PostScript

date posted 7th September 2002 18:30

Can anyone please help with the following?

1) I need to buy a PostScript printer pretty quickly. I have just found a
review of laser printers in the latest issue of "Computer Shopper" and the
Lexmark 450 was rated pretty good. However, the reviewer said that this
model offered "PostScript 3 emulation", whereas some other printers were
said to offer "PostScript 3" (ie no emulation). Also, I found that a printer
that was said to offer the latter was on offer in my local PC store with
"PostScript 3 emulation". Is there any important difference between these
two descriptions? Should I conclude that "PostScript emulation" is inferior
to "PostScript"? For all practical purposes, does it really matter to me as
a user?

2) What is the difference between PostScript 3 and PostScript 2? Should I
automatically choose a printer that offers the former? Is it better than 2,
or doesn't it really matter? Pricewise, there doesn't seem to be much
difference between printers offer 3 and those offering 2. Will I have
problems if I use PostScript 3 and then send files to someone who is running
PostScript 2?

3) I need to buy some reasonable quality general-purpose PS fonts (eg
Garamond, Schoolbook, etc). Can anyone suggest some websites where I can
obtain them, something not too pricey. I can't afford £2,000 for a large
pack, as on offer at one site I visited recently. I don't suppose there are
any sites that offer free PS fonts, are there?

John