Successful Japanese Printing

[Craig Oda <craig@example.com>]

Hi,
I managed to print Japanese to my HP LaserJet4ML utilizing the
version of GhostScript found in the JE distribution.  I can
now also print Japanese web pages from Netscape with a few 
limitations.  My printer was purchased in the U.S. and does not
come with Japanese fonts, so I have to use gs to rastorize the 
Japanese fonts and spit it to the printer device.  

I'm not a GhostScript guy and don't know the program intimately,
but to my inexperienced eye, the Japanese version looks pretty
hacked.  I couldn't find Japanese docs for the setup and the
English ones are non-existant as far as I can tell.  

Anyway, here is what I did with JE-0.9.6.  Is that the most
recent distribution???

In the base package install prtcfg.tgz

Install all of the gs package

I also installed the font package though I'm not sure this is
necessary.  

JE installs gs in /usr/local/lib/ghostscript

I found my print driver in /usr/local/lib/prtcfg/src

Then I hacked /usr/local/lib/ghostscript/dmp_site.ps
as follows:

/printer (/usr/local/lib/prtcfg/src/hp_ljp.src)
/resolution [ 300.0 300.0 ]
/defaultsize [ 8.0 in 10.5 in ]

Note that on my printer the text would not fit on one sheet if I
set the paper to 8.0 in 10.5 in.   I use A4 paper. 

You can now print the sucker with this command:

	gsdmpr -q  -sDEVICE=dmprt -sOutputFile=/dev/lp1 filename.ps

If it works change it into a filter with:

	#!/bin/sh
	/usr/local/bin/gsdmpr -q -sDEVICE=dmprt -sOutputFile=- -
	exit 0		

Then hack your /etc/printcap file as per the printing HowTo and
it prints.  

I have English PostScript on my printer so I have two printer
settings, one is for English PostScript and ASCII.  I filter
this one through mpage to convert ASCII to ps.  I have another
printer I call Japanese to handle Japanese PostScript. 

Right now I am looking for a filter that will convert Japanese
euc to Japanese PostScript.  

On a different subject, I installed xpdf which allows me to to
view the Adobe Acrobat format pdf files that are recently becoming
popular.  It works fairly well.  

Regards,
Craig


----------------------
Craig Oda 	craig@example.com		http://www2.twics.com/~craig
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