Conference 7.286::postscript_printing

    Gary
    I have just read your note regarding overlapping characters etc when
    printing from NT. A customer here is having similar problems printing
    from NT to LPS17 printers, ie every so often characters get overlapped.
    Did you get a resolution to this problem?
    
    Regards
    Dave

re: overlapping characters.

I have seen this on LPS32s and found that the combination of Windows NT 4.0
and Office 95 would produce this behavior.  Going to Office 97 cured it.

It seems that the PostScript generated is very different.  In NT 4.0 and
Office 95, Here is a sample of PostScript that causes the overlap:

 (2)363 1850 MS (.)386 1850 MS ( )398 1850 
 (I eliminated some of the discussion of the )438 1850 
 (AlphaServer 4000 system. The other )1197 1850 
    
The overlap occurs between the words "the" and "AlpahServer".

When Office 97 is used, the same Word document generates very different
PostScript (edited here for viewing in notes):

 (2)363 1850 MS (.)386 1850 MS
 [46 0 0 -46 0 0]/Helvetica MF
 ( )398 1850 MS
 [46 0 0 -46 0 0]/Times-Roman MF
 (I)438 1850 MS ( )453 1850 MS (e)465 1850 MS (l)484 1850 MS
 (i)496 1850 MS (m)508 1850 MS (i)542 1850 MS (n)554 1850 MS (a)576 1850 MS
 (t)597 1850 MS (e)610 1850 MS (d)629 1850 MS ( )651 1850 MS (s)663 1850 MS
 (o)681 1850 MS (m)703 1850 (e)737 1850 MS ( )756 1850 MS (o)768 1850 MS 
 (f)790 1850 MS ( )805 1850 MS (t)817 1850 MS (h)830 1850 MS (e)852 1850 MS 
 ( )8711850 MS (d)883 1850 MS (i)905 1850 MS (s)917 1850 MS (c)935 1850 MS 
 (u)955 1850 MS (s)978 1850 MS (s)996 1850 (i)1014 1850 MS (o)1026 1850 MS 
 (n)1048 1850 MS ( )1070 1850 MS (o)1082 1850 MS (f)1104 1850 MS 
 ( )1119 1850 MS (t)1131 1850 MS (h)1144 1850 MS (e)1166 1850 MS ( )1185 1850 
 (A)1197 1850 MS (l)1229 1850 MS (p)1241 1850 MS (h)1264 1850 MS 
 (a)1286 1850 MS (S)1307 1850 MS (e)1333 1850 MS (r)1352 1850 MS 
 (v)1368 1850 MS (e)1390 1850 MS (r)1409 1850 MS ( )1425 1850 MS 
 (4)1437 1850 MS (0)1460 1850 MS (0)1483 1850 MS
 (0)1506 1850 ( )1529 1850 MS (s)1541 1850 MS (y)1559 1850 MS (s)1581 1850 MS
 (t)1599 1850 MS (e)1612 1850 MS (m)1631 1850 MS (.)1665 1850 MS 

The main point here is that the first example gives the coordinates for
starting the string and then just presents the string.  The second gives the
coordinates for each character.  I found that, when the string in the first
example ends with a space, the next character is printed with no space and
somewhat overlapped with the preceding character, even though the coordinates
for this character are identical in both examples.  Very weird.

I don't know of any solution other than to use different software, but thought
it might at least help to understand what is going on (in my case, anyway).

	dave

re:            <<< Note 6785.2 by RDVAX::LEVY "Run Like an Antelope" >>>
                      -< Here's what I found re: overlap >-

> re: overlapping characters.
> 
> I have seen this on LPS32s and found that the combination of Windows NT 4.0
> and Office 95 would produce this behavior.  Going to Office 97 cured it.
> 
    Overlapping characters is usually caused by by font
    substitution. i.e. The font metrics used by the word
    processor could be different from the font metrics
    of the font actually used when printing.

    The reason the problem does not show in the second example
    is the code is positioning individual characters, which
    is an inefficient, slow coding practice.

    i.e. the fix covers up the symptoms but does not fix the
    cause of the problem.

    My swag is the document uses a TrueType font and the printer
    driver has been configured to substitute a different Type
    1 font. Usually the metrics of a Helvetica TT font will be
    close to a Helvetica Type 1 font. However, the user may
    have substituted a totally different font.

    So, take a look at the font substitution table first. If
    necessary, purge your system of TrueType fonts for best
    results with PostScript printers and Adobe Acrobat.

    Bob Anderson

This is printing directly from Microsoft Word, not Adobe Acrobat.  This is
not a VMS-type environment, it's entirely Windows NT.  Purging TT fonts is
not an option.  We've done nothing funky with font substitution other than
install NT, MS Office, and Digital PrintServer Software.

	dave

    
    Could we get a sample document - a small one? Please post a pointer.
    
    Is the major concern the print quality or the queueing problems?
    
    Nancy
    

    I've put a zip file on RDVAX::EXAMPLE.ZIP that contains the Word
    document and some sample PostScript created by various combinations of
    software.
    
    For me, it's the overlapping characters that caused concern.
    
    Since we've moved to Office 97, it's no longer a big deal personally.
    
    	dave
    

re:            <<< Note 6785.6 by RDVAX::LEVY "Run Like an Antelope" >>>

>     I've put a zip file on RDVAX::EXAMPLE.ZIP that contains the Word
>     document and some sample PostScript created by various combinations of
>     software.
>     
>     For me, it's the overlapping characters that caused concern.
    
    I took a look at two files in EXAMPLE.ZIP. The files kstetson.prn    
    and kstetson.prn.bad both have overlapping characters caused by
    font substitution:

    i.e. The Word document uses TimesNewRoman, a TrueType font. The
    PostScript files use TimesRoman, a PostScript Type 1 font. 
    Evidently, the TrueType knockoff has slightly different font
    metrics than the original TimesRoman font. It is little more
    narrow than the original in most places. When TimesRoman is
    is subsituted by the PostScript driver, text strings end
    up wider causing the overlap.

    Positioning each character separately is a band-aid fix for
    the problem. At pointed out in note 6785.3 a better solution
    would be to stick with Type 1 fonts. Around the end of this
    year, Adobe and Microsoft will have improved drivers to
    rectify the hastle of getting typographically correct output
    with TrueType fonts.

    /Bob Anderson

    Thanks very much for the analysis.  I guess that I should have seen the
    discrepancy.  I always thought that TrueType fonts were downloaded to
    the printer as is.
    
    So, Microsoft implemented a band-aid (that works) until a good solution
    is reached.
    
    It does help to understand why this is happening.
    
    	dave
    

    
    I thought there was a button somewhere that you selected wether the
    TrueType fonts were loaded or the PostScript fonts were subsitituted.
    My imagination?
    
    Nancy
    

    Windows NT 3.51:
    
    Open the Print Manager, select the printer and select File->Properties.
    Press the Setup button, then press the Font Subst. button in the Setup
    dialog box. Scroll through the list. By default, the TrueType Times New
    Roman is substituted with the Type 1 Times-Roman. Change this to download.
    
    Windows NT 4.0:
    
    Open the Printers window, right-click the printer and select
    Properties, select the Device Settings tab, then expand the Font
    Substitution table, search for the font and select it, then change its
    status in the dialog box.