PAGESTREAM - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2.1 is GREAT, however...When I type the curser can't keep up with me and i'm a slow typist. I'm using a MEGA 4 with T-16 board. I've tried TURBOST and QUICKST. Nothing seems help the curser speed. Many times I find myself several lines ahead of it. Anyone have any ideas??? I initially had the same problem with CG Times font spacing. But after re-updating the font folder several times it started working ok and has worked ever since. Also initially had a problem getting the default font to stick in document defaults, but after about 4 tries it finally stuck. GREAT program, 'nuf said. The fonts were all Type I's from the DTP library, listed as Adobe Type I's for IBM with ATM for Windows. BTW...one of the ones in question was CRILLEE. I notice that you posted that one on the PGS Library. Did you get that from the DTP R? If so, what did you do differently than I in order to get it to work? Also, do you know if the program(s) from MegaType (namely FontVerter) would help to take these "mis-behaving" Type I's from the DTP roundtable and make them work with PGS? I think I know which fonts you are talking about in the DTP RT libraries...If I remember right these are in IBM format for Windows & ATM....They do not have an .AFM with them which PgS NEEDS! I got Ultrascript also to print the PS file created with 2.1 but only if I use the none Compugraphic fonts. is this correct? I also notice that ADOBE type 1 is the recommended format to use. Thanks. First, a word of caution about IBM fonts: many of them do NOT contain AFM files, just windows / ATM PFM files and these are not the same. I d/l'ed CRILLEE from DTP (along with 20-30 others) and had some problems getting it to work, so I went back to my DMF, FM version created with megatype's TYPE 1 CONVERTER and FONTVERTER combination. I have had to do this conversion to several fonts because they had name / number conflicts. If you decide to use MAC type 1's, you will need a good UNSIT (Mac Archive) utility like UNSIT v2.4 for the IBM (or PC Emulators) available in DTP. Also try REFONT for the IBM (also on DTP) to convert MAC fonts to IBM type 1's OR type 3's. Sorry for the noise last night. V 2.1 handles V 1.82 files _perfectly_ as mentioned in the manual. I'd presumed that once I'd set a path for the FONTLIST.V2, Pagestream would be able to find the FONTEQUIV, FONTSS, and PLUGIN files that were installed at the same path. Dumb, dumb, dumb! Read the README! Read the README! Read the README! Read the README! Softlogic should take this as a complement. The program is sooo intuitive, that I only skim the manuals. (at my peril it seems). Substituting for to stop printing seems counter-intuitive though. (from printer que) would be my first choice. Ok, I haven't been able to read all of the messages but I can't get anything to print through ULtraScript(US). I have tried printing to disk with these scenarios: 1) Using the included (2.1) PGS fonts (Letter Gothic, Artistic,etc) and printing to disk 2) Printing to disk with an Ultrascript font only... all I get in the staus messages is "startng server" and then it exits immediately...any similar problems? Thanks for any input. I really suggest that you create all of your text, except perhaps headlines, outside of PGS and then import the text. This is MUCH faster than typing into PGS directly. Use your favorite WProcessor or a desk accessory text editor such as Steno. Steno and PageStream make a really nice team. B.O.B.--I think Fred answered your question. Some of the IBM fonts in the DTP area do not have AFM files which PGS needs. That is why I said in the file description of MACTOIBM.ARC that the program will convert files if all the parts are there. Once again, d/l fonts from another RT can be a hit or miss proposition. If you want to make sure your fonts will work, d/l them only from this RT. In the coming weeks I will try to convert as many fonts from the DTP RT as possible and post them here, thus sparing you the frustration (and $$$) of d/ling un-convertable fonts. You should certainly be able to print Compugraphic Fonts with UScript: I have done this many times. Make sure that the FONTEQUIV file is in your main PSFONTS folder. The FONTEQUIV file tells PGS which Compugraphic font equals which PostScript font (Times = Times, Triumvirate = Helvetica, etc). Run PGS and load in the PScript driver, printed to disk. Save your defaults. Turn off your computer for 10 seconds. Restart, run PGS, make a doc, print to disk, run UScript and print. BINGO. I have found that if you load the SLM driver for direct printing that you can not later print with UScript without a cold boot. You can run PGS and quit and run UScript as many times as you like, but if you load the SLM driver and then go back to UScript to print, UScript will quit without printing. I have reported this problem to SLogik. Let me know if this works for you. About the slow curser...something. A frind of mine across town has 2.1. We were talking on the phone last night. I discribed my slow curser and he said he could not out-tyope his curser, no matter how fast he typed the curser kept up with him. He was running TURBOST 1.8 as an ACC, I suggested that he REMOVE it. He did, and then, the curser in 2.1 could not keep up with his typing. He INSTALLED TURBOST 1.8 again and his curser was still slow. He's not real happy, he's tried changing the order of his AUTO folder and still his curser is slow. I know that in 1.8 I could not out- e my curser. AND...He knows before he REMOVED TURBOST his typing was fast. Got any Ideas so he won't be mad with me??? :-) Also, is anybody having trouble filling text. I am, some times only part of a word will fill??? I'm having trouble with all fonts. The new version is on Drive G. My font directory setup follows the example shown on Page 6 of the QuickStart Guide. I have gone into the Set/Save Paths and indicated Drive G:\ for the various folders. When I open the Font Manager, I see in the left window: B:\FONTS BB:\FONTS\PGSFONTS A:\CTIMES A:\CSTRIUM A:\GARAMOND I first thought that these A's and B's referred to Drives, but they are identified as folders above the box. If I try to load a font, I get a request to insert the proper disk. Where did I go wrong? Thanks I got all fonts to work except Times, Triumvirate, and Garamond. (BTW - the only fonts and folders on my new drive are the ones that came with 2.1. When I try to use Times or Triumvirate I get a strike- over effect where about six or seven letters will appear on top of each other. While you're at it, how can I use my existing fonts for 1.8 which are on Drive D together with those that are on Drive G. Thanks. Thanks. I tried your suggestion about not running the slm driver first and it worked. although this is a most inconvenient work-around. Thanks much for the quick reply! Can Type 1's be used alone or mixed with Ultra fonts and be printed through UltraScript? I am understanding that only Type 3's can be printed through Ultra as they are unhinted... Nevin--thanks for digging in and answering these questions here in the early stages. when trying to fill a word/sentence, etc., whast is the attribute assigned to them? (Block left, Center, Block Right, etc., etc.) Before you try to fill .... is EVERYTHING highlighted or is it a text object and your trying to fill it as a ? I've been trying to fill the word DESIGN with a 40% fill. Using Mircographic Bold 30pt. as a text object, Highlight the work with the curser and only the DE would change to a fill the SIGN was still black. I tried different fill patterns, and only the DE would change??? Font Manager Problems: First, select drive G: under set/save paths and also find your FONTS folder which will contain the FONTEQIV, etc... files and save this path as default. Second, enter the font manager and REMOVE all the folder listings. Third, using the ADD function, add the folders containing the fonts that you want (since you get the item selector, simply select a different drive if you have folders that you want to load...pagestream will keep them straight.) Last, once you have all the folders added, select default under the manager and then you're off... BTW, My fonts are spread out pretty far (PageStream DMF fonts on drive D, FontBank Postscript fonts on I (all of I), and some other postscript fonts are on K. OK, I got my fonts operating properly and things seem to be working well. I am impressed with the speed with which PGS2 prints to disk; the screen fonts are excellent for the CS, PGS and TYPE 1 fonts. The file manager process is now understood. Thanks for the great program. A minor difficulty I am having is that to use Ultrascript, I need to save to disk with a file extender of .PS - is there a way to make PGS2 default to this extender instead of the .DOC that now shows. In PGS18 it defaulted to .PS. Any assistance appreciated. Thanks to those for their assistance in solving my problems. More weirdenss. I've DL'd the last 2 ARC's of Adobe's that were posted here. I have screen and printer supoort from all of them BUT...I'm still having kerning pair problems. Of the 7 typefaces in the ARC's, I can't call up/edit/add any kerning pairs to Nordic, Caligula or Manzania. The .AFM file for all 3 UnARC'd ok, and I've tried Updating the folder where they exist in several times, but to no avail...I stil can't get kerning pairs for these 3. Any idea what gives? Just received 2.1, WOW... The manual is what everyone has been saying, great job. I'm having a slight problem, text isn't accepted properly whether it's imported or typed. The characters all type on top of each other with no spacing inserted. This happens when I try to import text or type it myself... Can't imagine what I'm doing wrong, guess I'll have to look in the manual - just seemed strange. In addition to described don't forget to add the FONTS folder path to the font manager folder listings. Look carefully at the very first item on the folders list in the dialog box on page 8.5 to see what I mean. I overlooked adding this at first and got the same results you described, with all the letters 'piling on' on top of one another!) :-) How did you get 1.8 to default to a .PS extension when printing to disk...? Never did it for me. Can anyone tell me how to get ABF screen fonts to use with PGS 2.1? I looked in the DTP on Compuserve and found screen fonts for the Mac but when I unSIT them they're huge files, about 120K. Hmmm, I say to myself, this can't be right! Secondly, if I ever did find some ABF files could I use them, along with AFM files to make use of my Ultrascript fonts? BTW, 2.1 looks great to me. Most mac ABF's contain several fonts / sizes (i.e. 8,9,10,12,14,18,24 etc...) I have been trying to find out what needs to be done to these to get them to where they can be used on the ST. I have used many of the postcript type 1 fonts from the SL area, but I find that, while they'll all print beautifully to my Deskjet or HP Laserjet, not all of them will print to my Apple Laserwriter II NT in postscript mode. Usually its the fancier ones that won't print. Anyone else had this problem? I have come across a problem in Pagestream 2.1. I was using the Mathematics font from Softlogik and had a stray line when I printed. I then noticed if if viewed the screen so that the outlines instead of the bitmap was drawn on the screen, the line also appeared. After a little trial and error, I found it to be the letter h (lowercase). It was totally repeatable. I went into Pagestream 1.8 and attempted to duplicate the problem. When I printed out the word Math in the Mathematics font, no line. Went back to 2.1, new doc, typed the word Math in the Mathematics font (same point size both times), and the line was there again! Can anyone else repeat this, and if so, is there a fix (are you listening, Jay? )..... I'm having difficulty getting macros to work. Seems like PgS is only recognizing the ESC command and nothing after it. If I press the function key for a recorded or typed macro, the ESC (\E) is recognized and PgS ignores anything after it - unless I enter the rest manually. Is there a workaround? Thanks for the info...suddenly my life with PageStream seems MUCH simpler! Something unusual is happening when printing to my SLM605 - about a half inch down from the top of the page everything shifts over slightly, making the page unusable. It doesn't seem to happen when printing any other way so I am assuming it's the printer driver that came with PgS 2.1. Has this happened to anyone else or do I have a bad driver...? It doesn't happen on >every< page, but does occur often. I have the SLM804, It has the same problem. Soft Logik Knows of the problem, and there is a fix on the way. Something unusual is happening when printing to my SLM605 - about a half inch down from the top of the page everything shifts over slightly, making the page unusable. It doesn't seem to happen when printing any other way so I am assuming it's the printer driver that came with PgS 2.1. Has this happened to anyone else or do I have a bad driver...? It doesn't happen on >every< page, but does occur often. I have no idea how to help you with the Turbo ST problem. I hope your friend doesn't kill you! UltraScript does not support Type 1 fonts, so you can not print them through UScript. If you try you will get an UltraScript error message. Your fill pattern bug is a known bug. I think it will print correctly, it just does not look right on screen. Deron knows about this one. I will try those fonts. In the manual it states that you can not save kerning pairs for Type 1 fonts, but you should be able to load them in (to do a batch kern) or create pairs for use at one session. I'll look into it. B.O.B. I'm back again. Those fonts don't have any defined pairs (not all fonts do, you know) but I had not difficulty in selecting the font and making as many pairs as I wanted and then doing a batch kern. Remember, you can't save these kerning pairs (you can save KPairs only to PGS fonts) but you can add them for use in one session, or whatever. Hopefully in the future you will be able to save kerning pairs for Type 1 fonts. Make sure that the PLUGIN.TYP and FONTEQIV files are in your main PSFONTS folder (the one that appears in the Set/Save Paths in the Global menu bar). Click on Default and rerun PGS. The fonts piling on top of eachother means that these files are in the wrong place. If it's "the fancier ones" (Type 1 fonts) which won't print to your Apple Laserwriter, perhaps your printer does not have enough memory? I printed DavysRibbons to a QMS 410 without any problems. Many macros with ESC do not work. This is a known and high priority bug. SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!!!! --Nevin Nevin, my 2.1 seems slow. would you try this for me...Load FONTSPEC.TEM off the distribution disks and see how long it takes to load. I took me 40 sec. for the screen to start drawing and then 2 min.10 sec. for the screen to finish drawing. A total of 2 min. 50 sec. to load FONTSPEC.TEM. Should it take that long to load? I have a MEGA 4 with T-16 board. I'm going to try to reply to as many messages as possible, but some of my answers may overlap previous answers, so bear with me. CVG import is on the wishlist. overscan, oh well, sorry. Time for that new monitor... Help is used to stop printing, not Undo. This is for Amiga/ Atari compatibility. The Amiga is lacking a few essential keys. CS Triumvirate is exactly the same width as Adobe Helv, and CS Times is the exact... The CS designates a PostScript equivalent width Compugraphic font. One designated with a CG (ie: CG Univers) is not equivalent to the Adobe font metric. Be careful buying fonts which say ATM compatible, or Windows compatible, they might not have the necessary AFM/PFB combo. Check first. There are some problems with CG fonts on non-PS printers. Like vertical lines through the letters. If you experience this, and can figure out why it happens sometimes and not others, let us know! :) BTW, wasn't there a readme file on the disks? There was supposed to be. Gee, I have to be there to make sure this stuff gets done. No, you cannot add or remove points from poly objects. That reference to the supplied utility should have been deleted from the Atari edition. SL didn't translate the utility since there is a good PD one already. It's in the libraries here. Font Manager: you must click on Default to save the fontlist for the next time! The Printer.TXT file was not updated. Tsk, tsk. Oops. Anyway, now you just use the PostScript driver for all your PostScript needs, including Imagesetting and color lasers. (For color output, type Color into the text field in the Configure Printer dialog box. Some macros are broken. Sorry, it slipped by. The reason you couldn't get JT or JO to work with 1.8 is that was a typo (my fault). It has always been esc TT and TO. Oops. Soft-Logik will not be selling anymore CG fonts at this time. You should call Agfa Compugraphic and ask for CG fonts on PC 3.5" 720K disks. Yes, 1.8 docs are translated into 2.1 docs the instant you open them. After that they should work fine. No, the PS/PSF files won't confuse 2.1. It will save a second in creating the PS download files (it does take a few extra seconds) but you'll be wasting all that hard drive space. No, you don't need the PS/PSF files for any purpose at all. Just keep the ones which came with 2.1 (for Times, Trium and Gara) to make them work with PS printers. You'll need them for any other CG fonts you buy. (they are only available for the standard 35 fonts.) Other CG fonts won't print to PS (not that you'd be buying CG fonts if you had a PS printer.) Do you have the set/save paths for fonts set to drive E as well? You must have {SF files for any fonts not to be downloaded. Unfor- tunately, if you have both the PFB/AFM installed, it will download them anyway. You have to remove the PFB (put them in a separate path and remove with font managaer) and then add a PSF to say it's internal. Complicated, I know. Maybe next time. You need to buy Font Disk A if you want screen fonts for Palatino and Dingbats. You can't get outlines to screen with them, unless you buy the PlusPack (more money). You can't get outlines for the US Lucida series. don't keep extra fonts loaded. PageStream will let you type faster if there are less fonts loaded! Try this: load 150 fonts. Now type a few Times 12 roman. They switch to Times 12 italic, a few letters, and back to roman. It crawls. Now try the same thing with 15 fonts. It is much faster. You can use any Soft-Logik format font: ie: Soft-Logik, FontAbility, FontFactory, Magnetic IMages, Safari, Palumbo... You can use your US fonts exactly like before. If you can't print at all to the SLM printer, disable the Diablo emulator (uninstall it.) It seems to conflict right now. Yes, the Printers.TXT file is old. I'll have it changed. Yes I know deinstalling it is a pain, but for now it's the only workaround. Yes, character spacing other than 0 in 1.8 docs seems to come in screwed. Hmmmm... Software accelerators such as QuickST and TurboST have no effect on desktop publishers other than in drawing scroll bars and opening dialog boxes. That's all. If the T16 isn't fast enough for you, sorry, you'll have to ask Santa for a TT. Yes, the program is easier to use for a complete novice. So much has changed since 1.8 that old users don't find the changes in the manual and then get stuck. Should have had a big "what's new" section. Once again, TurboST will have NO effect on cursor speed. Try installing fewer fonts as per my earlier statement somewhere else in this message. Just add them with the font manager. Click on Add, open the folder and then click on OK. Then select Default. No Type 1's with UltraScript. Type 3's are broken right now. You can only edit kerning pairs for Soft-Logik format fonts. you can try to edit the kerning pairs for others, but they won't save. Sorry. You don't have the fontequiv, fontss and plugin.typ files properly installed. you must add whatever path they are in to the font manager. Mac fonts don't come with ABF screen fonts. I'm not sure how the Mac2IBM converter works for the ST. Actually, I'm not so sure how it works for the Amiga either. Fontspec takes forever to load because it switches tags between every other character. It's slow even on my 030. Like forever and a half. You got the wrong manual! Tsk, tsk, I don't know how shipping did that, the Amiga ones are all on the shelves while the Atari ones are still in boxes. (unless someone like me went through and messed them up!) You can't cancel out of a font selection box. You have to find the font. If you really screw things up and need to trash the fontlist, just delete the fontlist.v2 file from the drive and reinstall your fonts. Charlie - have you tried installing Pinhead...? Yes, I have Pinhead 1.8, thanks. Nevin, I have a MEGA4, T-16, (with t-20 in the mail), Mono monitor, and Supra 44 removable. I've found that if I remove my 16 font suitcases and leave in only the 3 CS font suitcases, the document loads in 12 sec. If the document is only using CS Times, why do the other suitcases slow down load time, screen redraws, and curser movement so much. It sould only be looking for times, not my other 255 fonts??? :-) I understand that the program can only load & not save kerning pairs for Adobes. What I want to know is why even when I have an XXXXXXXX.AFM for MOST of the Adobes I've DL'd, the program refuses to recognize them. When I go to "Set Kerning Pair" under the Globals, and click on various fonts, only a few of the Adobe ones will then "read in" and register in the scroll selector on the right hand side of te screen. I know that many of the Adobes I've DL'd have predefined K-Pairs defined...they have a file called "FontName.AFM" in the ARC file. They UnArc fine...I can load the AFM into MemFile and read the contents of the header which states that it's a kerning file...the bulk of the file is pairs of letters...etc. It walks like an AFM and quacks like an AFM, but why won't PGS read it in and USE it as a kerning pair? I am confused. In your answers, you first stated "no, you don't need the PS/PSF files for any purpose at all." Then you state "you must have PSF files for any fonts not to be downloaded" Could you please clear this up. Right now it is clear as mud as to which of my old files I should trash.... I am trying to use fonts from corel draw converted to type 1 by corel's .WFN boss converter. These fonts have .AFM files but PS2.1 still will not see them. Any other Windows users out there with Corel Draw? I can't figure this one out! Also-- ordered my TT today. I have not heard of the horizontal line problem. Are you using anything funky in your AUTO folder or DA slot? I haven't heard of this problem even once. Do the horizontal lines appear on ANY doc that you scroll around on or only on 1 doc. If it is only on 1 doc you might want to upload it for me or Fred or Jim to take a look at. I am having a problem with 2.1. Here is what I did. First I opened a new document using the defaults. Next I selected a type 1 font (in this case, Richard Murray). I typed in a sample line "This is Richard Murray font". Next I configured the printer to Postscript, selected the print to disk option, and then printed the document to a file called TEST.PS. I then exited PGS and ran Ultrascript. I configured ultrascript to my printer (Using EpsonFX, highest resolution) and selected TEST.PS to print. I then got the following lines in the status window.. %%[ Error: typecheck; OffendingCommand: if ]%% %%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end of file) will be ignored ]%% %%[ Status: end of file ]%% The original file I was trying to print had EPS graphics, which is why I wanted to preview through Ultrascript on a dot matrix, but by process of elimination, I found it to be the type 1 font, as all the EPS by themselves printed fine through ultrascript. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.... Yes, PGS 2.1 will work with Type 3 fonts and UltraScript. Your problem is converting Type 1 fonts to Type 3 so you can use UScript. I am not sure which program will do this. You hit the nail on the head. UltraScript does not support Type 1 fonts. Thus you can not use Richard Murray through UScript. In your case, if the EPS file is and Adobe Illustrator file import it using the Illustrator import module, and then print the whole thing directly through the SLM without using UScript. If the EPS is not an Illustrator file then you will have to print the EPS through UScript, and the Richard Murray through the SLM directly. Or, you could buy a nice TI or QMS or NEC PostScript printer..! If you MUST use Ultrascript, then here is what you need to convert Type 1 fonts to native PageStream fonts (Type 3's) using an Atari ST. MegaType's Type 1 'Converter Program (commmercial) MegaType's Fontverter Program (commercial) OR Font Designer Plus (commercial) Fontverter (commercial) The procedure is to start with an Adobe Type 1 font. If it is in IBM Type 1 format proceed to the next step. If it is in Mac Type 1 format you must first convert it to IBM Type 1 format using Megatypes MACTOIBM.PRG (public domain). Using TYPE 1 Converter or Font Designer +, convert the Type 1 (AFM and PFB) into an .ECF file (editable computer font). Next, convert the .ECF to .DMF and .FM using FontVerter. Load these files into PageStream 2.1 and go! If you want to get fancy you could load the DMF's into PGSFE87.PRG (shareware) and create 12H, 14H, and 24H screen fonts, although they are not absolutely necessary. The horizontal line thing has happened with a few docs - I have MultiDesk, STeno, HotWire Startup, Item Selector, and CPX Control Panel installed. I have the same stuff in my setup except the CPX's. By scrolling around do you mean just scrolling around (left, right, up and down) or do you mean zooming in to incredible magnifications? I have seen some CG fonts break up when you zoom in to 1500% or so. Other than that, I have not seen your problem nor heard others complain of it. I need some help re the Font Manager. I have a number of font files from various sources (SL, US, MI, etc.) and after reading the comments got them all working on PS2. I even printed them out as sample pages for my own reference so I would know that they worked both in screen and in printing to Ultrascript (PS) of the SLM804. I have just rebooted my PS2 to do some work and tried to access certain fonts but they did not appear on the screen. I updated all font folders, rebooted, tried deleting font folders not required, but to no avail. The fonts requested, that I had printed previously did not appear on the screen. The only thing done in the meantime, is to try some IBM Type 1 Fonts downloaded from a local BBS - some of which were successful, some not. I am at a loss to reason why I cannot now get fonts to appear that I have printed and worked with successfully previously. Qyestion: is the Font Manager stable? Should some fonts be loaded in a particular order? Do the PgStrm Font numbers clash with IBM T1 fonts? If anyone can give guidance, it would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any assistance. I have now used PGS2.1 extensively on my Mega STE and have printed to an Apple Laserwriter II NT(postscript) and HP Laserjet II and Deskjet Plus printers, all without problems. My Laserwriter is hooked up to the serial port at 9600 baud. Only problem I've had is that certain fancy Type 1 fonts won't print to the Laserwriter, although they print beautifully to the Laserjet and deskjet. Maybe I'm running out of memory on the Laserwriter. By the way, the program FPRINT.PRG speeds up printing to the Laserjet and Deskjet by about a factor of four! By scrolling around I meant up-down-left-right, when scrolling I experience the problems I mentioned with type. Object pile-up occurs when zooming, it regularly happens when I click on '200%'. Guess I'll have to wait until the next update and hope it fixes whatever is wrong - any word on when that will be? I'm having problems printing in Landscape mode with the supplied Compugraphic fonts. Using 24 pt. the characters seem to print about twice as high and half as wide as they should. Large point sizes (150+) sometimes don't even print at all. The PGS fonts and what PS1 fonts I've tried seem to work fine. I'm using an Alps Allegro 24 printer and the EPSONQ 24-pin v2.0.1 driver. Any suggestions? EOFure out why it happens sometimes and not others, let us know. <<<<*>>>><<<<*>>>><<<<*>>>>