Re: [Groff] help required regarding groff/psroff

[Werner LEMBERG]

> i have a project in whcih i need to get the width tables from HP
> laserjet fonts....ie fonts which are stored inside the
> laserjet......
>
> i have windows as operating system and hp 4250 laser printer....i
> have downloaded gsroff and psroff 3.0 ....

What is gsroff and psroff?  Never heard of it.  URL, please.

> was not able to install Psroff as it contains ".Z" files.... :(

The `gzip' package can decompress both .Z and .gz files and is
available on Windows platforms also.  Have a look at
http://gnuwin32.sf.net.

>   i was able to print glyph by giving a unicode name......but cannot
> find out the way to print the advance width,characyter/glyph with
> the help of groff......

Unfortunately, it isn't possible to extract the metrics information
from built-in fonts, AFAIK.  Instead, you have to rely on the metrics
files which come with the printer driver, or which are supplied by HP
for developers.  To cite the lj4_font man page (which is part of
recent groff packages, and which you should read):

  Nominally, all Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4-series and newer printers
  have the same internal fonts: 45 scalable fonts and one bitmapped
  Lineprinter font.  The scalable fonts are avail- able in sizes
  between 0.25 point and 999.75 points, in 0.25-point increments; the
  Lineprinter font is available only in 8.5-point size.

  The LaserJet font files included with groff assume that all printers
  since the LaserJet 4 are identical.  There are some differences
  between fonts in the earlier and more recent printers, however.  The
  LaserJet 4 printer used Agfa Intellifont technology for 35 of the
  internal scalable fonts; the remaining 10 scalable fonts were
  TrueType.  Beginning with the LaserJet 4000-series printers
  introduced in 1997, all scalable internal fonts have been TrueType.
  The number of printable glyphs differs slightly between Intellifont
  and TrueType fonts (generally, the TrueType fonts include more
  glyphs), and there are some minor differences in glyph metrics.
  Differences among printer models are described in the PCL 5
  Comparison Guide and the PCL 5 Comparison Guide Addendum (for
  printers introduced since approximately 2001).

Whether this is still true today, I don't know.

As a consequence, all metrics data are already included with groff;
have a look into the source package's directory `font/devlj4' where
you can find all information we have regarding built-in HP laserjet
fonts.


    Werner