Re: Cranky EPS files viewable but won't print

["Dov Isaacs" <isaacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Possible problems are (1) that the exported EPS from Acrobat includes 
PostScript 3 constructs, (2) the exported EPS files from Acrobat are
in binary and the communications channel you established for your
printer is purely ASCII, and/or (3) the LaserJet 4050's emulation is 
not emulating well enough.

Personally, I would bet on #2 above. Check and make sure that the
communications protocol to your LaserJet 4050 is TBCP. ASCII won't
work if you have binary EPS. BINARY won't work because unless your
printer is connected via AppleTalk, it needs TBCP quoting protocols
to properly digest certain binary characters. Unfortunately, TBCP
is not the default protocol when you setup a printer instance.

Check your EPS export options from Acrobat. They permit choice of
PostScript language level (1, 2, or 3) and whether binary or ASCII
EPS is generated. In the first case, PostScript 3 is always preferable
if you are generating PDF and then doing real printing from Acrobat.
Otherwise, PostScript Level 2 is safer for most printers out there
today, including your HP emulator of PostScript Level 2. In terms
of binary or ASCII EPS, binary can be much more efficient, but it
does require that the driver for your output printer be properly
configured (which it isn't by default).

The best option, of course, is to INSIST that your Mac-based "artists"
always save EPS files with Windows-compatible TIFF previews. This
results in the entire EPS file being in the data fork as opposed to
the preview being in the resource fork and in a "foreign" (i.e., PICT)
format. The poor darlings' Macs won't be hurt by this. Virtually every
reasonable Mac version of publishing software can readily deal with
data-fork-only, TIFF preview EPS.

        - Dov


At 2/25/2001 10:06 PM, hedley_finger@myob.com.au wrote:
>Framesters:
>
>Our artist sent some EPSF cover art (these are Mac files with the
>PostScript in the data fork and the pixmap preview in the resource fork; if
>you are on Windows, don't ask).   Winduhs doesn't understand resource forks
>so these get stripped off when the files are saved to disk.
>
>Now the cover art files are EPS without a preview and import into
>FrameMaker as grey rectangles (bummer!).  But I can position the grey
>rectangles, sort of, and check by printing to the HP LaserJet 4050 Series
>PS printer.
>
>Aha, methinks!  Why not Distill the EPS to PDF, then export from the PDF to
>EPS with a preview.
>
>Great!  Now I can see the EPS preview in FrameMaker for positioning and
>sizing.
>
>But the imported EPS graphics now won't print on the HP LaserJet 4050
>Series PS printer.  Why not?   How are Acrobat generated EPS files with
>preview mysteriously different from Illustrator (Freehand? CorelDRAW?) EPSF
>files?
>
>[Windows 2000, FrameMaker 5.5.6p145, FrameScript 1.27C01, Enhance 2.03,
>Acrobat 4.05.2, mif2go 31r25, IXgen 5.5.h]
>
>Regards,
>Hedley


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