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author | Norbert Preining <norbert@preining.info> | 2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900 |
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committer | Norbert Preining <norbert@preining.info> | 2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900 |
commit | e0c6872cf40896c7be36b11dcc744620f10adf1d (patch) | |
tree | 60335e10d2f4354b0674ec22d7b53f0f8abee672 /usergrps/uktug/baskervi/4_3/robin.tex |
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diff --git a/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/4_3/robin.tex b/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/4_3/robin.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..05d7e3e85c --- /dev/null +++ b/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/4_3/robin.tex @@ -0,0 +1,188 @@ +\title{Baskerville Production --- the horror story} + +\author[Robin Fairbairns]{Robin Fairbairns\\Computer + Laboratory\\University of + Cambridge\\\texttt{robin.fairbairns@cl.cam.ac.uk}} + +\begin{Article} + +\subsection*{or --- never mind the quality, feel the \protect\texttt{hsize}} +I've been part of the \BV\ production team for three issues now; you +may have noticed my name in Sebastian's `Colophon'. What I want to +discuss in this article is the production business as I (and Jonathan +Fine) see it. Sebastian's story is entirely another thing: he's the +one that does the \emph{real} work --- we simply proof-read and get +what he turns out onto paper. + +Two things prompted me to produce this article: the first was an +actual technical production achievement, which I thought might be of +use as a `technical tip' (there's a standing action on all of the +\UKTUG{} Committee to produce such article for \BV). The second +prompt came in a mail message from Allan Reese, who said ``[\ldots], +it seems to me that there has been a substantial reduction in the +physical quality [of +\BV{} production]''; I hope to shed some light on the effect that +Allan observed. + +\subsection*{From proof to paper} + +Sebastian works on \BV{} wherever he happens to be at the time; his +domestic arrangements are such that this often means `at home'. When +an issue is nearing completion, he (e)mails the committee to say that +a proof \PS{} file is ready for inspection. Those of us who have an +account on the CTAN archive \verb'ftp.tex.ac.uk' can then log in and +retrieve the file that he's placed in his private filespace there (one +of Sebastian's other hats is that of CTAN maintainer). + +The \PS{} file is typically in the range 1.5--2MB long; pulling +several copies (as I have to do) is only really practical politics +because I have access to plenty of free disc space. More +significantly, the file takes anything up to an hour to print (all the +printers I can use are connected by serial line); so I don't +\emph{print} more often than is absolutely necessary. (Most of the +bulk of the file is made up of downloaded copies of the fonts: early +on in the present regime, Sebastian produced an issue as seven +four-page files, the largest of which was 1.7MB, and took nearly an +hour to print on its own!) + +Once I've printed a copy, there's a rush on to proof-read. This is +something I tend to be good at (I've a lot of experience of +proof-reading ISO standards, a peculiarly nit-picking way of spending +one's time). I (and others) mail lists of perceived problems back to +Sebastian, and we iterate until all seems right. Because everything +happens asynchronously, this iteration can be a long process. + +Eventually, a week or two later, I have a revised file to print. I +duly go ahead, using the `service' HP LaserJet~4 here. While it's a +damned good printer, I have had unsatisfactory prints out of it~--- +among other things, the toner seems always to run out just before I +need to do a production run! + +At this stage, Jonathan Fine takes the results of my efforts for +copying. My laboratory has a very respectable print room, with a +Xerox Docutech copier, but we don't use it because the cost is nearly +twice what we pay the copy shop (part of the reason is that the +price break at the copy shop is at a smaller number of copies than +that in my laboratory's print room). To prepare the matter for +copying, Jonathan has to paste the A4 pages from my printer onto A3. +This game (`imposition') almost deserves an article in its own right. +It prepares \BV{} for presentation as you see it, stapled down the +middle of (typically) six sheets of A3 paper, and is something the +Laboratory's Docutech would do electronically, but the copy shop can't +do. + +In fact (in my opinion), the weakest part of the +production chain is the copy shop; they are providing as cheap a +service as they can manage, the result of which is that we +occasionally suffer mis-stapled copies, copies with pages missing, and +so on. (They are, at least, happy to put such problems right.) + +All that remains to do is to stuff and then post the envelopes. This +isn't a trivial matter, but its `technicalities' are hardly +significant to a group of people whose common interest is typesetting: +I'll say no more. + +\subsection*{What could we do better\ldots?} + +Baskerville's early (somewhat irregular) issues were produced at Aston +University on a phototypesetter, and then reproduced onto high-quality +paper. This gave the impression of high quality\footnote{Though there + are those who complained that those versions of \BV{} were + `under-inked'}, but it bore a cost that we could probably not meet +on the punishing publication rate of \BV{} at present. + +We could print onto better-quality paper: ``reprographic quality'' +paper for use in laser printers is available: its use would presumably +improve the reproduction of what we've printed. + +I could find a more lightly loaded (and hence more consistent quality) +LaserJet~4 (or other 600dpi or better printer); this may or may not be +possible~--- if anyone in the Cambridge area has such a machine to +offer at the right price\footnote{\relax\emph{Very} cheap!}, we'll +gratefully accept. + +We could improve the imposition process and finally, we could go to a +better copy shop. + +\subsection*{\ldots{} and why don't we?} + +I'm always willing to consider a better printer; but since I know of +none, I can't use it. + +A copy shop with tighter quality controls would cost us more, and +would probably (as a direct result of the controls) take longer. + +The view of the committee is that \BV's quality is (just about) +adequate as it is. We are producing the newsletter of a (not very +large) user group: the imperative is that we get the thing out as +often as possible~--- our members more often comment about the content +of \BV{} than about its presentation. + +\subsection*{What \emph{will} we do?} + +We are going to try reprographic quality paper: since the amount of +paper used for \emph{printing} is small, the incremental cost per +issue won't be serious. On a similar basis, Jonathan has bought some +`professional' spray gum for use in the imposition process (it'll be +much quicker than using PrittSticks, and the results ought to be +better). + +Unless (or in any case until) we find somewhere better, we will try to +improve our relationship with the copy shop. When they make mistakes, +they lose money by having to redo work for us: we expect they'll be +happy to work with us to improve their service to us (thus, +incidentally, improving their profits). + +\subsection*{The technical nugget} + +Stuck on the wall above our LaserJet~4 are a couple of examples of +misprinting (one is a print of the University crest with a spike +sticking out several inches to the North-East). Notes on the examples +suggest that the solution is ``to use another printer'' (it's evidence +of a firmware bug in the \PS{} interpreter). In the last +edition of \BV{} (volume 4, issue 2), some text at the bottom of page +20 `jumped' from near the beginning of column one to just before the +beginning of column two; the effect was to obscure the line in both +columns by overprinting. + +Changing printers wasn't actually an option for me, since I was +committed to using a LaserJet~4, and I know of none which don't have +the bug. Some time ago there was a discussion on Usenet group +\verb'comp.text.tex' about just this problem, and I retained a +suggestion from Hans Visser (of the Technical University of Delft) +on how to solve the problem within \verb'dvips'. But I don't run +\verb'dvips' for \BV{}~--- Sebastian does, and there's a delay +introduced by any interaction with Sebastian; so I decided to try and +solve the problem myself. + +Visser's solution was to edit the definition of the abbreviated +command `\verb;w;' in \verb;texps.pro;, one of the files \verb'dvips' +inserts into the output of any file it produces. The change he +suggested was to change the original \verb'/w{0 rmoveto}B' to +\verb'/w{10' \texttt{5 rmoveto 10 sub -5} \verb'rmoveto}B' +% line split up to allow it to wrap while I'm previewing; may not be +% necessary when it's being printed in Baskerville... +(the command \verb'B' is defined earlier in the file to mean +\texttt{bind def}). + +My problem was caused by \PS{} that said \texttt{(er)s(ville)} (part of +\BV{} as a font name). Remembering Visser's instructions, I traced +the definition of \verb's' to mean \verb'/s{show 3 w}B'; wanting a +`quick fix', I decided simply to change the offending instance of the +\verb'w' command. My third shot, +\texttt{(er)show 1.5 100 rmoveto 1.499 -100 rmoveto(ville)} finally +did the job. + +I wouldn't recommend the game I played (locating stuff in \PS{} +generated by \verb'dvips', and then correcting it) to anyone; but it +\emph{did} work. I would be interested to learn if anyone else has +encountered this same firmware bug in LaserJet~4s (I'm told it's been +eliminated from current production machines), and if there are +alternatives to Visser's solution. In the meantime, I'm asking +Sebastian to change \emph{his} \verb'dvips.pro'\ldots + +\end{Article} +% Local Variables: +% mode: latex +% TeX-master: t +% End: |