Lee Kingston writes:

]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).