Windows PC PostScript Printer Driver -> CUPS Data Import Fails

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Hi all,

For some years now I have been using a simple system I found online which allows me to easily import data from Windows Programs.

Hopefully others out there are using the system and already have found the answer to my problem.

I have installed on my CentOS server a virtual CUPS printer which receives a PS file, and then runs ‘ps2pdf’ and ‘pdftotext -layout’ to end up with a text file.

On the Windows PC’s it’s simply a case of installing a printer pointing to this server, and using the HP Colour Laster 2800 PS drivers.

Now to my problem. We have finally moved onto Windows 10, and now when I try to install the printer that model printer is no longer available. When I try similar HP Colour Laser PS drivers the ps2pdf command fails.

[root@lou inet]# ps2pdf 20180412_104403_tcards.ps GPL Ghostscript 9.14: Unrecoverable error, exit code 1
[root@lou inet]#

The PDF contains:

ERROR: invalidfileaccess OFFENDING COMMAND: .findfont OPERAND STACK:
r
/usr/share/X11/fonts/Type1/UTBI____.pfa
–nostringval

4 thoughts on - Windows PC PostScript Printer Driver -> CUPS Data Import Fails

  • It seems that .findfont can’t find a font file that the PS file is asking for. Is it possible that your Windows 10 is printing using some new fonts that your CentOS doesn’t have?

    I’d try:
    1. Use ps2ascii instead of ps2pdf+pdftotext.

    2. Copy all font files from Windows 10 to your CentOS. Maybe put them in
    ~/.fonts and see if that could make ps2pdf happy.

    Just my shot in the dark.

  • That would make sense

    I did first try ps2ascii as it was the most obvious choice. However, it gave nothing like the output I was expecting.

    ps2pdf + pdftotext -layout gives me almost exactly how the report originally looked, apart from the occassional alignment issue.

    Thanks for this. I will try these two options if I need to.

    However, I have found in Windows 10 there is a printer driver Microsoft “Print to PDF” which creates a PDF file without the initial PS stage. This is better because it now keeps some of the non-display characters that the original method lost.

  • Gary Stainburn wrote:

    This is original

    Also, if you’re printing to pdf in Windows, see if there’s an option to
    “embed font”.

    mark