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Article #1873

NXDotMtxDriver: Useful? If so, help me!

#1873
From: Glenn Brown
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 16:08
27 lines
2259 bytes
	I wouldn't be suprised if noone outside NeXT can answer the  
questions below (and they won't talk to me since I'm a lowly doctoral  
student =-P ) so I will open with a question that everyone can appreciate:
	Is the NXDotMtxDriver useful?  Is this a serious attempt at  
providing general dot matrix support, or did it end up labotomized in  
order to get NS3.0 out the door?  NeXT promised dot matrix support under  
3.0, but did Adobe pressure NeXT to pull in the reigns on the  
NXDotMtxDriver so they would lose less of their outrageous PostScript  
printer royalties to _cheap_ 300dpi inkjet printers?

_Now_for_the_technical_questions_
	First, is there any documentation for the .pmdb files or for any  
aspect of the NXDotMtxDriver in general?
	I've been hacking at the default .ppd (postscript printer  
description) and .pmdb (print manager data base) for the supported dot  
matrix printers trying to get them to work with my 150dpi dot matrix  
printer.  (I got the PostScript Printer File Format Description v4.0 from  
Adobe, and (Suprise!) it doesn't answer the questions below:  )
	I ALMOST succeeded:  I can print the test page in Print Manager  
EXCEPT the bit ordering within bytes of the graphics is wrong:  Each strip  
of 8 pixels is fliped vertically.  Is there a way to reverse the bit  
ordering in any of the printer setup files?
	Also, my printer assumes that graphic strip lengths are sent to it  
as a 4 digit ASCII number, rather than a binary encoded length.
	Finally, My printer has no no direct vertical positioning feature  
(though it does support forward and reverse linefeeds).  Is there any way  
to specify this so prserver doesn't try to use that feature?
Technical Details
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From: gbrown@raven.ctr.columbia.edu (Glenn Brown)
Subject: NXDotMtxDriver: Useful?  If so, help me!
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Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 16:08:02 GMT
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