Re: [hylafax-users] Somewhat OT: Need to overlay data onto form prior to faxing

[Aidan Van Dyk <aidan@xxxxxxxx>]

* Jim Moseby <JMoseby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> [040816 10:57]:
 
> I have managed to use ImageMagic tools to do what I am trying to do via the
> following procedure:
> 
> 1.  Convert form from .ps to TIFF (only done once)
> 2.  Convert overlay data from ASCII to postscript
> 3.  Convert overlay data from postscript to gif w/ transparent background
> 4.  Composite form with data, save to TIFF
> 5.  Fax resultant TIFF file
> 
> The main problem with this is getting the data to align properly on the
> form, the time and horsepower it takes to make the conversions and
> composites, and the size of the resulting files.  If we were to do this in
> any volume, it would quickly swamp the server.  This also is limited to
> single page faxes without further coding.
> 
> What I need instead is a simple tool to overlay two postscript files.
> Something like:
> 
> "psoverlay <formfile.ps> <datafile.ps> <compositefile.ps>",  where
> formfile.ps is watermarked on every page.
> 
> I can probably learn some postscript, and hack up a program to this, but
> before I set about re-inventing the wheel, does anyone know if such a tool
> already exists?  I would think this to be a popular feature if it were added
> to Hylafax as part of the sendfax program.

Jim,

Check out how tpc.int uses Postcript munging...  You'll have to dig
through their code to do it, but they have a mechanism to "insert" a
postscript page and have the first page of a document overlay it.

It's beena few years since I used it, but it worked well when I was
using it.

a.


-- 
Aidan Van Dyk                                             aidan@xxxxxxxx
Senior Software Developer                          +1 215 438-4638 x8103
iFAX Solutions, Inc.                                http://www.ifax.com/

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