Can't print PDF files on postscript printer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lee Kingston
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Lee Kingston

I have a postscript laser printer that prints everything except PDF
files. Anyone know what the deal is with PDF files? What makes them so
troublesome to print? Anyone know of a fix?

The laser printer that I have is a 1987 QMS-PS 810 (postscript level 1)
with 2 MB RAM memory (for print jobs, I guess) and 1 MB ROM memory (3
printer emulations and 35 resident fonts). I'm running Windows 2000 with
512 MB memory. Everything else prints fine, but when I try to print a
PDF file, the print job initiates but then fails. Instead of the
expected output, the printer will print an error message. Error messages
vary. Here are three typical:

1:
ERROR: interrupt
OFFENDING COMMAND: ISOLatin1Encoding
STACK: (long list of /items)

2:
ERROR: VMerror
OFFENDING COMMAND: dict
STACK: (long printout of postscript gibberish)
(From what I've found, the VMerror indiates virtual memory full, printer
out of memory, something exceeds the postscript interpreter's memory or a
postscript language line in it.)

3:
This job requires more memory than is available in this printer.
Try one or more of the following, and then print again:
For the output format, choose Optimize for Portability.
In the Device Settings page, make sure the Available Postscript Memory
is accurate.
Reduce the number of fonts in the document.
Print the document in parts.


So, I've done everything I can find to do; Set optimize for portability,
confirm memory set at 2 MB, print one page at a time, etc. Still can't
print PDF documents. If lack of memory is an issue, the 2 MB memory
works for everything else, why isn't that enough for PDF files?

Has anyone run into this before and found a solution?
 
I have a postscript laser printer that prints everything except PDF
files. Anyone know what the deal is with PDF files? What makes them so
troublesome to print? Anyone know of a fix?

The laser printer that I have is a 1987 QMS-PS 810 (postscript level 1)
with 2 MB RAM memory (for print jobs, I guess) and 1 MB ROM memory (3
printer emulations and 35 resident fonts). I'm running Windows 2000 with
512 MB memory. Everything else prints fine, but when I try to print a
PDF file, the print job initiates but then fails.
Click to expand...
How are you printing the PDF file. Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, GS, GSView?
 
]I have a postscript laser printer that prints everything except PDF
]files. Anyone know what the deal is with PDF files? What makes them so
]troublesome to print? Anyone know of a fix?

pdf is not postscript. It is a different language. A postscript printer
cannot print pdf. What is needed is a translator which will translate
pdf to postscript. There is a program called pdftops, which can convert
pdf to postscript, but that then has to be melded with your printer
program so that it can recognize that what is being asked for is a pdf
file, then send it through the filter to produce the level 1 postscript.
the other problem is that level 1 postscript is a real memory hog, so
the files produced tend to get huge. 2MB of memory is apt to be too
little. Perhaps it is time to get a new printer. 15 years of service
from a printer is pretty good.

alternatively, just view the pdf file with acroread, and then tell
acroread to print the file. It will translate it to postscript for you
before sending it to the printer.



]The laser printer that I have is a 1987 QMS-PS 810 (postscript level 1)
]with 2 MB RAM memory (for print jobs, I guess) and 1 MB ROM memory (3
]printer emulations and 35 resident fonts). I'm running Windows 2000 with
]512 MB memory. Everything else prints fine, but when I try to print a
]PDF file, the print job initiates but then fails. Instead of the
]expected output, the printer will print an error message. Error messages
]vary. Here are three typical:

]1:
]ERROR: interrupt
]OFFENDING COMMAND: ISOLatin1Encoding
]STACK: (long list of /items)

]2:
]ERROR: VMerror
]OFFENDING COMMAND: dict
]STACK: (long printout of postscript gibberish)
](From what I've found, the VMerror indiates virtual memory full, printer
]out of memory, something exceeds the postscript interpreter's memory or a
]postscript language line in it.)

]3:
]This job requires more memory than is available in this printer.
]Try one or more of the following, and then print again:
] For the output format, choose Optimize for Portability.
] In the Device Settings page, make sure the Available Postscript Memory
]is accurate.
] Reduce the number of fonts in the document.
] Print the document in parts.

Yes, I am not surprised with the latter two message. for postscript level 1
2MB is really not much memory.




]So, I've done everything I can find to do; Set optimize for portability,
]confirm memory set at 2 MB, print one page at a time, etc. Still can't
]print PDF documents. If lack of memory is an issue, the 2 MB memory
]works for everything else, why isn't that enough for PDF files?

Because pdf is a graphics intensive language and postscript level 1
handled graphics in an attrociously hoggish a manner.


]Has anyone run into this before and found a solution?

Buy a new printer. fill the current printer with as much memory as you
can ( and if 2MB is max, then go to the first sentence of this
paragraph).
 
How are you printing the PDF file. Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, GS,
GSView?
Click to expand...

I'm trying to print documents displayed in Acrobat Reader. These are
documents found on websites, including forms downloads, etc.
 
(e-mail address removed) (Bill Unruh) wrote in
pdf is not postscript. It is a different language. A postscript
printer cannot print pdf.
Click to expand...

Bill, using Acrobat Reader I have printed VERY simple PDF pages on my
postscript printer, so I know that postscript printers can print PDF.
The pages that have printed have very little content (partial page), and
one or few fonts; (usually text-only, and not much of it).
Unfortunately, those simple pages come along maybe 1 out of 100 pages.
Ninety nine percent of the time I get the print error, so I don't even
try to print unless the page looks extremely simple, and many times that
doesn't work.
What is needed is a translator which will
translate pdf to postscript. There is a program called pdftops, which
can convert pdf to postscript, but that then has to be melded with
your printer program so that it can recognize that what is being asked
for is a pdf file, then send it through the filter to produce the
level 1 postscript. the other problem is that level 1 postscript is a
real memory hog, so the files produced tend to get huge. 2MB of memory
is apt to be too little. Perhaps it is time to get a new printer. 15
years of service from a printer is pretty good.

Yes, I am not surprised with the latter two message. for postscript
level 1 2MB is really not much memory.
Click to expand...

How much memory do you recommend for printing PDF files on a level 1
postscript printer?

alternatively, just view the pdf file with acroread, and then tell
acroread to print the file. It will translate it to postscript for you
before sending it to the printer.
Click to expand...

By acroread, do you mean Acrobat Reader? If so, that's what I use.
 
(e-mail address removed) (Bill Unruh) wrote in


Bill, using Acrobat Reader I have printed VERY simple PDF pages on my
postscript printer, so I know that postscript printers can print PDF.
The pages that have printed have very little content (partial page), and
one or few fonts; (usually text-only, and not much of it).
Unfortunately, those simple pages come along maybe 1 out of 100 pages.
Ninety nine percent of the time I get the print error, so I don't even
try to print unless the page looks extremely simple, and many times that
doesn't work.
Click to expand...

Postscript printers can't print PDF. This does driver - converts PDF ->
PS. This seems to me that acrobat reader does its work bad. You can use
alternative - ghostscript. This is postscript interpreter that can also
convert documents between PDF and PS. Exact command is pdf2ps.

Jan
 
Jan Gregor said:
Postscript printers can't print PDF.
Click to expand...

Boy, have you folks got a LOT to learn.

To process Postscript, a printer must interpret the Postscript and
generate a display list. A PDF file is the display list--the Postscript
has already been interpreted, by Distiller.

When a Postscript driver prints the PDF, much of the work has already
been done--and the PDF goes through like shit through a goose.

In fact, Adobe sells a module to printer developers whereby they can set
their printers to take PDF directly, without any print driver
whatsoever. Just use the printer's tools to import the PDF right into
the RIP. For those printers, PDF *is* a print ready file.
 
I have a postscript laser printer that prints everything except PDF
files. Anyone know what the deal is with PDF files? What makes them
so troublesome to print? Anyone know of a fix?

The laser printer that I have is a 1987 QMS-PS 810 (postscript level [...]

ERROR: interrupt
OFFENDING COMMAND: ISOLatin1Encoding [...]
ERROR: VMerror [...]
This job requires more memory than is available in this printer. [...]

So, I've done everything I can find to do; Set optimize for
portability, confirm memory set at 2 MB, print one page at a time,
etc. Still can't print PDF documents. If lack of memory is an issue,
the 2 MB memory works for everything else, why isn't that enough for
PDF files?

Has anyone run into this before and found a solution?
Click to expand...

..pdf is very closely related to postscript. One of the things it does is
encode fonts. It looks like you're running into problems with downloaded
fonts. Fonts can be several hundred K easily, your 2Mb will fill up
quick.

Have you installed the postscript driver from Adobe's website? The
Microsoft postscript driver is somewhat lacking? The MS drivers tend to
have problems with Adobe software.

Have you tried changing the font substitution settings in the driver to
avoid downloading fonts?

Can you print a page in a .pdf file which contains no text?

Bob
 
.pdf is very closely related to postscript. One of the things it does
is encode fonts. It looks like you're running into problems with
downloaded fonts. Fonts can be several hundred K easily, your 2Mb will
fill up quick.

Have you installed the postscript driver from Adobe's website? The
Microsoft postscript driver is somewhat lacking? The MS drivers tend
to have problems with Adobe software.
Click to expand...

No, I must be using the standard Microsoft postscript driver for Windows
2000. I'll try the Adobe driver.

Have you tried changing the font substitution settings in the driver
to avoid downloading fonts?
Click to expand...

No, what settings should be changed, and where exactly is this done?

Can you print a page in a .pdf file which contains no text?
Click to expand...

All the .pdf files I want to print all contain text. (I have been able
to print very simple .pdf document pages with text.) To test one with
no text, do you have a link to a .pdf file with no text?
 
No, what settings should be changed, and where exactly is this done?
Click to expand...

Double click on the printer in the printers folder, "Printer-Properties",
The "advanced" tab, the "printing defaults" button, the "Paper/quality"
tab, the "advanced" button. You get "substitute with device font" as an
option under "graphic - truetype font".

All the .pdf files I want to print all contain text. (I have been able
to print very simple .pdf document pages with text.) To test one with
no text, do you have a link to a .pdf file with no text?
Click to expand...

Try the adobe driver first, with font substitution enables, and if that
doesn't work, I can make a small pdf to email you. The real answer to
your question might be: if you want to print modern pdf documents, then
you need to buy a new printer.

Bob
 
All the .pdf files I want to print all contain text. (I have been able
to print very simple .pdf document pages with text.) To test one with
no text, do you have a link to a .pdf file with no text?
Click to expand...


ONE MORE THING TO CHECK!

When you bring up the print dialog, make sure that the "PostScript
Options" is set for "Language Level 1", and "Save Printer Memory" are
checked.

Bob
 
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