(delurking into a flame war - maybe not such a good idea on my part...)
On Mon, 7 Jun 1999, Tony Duell wrote:
> Linux != X. In other words there are text-based linux boxes around (ones
> which plain can't display a graphical image, but which could print it).
> Care to suggest a viewer for that system.
Recent versions of Ghostscript include a 'pdf2ps' utility that can be used
to convert (most) PDF files into PostScript files, which can then be
printed. It's not a viewer, but it does provide a way to access PDF files
on a text-only Linux/Unix/VMS box. It can be configured as an print
filter to enable command-line printing of PDF files without the need to
start X.
Unfortunately, Ghostscript does not support some PDF features, such as
embedded objects in CCITT G4 TIFF format. This does pose a problem, since
CCITT G4 TIFF is a reasonable format for storing large monochrome bitmaps.
Many "PDF" documents produced by scanning old documentation contain all of
their data in G4 TIFF format. Such documents cannot be printed using a
Ghostscript filter; indeed, the postscript output by Adobe's Acrobat
Reader from such documents cannot even be interpreted by Ghostscript for
output on a non-PostScript printer.
CCITT G4 TIFF is itself a reasonable format for storing scanned
documentation. The PDP-8 manuals available from Kevin McQuiggin's site in
G4 TIFF format are surprisingly small for good quality 300 dpi monochrome
documents. Unfortunately, XV, Gimp, and ImageMagick display do not
include support for multipage G4 TIFF files. The ImageMagick 'convert'
command line utility can be used to convert G4 TIFF files into (much
larger) PostScript files for viewing and printing, and both Paint Shop Pro
(under Windows) and Graphic Converter (on the Mac) supposedly have G4 TIFF
support.
--
Scott Ware ware_at_xtal.pharm.nwu.edu
Received on Mon Jun 07 1999 - 18:31:00 BST