Conference 7.286::atarist

You should be able to just hook it to the serial port as if it were an
apple laserwriter.  String a null modem cable between the serial port
and the printer.  If you select "serial port" with the postscript
driver in Publishing Partner, everything else should be automatic.  You
might want to make sure the baud rates match.  Select 9600 baud on the
serial port before entering the application.

PageStream will produce postscript output.  There is an MFPS program
which will presumably take a GEM metafile and produce a postscript file,
but it isn't guarenteed to handle all metafiles.  I don't know if Calamus
will produce postscript output.  Migraph was working on a GDOS driver for
postscript, but they have temporarily suspended that work due to higher
priority items.

In short, there is not a lot of support on the ST for postscript, so you
had better be sure you can run the software you want to run before
committing yourself.  I think there are other laser printers that are
a much better value that provide both postscript and at least one other
format for pixel dumping (like HP laserjet) that will work with most
ST programs.

						-Dave

Minor note:

I don't think you want to use a null modem cable.  Null modems are where pins
2 and 3 are switched and allows two computers or two terminals to speak to
one another, where each expects really one of the other type (terminal or
computer respectively) to be on the other end.  In other words,
computers expect terminals and terminals expect computers.  When two like boxes
are attached, the send and receive lines must be flipped to "emulate" an
unlike box.  PseudoTechnical terms here are datasets (computers) and 
dataterminals (terminals).

My bet is: use a pure serial line.

Chad

(printers are like terminals to computers...)

    Sorry Chad, but you are wrong in this particular case...
    
    You need a null modem cable to connect the printer to the machine.
    
    DTE's are both computers (to be exact, the V.24 interface) AND
    terminals.
    DCE's are modems.
    
    Connecting two DTE's needs twisting of 2 and 3, a null modem...
    
    regards,
    							/johan
    
    

>    Sorry Chad, but you are wrong in this particular case...
    
>    You need a null modem cable to connect the printer to the machine.
    
>    DTE's are both computers (to be exact, the V.24 interface) AND
>    terminals.
>    DCE's are modems.
    
>    Connecting two DTE's needs twisting of 2 and 3, a null modem...
    
>    regards,
  
All that I know is that to connect two computers or terminals together I
need a null modem cable.  When I connect a terminal to a computer I don't.
That tells me that they are different, not the same.  When I connect a serial
printer to my computer, I don't need one.  That has been my experience.

chad

    I use a DEC VCS cable for this...  This way I can use the
    SCOUT (old, actually REAL old LN03R) OR a modem with the
    flick of a switch.  The switch is on the end of the rs232
    plug...
    
    For what it's worth,
    
    _John_

Then your printer has an incorrect non-standard connector on it.

All equipment, and certainly all DEC equipment, is supposed to use the
MALE DB25, properly pinned.  The only exception is supposed to be modems.

To connect a VT100 to a VAX, you use a null modem.  To connect an LA50
to the atari ST, you use a null modem, etc. etc.

Many goofy printers use perversions of RS232 that include putting modem
connectors on printers, and even putting on male connectors with the
female pinout, or vica versa.  These people have caused many headaches!
 If everyone just put the right connectors on the equipment, and all
cables were null modem cables, then everything would work out just
fine.

Now, in this case, we're talking DEC equipment to properly pinned
non-DEC equipment (amazing, Atari got it right!), so the null modem
rule applies.

(BTW, the same rule applies in the note about attaching a DECTalk.)

If you don't know whether to use a normal or a null-modem cable: don't panic!

Just try it out! The RS232 standard says that ALL pins are protected. So 
you can connect any pin to any other without destroying anything. You may
even short-cirquit any data pin to the +/-/OV terminal.

---markus---

    Re -all,
    
    Thanks for the info......
    
    ....the pin connections wern't really worrying me that much!!!!!
    
    But, the question that needs to be asked is will the LN03R print
    a pure text file from the ST without needing any conversion software
    and without the need to send, say, some escape sequences to put
    the printer into a specific mode?
    
    Jon.
    

    Perhaps Chad is using a Rainbow which DEC got wrong. There they
    put DB25 female and you need a modem extension cable (BC22E/BCC14
    etc) to connect to the printer. In all other cases (even DEC423)
    DTE to DTE requires null modem connection.
    ...Howard

To print a regular text file on an LN03R you will need to prepend to it
the ASCII.PS file that Roy makes available via the REGENT::POSTSCRIPT
conference.  The LN03 does not, to my knowlege, have any built-in way to
print ordinary ascii files.

You might be able to get away with loading ASCII.PS at boot time, and
then just sending files to it in the usual way, until you really wanted
to print a PostScript job.  When that happens, just reset the printer or
something like that first.

You could get really clever, and upgrade ASCII.PS to include Epson emulation...

There is a program on the ST that will convert most word processing text
files and text files to postscript, if I remember correctly.

I just don't remember the name of the program.  The answer is "no", you
won't be able to simply double click on a text file and have it print
correctly.

					-Dave

    PS.ARC
    NLQPS2.ARC
    GEM2PS.ARC		VDI meta files to post script
    MFPS.ARC		I think this is meta file to post script also
    1STW2PS_V2.ARC	First Word to post script
    
    	Ray

    re: .13
    
    Please give a pointer to these files ...
    
    Thanks	Matthias

    Hi Matthias,
    
    I have PS.arc, MFPS.ARC, AND 1stW2PSV2.arc in
    
    Notso::dua0:[keane.st]*
    
    cheers
    
    Pat Keane.

    PEOVAX::PEOVAX$DUA51:[LEWIS.ATARI]NLQPS2.ARC (Carl made his files
    available in 9.87)
    
    GEM2PS.ARC is available from the PANARTHEA archive. Send the message
    	help
    to nm%decwrl::"[email protected]"
    
    	Ray

    I've used MFPS. I used it to convert EasyDraw (v2) diagrams into
    Postscript format so that I could use these diagrams in VAX Document.
    
    It worked fairly well, but I did have problems whereby the file was
    converted OK, but didn't print at all, with no error message. In these
    cases, I had to edit the .PS file in order to find out why, and fix it.
    	I remember that I did have a problem with fonts. Only one font was 
    possible. I tried to use two fonts, but I had problems with that.
    There was something else, but I'm afraid I can't remember !
    
    Jim

    Thanks, I'll try it with GEM-Paint Metafiles.
    
    Matthias

    
    Speaking of a LN03R so far, what about a LN03+ ??? I could get a
    used one for cheap money from a customer. It has serial and
    parallel inputs and is able to print graphics. The cataloque says
    it works fine with MS-DOS.
    Has this laser any emulation like Epson, HP or something so I can
    use it in exchange to my NEC-P6? Maybe for Wordplus you just have
    to modify the printer driver?
    How about hardcopies or standard graphic program outputs? 
    I want to be sure it replaces my P6 good before buying it. 
    Is there any docu with escape-sequences do write an own driver?
    
    Thanks in advance for any answer to my many questions,
    Bernd
    
    
    

    Hello,
    
    	The LN03 Plus is a great printer!  It will accept regular ASCII,
    as well as SIXEL GRAPHICS.  The PLUS means that it has a MEG of
    graphics ROM, which will allow you to print very complex SIXEL graphic
    files...
    
    	I don't think it has any emulation capabilities, but I'm not
    100% sure...   
    
    _John_

The LN03 will do nice text output with ordinary Ascii.

The word processing programs that let you define things, such as Word
Writer, will allow you to get at some slightly more special effects.

You can't do graphics unless you write your own code.  I haven't ONCE
seen a commercial product for the Atari that supported sixels, which is
what you use to send graphics to the LN03+.

If:
	- You commercial product can output to a file
and:
	- If you can write code

you could write an epson to sixel converter.  Could be time consuming.

    Don't forget the LN03 PLUS can also do Tek 2010/2014 if that's any
    help.
    ...Howard

    re: .19
    
    Since you asked for some documentation on the LN03+.
    
    There's a very good book, which doesn't even cost you anything,
    it's called the "Digital Terminals and Printers Handbook". It covers
    all the digital printers, including escape sequences.    
    My copy is dated 1987 and doesn't have the '+ in it but if you find
    a more recent one, it should cover that printer, too.         
    Just look in the sales office in the literature room.    
    The order numeber is: EB 2876156
                      
    Cheers 
    Chris

    	 Hi,
    
    	 I read the notes and came to the conclusion that a LN03 can't be 
         used with Timeworks or Calamus (DTP). Unless you do some heavy 
         programming (which I can't!)
    	 
    	 Is this correct?
    
    	 Regards,
    
    Marten