Wordstar DOS 7.0 ==> Adobe Acrobat.

[ostrowlaw]

Hi,

I've been using WS since the beginning (WS 3.1?).  Actually, I started using WS on my old Kaypro II back in 1983!  Now, we have WS 7.0 LAN (we also have several copies of WS for Windows but its still in the box -- we haven't "progressed" that far.

Anyway, the 21st Century is starting to intrude.  We are a small law firm in NJ.  The Courts have now advised that in October, all filing must be electronic, and in Adobe Acrobat format.

So, we need to convert our files from WS format to Adobe.  

Q.:  Does anyone know whether Adobe Acrobat has a conversion filter to convert native WS files into Adobe files, or must we first convert to MS Word, then to Adobe.  If so, I think it may be time to give up on WS, or, perhaps, try out WS WIN.

Does WS WIN convert over?

What is the process and where do I start?

Thanks for you help.

Alan

[PGAGA]

Tuesday 06 May 2003

Go to my Web Space

http://www.glinx.com/~grifwood/WordStar.html

and download the printer driver I have  customized for PDF creation.  Instructions for its use are on the site.

I regularly create Acrobat PDF files.  For a sample see

http://www.glinx.com/~grifwood/CDNROOTS.pdf

Phil

[PGAGA]

Wednesday 07 May 2003

That should be

http://www.glinx.com/~grifwood/CDNROOTS.PDF

Phil

[ostrowlaw]

Dear Phil,

Thanks for the help.  I unzipped your file and copied 4039pga.pdf into my WS directory.  I changed the redirection folder as you suggested.  I then attempted to print a sample file, and received the following error message:  "Can't print.  Prologue file not found."

Sorry, a little too archane for me.  Is there another file I need to copy into the ws directory, or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks.
Alan

[ostrowlaw]

I moved everything from the zip file into my WS directory and tried to distill my sample file.  I got the following error:

%%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%
%%[ Warning: PostScript error. No PDF file produced. ] %%
Distill Time: 0 seconds (00:00:00)
**** End of Job ****


Any ideas?

Thanks.
Alan

[PGAGA]

Hi Allan!

Right now my best guess would be that the prologue file is corrupt, I will download and test.

I have improved the package but have yet to upload the corrections.

Phil

[PGAGA]

May 9, 2003

I am working on this and have an update ready, but this is a day when my ISP is refusing me access.

In the interim if you can send me (pgaga@auracom.com) a test file, with just a couple of words, I will look at it.  How Distiller works was changed and I once tracked a problem to  Postlogue information.

Another test would be to create a file with Roger Allen's driver which is in the ZIP.

Phil

[PGAGA]

May 9 2003

I tried again right after posting the last message.  The new PSDRVPGA.ZIP is now on my site.

This driver has improved PDFmark comments and the ability to set PageSize.

Phil

[ostrowlaw]

Thanks Phil.  Can you tell me where it is located?  I went to the Wordstar page at http://www.glinx.com/~grifwood/WordStar.html and clicked on "printer support", then clicked on http://www.glinx.com/~grifwood/PSDRVPGA.ZIP.  The downloaded zip file is the same as the previous file which I tried with no success.  I did read that you uploaded a revised file to your web page, but I just can't find it.

Thanks again.
 
javascript:huh()
Huh

[ostrowlaw]

In the meantime, I tried using another sample WS7 file, printed to the 4039pga driver, and got the following error messages in Adobe 5.0 Distiller:

Start Time: Friday, May 09, 2003 at 9:40 AM
Destination: F:\APPS\WS\temp\WS_PDF.pdf
Source: WS_PDF.PS
%%[ Error: undefined; OffendingCommand:  ]%%
%%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%
%%[ Warning: PostScript error. No PDF file produced. ] %%
Distill Time: 1 seconds (00:00:01)
**** End of Job ****

The file is a longer file than the one I tried yesterday.  Obviously, something is "amiss".

Thanks.

[ostrowlaw]

Trying to isolate the problem.  I opened up a plain ASCII file, and saved it to disk.  Then I tried to use Adobe Distiller and got similar error messages.  Here is the file I sent  using my ASCII printer:

THIS IS AN ASCII FILE

THIS HAS NO FORMATTING

THIS SHOULD PRESENT NO PROBLEM

RIGHT!

This is the resulting error log:

%%[ Error: undefined; OffendingCommand: THIS ]%%
%%[ Flushing: rest of job (to end-of-file) will be ignored ]%%
%%[ Warning: PostScript error. No PDF file produced. ] %%

So, it looks like the first word or character creates an error.  This appears consistent with my prior error messages.  The question is -- why and how doe I fix it?

Thank you
Alan

[Keith]

Alan
I've just stumbled across this old thread (I stopped lurking the older WordStar lists some time ago) ... did you ever solve the WS-to-PDF conversion problem?
I ask since I'm similarly situated (solo office with WS7 using Win98SE machines over Netware 5.0 to HP laserjets and a WS history going back to 1981).  I've gotten by so far by using WS7 to create FAX (actually, .pcx) files then opening the first page (it makes a separate file for each page) in Acrobat as a .pdf file, add the rest of the pages, and save the single .pdf file.  It looks fine on-screen, but the printed product pixelates enough to be distracting.
WS is set to create those .pcx files in a dedicated directory (I refuse to call them folders) and a macro periodically clears the accumulated contents of that directory.
But there must be a better way, at least until my inevitable conversion to Word (or OpenOffice).  So, how'd  you do?
Keith

[ostrowlaw]

Yes, I've been working with it successfully for at least 6 months now without a hitch.  You need to download the Postscript driver and, of course, edit it as you wish to be used with your printer.  Then, when you want to do the conversion, at the print menu, instead of sending the output to the printer, send it to the postscript "printer" (renamed it Adobe).  You will then have a file with a "ps" extension, i.e., filename.ps.

Once you have the *.ps file, use Adobe distiller to convert it to a PDF file.  

It sounds complicated, but its really simple.

If you like, send me your email address and I'll send you the drivers we're using here (for our HPIIID and HPIII printers).  You should be able to modify them.

ostrow.law@verizon.net

Good luck.
Alan

[ostrowlaw]

I have received quite a few inquiries from users requesting help using Wordstar files under Adobe so I'm reproducing my latest email with a copy of my Adobe PDF driver.  It was an accumulation of work of others, not my own work, I'm not taking any credit for it, just passing it along.  Good luck.

> Yes, I've been working with it successfully for at least 6 months now without a hitch.  You need to download the Postscript driver and, of course, edit it as you wish to be used with your printer.  Then, when you want to do the conversion, at the print menu, instead of sending the output to the printer, send it to the postscript "printer" (renamed it Adobe).  You will then have a file with a "ps" extension, i.e., filename.ps.
>  
> Once you have the *.ps file, use Adobe distiller to convert it to a PDF file.  
>  
> It sounds complicated, but its really simple.
>  
> If you like, send me your email address and I'll send you the drivers we're using here (for our HPIIID and HPIII printers).  You should be able to modify them.
>  
> ostrow.law@verizon.net
>  
> Good luck.
> Alan

OK, here are the drivers we use for the HPIII and HPIIID printers.  One of them should work fine with your HP4.  If not, you'll need to get into the WS page for help on that.  I already did the conversion, so there's really nothing to be done.  Just copy these files into your WS directory.  At print time, in the printer dialog box, select ADOBE as your printer.  This will allow you to print to a "PS" file, or Postscript file.  There is a default filename listed there, i.e., "Redirect to a:filename.ps"  You can name the file anything you'd like, such as z:whatsits.ps or whatever, and store it wherever you  like.  I used the default as "a:", because I store all my "ps" files on my floppy disk drive.

After the file has "printed" to a PS file, open up Adobe, click on Tools, Distiller, and point it to your a:filename.ps file or whatever you called it, and it will distill your postscript file into a PDF file.  You will be asked by Adobe where you wish to store your new file, and what you wish to name it.  Find a place on your hard disk or server where you will habitually store your PDFs, and find a place on your computer to store your PS files.

That's it.
Good Luck.
Alan

[deedee]

I confess to being somewhat mystified as to why people don't make more use of the postscript features WordStar comes with.

WordStar comes with generic postscript printers. These produce postscript files which can be distilled into pdf files by any distilling program. That means you can use the free programs like ghostscript and 995pdf on the Windows platform (and even more free or inexpensive possibilities if you're using Linux).

In addition, WordStar's file printing ability allows for taking postscript files made by any software (it doesn't have to be WordStar) and combining them into a single document.

You can install any postscript printer you desire from prchange. It should be one that has the fonts you want to use, but you do not need the physical printer at all. And, you can use that printer driver for printing to postscript from WordStar. The Apple laserwriter, a postscript printer commonly used for this purpose, is included with WordStar.

If you're on the Windows platform, you do have to go to the extra effort of getting a distiller for postscript in order to produce the pdf files. You don't have to pay for Adobe Acrobat if you only use it for distilling. If you need to make interactive forms and are on the Windows platform, I believe Adobe Acrobat is your only choice. There are lots of free or inexpensive distillers out there -- and they do an excellent job.

And, BTW, this is not just true for release 7 of WordStar -- the postscript printers and the Apple laserwriter printer driver have been included for a long time.