PostScript page count filter for Unix

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2 total messages Started by McEWAN Shane Wed, 07 Oct 1992 06:43

#4095

Author: McEWAN Shane
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1992 06:43

21 lines
1259 bytes

G'day! In recent weeks I've been given the task of gathering accounting
information about our PostScript laser printers attached to our central
server here. Ideally I'd like to keep a record of the number of pages each
job prints.

I was wondering if anyone has written a program that will read
through a PostScript file looking for "showpage" as well as any macros that
include a showpage command.

That's the tricky bit.....you need to effectively write a mini PostScript
interpreter which is something I'm not quite up to, yet. *sigh*

Any hints, tips and tricks (or even full blown solutions ;-) will be much
appreciated.

Catchya!
--

  Shane McEwan     CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research    spm@dar.csiro.au
================================================================================
              ______|    ______|    __  __|    ____  |    ____  |

Re: PostScript page count filter for Unix

#4110

Author: Vidiot
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1992 06:37

30 lines
2030 bytes

In article <1992Oct7.064348.18507@aurora.dar.csiro.au> spm@dar.csiro.au (McEWAN Shane) writes:
<G'day! In recent weeks I've been given the task of gathering accounting
<information about our PostScript laser printers attached to our central
<server here. Ideally I'd like to keep a record of the number of pages each
<job prints.
<
<I was wondering if anyone has written a program that will read
<through a PostScript file looking for "showpage" as well as any macros that
<include a showpage command.
<
<That's the tricky bit.....you need to effectively write a mini PostScript
<interpreter which is something I'm not quite up to, yet. *sigh*

You hit the nail right on the head. A non-DSC compliant PostScript file
could easily render many pages from a single PostScript line of code. Here's
the even neater part...the number of pages actually printed can be different
each time the line of code is executed.

Your best bet is to obtain the information for each job printed, from the
printer itself. Many printers make available the current printed page count.
You ask the printer the value before and after printing. That will give
you the most accurate count available.

Check the manuals for the printer. If your printer does support page count,
it will be a simple task to get the numbers from the printer.
--
harvard\ spool.cs.wisc.edu!astroatc!vidiot!brown
Vidiot ucbvax!uwvax..........!astroatc!vidiot!brown
rutgers/ INTERNET:vidiot!brown%astroatc.UUCP@spool.cs.wisc.edu
brown@wi.extrel.com

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