Bug#159682: dvips defaults to a4 paper, screws up psutils
Package: tetex-bin
Version: 1.0.7+20011202
dvips uses a default papersize (in /etc/texmf/dvips/config.ps) of a4
regardless of the content of /etc/papersize. The default papersize
setting also provides no DSC comment flags in the Postscript output.
My /etc/papersize is letter and ps2pdf seems to provide me
with a proper letter-sized pdf file from dvips output. However,
psutils interpred my originally letter-sized document as
a4. I think this is related to the following excerpt from
/usr/share/doc/psutils-1.17/README:
> DVIPS USERS
>
> The latest versions of dvips have changed the default
> setting of the DSC comment flag; you must generate with
> DSC comments for PSUtils to work.
My problem was resolved by changing /etc/texmf/dvips/config.ps
Possibly related to this: psutils bugs #148363 and #46329.
It would be nice if config.ps could be configured automatically
upon install according to /etc/papersize and with the DSC comments
intact.
Comments found on Usenet re: dvips config file at end of this
message.
My system info:
# dvips -v
This is dvips(k) 5.86e Copyright 2001 Radical Eye Software
(www.radicaleye.com)
# uname -a
Linux quimby 2.4.18 #1 Wed Aug 7 22:39:16 EDT 2002 i686 unknown
# dpkg -s libc6 | grep ^Version
Version: 2.2.5-11.1
---------------------------------------------------------------
Comment on Usenet from nililand.siegburg@t-online.de:
(http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=Xns925760FC41C7Dnililandnililandabcd%40nililand.de&rnum=5)
> The default of dvips is stored in config.ps.
>
> From textflow_doc.txt:
>
> "In <texmf>/dvips/config there is a file named config.ps. (Note
> that UNIX users will require root privileges to alter this file.)
> Edit config.ps using a text editor. Toward the latter part of the
> file, there are lines that begin with "@". These control the paper
> size selections. The first set of these lines determines the default
> paper size dvips will use. If this first set of lines does not
> specify the desired default paper size, another set of lines can
> be moved or entered into the first position. For example, putting:
>
> @ letterSize 8.5in 11in
> @+ %%PaperSize: Letter
>
> (with a blank line before and after) as the first set of "@" lines
> will make dvips will default to using US letter paper.
>
> Now, there are two types of dvips paper size commands. The first type
> adds only paper size *comments* to the PostScript output:
>
> @ A4size 210mm 297mm
> @+ %%PaperSize: A4
>
> The @+ line says to place the PostScript comment "%% PaperSize: A4" into
> the output file. Such PostScript DSC (Document Structuring Convention)
> comments are just hints, or suggestions about which type of paper to
> use. In fact many/most PostScript interpreters (Ghostscript, printers)
> will just ignore these and use their own default paper sizes. In a way,
> this is desirable as the comments will not cause any problems if the
> PostScript file is then printed on paper of different size than the
> comments suggest.
>
> A second type of dvips paper size command adds a PostScript command
> which actively sets and enforces a given paper size:
>
> @ a4 210mm 297mm
> @+ ! %%DocumentPaperSizes: a4
> @+ %%BeginPaperSize: a4
> @+ a4
> @+ %%EndPaperSize
>
> Note the three comments (The "!" just means place the comment at the
> beginning of the PostScript file.) and the "a4" PostScript command.
>
> Therefore, PostScript produced via "dvips -t A4size ..." is different
> from that produced with "dvips -t a4 ...". The former may not always
> be automatically identified as wanting A4 paper, the latter may demand
> A4 - causing some printers to refuse to print on anything other than A4
> paper."
>
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