QMS PS 410, User Manual

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About the statusdict
Most system parameters are accessed through a special dictionary
named statusdict. The name statusdict is a vestige of an early
design. The statusdict is the repository for machine- and
configuration-dependent operators and values. These operators and
values defined in the statusdict vary from one implementation of
PostScript to another. The operators and values described herein
may not apply to other PostScript printers.
You must enter this dictionary in order to change system
parameters. Although PostScript contains other data structures
(known as dictionaries), such as the serverdict, the statusdict is the
dictionary this chapter documents.
Additional PostScript information can be found in three books, The
PostScript Language Reference Manual, The PostScript Language
and Graphic Design and The PostScript Language Tutorial and
Cookbook, published by Addison-Wesley.
Entering the statusdict
There are two ways to enter the statusdict:
1. Send a file to the printer with the following command at the
top:
statusdict begin
2. Use the interactive mode and the command:
statusdict begin
Either of these procedures gets you into the statusdict. You can then
change system parameters by invoking operators by their names
and specifying new parameters.
Chapter 10
1 0 - 2 P o s t S c r i p t : O p e r a t o r D i c t i o n a r y