dpost(1)

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.
-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.

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.

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

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.

References

download(1), postdaisy(1), postdmd(1), postio(1), postmd(1), postprint(1), postreverse(1), posttek(1), troff(1bsd)

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.

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.