<=-=-=-=>› 24 PIN PRINTERS AND THE 8 BIT›› An OPEN letter from Charles Cole A.C.› HARDWARE & UTILITIES SOFTWARE EDITOR.›› Dear OL' HACKERS,›› Re: 24 PIN DOT MATRIX PRINTERS WITH› TEXT:›› From the information I have been› able to glean from various sources, a› 24-pin dot matrix printer will work› OK with our Atari machines as long as› you are only going to do straight› text with the printer's built-in type› fonts, because the print pins are› controlled by an internal CPU to form› their characters, not the word› processor; therefore, they are OK› for use with Atariwriter Plus, Paper› Clip, Text Pro, 1st Xlent Word› Processor, etc. The Epson LX printer› driver should work with any of them.›› BUT NOT WITH GRAPHICS!› These printers will 'NOT'› however, work properly with Daisy› Dots, Print Shop, Billboard, or any› other "text processor" that uses a› printer's graphics mode to print› text. And, you cannot download› external fonts to them, because their› command set and paper advance› commands are different than those of› a 9-pin printer.›› BEN's WISH LIST!› This is what BEN POEHLAND has› been referring to in his DREAM STREET› column in ATARI CLASSICS when he› states that we need a DAISY DOT› program with "correct aspect ratio"› for a 24-pin printer. DAISY DOT uses› a printer's graphics mode. Because of› the different graphics commands› between a 9- and 24-pin machines,› the 24 pin printers squash the› characters and leave a horizonatal› white streak between head passes.› Graphics on a 24-pin printer produce› the same results. For instance, if› you try to print a Koala picture with› one of the graphic dump programs, a› white streak is left across the page› between each pass, and the picture› gets compressed vertically. A similar› problem exists, to a much lesser› extend, with a 9-pin printer when you› convert a Print Shop icon to Daisy› Dot III format, as evidenced by the› graphics on my letterhead, however,› in this case, the white streak runs› vertically through the icons, not› horizonatally.›› MORE INFO FROM ANOTHER SOURCE!› Information received from Jeff› McWilliams indicates that the Epson› Stylus 800 ink jet printer suffers› from the same problems when used with› an Atari machine. The Epson› literature indicates that it has four› scalable fonts; however, these can be› used only with a striaght word› processor program that can send› control codes to the printer, and the› automatic line centering commands› such as those in Atari Writer Plus› (CNTRL-C) will 'NOT' automatically› center scalable fonts. This is› something that has to be claculated› manually for each centered line,› based on the size of the characters.› In short, a real hit-and-miss affair.› The Stylus will not do graphics,› either (at least not on an 8-bit› Atari). Another quirk of the Stylus› is the 61-lines-per-page limitation› instead of the normal 66 ines with› other printers. This is due to the› fact that the Stylus uses cut sheets,› and needs enough extra margin at the› top and bottom for the paper handling› mechanism.›› WHAT IT DOESN'T WORK WITH:› Needless to say, it will not› work with any of the graphics text› processors, such as DAISY DOT, and› you cannot download additional fonts› to it, either. Another problem with› scalable fonts is that they also› expand vertically, and cut down on› the number of lines per page. Atari› word processors are not going to› realize this, however, and will still› count a line printed in 36-point type› as only a one page line, instead of› three. This throws the pagebreak way› off if you have a lot of these lines› on a page›› A CHALLENGE TO ALL!› It sure would be nice if some› smart OHAUG programmer, or anyone› else for that matter, could come up› with custom fonts and drives for a› 24-pin printer and the Epson Stylus› so they would work properly with› DAISY DOT III. Modifying PRINT SHOP› however, would probably be› impossible, because you would also› have to modify every icon.›› SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED BUCKS! › I hope these answers help.› Please feel free to put this› information into an OHAUG newsletter,› since I'm sure other members are› curious about these new printers,› too, and are leary of investing in› one, only to find out that they have› just thrown their money down the› drain.› › YOUR MODEM AND ME:› If you have a modem, I can be› reached through any of the following› (DELPHI is the least used by me):›› Compuserve: 73217,2321› GEnie : C.COLE1› DELPHI : COLESHED› FidoNet : 1:309/35 (CHARLES› COLE)›› Sincerly,› Charles ›› (Editor-Thanks Charles, we will› spread the word to all our readers!)› (Read that as "TO ALL OUR FRIENDS"!)› >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<››