RE: AppleScript, QuarkXpress, PostScript
RE: AppleScript, QuarkXpress, PostScript
- Subject: RE: AppleScript, QuarkXpress, PostScript
- From: Jason Toews <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 15:06:50 -0800
>
>I am having a hard time setting up a script that will get QuarkXpress to
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>print a custom size page to PostScript.
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>
I just answered this in a different message, but the answer
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is to have Xpress to export to EPS - NOT Postscript!
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>
Leonard
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>
Well, that's not really "the answer". It is ONE answer. Unfortunately,
there are a few drawbacks to saving as EPS (as opposed to printing to
PostScript):
1) Quark doesn't "see" fonts in placed EPS files. Therefore, those fonts
are not activated. Quark gives you no warning when opening the document,
and the eps fonts are not listed in the "Usage" palette. If you print to
PostScript, LaserWriter 8 will return an error message, alerting you that
some fonts are missing. When saving as EPS, you receive no such warning.
2) When printing to PostScript, you get the option (thanks to LaserWriter 8)
of embedding fonts in the PostScript file. You do not get this option when
saving as EPS (I don't think so, anyway). Again, this is important for some
people.
2) When saving as EPS, you do not get the option to add crop marks. We
happen to need these (and I assume other people do, as well), so we end up
PostScripting.
Of course, there are third-party solutions to all of these problems, but
sometimes that isn't an option.
As regards the custom page size, that's really not a problem. You can
easily define the page size when printing to PostScript. First, if it's a
size you use frequently, you might want to write it into a custom PPD. Then
you can call the custom page size by name from your script:
tell app "Quark"
tell document 1
tell print setup
set paper size to "2.CEPSDouble"
set paper width to "18\"" --make sure to include the backslash!
end tell
--print commands here
end tell
end tell
We do it all the time, actually! I've noticed several messages about AS /
QX / PS recently - if anyone is interested, email me directly, and I can
send you a copy of the script(s) we use.
Jason