RE: UNIX PostScript (Was: Distiller Trivia)

["Thomas Michanek" <thomas.michanek@xxxxxx>]

(I noticed that Dov copies his replies to the FrameUsers lists.
 Perhaps it would be a good idea if someone on Free Framers
 forwarded this posting to the FrameUsers list.)

> HOWEVER, that is very different from encouraging someone using
> FrameMaker under Windows to shell out (pun intended) many, many,
> many, many dollars (euros / pesos / shekels / whatever) to buy
> a proprietary UNIX workstation, a UNIX FrameMaker license, a
> UNIX Acrobat license, etc. simply for the privilege of producing
> FrameMaker PostScript.

For the record, this is *not* what I meant. I said:
"if you have the choice to produce PDF files from FM on UNIX or
 from FM on Windows ..."
meaning that *if* you already have access to both FM on UNIX and
Windows, you should be aware of the benefits of using UNIX. This
assumes you don't use any Windows-specific features.

> With FrameMaker, the advantages of keeping PDF creation entirely on
> Windows as opposed to UNIX are several:
> (1) Full support for TrueType and OpenType fonts.

Yes, but this is mainly a consequence of FM on UNIX not supporting
such fonts to begin with. This is of course an important restriction,
but isn't really relevant to the comparison of the generated PostScript
code that I was looking for. Let's pretend that the FM documents only
use Adobe Type 1 fonts. :-)

> (3) Print subsystem support for arbitrary page sizes, multiple
> resolutions, etc. in the generated PostScript.

So you mean that FM on UNIX cannot support this in the PS code?
(I haven't had any use for it, so I haven't checked whether there
are any problems with page sizes, etc.)

> (4) PostScript is optimized for PostScript 3 as opposed to 
> PostScript Level 1.

Not knowing the details of the differences between Level 1 and 3,
could you give any examples of FM/PDF features that would be
affected by this limitation? (Apart from Windows-specific features
that wouldn't be available on UNIX to begin with.)

I realize and acknowledge that the Level 1 PS code produced by FM
on UNIX would not be suitable for all users and workflows. I'm now
trying to understand what problems and limitations an FM user on UNIX
could encounter when producing PS for distillation, compared to using
FM on Windows. And the other way around.

For instance, do you know of any possible reasons for the file size
difference of PS/PDF files between the two platforms? Should I be
worried about "losing" any information? (I haven't noticed any loss)

Thanks in advance,

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Thomas Michanek, Technical Writer
IAR Systems AB, Sweden: http://www.iar.com
mailto:Thomas.Michanek@iar.se
Tel: +46 18 167800, Fax: +46 18 167838
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