(OT) Open source PCL to PDF converters?

[Bill Campbell]

On Mon, Mar 12, 2007, Fairlight wrote:
>Only Bill Campbell would say something like:
>> 
>> PDF (and PostScript) take a simple thing, ascii printing with a few control
>> codes, and turns it into a graphics problem.
>
>Well it sorta is, by the virtue of both allowing vector and raster
>graphics, etc.  Is it even using fonts in the sense of stored fonts that
>non-host-based printers used to have?  I thought it basically turns the
>page into a raster that gets printed...that's how it stays so uniform
>across all locations and gear.  If so, then it -is- a graphics issue,
>definitely.

That's all well and good for graphics, but for printing accounting reports,
it's ridiculous.  You don't need fancy graphics to print a general ledger.

>> My accounting software prints invoices, generating PostScript output by
>> creating an ASCII file then running that through groff, but that's the
>> exception rather than the rule.  The sql-ledger accounting system does
>> something similar except they use TeX or LaTeX templates instead of groff.
>
>LaTeX for the win!  I miss using that, after a fashion.  THE best
>non-professional typesetting available, though.

Donald Knuth would take exception to your saying that anything TeX was non-
professional :-).  One can produce far more professional looking output
using TeX and its derivatives than using something like Microsoft Word.  I
don't have my copy of the TeXbook handy, but didn't he say that his goal
was to produce pretty books?

>What was it again that you needed a PDF for?  You've done these other
>solutions (.dvi is printable from Windows, even, if memory serves).  Is
>there something specific PDF is offering that LaTeX wouldn't/doesn't?

I want to take ascii output from a report program with some standard
printing codes (most specifically setting the cpi pitch), and turn it into
PDF for easy viewing or printing where I don't have control of the terminal
or printer type.  I know how to generate the print codes for HP laserjets,
Okidata printers, etc. (but never figured out IBM Proprinter's codes).

It might be easier to have the report generate groff input, but that can
get tricky when dealing with tables where one wants to get headers right
when the table splits over multiple pages.

>> At least with CUPSs and most open source software for *nix, Postscript
>> processing is considered to be the standard with CUPS providing the
>> translation from PS to different printer types.
>
>You'd think someone would have written a ps2pdf.  They handled enough other
>useless formats with all the x2y converters.

There's no problem with ps2pdf.  That's a standard part of ghostscript.  I
don't want to have to turn formatted ascii text into PostScript in order to
create PDF.  I already have something that looks fine when printed on an HP
LaserJet compatible printer.  Why should I have to go 'round the barn to
get PDF?

Bill
--
INTERNET:   bill at Celestial.COM  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www.celestial.com/  PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way
FAX:            (206) 232-9186  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820; (206) 236-1676

A child can go only so far in life without potty training.  It is not
mere coincidence that six of the last seven presidents were potty
trained, not to mention nearly half of the nation's state legislators.
		-- Dave Barry