DVI2QMS

Section: Local Commands (L)
Updated: 2 November 1983
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NAME

dvi2qms - print TeX dvi files on QMS 800/1200/2400 printers

SYNOPSIS

dvi2qms [ -8 ] [ -d ] [ -f page# ] [ -h hostname ] [ -l ] [ -mag magnification ] [ -n username ] [ -o filename ] [ -t page# ] [ -x ] [ -y ] [ filename ]

DESCRIPTION

The dvi2qms program is reads TeX dvi files and writes printer files for QMS 800/1200/2400 laser printers. It may be used as a dvi output filter in the lpd printing system or as a user program. You can specify the input file name on the command line, or dvi2qms will read the input file from standard input.

SWITCHES

-8: Generate output for a QMS 800 laser printer. By default, the program generates output for QMS 1200 and 2400 printers, which is slightly different than for QMS 800 printers.
-d: Enable debugging features. This switch makes the program more chatty than it is normally to allow for some debugging of the program.
-f: Specify starting page for translation.
-h: Specify hostname (This switch is given to dvi2qms by the lpd printer daemon when the program is used as an output filter.)
-l: Print out files in landscape mode, instead of portrait mode.
-m: Specify a mag to use instead of the mag specified in the dvi file.
-h: Specify username (This switch is given to dvi2qms by the lpd printer daemon when the program is used as an output filter.)
-o: Specify a file for output. Standard output is used if no output file is specified.
-t: Specify an ending page for translation.
-x: Ignored.
-y: Ignored.

FONTS

The QMS 1200 and 2400 laser printers require fonts to be rotated from the format in TeX pxl files. The dvi2qms program will automatically do this rotation whenever necessary, but glyph rotation is a time consuming operation. Because of this, the dvi2qms program tries to keep its own set of font files, which are essentially rotated pxl files. The program tries to create a file in the same directory where it found the pxl file. If it can, it rotates all the glyphs in the fonts it uses and writes out a new file with the same name as the pxl file, except with an r append to the end of the name. If it can't create the file, there's still no problem, the dvi2qms program just rotates the characters it needs every time it uses them. It just takes a little longer to run.

It's a good idea if you're running dvi2qms as the dvi output filter in you lpd spooling setup to make daemon be able to create files in the fonts directory. Then the rotated pxl files will be created, and files will print faster than if they were not there. It's ok to delete these files periodically to free up the disk space they use. The dvi2qms program will simple regenerate the ones it uses.

THE TEX SPECIAL COMMAND

Characters given in the TeX \special command will be sent directly to the printer. Some people use it to select the alternate paper feed mechanism to print out their files on letterhead.

DVI2QMS AS AN LPD OUTPUT FILTER

Running DVI2QMS as an lpd output filter is pretty straightforward. Just add a df entry to the printcap entry for your QMS printer with value the pathname of the dvi2qms filter program. For QMS 800 printers, the dvi2qms program has to know that the printer is a QMS 800 printer. You should just create a file named qms800 in the spooling directory for your printer. When dvi2qms sees that it's being run by lpd (it figures out by the switches passed to it), it looks to see if the qms800 file exists in the spooling directory, and if it does, figures that it is supposed to generate output for a QMS 800 printer, instead of a QMS 1200 or a QMS 2400.

QMS PRINTER CONFIGURATION

The dvi2qms program uses 8 bit free format mode on the QMS printer. You have to be careful that your printer is configured so that it is accepting 8 bit data. The symptom of this problem characters not looking right. Consult you QMS printer manual to see how to enable interpretatation of eight bit data.

This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.
Time: 01:43:37 GMT, February 01, 2023