Re: [hylafax-users] Template

[Mike Porter <mike@xxxxxxxx>]

CvtPost, https://docs.nss.udel.edu/systems/staff/mike/manatee/,
may do what you want.  We use it to overlay text onto forms.

There are 3 ways to overlay the text using CvtPost:

1)  If the text "lines up" with the form, then the two can be
    merged.
2)  Escape sequences can be placed in the text to control the
    position of the text.
3)  The text can be labeled, and CvtPost used with definitions
    of these labels that cause the text to be printed at
    a specific location using a specific font.

Relative position is also available.  Method 3 is the easiest,
by far.

If you have a form, and you want fields at fixed locations to
be filled in, and you have some control over the format of the
input text file, CvtPost will do what you want.

The PostScript 'form' can be created using any tool you would like.
The critical factor is the quality of the PostScript driver.
Many of the Windows drivers produce rather pathetic PostScript.
But, so long as ghostscript can render it into pdf, and xpdf
can turn the pdf back into a PostScript form, the quality of the
input PostScript might not matter.

Be careful when designing forms to be FAXed.  Remember that
you are using a very low resolution rendering device.  We had
a user design a nice form, complete with little checkboxes.
When FAXed, the result was unreadable because the font was too
small, the checkboxes were some sort of special TTF character,
and were too small anyhow.

If you have a sample form, I can probably give you some basic help.

CvtPost is GPL licensed.  It runs on Unix (Linux) and OS/390
(MVS) platforms.  I think it can be compiled for Windows, but I
will not assist Windows users.

CvtPost has been in development for many years.  It is a 'mature'
program.  I doubt this matters for your application, but CvtPost
is also designed to be very fast.  We've used it to generate
20,000 pages on an overloaded IBM mainframe.  Adding more CPU
just wasn't an option!

CvtPost also processes ppd files, so PostScript options specific
to your printer can be used.  This could matter with a FAX since
you could create a ppd file that causes PostScript driver added
options to be removed when the PostScript is going to be FAXed.
Really depends on if you are using EPSF files created by a Windows
application, or a PostScript form created by xpdf.  The Windows
PostScript could have all matter of cruft in it.

Mike

On Wed, 11 May 2005, Paul D. Kraus wrote:

> Well, your vsifax program is doing that "major pain in the behind" for
> you, and so that's why you have to pay money for it.
>
> [Paul Kraus] I never implied that the solution needed to be free. Just that
> I needed a solution to easily create templates that could have variables
> placed in them that a delimited file could be piped to.  I could write it
> but then I would need to maintain it. It would be nice to be able to
> delegate the form generation to our graphic design team. Take there form put
> in the variable place holders and then just pipe my output to it and then to
> send fax. I would rather buy a product if one existed. Our design time uses
> the adobe sweet but when I have them create me a mock up PO for instance and
> the save it in post script form I can't find anything in the text file to
> indicate text that should be there. For instance if the form had the words
> 'PO DATE:' the ps file prints that, the pdf shows it, but when I edit the
> document and do a search the words PO DATE do not exist.
>
> Hylafax is an incredible program and the fact that it's free is just
> amazing. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing things the hard way. That
> some of you others didn't already go down this road and found a solution
> (commercial or not).
>
> I need to be able to fax company PO's, invoices,  insert business form here.
> It needs to be versatile and preferably I should be able to delegate the
> design to the appropriate department.
>
>
> If you have an ASCII page with data on it in the proper locations and if
> you have a corresponding template file with the fields on it in the
> proper locations, then it's a fairly straight-forward step to merge the
> two together. Search the mailing list archives for "watermark" and
> "overlay".
> [Paul Kraus] I had the same thoughts I was hoping there (our graphic design
> team) postscript files would be more readable/searchable then I could write
> up some simple Perl scripts to insert my variables as needed. Not the case
> :( I will look into your suggestions. Thanks for the input.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>
>
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-
Mike Porter
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