GhostScript and HeroMaker Using the GhostScript Printing Utility to Print HeroMaker Character Sheets Many devoted Herophiles have invested in the HeroMaker character creation utility put out by Hero Software. It is a simple, easy to use yet powerful MS-DOS utility. The program has been immensly popular since it's introduction about two years ago, and has taken much of the "number crunching" out of the system. Despite it's loyal following, however, HeroMaker has been plauged with problems with it's printer drivers. The problem lies within the printing utility HMPRINT.EXE, and despite bug fixes and new add-on drivers, many HeroMaker users continue to complain about difficulties in printing out suitable 3 coloumn format character sheets. Most vocal of these users are the Canon BJC-600 users, who for many months were left without a usable printer driver of any sort. There is a solution to the continuting driver problems with HeroMaker. Fortunately, HeroMaker does come with a functioning Adobe Postscript Printer driver. Users without a usable driver for their printers can use one of the two Postscript drivers to print out their character sheets. "But wait a minute!" the users say. "I've got a BJC-600, not a Postscript printer! How can I use the Postscript drivers?" Simplicity itself. There exists a powerful utility called GhostScript. GhostScript is an emulation for the Postscript language. In a nutshell, what GhostScript does is to take the code which makes up a PostScript file, and translate it into codes other printers can understand. GhostScript then gives those instructions directly to the printer and orders it to print out the file--which it does beautifully. "Where do I sign up?" you say? Luckily, GhostScript is a popular and easy to find utility. You can download it off the Internet at ftp.cs.wisc.edu/ghost/aladdin or from the World Wide Web at http://www.wisc.edu/~ghost/index.html. AOL users can get it there as well. The other pay services may also offer versions of GhostScript. The current version is 3.33, however a beta version 3.51 has recently been released. Any version of GhostScript will work, but the most recent version is the most likely to have the correct driver for your printer. GhostScript has compatible printer drivers for just about every printer currently on the market. Check your printer manual for a list of alternate drivers if your driver is not listed in the file device.doc. A Canon BJC-600 driver is included in version 3.51, use the bj10e driver if you have version 3.33 or earlier. A word of warning. GhostScript is not for the faint of heart. The programmers include lengthy documentation on the software, how it works, and how to compile it. Most of these instructions are pure Greek to any but the most die hard computer geek. This file will include some simple instructions to allow the reader to print out HeroMaker character sheets. If you want to explore the other possiblities of the utility (and there are many of them), then you're on your own. Check out the USENET groups comp.lang.postscript and gnu.ghostscript.bug for up to date discussion of GhostScript. OK, now the obligatory warnings have been given, let's get to the meat of the matter. How does one use GhostScript to print out a HeroMaker character sheet? The first the the prospective user should do find a copy of GhostScript. As mentioned before, there are a number of versions avialable. The latest, a beta-bug fix, is 3.51. This is the one the author uses, and has had no trouble with. There are a total of three files which one will need. GS351DOS.ZIP, GS351INI.ZIP, and GS351FN1.ZIP. 16-bit and 32-bit shell programs for Windows are available for v 3.51, however the user will probably find it easier to stick with the DOS version. There are also versions available for Macintosh, Atari, Unix, and GNU, so pay attention to your file names and be sure you get the correct files! Create a directory called GS. Move your various .zip files into that directory and unzip each of them there. While it extracts, GhostScript will automatically create subdirectories in which most of the files will go: C:\GS\GS3.51 and C:\GS\FONTS. At this point you now have a functioning copy of GhostScript. The executable is GS386.EXE, in the GS3.51 subdirectory. At this point the user can use the command line to print out PostScript files. However a string of commands are needed to tell GhostScript how to treat the file. This process is explained in the use.doc file of GhostScript. For the HeroMaker user, the easiest thing to do is to create a batch file called GSPRINT.BAT, and use it print the file. GSPRINT.BAT should contain the following line: gs386 -sDEVICE=[name of driver here] -q -dNOPAUSE %1 -c quit. The line for the BCJ-600 driver would thus look like this: gs386 -sDEVICE=bjc600 -q -dNOPAUSE %1 -c quit Once GSPRINT.BAT is created, all the user has to do is go to the command line and enter gsprint [filename] and GhostScript will print the file. For HeroMakr files one would then enter: gsprint c:\heromakr\[filename]. Windows users have another option. They can choose to associate gsprint.bat with their PostScript files. Then, every time a Postscript file was double clicked in File Manager or Windows Explorer, GhostScript would be activated and print the file. Windows 95 users even have the option of associating a GhostScript icon with their PostScript files, through the Properties function in the Shortcut. Windows users should add the following line to GSPRINT.BAT: cd c:\gs\gs3.51 [or name of current version] "OK, now I know how to use GhostScript. But how does GhostScript know if my HeroMaker files are in a PostScript format?" Fortunately, HeroMaker comes with two useful abilities: the option to use a PostScript or PostScript Alternate driver , and the ability to Print to Disk. Once you're created your HeroMaker character, and are ready to print out, go to Printer Preferences, and change your settings to Print to Disk and one of the PostScript drivers (Alternate seems to work better, for some reason). Choice of fonts are left up to the user. If you have trouble with the fonts, read the fontmap file for a list of currently available GhostScript fonts, and font.doc for instructions on how to add fonts to GhostScript. Once you've set HeroMaker's Printer preferences, click on the text bar and enter a file name for the PostScript file. Give the filename a .PS extension. So the file for Defender's HeroMaker sheet would be DEFENDER.PS. Now you're all set! When you're done, you will be the proud owner of a fine looking character sheet. Impress your friends! Be A Hero! Amy G. Crittenden aka Theala Sildorian http://www.intercom.net/usr/theala/hero.html Home of the Unofficial Champions Home Page!