In a message dated 22/07/2004 21:55:28 GMT Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes >Now, one of the suggestions which has been banded around from the software >side is for someone to collaborate with me in order to produce a new printer >device, which could be used instead of PAR. That device would basically form >a pipe between any program sending text output and ProWesS (ProForma driver) >- provided that the input was in standard EPSON printer code format, it >should be relatively easy to translate this to Proforma and thereby >send graphic >output to a printer. However, I did ask Roy Wood to check if ProWesS >to print >to a modern Epson windows only printer and he has not come back to me on >this.. I did say to you at the time that I had very little access to other printers than the standard EPSON ones. ProWesS is, unfortunately a non starter as far as this is concerned because it still needs a driver for each individual printer. It works great with most ESC/P2 printers (see my EPL 6200 review in the next QL Today) I say most because EPSON fudged the driver somewhat in the later printers and something strange seems to happen with my C80. It also works well with some of the Laserjet printers. and HP have kept a lot of backward compatibility. It works less well with the Canon printers we tried it on a few years back and, apart from your work, no-one else has made any other drivers. Although the ProWesS system is raster orientated that does not help its printing capabilities. Marcel has suggested Ghostscript as an alternative and that does seem far more viable if someone could port it. The suggestion of using a new device to replace PAR has appeared in Byts of Wood many time in the last couple of years. Any takers on a volunteer to port Ghostscript ?? I have no idea as to how this works - how would Quill be adapted for instance?? >>The other option which was broached, and which could form a new source of >>funding for QL projects and the QL community in general, would be to build a >>generic box, which could be connected to a parallel port. The box would >>perform the translation and output to a printer - I would suggest that it be >>programmed under Windows, as this would enable new printer drivers to >>be downloaded >>to the box quite easily. The box would take standard Epson (or HP) ASCII >>output and convert it to the Windows driver in order to print to the >>printer. >>The box would ideally need to support USB printers as well as parallel >>printers. >I also suggested this in my column an issue or so ago. I even spoke with >Tony Firshman about building such a device. I still think that this is the preferable option as it could be marketed to a whole host of other users and would not be restricted to the QL. We just need someone to design the hardware !! -- Rich Mellor RWAP Services 35 Chantry Croft, Kinsley, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF9 5JH TEL: 01977 610509 Visit our website at URL:http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk Stuck with ordinary dial up internet connection ?? Read our review of internet accelerators and broadband at: URL: http://www.rwapadventures.com/Services/reviews.html _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
