December 93 - PRINT HINTS
PRINT HINTS
LASERWRITER 8 FOR FUN AND PROFIT
MATT DEATHERAGE
In May of this year, Apple and Adobe Systems released version 8.0 of the LaserWriter
driver -- the biggest change to PostScript® printing on the Macintosh in eight years.
This new driver was rewritten from the ground up by engineers at Adobe, working
closely with Apple engineers who provided source code, guidance, and comprehensive
testing. The resulting driver unleashes the power of PostScript Level 2 printing as
much as possible under the limitations of the pre-QuickDraw GX printing
architecture.
Since the driver has been in general release for quite some time, we won't go through
feature lists or repeat things you've seen printed elsewhere. Instead we'll focus on how
your application can compatibly take advantage of the new driver's power. We'll also
note some programming practices that cause problems with LaserWriter 8 and that
will continue to cause grief in the future with QuickDraw GX.
WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION
The best news for programmers about this driver is that there's more information
available for this driver than for any printer driver before it. It follows the standard
Printing Manager API documented inInside MacintoshVolumes II and V, which you
should stop reading immediately when you can grab Inside Macintosh: Imaging With
QuickDraw. The new book has vastly superior organization and information about
printing, including what's covered in the older Macintosh Technical Notes, Q&As, and
other sources of information Apple has refined through the years. Even if you don't yet
have the new book, everything in the older volumes and in the Technical Notes is still
valid, with few exceptions.
In addition, this issue's CD contains a 25-page document called "Developer
Information," located in the LaserWriter 8 folder, that talks about differences between
the old and new drivers. Since this driver was in open beta test from October 1992
through May 1993 as "PSWriter," the changes shouldn't surprise too many people.
The "Developer Information" document has been available since October 1992 as well,
so all kinds of great information have been at your fingertips for quite some time.