From:	CRDGW2::CRDGW2::MRGATE::"SMTP::CRVAX.SRI.COM::RELAY-INFO-VAX" 22-MAY-1989 23:13
To:	MRGATE::"ARISIA::EVERHART"
Subj:	Re: VMS <-> Apple Laserwriter

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Date: 19 May 89 08:10:16 GMT
From: munnari!vuwcomp!dsiramd!windy!gpwd!gpwrdcs@uunet.uu.net  (Don Stokes, Govt Print, Wellington)
Organization: Government Printing Office, Wellington, New Zealand
Subject: Re: VMS <-> Apple Laserwriter
Message-Id: <533@gp.govt.nz>
References: <21E01704_00146338.00924A1E699FA420$12_1@UK.AC.RHBNC.VAXA>
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In article <21E01704_00146338.00924A1E699FA420$12_1@UK.AC.RHBNC.VAXA>, UHAC010@vaxa.rhbnc.ac.UK writes:
> VWS (the old VMS windowing system) supports Laserwriters without using
> fancy symbionts etc. Of course you have to send it straight Postscript as there
> is nothing in the normal printer software that could act as an ASCII to
> Postscript filter.
> 
> The setups that VWS uses are:
>
[detail deleted]
> 
> We use this all the time to print output from SIGHT the VWS drawing program.
> The results are very good. HINT: If your LAserwriter just sits there with the
> yellow light winking at you and nothing comes out, then some Turkey has
> probably tried to print a non-Postcript file.

I have had cause to drive PostScript devices from a VAX print queue, 
without the aid of a decent symbiont for doing the error handling etc.  
The trick to avoiding the "yellow light winking and nothing comes out" 
problem is to create a setup module containing a ctrl/D character.  The 
steps to do this are:

        $ open/write out PS_SETUP.TXT
        $ ctrld[0,8] = 4
        $ write out ctrld
        $ close out
        $ library/text/insert SYS$LIBRARY:SYSDEVCTL PS_SETUP
        $ define/form PS 101/notruncate/nowrap/setup=PS_SETUP     -
                /description="PostScript output"
        $ set queue POSTSCRIPT/default=(flag=none,form=PS,nofeed) -
                /form=PS

This causes a ctrl/D to be sent to the printer at the start of every job. 
Ctrl/D is a PostScript end-of-file mark (at least when using a serial 
port), and will cause a soft reset of the printer, thus clearing out any 
rubbish sent to it by "Turkey"s.

Don Stokes, Systems Programmer    /  /   Domain:                  don@gp.govt.nz
Government Printing Office,      /GP/   PSImail:          PSI%0530147000028::DON
Wellington, New Zealand         /  /   UUCP:  ...!munnari!vuwcomp!windy!gpwd!don
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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