Dear all,

Is it possible to print from the Mini vMac mulator?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Regards,
GJ

It is, but in a *very* roundabout way. In system 7 (and possibly 6.0.8 ), you can print to a postscript file by selecting the LaserWriter from the Chooser. (The option to print to a file will come up in the print dialogue.) Then, using ExportF1 from the Mini vMac site, you can export the file to your OS (let's assume it's Windows). You then need to give the file a .ps extension. From there, download and install Ghostscript and GSView (GSView simply makes printing easier), open up the file and you can now print it! Printing isn't built-in, unfortunately, and this was the result of about an hour of tweaking for me. I hope this works for you!

That method is also described in the FAQ:

http://minivmac.sourceforge.net/faq.html

Thank you both!
My problem is, that I only see AppleShare in Chooser. After I've swapped AppleShare with LaserWriter, the system keeps looking for that printer.
And yes, I've read the FAQ section as weel.

Regards,
GJ

Try removing the AppleShare component using whatever Mac OS install disks you used to install Mac OS in MinivMac.

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean.
What I did is swapping the AppleShare and LaserWriter components, so AppleShare is not in the StartupDisk anymore.

Cheers,
GJ

Oh. I was talking about if you install System 6 on a disk file. So you just used a premade disk file?

Indeed, I just followed the steps and presets from the manual on this site.

Ok, so you did install it I assume.

Ok, I was thinking of something else... so just ignore my "remove component" suggestion. Instead, try installing System 6 again but make sure to not select the AppleShare component.

Just make sure it's system 6.0.8, though! This is the only System 6 to have included this feature.

OK. Thanks!

I'll check it out as soon as I'm home again (next week).

GJ

Well, I've done what you suggested and checked the FAQ again on this topic.
So far, I've managed to create a PostScript file "test.ps" and exported it to Mac OS X, but when I open this file, it says: "%%[Warning: PostScirpt error. No PDF file produced. ] %%".
Probably, I missed something again.

Thanks again in advance,
GJ

You didn't miss anything and you didn't do anything wrong. The old LaserWriter code produces very ancient PostScript output that OS X can't handle easily. Try going back to System 6's print dialog and see if you can find any settings for something that resembles "Font Embedding"; if you find it, mark the option that says something like "Embed all fonts." Also, if you find an option to output PostScript Level 1 or Level 2, choose Level 2. I think OS X can't do anything with Level 1.

Unfortunately, I can't find something like that.

During Page Setup, I can check Printer Effects: Font Substitution, Text Smoothing, Graphics Smoothing and Faster Bitmap Printing. Within the LaserWriter Options: Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical, Invert Image, Precision Bitmap Alignment, Larger Print Area and Unlimited Downloadable Fonts. I tried the last one, but that didn't help.

At the Print dialog itself, I can choose: Cover Page, Paper Source, Black & White or Color/Grayscale and Destination (Printer or PostScript File). Of course, I have chosen for the PostScript File. But no results.

Cheers!
GJ

No problem here printing a text file (with Monaco and Geneva fonts) to a postscript file with LaserWriter in System 6.0.8 using the default settings. In MacOSX 10.6.4, the file opens fine in Preview (is in fact converted to pdf).

The options that emendelson mentions do indeed not exist here. I tried with and without 'Unlimited Downloadable Fonts" and with and without font substitution. Worked either way.

What kind of file did you try to print?

I remember seeing occasional problems with printing to a Postscript file in System 6.0.8. I think it looked as if stuff was missing from the end of the file. You may be seeing the same problem.

This might be fixed in later System versions. I've never had this trouble with my preferred version: System 7.1 with System Update 3.0. (Unfortunately this version isn't available to download from Apple.)

I've updated the Mini vMac FAQ to note this issue.

I just discovered that - after giving the Print command - TeachText says it is unable to print the document and "Make sure you've selected a printer.".
While I did select a printer within Chooser, but now I realize that there is no response in the right hand box of the Chooser.
What I did:
• Start up Mini vMac.
• Load System Startup and System Additions.
• Exchange AppleShare with LaserWriter in the System Folder.
• Try to select LaserWriter (which appears in the left hand box, but not in the right hand box).
• Write a short note in TeachText.
• Print ... selecting "PostScript File".

Perhaps you can see what went wrong or what I did wrong.

Thanks anyway!

I drag the image file with the installed system onto the Mini vMac icon, which makes Mini vMac startup from that image.


There is no AppleShare in my System Folder and LaserWriter is there by default.


When I select LaserWriter in the left hand box in the Chooser, the text "Select a LaserWriter" appears above the right hand box and "Background Printing On" below that box. There is nothing in the right hand box and nothing in the User Name box below it. When I select LaserWriter while AppleTalk is inactive, I get a warning that LaserWriter requires AppleTalk. After clicking 'OK', AppleTalk appears to be activated with the radio buttons at the bottom-right of the Chooser dialog. I then close the dialog.


I type some text in the old Text-Edit 2.7.2 (I have no TeachText in this installation but that should not make a difference). The LaserWriter Page Setup has the default settings (all Printer Effects selected and all LaserWriter Options deselected) and I print selecting PostScript File. I name the file with a .ps extension and save it to an extra 800K HFS disk image mounted in Mini vMac. After quitting Mini vMac I mount that image in MacOSX and open the file in Preview.

Well, I also drag the disk images (System 6.0.8 by the way) onto the icon to startup Mini vMac.
Strange, that I have the AppleShare icon in the System Folder and have the LaserWriter in System Additions.
Also the Chooser action, as you describe them, are similar for me. But I can't check Background Printing; which I ignore.

Now, I copied your procedure for printing, but still TeachText says it can't print.

Sorry, but it is like that. Thanks anyway!
GJ

In Mini vMac I newly installed System 6.0.8 from four 800k floppy images, named System Tools, Utilities 1, Utilities 2, and Printing Tools. This time I also copied TeachText from the installation disks. Among the files in the System Folder are 6 Chooser extensions. LaserWriter is one of them. There is no AppleShare and no "System Additions". While selecting LaserWriter, I can now also not activate background printing.* I typed a few lines in TeachText, printed as described above. The resulting .ps file opens fine in Preview in MacOSX.

* About the background printing: In the other 6.0.8 system I enabled MultiFinder that allows running more than one application at the same time. See "Set Startup..." in the Special menu.

Right. That might be the clue.
What I did, is downloading System 6.0.8 from the two install disks; as described in the online manual. That results in the disk images "System Startup" and "System Additions" with the contents as mentioned before.
Now, I've tried to download the four disks as you did, but I can't expand them. Probably caused by an (automatic) upgrade of Stuffit.

The four disks are in .sea.bin format. In MacOSX you can decode the bin archive, but that is as far as it goes. The .sea (self expanding archive) files are applications that need (Classic) MacOS to run. I do not remember exactly, but I think I expanded them in BasiliskII. I then renamed the resulting image files disk1.dsk, disk2.dsk, etc and placed them with Mini vMac in the same folder. When launched, Mini vMac will start up from the first disk and mounts the other three automatically.

Thanks again, Sir!
Indeed, the 'sea' is a Classis extension. Well, I was able to expand the four images within BasiliskII and named them as you suggested.
Et voilà! Mini vMac started up automatically with the four disks loaded.
But ... the System Folder does not contain the LaserWriter driver, the Chooser dialog is empty and I don't have enough room on these disks to put LaserWriter in the System Folder.
How did you manage that?

These are the four install disks. You need to install the system onto a fifth disk that will be your 'HD'. I added a 10MB blank disk image (just drag it into the running Mini vMac window) and installed the system onto it. Start the installer that is on the first floppy and make sure you choose the right disk to install the system onto. When all four floppy images are mounted, the installer will read from them as needed.

When installation is completed, shut down the emulator and move the four floppy images out of the Mini vMac folder. You will want Mini vMac to startup from the newly installed system and not again from the first install floppy disk.

Here you can find a collection of blank disk images of various sizes: http://minivmac.sourceforge.net/extras/blanks.html

Note that if you accidentally made changes to the four install disks, you will need to make new ones from the .sea archives.

When you want to use Teach Text, you need to copy that manually from the first install disk to your 'HD'. The system installation does not install Teach Text automatically.

FANTASTIC!
It works!!!
Thank you very much.

One more thing ...
Can I configure the "HD" disk, which I called "Disk.dsk" by the way, that it will be loaded automatically when I start Mini vMac? (Just like when the four installation disks where mounted by Mini vMac the first time?

Anyhow, I really appreciate your help!!!
GJ