Baslinux mailing list

["Krzysztof A. Suchecki" <christopher.suchecki AT wp.pl>]

keesan2 AT cyberspace.org wrote:

> I use ghostscript when people send me scanned images that they
> made into pdf files.  (I keep asking for gifs instead but they
> have these automatic programs that make faxes into pdf files).
> I print the images.  I think I have ghostscript working for Linux.

You need to scale these pdfs to your paper format.
In Europe we use A4 = 8.26in.x11.69in.
You use sth like 8.5in.x11in., don't you?

Ghostcript doesn't let you scale your pdf/ps files
(Am I right? Fix me!).

So you have to use other progs :)
Suppose you want to scale A4 to 8.5in.x11in.

1. First of all you should convert PDF to PS. PS file is much bigger
than PDF file.

You can use pdftops from xpdf package (recommended) or
gs itself.

pdftops -paper A4 file1.pdf file1.ps

or

gs -q -sOutputFile#file1.ps -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -dSAFER\
 -sDEVICE#pswrite file1.pdf

2. Rescale your PS file with pstops by Angus J. C. Duggan

Let's count:
8.26in. will fit in 8.5in
11.69in. won't fit in 11in. and should be scaled by factor: 0.94

pstops -pletter 1:0 AT 0.94(0,0) file1.ps file2.ps

3. Print your file2.ps or you can convert it back to pdf as
pdf file should be smaller than ps.


> There are all these discussions about how to use a pentium
> and three 486s to get extra power with Linux.  Where do people
> put four computers with monitors and keyboards?  I have room on
> my desk for two and the Linux computer is on the dresser.

1st of all you can use data transfer switches to use i.e. 1 monitor
with 4 pcs. You don't have 4 small screens on your monitor, but
at the same time only from one PC - you manually switch which pc
should be used as video signal source.

2nd, monitor and keyboard (and sometimes CD-ROM) is in general
needed when you install OS/software. But later you can remotely
login to linux box from another PC. I said in general because
when you built a cluster with i.e. FAI you don't need
a monitor/keyboard at all.


Chris