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Date:      Tue, 10 Jun 2003 23:35:50 +0200
From:      pbdlists@pinboard.com
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   PostScript UTF-8 fonts?
Message-ID:  <20030610233549.A837@pinboard.com>

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I do have a PostScript capable printer (Lexmark E310) and printing to it
via lpr works fine. However, I do have the requirement to print
Japanese. When the printer is being used from a Windows machine, this
works fine. I guess the necessary fonts are being included in the print
job itself. After loooots of searching and trying etc. I finally also
found a way to print from Mozilla on FreeBSD and get Japanese output.

  print from mozilla to postscript ->
    run the postscript data through ghostscript to the pswrite device ->
      send the output from ghostscript to the printer

However, this only works when a webpage is encoded in Shift-JIS
(possible EUC), if it is encoded in the UTF-8 charset, the Japanese
characters again all print as squares, even though they are fine on the
screen.

I do have installed various CJK (ChineseJapaneseKorean 2-byte) fonts
from the ports collection (FBSD v4.7). My guess is, that I need to get a
complete UTF-8 font collection which includes the Japanese characters,
installed for ghostscript. But I can not find anything. What can be
found on the web lacks Japanese characters.

- First of all, am I on the right way with installing fonts and pushing
  the whole stuff through ghostscript or was this solution working by
  mere luck and I should use a completely different approach?

- If my approach is fine, where can a free complete UTF-8 font for
  ghostscript be found?

- I'm also playing with the thought of buying a okidata C5300n color LED
  printer, which has PS level 3 support and quite a number of fonts
  installed by default (financing it is still a barrier, however). Does
  anybody have any experience with printing Japanese from FreeBSD on
  this printer (_NOT_ one bought in Japan, as the models sold in Japan
  usually do have a harddisk with the necessary fonts preinstalled)?

Thanks for any helpful hints,

Kurt



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