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Question

Wanted Adobe utilities "Windown", "pcsend", "Font Foundry"

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
July 11, 2017
3 replies
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I am using some old DTP software and a PS laser.

There are some old Adobe utilities that might be useful that I cannot find.

I have "pcdown", a DOS utility for sending PS and fonts to a printer.

The version I have is : PCSEND utility version 1.51 alpha, compiled 10/11/90

I'm hoping there is a later version more compatible with my printer.

pcdown 1.51 can send fonts to a printer VM, and I can do that. But it also supposedly supports printer hard disks and cartridges, but when I try those options I just get:

Not ready reading drive X

Abort, Retry, Fail

Also I've seen mention of what I think is a Windows version of this, called "Windown", but cannot find an installable version of this anywhere.

And finally, a program for making screen fonts from PS -- "Font Foundry".

I used this previously but now only have it on the original floppy disks, and these are sadly unreadable on any drive I've tried.

Are these programs still available anywhere or have they been sent down the memory hole?

This topic has been closed for replies.

George_paul

Participant

"PSDOWN" and "PCSEND" is two different DOS utilities, first is working with serial connection (RS232 - COM1 or COM2 port) second program is working with parallel port (LPT1, LPT2, LPT3). "PSDOWN" can download fonts in VM from PC or printer disk and from PC to printer disk, setting communication parameters for COM1 or COM2 port , printing font directory and send files to printer, user interface is more friendly like line command used in "PCSEND", the second one ("PCSEND") is working in true MS-DOS OS , but for working you need another two files (DISKFNT1.PS and DISKFNT2.PS for postscript level 1, for level 2 is necessary other two) in PSFONT directory.

All this utilities was included in "Adobe TypeLibrary 1990", this software is come in three 5.5 floppy disks, fist is program installer, second is foundry and last is font disk (I was see this software on ebay).

I have same problem with my old Agfa StudioSet 2000 Imagesetter, if you find an solution please post here on forum an message with your solution.

Best regard

George

Dov Isaacs

Legend

That software you refer to is no longer made available by Adobe (and hasn't been for probably close to 20 years)! It was designed for use with old RS232 serial ports and MS-DOS on 16-bit processors with very old PostScript devices.

The “screen fonts” you refer to were for ancient versions of Windows and for the GEM-based Ventura Publisher software. They are effectively useless today.

With printers less than 20 years old, the idea of storing fonts on the printer is fairly obsolete. The reason why we had printer-resident fonts back then was that the communications between the host computer and the printer were quite slow and having printer-resident fonts dramatically cut the job communications time. Even USB 1.0 speeds are faster than the old RS232 serial port speeds that were often limited to 9600bps. Also, with the growth of the availability of fonts (there are perhaps millions of different fonts available today as opposed to a few hundred in the early days of PostScript), it is very unlikely that the font used in a document would be printer-resident.

Sorry, but we really can't help you here!

- Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)

A

Alan_SargentAuthor

Known Participant

Sorry, but most of your description of these programs and hardware is wrong. It was not designed for "RS232 serial ports" for a start.

I currently use pcsend via the LPT port under Windows XP at least. I could probably redirect it through other connections if I had to. See:

============================================

PCSEND utility version 1.51 alpha, compiled 10/11/90.

pcsend [-0|-1|-2|-3] [-r|-d|-v|-h|-i|-f<n>|-c<n>] [pfbfile|psprogram|-]

[-0|-1|-2|-3] - Specifies where to send the data. 1, 2, or 3, denote

printer ports LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3. The default is LPT1.

0 denotes the standard output stream, which defaults

to the screen, but may be redirected to any

device or file using > (see your operating system manual)

	-v - Download font file to printer memory.
	-h - Download font file to printer hard disk.
	-i - Send font file to printer for just the current document.
	none - Send PostScript program file to printer.
	-f<n> - Format and reinitialize a writable cartridge.
	-c<n> - Download font file to printer cartridge.
	n - optional integral index of cartridge - default is 1...

=================================================

One reason I want to try "Windown", which seems to be a successor to "pcdown", is that I hope it should be able to use any Windows connected printer, and ideally access the memory card, as pcdown cannot do that on my printer (HP2420 currently).

Once the fonts are loaded, printing jobs can be sent by the network connection.

Doesn't matter how old or new the printer is. Postscript Type 1 fonts are compatible with them all, and that's all I use.

I do use Ventura Publisher 3.0 GEM. That is exactly why I want screen fonts compatible with it.

As I said, I did use Font Foundry earlier but my install media are corrupt.

And VP is why I want to install the fonts persistently, it takes much longer to print if the fonts are not resident.

-- Doesn't matter how old the program is if it works. I can print to my laser and distil the PS to PDF for any commercial printer, offset or POD.

All I want is to try these Adobe programs, one of which I paid for many years ago, each of which I think is less than 1 MB. Worthless as they may be to you and anyone else. Not asking for any support, just the last versions however old.

Would it hurt Adobe to make them available?

Dov Isaacs

Legend

Actually, Adobe never sold the utility programs you refer to. They were given away as support software. We no longer have them available. Sorry!

- Dov

PS: I remember Ventura Publisher very well. It's pinacle was versions 2 and 3 prior to it being sold to Xerox and then to Corel. Even then, it had features that neither FrameMaker, PageMaker, Quark, nor InDesign ever implemented.

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)

A

abeddie

Participating Frequently

For a font utility, fontforge is a free program that will e.g. convert a Type 1 font to a TrueType.

For downloading soft fonts (available until a power reset) you add an exitserver to the font:

serverdict begin 0 exitserver % 0: substitute your password

%!PS-Adobe-3.0 Resource-Font

A

Alan_SargentAuthor

Known Participant

Thanks; but as I said, I already can download to printer VM with pcsend and other apps. Its the persistent storage I want topt use.

.

And I don't want to convert anything to Truetype. The Adobe Font Foundry program made screen fonts for T1 fonts compatible with a DOS DTP program I use. Haven't found any other apps that can do that.

.

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