[duxhelp] Re: printing or embossing to a file!!
- From: "Peter Sullivan" <peter@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <duxhelp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 14:19:06 -0400
Jack,
The process that you went through is more complicated than it needs to be,
even as things now stand. In particular, it is possible to print to a file
by setting your DBT embosser configuration to print directly to the file,
rather than through a printer driver. (However, this is not possible in a
few cases, where DBT actually requires a printer driver.)
And, yes, we are working to make this simpler for somebody who has no
embosser. But, in the end, that problem cannot be solved perfectly. A true
"print-to-file" will be different for different models of embosser. If you
have not embosser, and do not specify a particular embosser model, then DBT
really cannot know what you want done.
Chances are that you want to create a ".brf" file, which is essentially the
same as a "print to file" for a Generic embosser. You can achieve this most
simply by selecting "Save As" in the File menu. Be sure to change the file
type to "Formatted Braille". Note, however, that DBT in fact offers you two
choices. The first choice encodes using the North American ASCII to which
you are well accustomed. The other choice will encode your file using the
same set of symbols as is used on-screen, which is controlled through
Global, Internationalization.
- Peter
-----Original Message-----
From: duxhelp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:duxhelp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Jack Maartman
Sent: Monday, July 26, 2004 1:59 PM
To: duxhelp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [duxhelp] printing or embossing to a file!!
Hi all:
I am wondering if anyone has been using this feature. It certainly has an
intrinsic value, but the process is inordinately complex, and I am wondering
if this is something we can address by the time 10.5 hits the shelves.
I couldn't have achieved it without some expert help. The current procedure
would appear to be as follows.
Owning neither printer nor embosser, I had to configure some windows printer
or other, directing it to print to file, I think I found a generic one.
I then had to set up an embosser and give it a name. This also turns out to
be the name of the file I wish to print to. With this embosser highlighted
I then send text to it in the usual way. Being somewhat of a megalomaniac,
I sent a very large file to the print-to-file, this took a while, and of
course, there was no prompt for job completion. The other problem is the
obvious. The file bares the name of the default configuration, and I would
have to rename it. I was hoping to find a dialogue somewhere that would
prompt me for a filename, and perhaps some completion message. The old dos
command-line utilities, including Duxbury's transf or tranxf give one such a
facility, and allow one to know how many pages are printed. Another issue,
is whether such a file could include embosser specific codes. Ultimately it
might be worthwhile down the road to have something, that in a personal
communication George has called PBF, a portable braille format which would
mean that a file could be generated with enough information in it to emboss
too no matter what embosser. But I jump ahead of myself, here. As I want
my file to end with <crs., without <lfs> and no form feeds, at the moment,
it is expedient to take a .brf file, and do these deletions in a standard
text editor. At the moment, for me this means a shell out to dos, with an
external dos screen reader.
Any feedback will be valuable, and I won't weep to much if it doesn't make
it into the next release.
Cheers
Jack
* * *
* This message is via list duxhelp at freelists.org.
* To unsubscribe, send a blank message with
* unsubscribe
* as the subject to <duxhelp-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>. You may also
* subscribe, unsubscribe, and set vacation mode and other subscription
* options by visiting //www.freelists.org. The list archive
* is also located there.
* Duxbury Systems' web site is http://www.duxburysystems.com
* * *
Other related posts:
