🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1consult@physc1.byu.edu> consult@physc1.byu.edu writes:

> I am looking for a (simple?) algorithm to count pages in a postscript file.

This is becoming a frequently-asked question in this group.

Trying to do this by inspection is a lot like trying to estimate the
size of a C program's output by examining the source code.  (PostScript
is very much a programming language.)  To do this reliably on the host
system, you would have to write a PostScript interpreter.

For accounting purposes (as opposed to setting print queue priority based
on job size), an after-the-fact count may be acceptable.  It has the
advantages of being relatively simple to implement and also fairly secure.

The LaserWriter (and presumably most other PostScript printers) have a
host-readable counter which shows how many pages have ever been printed by
this printer.  You can read that counter before and after each job, and
charge accordingly.