How to use Metafont fonts with Troff

If, when you run troff, you get the message `typesetter busy', you have the original Ossanna-troff, also called otroff. Chris Lewis has a package which will let you use TeX fonts with troff -- it's called psroff, and comes with documentation.

  ftp: gatekeeper.dec.com (16.1.0.2) pub/misc/psroff-3.0
  ftp: ftp.cs.toronto.edu [128.100.1.105] pub/psroff-3.0/*

If, when you run troff, you get something like this:

  x T 300
  x res 300 1 1

you have ditroff. This is sometimes called titroff or psroff. In this case, you will probably need to do the following:

1. convert the font to your printer's format
2. generate a width table for the font
3. add the font to the DESC file for the appropriate device
4. arrange for troff to download the font
5. tell troff about the font by running `makedev DESC' in the right place.

If, when you run troff, you get something like this:

  X hp(SCM)(CM)(AF)(AD) 300 1 1
  Y P default letter 2550 3300 0 0 90 90 2460 3210

you have sqtroff:

1. convert the font to your printer's format
2. generate a width table for the font
3. add the font to the DESC file for the appropriate device
4. put the font in the appropriate raster directory
5. tell sqtroff about the font by running `sqmakedev DESC' or `sqinstall'.

In each case, you should be able to get help from your vendor.

Note that Chris Lewis' psroff package has software to make width tables for troff from pk files.