <50bd2c42d7I...@AAUG.Net>,
> > Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> > > In article <7mnfo6F...@mid.individual.net>,
> > > Steffen Huber <sp...@huber-net.de> wrote:
> > > > M Harding wrote:
> [Snip]
> > > > I used to have notes and IIRC a decoder somewhere, I'll have
> > > > to dig around...I also have the original TurboDriver cable
> > > > (or even multiple, since I have the HP, Epson and Canon
> > > > TurboDrivers!) somewhere, so could always decode it again.
> > > > Maybe even Ian Hamilton wants to add this feature to
> > > > PrintSpool?
> > > I'd certainly consider it if anyone has the details.
> > This sounds a great offer, if Turbodrivers (for which I too have
> > the Canon bubble-jet and the HP LJIV versions) can be made to
> > work with the VRPC.
> > Does Bob Latham's description of the pin connections provide the
> > information needed?
> It think it probably does. Please create a small print via
> turbodrivers and email it to me.
Sent in MIME/RISC OS encoding
Many thanks.
Alan Calder
M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
[Snip]
> <Still thinking aloud> Since I've gathered that PostScript could
> produce line screen greyscale images (is that a correct assumption?)
> and my printer (Samsung ML-2571) is postscript-capable and a test page
> states PSCRIPT5.DLL as the XP driver; and since my edition of EFF
> Professional Typography 2 has all the fonts in Postscript and Truetype
> as well; I suppose I could possibly go down the mind-boggling PS
> route?
What makes you think that using the Postscript capability of your printers
will be a problem? Essentially it is just a change of printer driver.
When I got my Kyocera some years ago I just coupled it up to the computer,
loaded the Postscript driver, made a few configuration changes and off it
went. When I later got a printer sharer it was simply a matter of making a
change in the printer driver connection driver (ignoring the business of
stting up lpr at the moment) and on it went.
What the implication for VRPC I know not but since it seems, from your
posts, to use the standard RISC OS drivers then I doubt it would be at all
a problem. Could be wrong as I don't have VRPC but there are plenty here
to let us know.
Cheers
Alan
[Snip]
Steve Fryatt
<50bdac17...@mdharding.org.uk>:
> Which leads to another thought: could it be a legacy issue, in using the
> previous month's edition of the magazine as a template for the next, to
> keep up with changes e.g. in adverts? On the other hand, it would now be a
> major job to start from scratch and reconstitute the lot, including lots
> of drawfile adverts.
If it is, then does exporting the whole file as DDL and then reimporting it
as a new document help? AIUI, that causes O-Pro to rebuild the entire
document
> <Still thinking aloud> Since I've gathered that PostScript could produce
> line screen greyscale images (is that a correct assumption?) and my
> printer (Samsung ML-2571) is postscript-capable and a test page states
> PSCRIPT5.DLL as the XP driver; and since my edition of EFF Professional
> Typography 2 has all the fonts in Postscript and Truetype as well; I
> suppose I could possibly go down the mind-boggling PS route?
I'm not sure why it's "mind boggling". You might want to investigate the
PS3 drivers from John Tytgat and Martin Wuerthner, though.
I'd also really recommend that you ask these questions on the O-Pro mailing
list. You're much more likely to get some definitive answers over there.
M Harding
Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> In article <50bd3bb1...@mdharding.org.uk>,
> M Harding <ris...@mdharding.org.uk> wrote:
> > In article <50bd2c42d7I...@AAUG.Net>,
> > Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> > > In article <7mnfo6F...@mid.individual.net>,
> > > Steffen Huber <sp...@huber-net.de> wrote:
> > > > M Harding wrote:
> [Snip]
> > > > I used to have notes and IIRC a decoder somewhere, I'll have
> > > > to dig around...I also have the original TurboDriver cable
> > > > (or even multiple, since I have the HP, Epson and Canon
> > > > TurboDrivers!) somewhere, so could always decode it again.
> > > > Maybe even Ian Hamilton wants to add this feature to
> > > > PrintSpool?
> > > I'd certainly consider it if anyone has the details.
> > This sounds a great offer, if Turbodrivers (for which I too have
> > the Canon bubble-jet and the HP LJIV versions) can be made to
> > work with the VRPC.
> > Does Bob Latham's description of the pin connections provide the
> > information needed?
> It think it probably does. Please create a small print via
> turbodrivers and email it to me.
In email, I've duly supplied Ian with a sample Turbodriver printout
and he's hoping, once the pressure of time permits, to analyse it and
kindly provide a Turbodrivers option for an updated version of his
!PrintSpool.
That would be a splendid outcome.
Michael Harding
Preb. M.D. Harding ris...@mdharding.org.uk
M Harding
Steve Fryatt <ne...@stevefryatt.org.uk> wrote:
> On 21 Nov, M Harding wrote in message
> <50bdac17...@mdharding.org.uk>:
> > Which leads to another thought: could it be a legacy issue, in
> > using the previous month's edition of the magazine as a template
> > for the next, to keep up with changes e.g. in adverts? On the
> > other hand, it would now be a major job to start from scratch and
> > reconstitute the lot, including lots of drawfile adverts.
> If it is, then does exporting the whole file as DDL and then
> reimporting it as a new document help? AIUI, that causes O-Pro to
> rebuild the entire document
This has been a marvellous series of tutorials!
Yours was an interesting exercise. I first tried (in VRPC) with a
known good copy to export it as DDL then reimport it into OP. There
were actually tiny differences - errors - such as slight loss of text,
line spacings and tabs; though only 4 that I could spot, over 36
pages.
Then I copied over from the Kinetic to the VRPC the same file, but an
earlier one which (I checked) crashed the machine. It loaded into the
VRPC, where it had originated. To make sure that FontDir2 was
identical on both machines I turned off all fonts except the very
basic ones, to refresh them.
Next I tried your system within VRPC: saved this 'dodgy' file as DDL,
imported it into OPro (where those identical errors occurred) and
finally brought it over via ShareFS to the Kinetic, checking that the
file size was identical.
On the Kinetic, also ensuring that FontDir2 was cleared . . . it
loaded, without any trouble at all! Congratulations!
>
> > <Still thinking aloud> Since I've gathered that PostScript could
> > produce line screen greyscale images (is that a correct
> > assumption?) and my printer (Samsung ML-2571) is
> > postscript-capable and a test page states PSCRIPT5.DLL as the XP
> > driver; and since my edition of EFF Professional Typography 2 has
> > all the fonts in Postscript and Truetype as well; I suppose I
> > could possibly go down the mind-boggling PS route?
> I'm not sure why it's "mind boggling". You might want to
> investigate the PS3 drivers from John Tytgat and Martin Wuerthner,
> though.
It's mind-boggling in knowing where to find a general simple tutorial
about fonts, set-up, etc. Listening in to people's questions in the
NGs gives the impression that it's arcane in the extreme. And I have
deadlines to meet. 8-)
> I'd also really recommend that you ask these questions on the O-Pro
> mailing list. You're much more likely to get some definitive
> answers over there.
Ah! I subscribed not very long ago, but didn't know whether the lack
of emails was because the site is sparse or whether I'm not properly
subscribed, or whether BT's anti-spam traps have been again trying to
separate me from my own domain.
Ian Hamilton
Bob Latham <b...@sick-of-spam.invalid> wrote:
> Just thought I'd add the data lines which would help if your going to
> use software to decode it.
> 25 way "D" to centronics connectors.
> Standard
> 3 to 3 Data 1
> 4 to 4 Data 2
> 5 to 5 Data 3
> 6 to 6 Data 4
> 8 to 8 Data 6
> 9 to 9 Data 7
> Turbo
> 3 to 4 Data 1 to Data 2
> 4 to 6 Data 2 to Data 4
> 5 to 8 Data 3 to Data 6
> 6 to 9 Data 4 to Data 7
> 8 to 5 Data 6 to Data 3
> 9 to 3 Data 7 to Data 1
I guessed that would be the case, thanks. One slight puzzle is the print
file I was sent starts 'PRNT' which I would have expected to be scrambled.
John Williams (News)
Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> I guessed that would be the case, thanks. One slight puzzle is the print
> file I was sent starts 'PRNT' which I would have expected to be scrambled.
Is that not prepended as a file identifier by the OS?
John
--
John Williams, Brittany, Northern France - no attachments to these addresses!
Non-RISC OS posters change user to johnrwilliams or put 'risc' in subject!
Who is John Williams? http://petit.four.free.fr/picindex/author/ Somewhere nice to stay in Brittany? http://petit.four.free.fr/visitors/locate
Ian Hamilton
John Williams (News) <UCE...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <50bea080d4I...@AAUG.Net>,
> Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
> > I guessed that would be the case, thanks. One slight puzzle is the
> > print file I was sent starts 'PRNT' which I would have expected to be
> > scrambled.
> Is that not prepended as a file identifier by the OS?
Possibly, only had a quick look at it so far. I'll investigate further
tomorrow.
Steffen Huber
[snip]
> I guessed that would be the case, thanks. One slight puzzle is the print
> file I was sent starts 'PRNT' which I would have expected to be scrambled.
IIRC, PRNT was added by TurboDriver to TurboDriver-created printouts to
be able to distinguish between "plain" printout files and TurboDriver
printout files to let the TurboDriver spooling system decide whether
to swap around bits or not. So it is just an artificial marker and
not part of the printout data to be sent to the printer.
I also seem to remember something like SQSH...I have to wade through
my old harddisc content, I know that I analyzed all this a long time
ago.
Chris Evans
> In article <50bea080d4I...@AAUG.Net>,
> Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
>
> > I guessed that would be the case, thanks. One slight puzzle is the print
> > file I was sent starts 'PRNT' which I would have expected to be scrambled.
>
> Is that not prepended as a file identifier by the OS?
Mmmm not here.
Using an PDF for an HP I set it print to file and a small text file from
edit started [1b]E[1b] ...... i.e. the control code sequence to select text
output!
Bob are you numbering the data lines below from 0 or 1 i.e 0-7 or 1-8?
> Just thought I'd add the data lines which would help if your going to use
> software to decode it.
> 25 way "D" to centronics connectors.
> Standard
> 3 to 3 Data 1
> 4 to 4 Data 2
> 5 to 5 Data 3
> 6 to 6 Data 4
> 8 to 8 Data 6
> 9 to 9 Data 7
> Turbo
> 3 to 4 Data 1 to Data 2
> 4 to 6 Data 2 to Data 4
> 5 to 8 Data 3 to Data 6
> 6 to 9 Data 4 to Data 7
> 8 to 5 Data 6 to Data 3
> 9 to 3 Data 7 to Data 1
Chris Evans
--
CJE Micro's / 4D 'RISC OS Specialists'
Telephone: 01903 523222 Fax: 01903 523679
ch...@cjemicros.co.uk http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/
78 Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 2EN
The most beautiful thing anyone can wear, is a smile!
Martin Wuerthner
"John Williams (News)" <UCE...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <50bea080d4I...@AAUG.Net>,
> Ian Hamilton <Ian.Ha...@AAUG.net> wrote:
>> I guessed that would be the case, thanks. One slight puzzle is the print
>> file I was sent starts 'PRNT' which I would have expected to be scrambled.
> Is that not prepended as a file identifier by the OS?
No. When printing to file via !Printers the file only contains the
output from the printer driver, in this case TurboDrivers.
Please note that printing to file via TurboDriver generates a file
with a TD-specific file type. That file can only be spooled to the
printer via a TD printer icon, at which point the TD back-end can do
arbitrary processing of the file contents when sending them to the
printer. As far as I remember the TD printout files are compressed.
druck
> I also seem to remember something like SQSH...I have to wade through
> my old harddisc content, I know that I analyzed all this a long time
> ago.
Probably !CFS. It compressed individual files like !Squash, but it
presented a CFS pseudo drive display with compressed files show as their
original types, with compression and decompression done on the fly as
the filer and applications accessed them.
---druck
Martin Wuerthner
druck <ne...@druck.org.uk> wrote:
Not quite. The underlying code may have been similar, but AFAIK
TurboDriver had its own inbuilt compression system for job files.
M Harding
Martin Wuerthner <spam...@mw-software.com> wrote:
> In message <hef6dt$h5t$1...@news.eternal-september.org>
> druck <ne...@druck.org.uk> wrote:
> > Steffen Huber wrote:
> >> I also seem to remember something like SQSH...I have to wade
> >> through my old harddisc content, I know that I analyzed all this
> >> a long time ago.
> > Probably !CFS. It compressed individual files like !Squash, but
> > it presented a CFS pseudo drive display with compressed files
> > show as their original types, with compression and decompression
> > done on the fly as the filer and applications accessed them.
I remember !CFS - I used to use it decades ago when my HD was much
smaller (MB rather than GB) - but I gave it up when I read that it
might be risky.
> Not quite. The underlying code may have been similar, but AFAIK
> TurboDriver had its own inbuilt compression system for job files.
Back to the printout I provided. I've just checked on the
configuration of the Turbodrivers and although the Queue Options has
"Compress", this was in fact unticked. (I seem to recall that the
FastSpool+ documentation advised/instructed against using the Compress
option.)
Steffen Huber
> Steffen Huber wrote:
>> I also seem to remember something like SQSH...I have to wade through
>> my old harddisc content, I know that I analyzed all this a long time
>> ago.
>
> Probably !CFS.
Yes, you are correct.
TurboDrivers always add PRNT to the printout file, no matter if
the data is compressed or not. And indeed, the FastSpool+ manual
explicitly says that compression should be turned off.