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- Xref: sparky comp.sys.amiga.applications:9946 comp.sys.amiga.misc:19785
- Path: sparky!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!joeles
- From: joeles@cup.portal.com (Joel Edward Swan)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.applications,comp.sys.amiga.misc
- Subject: Re: Excellence V3.0 + HP DeskJet500
- Message-ID: <73416@cup.portal.com>
- Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 01:35:24 PST
- Organization: The Portal System (TM)
- References: <1irv30INNsju@flash.pax.tpa.com.au>
- Lines: 74
-
- >
- >I hope no one considers this *terribly* off-topic, but I'm DESPERATE
- >for an answer here...
- >
- >I purchased my brilliant HP DeskJet 500 about 6 months ago, and, as
- >yet, have been unable to make it work to its fullest capacity. My
- >setup is: Amiga 2000HD using Excellence! V3.0, printer on parallel port.
- >
- >This is my problem:
- >1. The DJ500 has an excellent internal font called CGTimes (6,12 pt.)
- >2. It can print this font at something like 240 cps.
- >3. It appears to me that because my software does not know the
- >dimensions for the font, there's no way in hell I'm going to get my
- >documents to print out (formatted properly) in CGTimes.
- >4. This is very disappointing for me. I'd have been prepared to give
- >up and blame the printer, until last weekend when I hooked it up to a
- >Toshiba clone laptop that I brought home -- and Word 5.5 will output in
- >flawless CGTimes. :-(
- >
- >
- >The solutions I have thought of and why they're unsatisfactory:
- >1. Buy a Toshiba laptop -- can't afford it. Don't like MS-DOS machines.
- >2. Buy a 2/386 emulator -- see above.
- >3. Output everything in non-proportional Courier -- naturally, this
- >works, but that's hardly the point.
- >4. Use a DTP program to output in CGTimes based in software -- once
- >again, I can (and do) do this, but it's not the point. For one thing,
- >it's damn slow, and DTP software doesn't have anything like the WP'ing
- >flexibility I need.
- >
- >So: If *anyone* is currently making an Amiga successfully talk to a
- >DeskJet500 using *any* software or *any* trick/magic/witchcraft, then
- >PLEASE let me know. Email me if only to comiserate!
- >^^^^^^
- >
- >email to: paulh@pax.tpa.com.au
-
-
- The printer is fine. It's the crappy Amiga word processors that stink. I
- also use Word (5 and 5.0. BTW 5.0 is MUCH faster, try to get IT if
- possible.). Excellence and the other crummy Amiga WPs still don't know how
- to use internal printer fonts. For the longest time all they could do is
- what you are experiencing - dumping the low resolution of the screen to the
- printer - worthless! None of the software developers have caught on yet as
- how to use a printer's font effectively and painlessly (like Word). Word,
- as you know, has printer drivers that contain all the needed info for letter
- widths, etc, and the ruler on top stretches out to let the letters fit in.
- It's the best of both worlds - super fast "text mode" screen updates and the
- accurate letter placement of WYSIWYG.
-
- Until, and IF, a company finally moves this route, the best way to get clean
- output from Amy is to purchase Final Copy II (or Prowrite). These packages
- do not use the printer's internal fonts well (if at all) but use outline font
- technology to print. Unfortunately, this makes for SLOOOOOOW printing
- compared to internal fonts BUT there are many more font options than what
- the printer can supply.
-
- FinalCopy II works wonderful with the DeskJet, has the best looking output
- as well. Beyond the bunch of fonts you get with the packagem you
- can purchase more of the NimbusQ fonts it uses for outline printing.
- Prowrite uses Compugraphic fonts (what CBM uses) but the output has
- problems and the program operation lacks in many areas.
-
- >
- >email to: paulh@pax.tpa.com.au
- >
-
- -Joel
- -------
- =================================================O======================
- / Joel E. Swan....Pres./...Media Specialties, Ltd., Oak Forest, IL.USA /
- / & Senior Producer..../...Moody Broadcasting Network, Chicago, IL. USA /
- / Portal ID: joeles..../...joeles@cup.portal.com /
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