Re: tlug: Ghostscript/VFlib not finding font

[Matt Gushee <matt@example.com>]

Frank Bennett writes:
 > On Tue, Feb 09, 1999 at 04:36:41PM +0900, Matt Gushee wrote:
 > 
 > > So evidently vflib is trying to open a non-existent font. I don't have
 > > (have never had) 'mincho.vf1', nor do I have the ../vfonts
 > > directory. I do have Wadalab Mincho, though, so maybe I need to tell
 > > VFlib that 'min' means Wadalab Mincho. I'm thinking maybe it's just a
 > > matter of editing /etc/vfontcap.
 > 
 > I just ran into the same problem myself while installing similar works on
 > our mail server.  I want to slip in a filter on one of our lists that
 > appends a JPEG image of messages on the fly, for the benefit of people who
 > read Japanese but own computers that don't.

Cool.

 > > Um ... does anybody have a copy of the VFlib-2.22 docs that doesn't 
 > > depend on TeX or PS? Say, HTML or something? Or can anyone explain how 
 > > to write a vfontcap entry?
 > 
 > There's not much to it, though.  Put one of the samples into /etc if it's
 > not already there.  Then search for your font name(s); it should be in
 > there already, if it's public domain or common.  Edit the path to it, and
 > note the nickname at the front of the entry --- the format is similar to
 > printcap entries.. Then find the entries for "min" and "goth".  These are
 > aliases that point at the proper entry: switch whatever is there out, and
 > switch in the nickname(s) that you noted above.

It worked! I'll be dang-nabbed. I also removed a lot of entries for
fonts I don't have. What's puzzling me now is that, before, I was just
using the vfontcap that came with the package, unaltered. It shouldn't 
have worked ... yet it did. Very strange.

You know, those of us who have been struggling with all this Japanese
GS/PS/VF/TeX nonsense ought to get together and write a good set of
web pages on it. The info in Craig's old pages is good as far as it
goes, but it's kind of fragmentary and some of it is out of date.

Granted, this isn't anything like rocket science, but with all the
different directories and fonts and config files involved, it can be
horrendously complex for newcomers.

Anyway, thanks for the tips.

Matt
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