Problem setting papersize with dvips

[dps...@uakron.edu]

A couple of my acrotex users, and I've verified this myself that the
papersize of a screen size document is not being set; instead we are
getting letter (or a4) size document. This probem appears first with
MikTeX 2.8, which uses

%%Creator: dvips(k) 5.98 Copyright 2009 Radical Eye Software

Using \special{papersize=350pt,270pt}%

does not yield the desired papersize. Does anyone know what is going
on with dvips?

Don Story

[Kumaresh PS]

> Using  \special{papersize=350pt,270pt}%

> Does anyone know what is going on with dvips?

Don Story

Use the same command line within the command "\AtBeginDvi" like the
below:

\AtBeginDvi{\special{papersize=350pt,270pt}}

Good Luck!!

[Ulrike Fischer]

I can't reproduce the problem with miktex 2.7. and dvips 5.96 dev.
But I think you should at first check if config.ps has been changed.

If you sent a minimal document and the ps-output I could compare it
with the ps on my system.
--
Ulrike Fischer

[dps...@uakron.edu]

I obtained a copy of config.ps from a friend who uses MiKTeX 2.6 and
dropped it into the
divps/config folder. The results are the same, dvips is not processing
the papersize special that
is implanted in the source file.

For anyone show is interested, Here is a test file

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[dvips,designiv]{web}
\parindent0pt\parskip6pt
\begin{document}
Is this 5in wide by 4in high?
\end{document}

Requirements for this test file are the
1 AeB package, which might be installed on your system already.
If not, download and install acrotex_pack.zip from
http://www.math.uakron.edu/~dpstory/webeq.html

2. MiKTeX 2.8

3. Create a PS, and distill with Adobe distiller.

Things worked correctly for previous versions of MiKTeX (2.6, don't
know about 2.7, but never got any
complaints about the screen size of the document produced).

Could this be a bug introduced into dvips (dvips(k) 5.98 Copyright
2009 Radical Eye Software)?

Don

[dps...@uakron.edu]

(See previous posts with same subject)

[Robin Fairbairns]

"dps...@uakron.edu" <dps...@uakron.edu> writes:
>(See previous posts with same subject)
>
>I obtained a copy of config.ps from a friend who uses MiKTeX 2.6 and
>dropped it into the
>divps/config folder. The results are the same, dvips is not
>processing
>the papersize special that
>is implanted in the source file.
>
>For anyone show is interested, Here is a test file
>
>\documentclass{article}
>\usepackage[dvips,designiv]{web}
>\parindent0pt\parskip6pt
>\begin{document}
>Is this 5in wide by 4in high?
>\end{document}
>
>Requirements for this test file are the
>1 AeB package, which might be installed on your system already.
>If not, download and install acrotex_pack.zip from
>http://www.math.uakron.edu/~dpstory/webeq.html

have you tried simply extracting the \special command and putting it
in simple document (doesn't even have to be latex...)

have you looked at the output of dvitype to confirm that the \special
has made it that far?

frankly, i'm not moved to install a (presumably) large package to
investigate stuff before you've tried reducing the sample.

>Could this be a bug introduced into dvips (dvips(k) 5.98 Copyright
>2009 Radical Eye Software)?

of course it could, but dvips isn't changed much nowadays (most effort
is devoted to more recent technology, afaict).
--
Robin Fairbairns, Cambridge

[Dan Luecking]

When current dvips encounters a papersize special, it checks
config.ps for the listed papersize with dimensions closest to
those given. If it finds one (to within .25in) it includes the
commands listed. If it doesn't find one, it writes a comment
that says "% nopaper"

At the very bottom of config.ps is the following comment (followed by
4 lines of PS code):

% use -t unknown with a \special{papersize=...} for a nonstandard page
size.

Which means, if you use \special{papersize=...} in your .tex file, you
have to process the .dvi with
dvips -t unknown file.dvi

If the above comment is not in your config.ps (I believe it
was added a few years ago to the default config.ps), find a
newer config.ps and copy its last 5 lines.

I don't know how this works when distilling with acrobat, but
"-t unknown" makes the difference when using ps2pdf.

Dan
To reply by email, change LookInSig to luecking

[dps...@uakron.edu]

On Nov 20, 12:08 pm, Dan Luecking <LookIn...@uark.edu> wrote:
> On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:44:39 -0800 (PST), "dpst...@uakron.edu"

>
> % use -t unknown with a \special{papersize=...} for a nonstandard page size.
>

Dan that did not work, but I did find the problem, it was hyperref. It
was setting the page size to letter or a4 before the web package was
able to do it. (This is new behavior of hyperref). There is a option
for turning off this feature, \hypersetup{setpagize=false}. After
compiling the document with this command
in the preamble, dvips set the page size as defined by the web
package. The web package has been modified to include setpagize=false
as part of the options for hyperref.

Many thanks to all who lent their ideas.

High regards,

don