Under "file", "export to PDF", "file type", would you please add Post Script as one of the types. I must PS my doc's before fax'ing them. Many thanks, -T
@Todd: I believe you do not believe that we will add that feature only because you believe that you need it? Please contribute a (very very) well founded reason why such a feature might be useful for many users and why a simple Postscript Printer driver can't do the job.
Hi Rainer, Others who would use this feature would be anyone who needs a post script file, such as those using Hyla FAX or other fax utilities. Ordinarily, most Linux programs has a "print to file" listed as one of the available printers. Firefox, Eye of gNome, etc.. This allows the user to easily print to either a Post Script or a PDF. You have removed this feature. Also, ordinarily, if one installs the "cups-pdf" utility, you can select CUPS PDF printer and print directly as a PDF to your desktop or if you give CUPS PDF a file location CUPS PDF will output a Post Script (not a PDF) file to that location. This feature is not usable in Libre Office as the output of the file created by Libre Office through CUP PDF is severely corrupted. Yes, I have in the past installed a Apple Laser Writer in CUPS to work around this problem. It is not intuitive to the user. It is a huge pain in the neck to remember how to use it. It is far easier just to export to a PDF, then open Evince and use the typical Linux "print to file" utility to create a Post Script file. Now, if I am remembering correctly, you must first create a Post Script file before creating a PDF. It would be super if you would allow the Post Script file you create before creating the PDF to be saved. Libre Office's "file", "Export to PDF", "File Type" would be the perfect place to put such thing. ("File Type" currently only has one item in it, the dialog does not need to be there if you are not going to add items to it.) And, you'd earn my undying gratitude. Maybe not of others, but mine should be large enough to cover the rest. How did I do? Did I convince you? Many thanks, -T p.s. you could always fix the print to CUPS PDF problem. That would work too. It would be better to do it in "Export to PDF" as most distributions do not install cups-pdf by default and we want to make this intuitive to the user.
> Others who would use this feature would be anyone who needs a post script file, > such as those using Hyla FAX or other fax utilities. For me FAX seems to be an outdated technology, IMHO we should not invest much time. there are lots of other Possibilities like FAX printers or clients listed on <http://www.hylafax.org/content/Client_Software> > easily print to either a Post Script or a PDF. You have removed this feature. With what Version? > created by Libre Office through CUP PDF is severely corrupted. What bug number? > Yes, I have in the past installed a Apple Laser Writer in CUPS to work around > this problem. It is not intuitive to the user. My question again: nothing found on <http://www.hylafax.org/content/Client_Software>? > p.s. you could always fix the print to CUPS PDF problem. Again: what bug number? My conclusion: PS export might bring benefit for some users and applications away from the mainstream, but IMHO very few. There are lots of workarounds. So between all those 100000 things in the line to be done I see this one somewhere nearby 99900.
(In reply to comment #3) > For me FAX seems to be an outdated technology, IMHO we should not invest much > time. Outdated. True. But the legal and real estate professions show no signs whatsoever of giving it up. FAX is going to be around for a long time. > there are lots of other Possibilities like FAX printers or clients listed > on <http://www.hylafax.org/content/Client_Software> All of these clients on the Linux side require you first create a Post Script file to attach to them. You have the Post Script file as part of creating a PDF. Just let us have access to it as well. Many thanks, -T
Had to do a bunch of cold calls today looking for new work (a normal part of the process). You would not believe how many businesses asked for a fax. So, out of desperation, I installed an Apple laser writer to create Post Script files for fax'ing through Hyla Fax. Guess what? In Linux, when you write to a file with the Apple Laser writers you don't not get a Post Script. You get a stinking PDF! What a complete pain in the neck! I had to print out each fax and manually send it on a stand alone fax machine. A complete waste of time! Would you guys please consider bumping this enhancement request up at bit as a kindness to those of use how love and use Libre Office and need Post Script outputs! Many thanks, -T
(In reply to comment #2) > Hi Rainer, > > Others who would use this feature would be anyone who needs a post script file, > such as those using Hyla FAX or other fax utilities. http://www.hylafax.org/content/Handbook:Server_Operation:Sending_Faxes says that PDF is supported since 4.1beta2, which was released more than 6 years ago... > > Ordinarily, most Linux programs has a "print to file" listed as one of the > available printers. Firefox, Eye of gNome, etc.. This allows the user to > easily print to either a Post Script or a PDF. You have removed this feature. Yes, we have. Like it or not, postscript is dead. It has been replaced by PDF just about anywhere. Our print impl. has been changed to use PDF instead of postscript, so there is not much reason to maintain standalone postscript export anymore. > > Also, ordinarily, if one installs the "cups-pdf" utility, you can select CUPS > PDF printer and print directly as a PDF to your desktop or if you give CUPS PDF > a file location CUPS PDF will output a Post Script (not a PDF) file to that > location. This feature is not usable in Libre Office as the output of the file > created by Libre Office through CUP PDF is severely corrupted. Print to PDF is not the same thing as export to PDF. There are some PDF features you cannot get by print, e.g., hyperlinks or table of contents. > It is far easier just to export to a PDF, then open > Evince and use the typical Linux "print to file" utility to create a Post > Script file. There are command line utilities too--pdftops and pdf2ps come to mind. > > Now, if I am remembering correctly, you must first create a Post Script file > before creating a PDF. No, we do not have to create postscript before PDF. Where have you heard that? > It would be super if you would allow the Post Script > file you create before creating the PDF to be saved. Libre Office's "file", > "Export to PDF", "File Type" would be the perfect place to put such thing. > ("File Type" currently only has one item in it, the dialog does not need to be > there if you are not going to add items to it.) As written above, it had been there and was intentionally removed.
(In reply to comment #6) > (In reply to comment #2) > > Hi Rainer, > > > > Others who would use this feature would be anyone who needs a post script file, > > such as those using Hyla FAX or other fax utilities. > > http://www.hylafax.org/content/Handbook:Server_Operation:Sending_Faxes says > that PDF is supported since 4.1beta2, which was released more than 6 years > ago... Interesting. I had noticed at a PDF would work about 50% of the time. I had thought it had to do with the age of fax machine at the other end. Post Script seems to always work. > No, we do not have to create postscript before PDF. Made me look at one of your PDF exports in binary more. You are indeed not wrapping a Post Script file. So you truly do not have a Post Script available for export. So, as much as I would like to say otherwise, my request is invalid. > Where have you heard that? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pdf#PostScript http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Document_Structuring_Conventions This is probably all a mute point anyway, I have found that after making a positive contact on a cold call that the potential new client responds much better to a letter, with a couple of business cards paper clipped to it, than an eMail (press delete or junk) or a fax (toss in trash). So I have stopped fax'ing and eMailing. And, because I Libre Office can not print envelopes (bugs 42325, 42326, 42327), I have had to revert back to Word Pro in an XP virtual machine. And, come to think of it, I'd rather continue to use Envince to convert my PDF's to Post Scripts and have you guys put your efforts to fixing the terrible way Office Office (which you inherited) handles envelopes. Thank you all for the time you put in on my enhancement request. Please close it. -T p.s. I would love it if you emulated Word Pro's envelope printing. It really works well.
@Todd: Thank you for detailed information! May be you can submit an enhancement request Bug for that envelope printing improvement? I believe it would be interesting to have a comparison by a user who tested that.
(In reply to comment #8) > @Todd: > Thank you for detailed information! May be you can submit an enhancement > request Bug for that envelope printing improvement? I believe it would be > interesting to have a comparison by a user who tested that. You are welcome. Did that on 2003-09-08: http://openoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=19227 Got ignored, which is typical of bugs reported to Open Office. I no longer use OO. Maybe I should reopen this in LO. -T
@Todd: I took that into my line (Might take 2 weeks or so), Currently no need to open an extra LibO bug.
LibreOffice 3.4.3 running on Debian Squeeze can fax just fine. Go to Help and in the Index type in the Search term faxes. You will get instructions for how to create a fax "printer" which will send postscript to your fax program. The information that I entered to create the fax printer ended up in ~/.libreoffice/3/user/psprint/psprint.conf . In my case, Command=/path_to_my_script (PHONE) . When you print to the fax printer, libreoffice puts a postscript file in /tmp . If you enter a telephone number in the pop up box then press OK, it invokes the Command with the entered phone number appended to the Command path and sends the postscript file on standard input. If you wish to save the postscript file rather than sending it to the Command, then when the pop up appears look in /tmp (ls -lt /tmp |more). It will have a meaningless name like hrIlj3. Copy this file to something.ps and then Cancel printing to fax. Since LibreOffice still has the capability of creating this postscript file, it should be pretty easy to add a PostScript option to the Print to file filter in addition to the PDF option it now has. The only downside is that the postscript file is sort of large.
@Todd: Were Alan J. Greenberger's hints useful for you? I believe asking for assistance in a user mailing list would help you more than a Bugzilla report - there is no general interest for a LibO Postscript export function.
(In reply to comment #12) > @Todd: > Were Alan J. Greenberger's hints useful for you? I haven't had a chance to try it out. I have switch to using the postal service to mail out my contact letters. That way I can attach a couple of business cards. I seems to be working out much better than eMail (they just press delete/trash/junk without reading it) or a Fax (which you can not attach a business card to). But it is definitely in my to do list. > > I believe asking for assistance in a user mailing list would help you more than > a Bugzilla report - there is no general interest for a LibO Postscript export > function. I do have a work around LO --> PDF --> Envince --> PS. As far as the "general interest", I lost that debate. I had presumed that you were wrapping PDF around PS and had the PS readily available. I was incorrect. Thinking about the matter more, I would rather you guys put your effort into fixing the envelope printing situation anyway. I currently have to boot an XP VM and use Word Pro to print envelopes. That is a far bigger pain than having to use Envince to create a PS. Go ahead an close this request. Thank you all for your time and help, -T
Why have you deliberately removed an "API" that people are using. Creates a lot of extra work for admins that try to use the program through the command line. I also need to convert the document to PS. Please reinsert.
You can create a postscript printer and print using it. Or you can use pdftops to convert exported/printed PDF file.