dpost(1) dpost(1)
NAME
dpost - troff postprocessor for PostScript printers
SYNOPSIS
/usr/lib/lp/postscript/dpost [options] [files]
DESCRIPTION
dpost translates files created by troff(1BSD) into PostScript
and writes the results on the standard output. If no files
are specified, or if - is one of the input files, the standard
input is read. The following options are understood:
-c num Print num copies of each page. By default only one
copy is printed.
-e num Sets the text encoding level to num. The recognized
choices are 0, 1, and 2. The size of the output
file and print time should decrease as num
increases. Level 2 encoding will typically be about
20 percent faster than level 0, which is the default
and produces output essentially identical to
previous versions of dpost.
-m num Magnify each logical page by the factor num. Pages
are scaled uniformly about the origin, which is
located near the upper left corner of each page.
The default magnification is 1.0.
-n num Print num logical pages on each piece of paper,
where num can be any positive integer. By default,
num is set to 1.
-o list Print those pages for which numbers are given in the
comma-separated list. The list contains single
numbers N and ranges N1- N2. A missing N1 means the
lowest numbered page, a missing N2 means the
highest.
-p mode Print files in either portrait or landscape mode.
Only the first character of mode is significant.
The default mode is portrait.
-w num Set the line width used to implement troff graphics
commands to num points, where a point is
approximately 1/72 of an inch. By default, num is
set to 0.3 points.
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-x num Translate the origin num inches along the positive x
axis. The default coordinate system has the origin
fixed near the upper left corner of the page, with
positive x to the right and positive y down the
page. Positive num moves everything right. The
default offset is 0 inches.
-y num Translate the origin num inches along the positive y
axis. Positive num moves text up the page. The
default offset is 0.
-F d ir Use dir as the font directory. The default dir is
/usr/lib/font, and dpost reads binary font files
from directory /usr/lib/font/devpost.
-H dir Use dir as the host resident font directory. Files
in this directory should be complete PostScript font
descriptions, and must be assigned a name that
corresponds to the appropriate two-character troff
font name. Each font file is copied to the output
file only when needed and at most once during each
job. There is no default directory.
-L file Use file as the PostScript prologue which, by
default, is /usr/lib/postscript/dpost.ps.
-O Disables PostScript picture inclusion. A
recommended option when dpost is run by a spooler in
a networked environment.
-T name Use font files for device name as the best
description of available PostScript fonts. By
default, name is set to post and dpost reads binary
files from /usr/lib/font/devpost.
The files should be prepared by troff. The default font files
in /usr/lib/font/devpost produce the best and most efficient
output. They assume a resolution of 720 dpi, and can be used
to format files by adding the -Tpost option to the troff call.
Older versions of the eqn and pic preprocessors need to know
the resolution that troff will be using to format the files.
If those are the versions installed on your system, use the
-r720 option with eqn and -T720 with pic.
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dpost(1) dpost(1)
dpost makes no assumptions about resolutions. The first x res
command sets the resolution used to translate the input files,
the DESC.out file, usually /usr/lib/font/devpost/DESC.out,
defines the resolution used in the binary font files, and the
PostScript prologue is responsible for setting up an
appropriate user coordinate system.
EXAMPLES
If the old versions of eqn and pic are installed on your
system, you can obtain the best possible looking output by
issuing a command line such as the following:
pic -T720 file | tbl | eqn -r720 | troff -mm -Tpost | dpost
Otherwise,
pic file | tbl | eqn | troff -mm -Tpost | dpost
should give the best results.
NOTICES
Output files often do not conform to Adobe's file structuring
conventions. Piping the output of dpost through postreverse
should produce a minimally conforming PostScript file.
Although dpost can handle files formatted for any device,
emulation is expensive and can easily double the print time
and the size of the output file. No attempt has been made to
implement the character sets or fonts available on all devices
supported by troff. Missing characters will be replaced by
white space, and unrecognized fonts will usually default to
one of the Times fonts (that is, R, I, B, or BI).
An x res command must precede the first x init command, and
all the input files should have been prepared for the same
output device.
Use of the -T option is not encouraged. Its only purpose is
to enable the use of other PostScript font and device
description files, that perhaps use different resolutions,
character sets, or fonts.
Although level 0 encoding is the only scheme that has been
thoroughly tested, level 2 is fast and may be worth a try.
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DIAGNOSTICS
An exit status of 0 is returned if files have been translated
successfully, while 2 often indicates a syntax error in the
input files.
FILES
/usr/lib/font/devpost/*.out
/usr/lib/font/devpost/charlib/*
/usr/lib/lp/postscript/dpost.ps
/usr/lib/lp/postscript/color.ps
/usr/lib/lp/postscript/draw.ps
/usr/lib/lp/postscript/forms.ps
/usr/lib/lp/postscript/ps.requests
/usr/lib/macros/pictures
/usr/lib/macros/color
REFERENCES
download(1), postdaisy(1), postdmd(1), postio(1), postmd(1),
postprint(1), postreverse(1), posttek(1), troff(1BSD)
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 4