Re: Xy4 and cold feet

[Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx]

I beg to differ. Net use in DOS makes it dead easy and transparent.

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 15, 2011, at 12:24 PM, Paul Lagasse  wrote:

> On 03/15/2011 02:27 PM, Nicholas Clifford wrote:
>> At the risk of going over ground much gone over before, can anyone point me to an easy way to print DOS (like Xy4) through a USB connection? Sorry for the repetition.
>
> Nothing's entirely easy. And the solution may depend on your printer. Though I no longer use the following methods (since I work in Linux), these did work for me in WinXP, and once set up they were easy to use. The first solution prints faster where Xy4 is concerned, if that matters:
>
> 1. For Xy4, you can go to http://users.datarealm.com/xywwweb/ and get and install the latest version of XyWWWeb.U2, following the instructions there, and then set up Xy4 to use typ --
>
> 2. More generally, see http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/usbprint.html -- the PrintFile method described here also works with XyWrite, though I think when I tried it out I had to install ghostscript and ghostview into folders whose paths did not include spaces, ie c:\gs and c:\gsview. If it works for WPDOS and Xy4 it can probably work for other DOS apps.
>
> If you want to know more about typ before embarking on the process of setting it up, here's the info from the XYWWWEB.INF file:
>
> {typ}
>
> Print file with Ghostscript RJH 5/29/06
>
> Overcome inability to print with WinXP, non-PCL, USB printers, etc.
>
> Required files/packages:
> DL either Ghostscript AFPL v8.53+ (http://www.cs.wisc.edu/-
>  ghost/index.html) or GPL v8.15+
>  (http://voxel.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/ghostscript/gs815w32.ex
>  e) (basic fonts are included in package -- be sure to click the box
>  "Install Fonts" during Setup)
> POSTGHST.PRN (http://users.datarealm.com/xywwweb/postghst.zip): add to the
>  PP: stanza of DFL
> KMD.EXE (http://users.datarealm.com/xywwweb/WIN95CMD.ZIP), installed in DOS
>  Path (preferably in BootDrive:\WINDOWS|WINNT\system32)
>
> Printer drivers are compiled into Ghostscript (not separate files).
>  One printer driver must be specified in XyWWWeb.REG (see
>  UserVariable GsPrnDev, below). To determine the *name* of an
>  appropriate printer driver to specify, see:
>  a list of Ghostscript printer devices and the printers with which
>  they are compatible:
> http://www.cs.wisc.edu/ghost/doc/printer.htm
>  a list of printer drivers:
> http://www.cs.wisc.edu/ghost/doc/AFPL/devices.htm
>  and "Details of Ghostscript output devices":
> http://www.cs.wisc.edu/ghost/doc/cvs/Devices.htm#Win
>  If you find a printer driver, make SURE that it is compiled into
>  Ghostscript! Command: "GSWIN32C -? |more"
>  If no printer driver seems compatible with your printer, generic
>  driver "mswinpr2" is available, which works (slowly) with ALL
>  PRINTERS(!) that can print under Windows.
>
> PRiNter file POSTGHST.PRN now supports A4 printing. See comments in
>  POSTGHST.PRN (SEarch for "A4")
>
> To use TYP, the current XyWrite PRiNter file must be a Postscript PRN.
>  You may use a different PRN than POSTGHST.PRN, but it *must* have a
>  filename beginning with the four letters "POST..." (all XyWrite
>  PostScript PRNs are filenamed "POSTsomething.PRN"). Be aware that
>  POSTGHST.PRN is specifically set up for Ghostscript fonts, whereas
>  factory PRNs are not -- you will need to adapt them manually. Add
>  the PS PRN file to the PP: stanza of DFL. Establish it as the
>  current PRN using the SETP command, e.g. in STARTUP.INT (the LOAD
>  command works too, but eats memory).
> Two or three entries in XyWWWeb.REG must be completed (one-time
>  procedure):
> 1.the fully-qualified d:\path\filename for GSWIN32C.EXE (the
>  Ghostscript command line executable) in Ghostscript_EXE_Win32 e.g.:
>     Ghostscript_EXE_Win32=F:\GS\gs8.53\bin\GSWIN32C.EXE
> 2.the name of the printer device driver you will use in GsPrnDev (add
>  this UserVariable to REG's [Ghostscript] stanza if it is not already
>  present), e.g.
> GsPrnDev=ljet4
>  A specific printer device driver will print hands-off to the default
>  printer specified in the Windows Printer control panel, unless you
>  indicate a different printer in UserVariable WinPrinter, below.
>
>  If no specific driver for your printer is available, you must use
>  the generic driver "mswinpr2". You have two options: 1) you can use
>  the default printer specified in your Windows Printer control panel,
>  for hands-off printing, with this command:
> GsPrnDev=mswinpr2 default
>  or 2) you can summon the Set Printer dialog each time you print, and
>  manually select a printer (or accept the default) ==> then hit "OK":
> GsPrnDev=mswinpr2 dialog
>  The "dialog" option requires that you complete the Set Printer
>  dialog, and it also affords the option of setting other Printer
>  properties, or even of Canceling the print job (in which latter case
>  only you will need to manually close a Ghostscript desktop window).
> 3.(optional) the name of one physical printer to which frame TYP will
>  always print (hands-off), whether it is the current "Default
>  Printer" or not, in WinPrinter, e.g.:
>     WinPrinter=EPSON Stylus C60 Series
>     WinPrinter=\\PSNYC\HPLaserJ
>  The name of the printer should be written exactly as it appears in
>  the Windows Printer control panel. If it is still not recognized,
>  run Printers.VBS (command at DOS: "cscript //nologo Printers.VBS"),
>  which reports all valid printer names accurately.
>
> Usage:
> All available arguments to the normal TYF (or PRINTF) command are
>  legal (except "target_filename", which is nonsensical here):
> TYP [d:\path]filename][,,page_ranges][,o|e|p]
>  e.g.:
> TYP  Print current file
> TYP ,,2/4   Print current file pages 2 and 4
> TYP MYFILE   Print MYFILE
> TYP MYFILE,,-3 Print MYFILE pages 1-3
> TYP MYFILE,,3-9,O   Print MYFILE Odd-numbered pages
>  3,5,7,9
> You must confirm (y|N) printing of DeFined text
>
> --paul lagasse
>