#Amiga PostScript NEEDS!
31 messages in this thread
Chris,
Some of your message is above my head, but I agree! I use
postscript all of the time on my 3000. I have the HP Laser IIP with a
Pacific Data postscript cart. I would love to have more fonts. I will
review your message and see what I can understand, conversion wise, and
type you back. I would love to see the Amiga DTP area grow. GREAT Message!!
We need more people to push for this type of programs and utilities. Keep
up the great work 🙂
Thanks! Jamie
I'm not sure about ProPage, but PageStream 2.0 can handle Adobe type 1
fonts, so you can buy them in IBM format and use crossdos or dos2dos to put
it onto an Amiga disk.
— Ethan
Ethan, I haven't gotten around to upgrading my pagestream just yet. I keep
reading about problems, slow screen refreshes (even with '030s), etc. I'm
gonna wait a while and lurk for a while. But I've got around 200 Type 1
fonts waiting for a good Amiga use. And my version of PSFont is suppose to
handle MAC Type 1 and 3 fonts besides the IBM versions.
chris AT&G
Ethan,
I have only used Propage. Have you used it? I need to try out
Pagestream. I have heard many good things about it. I have CrossDos, guess
I'll have to spring for Pagestream.
Thanks! Jamie
The main thing about PageStream is that it is very intuitive. I was able
to start using it immediately and effectively. ProPage, which I don't own
I've merely played with, was very different. I'm sure it is more powerful
but I would've had to study the manual to get the effect.
— Ethan
Thanks for the response and tip. I think Pagestream might be better for me.
Propage seems kinga tough. I will have to get Pagestream soon.
Thanks! Jamie
While we're on the subject: Is anybody using Saxon? We got a beta a
Transactor and I've used it a bit. It has some really interesting features
and performed very well for me. But it is (or was, not sure) PostScript
only.
Malcolm
Malcom,
You did get to use Saxon? How was it? A postcsript only DTP program
would be great for me. I need to find a demo of it.
Thanks! Jamie
Jamie,
Yeah, it did get to use it. I could use it now if I wanted but no PS. 🙁
When it came in, Paul started it up and tried to use it without reading
anything. Not recommended. 🙂 I went through through their tutorial and
played with a few other things. It uses paragraph tagging like Ventura BUT
it'll also let you use dropshadows and adjust their angle and shade. You
can rotate text too. Screen updates are fairly speedy (nice!). Irregular
shaped boxes. They said that the release version would include backdrops;
i.e. bricks, graduated screens, etc. but that feature was NOT in the beta
we received. It really looks like a _sharp_ program; particularly for those
that have to do `trick' page (for ads and such, as opposed to phone books).
We weren't about to switch programs and I can't use it now cause I need
dot-matrix output. Some of Nick's PS utilities functioned specifically with
ProPage output I believe and besides we knew PP well. But Saxon sure seems
to have a lot of promise.
Malcolm
Thanks Malcom. I'll keep my eye out on Saxon. I would like to see it run.
Hopefully my local guy will have it so I can play with it a bit.
Thanks! Jamie
Jamie,
Take a look at your ProPage manual(s); a good summary is to peek at the 1.3
upgrde manual pp 36 and 37. I believe you can use downloadable fonts and
even swap EPS graphic files among platforms. If you output PostScript to a
file, the file can be taken to a service (or sent via modem) for output on
any postscript compatible device you care to spring for.
You mainly would be interested in PageStream for its other features.
ProPage is just a page layout program. It has only rudimentary features of
a document assembly/mangement publishing program as well. PageStream has a
few more, but as yet I've not seen anything on the Amiga that is really a
professional DTP program in the sense that it can easily handle all the DTP
tasks in a single environment (auto index, auto number, page numbering auto
headers, single enviroment fast text entry, graphics editting, page layout,
auto table of contents, auto date, revision bar placement, one-touch
single-sided/double sided format toggling…).
This is not picking. It is a fact of the Amiga's young age and the
inability of any amiga developer to devote 50-100 person-year efforts and
expect to get their money back.
Anyway, I'f you decide to get PageStream, it probably won't do anytthing
more for you in the PosScript area than ProPage. However it does do enough
that PP doesn't that it is sort of a nice complement to ProPage.
wmc
Wayne–
Doesn TeX do all the things you mention. But then, you might have to
devote those same person years yourself–for learning it.
But I agree, Ppage is not THAT hard to learn and with the money saved one
could get PDraw and some fonts and have a more useful system.
Jim.
I know of TeX but I don't know TeX, so I can't answer your question. I had
been told wonce before that it had all the doc stuff in it… maybe I
shoudl check into it further.
wmc
I am getting a demo of Amiga TeX sent to me from radical.eye. So I picked
up a copy of "TeX for the Impatient" by Paul Abrahams. I'll probably never
find the time to study it, but I am intrigued. I saw some amazing uses of
TeX with MicroFiche Filer and ARexx at a meeting of the MIT Amiga club a
couple of years ago.
Thanks Wayne for the reply. You may be right about the two working well for
me depending on the application. I try to do the text part of my page with
Propage. It is tough 🙂 I would like to have a spellchecker and dictionary
available too. I'll have to try out Pagestream and see. I have had pretty
good results from Propage. I guess I am looking for the ultimate program?
Thanks! JAmie
Jamie,
I want the ultimate one too. Right now I'm keeping both ProPage active
(mainly for its pro draw support) and PageStream active (for its
flexibility and the odd feature or two not available in ProPage). I'm also
keeping and eye on Saxon. In another release or two it may be the
combination of features that allow one to be a one program DTP operation.
wmc
Saxon was the other I was wanting to ask you about. I have not seen it yet.
I have heard some nice things, but no proof 🙂
Thanks! Jamie
Wayne,
I'd certainly like to find all those things in an Amiga program too. A
ProPage-using friend is ready to switch to Quark w/AMAX but first quizzed
me on Ventura.
I might be ready to make a switch myself. Ventura has a lot of nice
features (especially for long docs) but offers a LOT of annoyances too. I
much prefer working with ProPage but I've been spoiled by Ventura's fast
refresh. What program were you speaking of that has all those features?
Malcolm
Malcom,
The program is an Apollo resident version of Interleaf (approx $3k for the
package). They are now porting a scaled back version to both Mac and IBM
that will go for about $900, I believe (I can check the price at work
tomorrow).
The Amiga stuff has the hard part done – pagelayout. Now a few global
things like headers, footers, TOC, index and auto numbers is all that would
be needed to compete very effectivlt with thos program. BTW the version I
am running on the Apollo is a 25 Mhz 68030 with 68882, 4 meg mem and 155 MB
hd hooked to an Apple NTX II printer.
wmc
Whoosh! That's a LOT of cash, Wayne! geoPublish looks better all the time.
<grin>
Your right about Ami DTP; page layout is fine and so is the user interface
(of course). Those extras you mentioned would make a BIG difference. I
don't think that it will be too long before they're incorporated into
ProPage (I hope). Those are the thing about Ventura that are really neat.
Course, at the office where I use Ventura, I don't need them! At home, I
really do! Why do things happen like this?
Malcolm
Malcolm,
Hey, if they let you hve it your way all the time you'd be bored!! ;^}
wmc
Jamie,
I came at PageStream from being a ProPage user. It was difficult to get
started (as opposed to Ethan who started on it). The orientation is
differnent and in some instances appears to have been complicated by a
concerted effort to be different. But after working with it for a while and
spending a few sessions with your nose in the docs, it goes fairly quickly.
wmc
I called my local dealer Saturday and he has a Pagestream I can look at. I
have become really use to Propage. Pagestream may be hard to use at first.
I'll let you know if I get it.
Thanks! Jamie
Jamie, It looks like we're among a few amigans stumbling around with
postscript. [sigh] 'tis a shame but I don't think the Amiga arena will get
very strong in this area. I had another message in this thread from a
developer explaining the limited market for amiga postscript utilities.
Guess I'll have to learn postscript programming somehow and hack together
some needed utilities with AREXX and/or CANDO, but I'm not too good at it
to say the least. I ain't gonna holding my breath while I try to do it.
[grin] I'll settle for a nice font to hard disk downloader/catalog list
generater with a little interactive action from the postscript device being
displayed to the program. Still it would be nice if people adept at
postscript would upload some of their files, or examples. I picked up a
book called "Understanding postscript programming and I'm trying to do just
that, but it'll be a while before I have anything to show someone else.
chris AT&G
Chris,
Your idea is great. I need to learn Cando, Aexx, AV. Seems like
alot of good programs could be made from those programs. Good luck and let
me know how you do.
Thanks! Jamie
Jamie, I sure would like to learn the ARexx scripting language and tie it
in with some other authoring program like CanDo, and/or AV too, to use with
Postscript, and learn postscript programming to boot. I hope I can pull it
off somehow. Do you ever think we'll see some tutorials, classes or forum
help some day? Although I'd rather see good quality software that I could
learn to use.
chris AT&G
Chris,
I have been kinda lost myself with Arexx. Sounds great to me, but I
am not really sure how to use it. I have both AV and Cando. I like hem, but
really only use them to launch other programs. I would love to get some
help or ideas on how to use Arexx. The manual from my 3000 is kinda sparse
on Arexx. I guess I need to try to work with it more. Who know, we may have
a bunck of new stuff hit. Seems like the Amiga has taken off in the last
few months or so,
Talk to you later,
Thanks! Jamie
Jamie, I'd like to see what was put in the 3000 manual concerning ARexx,
besides just seeing the new manual to boot! The manual that came with ARexx
originally was sparse, so I can imagine if that is what was supplied to C=,
then you got what I got from Mr. Hawes.
chris AT&G
Chris,
The Arexx section in the 3000 manual is pretty good. It seems like
it was written for someone who has used it. I can make much of it myself,
but, I don't liek to read manauls that much 🙂 I guess if I really read it,
I might could get the hang of it. It is around 150 pages or so. I wish they
had some examples using programs that have arexx support. I will have to
work on it some. You have got me interested in it 🙂
BTW, what is AT&G?
Thanks! Jamie
Chris:
AREXX should be duck soup at creating postscript files. It has very
powerful ASCII string manipulation features.
There was an issue of AmigoTimes which included a utility on disk which
caused PageRender 3D to create a 3D image of a word, and then output that
image as an encapsulated postscript file, if I remember correctly. It used
the AREXX port on PageRender, tied in with MindWare's TASS system.
?|^] Ray Lewis
Ray, Duck soup is hard for me to swallow! So is ARexx, I'm just not too
good yet at using it for any elaborate work. I need classes, and a teacher
that can supply one on one help.
chris AT&G