PC-NFS Print Server and MS Word PostScript Problem

[Stefano Piccardi]

John Williams <...!{uunet,bridge2}!auspex!jfw> writes:
>Our PC users would like to print MS Draw and Write files to this network
>printer but even though these packages support PostSript devices, we
>cannot seem to make this configuration work.  They can however print their
>text files without any problems.

I had the same problem.  The MS-WINDOWS PostScript device driver sends a
control-D character between print jobs, and PC-NFS seems unable to cope
with that.  This results in incomplete PostScript files being queued to
the lpr spooler, and almost surely in aborts from your PostScript printer.
Before I tell you my solution, though, let me explain its pros and cons:

Pros:
1) It does allow you to utilize your Transcript-driven PostScript printer
   from your PCs.

Cons:
1) The printing process is not fully automated.
2) Sometimes it does not work, although I strongly suspect the PC-NFS
   spooling software is faulty.

In order to fix the problem you will have to:
1) Patch the MS-DOS PostScript device driver.
2) Modify, re-compile and re-install a Transcript module.
3) Reconfigure your MS-WINDOWS printer device.
4) Train users to use the correct printing procedure.

1) Using PCTOOLS with file PSCRIPT.DRV in your WINDOWS directory search
for "%%".  Right before it you will find the string "%c".  Change it into
"%d".  Consequently, spooled files will start with "4%" instead of "^D%".
Save your changes and re-install this modified driver into all PCs.

2) Edit pscomm.c in your Transcript distribution.  Right before the
comment
    /* here is where you might test for other file type
     * e.g., PRESS, imPRESS, DVI, Mac-generated, etc.
     */  
add
    else if (strncmp(magic,"4%",2) == 0) {      /* from PC-NFS spooler */
	canReverse = FALSE;
	goto go_ahead;
    }
Then re-compile and re-install pscomm.

3) On all PCs, using the MS-WINDOWS control panel select the PostScript
printer to print to a disk file, for instance SPOOL.PRN.  You might have
to modify WIN.INI in order to do that.

4) The correct printing procedure is 1) print a file (output is spooled to
SPOOL.PRN), 2) enter DOS and execute the PC-NFS print command "NET PRINT".

Text files were correctly printed because PSCRIPT.DRV is not used to print
them.

Stefano Piccardi, Direzione Olivetti Ricerca