PRINT COMMANDER! version 3.5s TABLE of CONTENTS TOPIC: PAGE: Packing List..................... 1 Print Commander!................. 1 Quick Start 1 Introduction 2 Operation 3 Fonts 5 Examples 7 Compatibility 8 Command Line Options 9 Setup Utility 10 EZprint.......................... 11 Definitions...................... 12 Sorcerer Software................ 13 Print Commander! MANUAL February, 1994 v 3.5s Shareware version Copyright 1993 Epson emulation mode Sorcerer Software ***************************************************************************** PACKING LIST Enclosed for this distribution are the following files: README Start here (if you haven't already) PCOM.COM The Print Commander! TSR program (Epson emulation) MANUAL.TXT This manual PCOM_INV.TXT Invoice PCOM_REG.TXT Registration information EZPRINT.COM A text printing utility INSTALL.BAT Installation utility PRNCOM.ZIP The compressed file containing the above programs If you ran the INSTALL program, these files are now located on your hard disk (C:) in the directory C:\PCOM. We recommend you leave them there and add this directory to your path in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. DO NOT rename these files! ***************************************************************************** I. Print Commander! QUICK START For experienced DOS users who would like to start using Print Commander! right away, this TSR can be installed straight from the DOS prompt or from within your AUTOEXEC.BAT. From the DOS prompt, type: PCOM Alternatively, in AUTOEXEC.BAT enter the following line: C:\PCOM\PCOM To change the configuration settings that describe how the program looks and works, run the SETUP utility, part of Print Commander!, by typing: PCOM /S Print Commander! arrives preconfigured to the default parameters. These parameters include default LPT port (1), screen color (brightwhite on blue), screen location (right center), and hot key combination (Ctrl-Alt-P). page 2 Once installed, start Print Commander! by pressing simultaneously the hot keys. When the pop up screen appears, use the keyboard to enter your selections. The mouse and the arrow keys are not supported. When you are finished, press the escape key to exit the program. To print an ASCII text file from Print Commander!, press F, enter the full path and filename, and press . If you do not wish to leave Print Commander! in memory, it can be unloaded by typing: PCOM /U INTRODUCTION Print Commander! was designed to run on IBM compatible personal computers using the Microsoft or IBM (PC) disc operating system (DOS). It has been tested and run successfully on versions 3.3 to 6.0. Although the program will run properly using a monochrome monitor, the program's screen was designed for a VGA color monitor. Print Commander! will run on the entire family of Intel 80x8x microprocessors, from the 8088 to the 80486. When resident, Print Commander! v 3.0s occupies approximately 4.4 KB of conventional memory (hereafter referred to as "RAM") and slightly more memory for storage on your hard disc. Print Commander! is a memory resident DOS program, or TSR (see below under "DEFINITIONS"), that allows the user to invoke printer functions from the keyboard and screen without having to touch the printer itself. By pressing the combination of the keys, the Print Commander! screen will appear on your monitor and allow you to stay at the keyboard to advance paper position with formfeeds and linefeeds, switch between Draft and Near Letter Quality mode of print, and select which of the five fonts (if supported by your printer) you wish to use. You may also choose to print in Proportional mode, in Italics, and using double sized characters. You can print in almost any combination of these features. When you are finished, just hit the escape key and Print Commander! will vanish, leaving you back where you started. You can even enter your own escape codes! These printer settings can be set while you are working on a document, before you start it, or after the document is finished--right before you print it. Print Commander! will also let you print one document while working in another. page 3 OPERATION Print Commander! is most efficiently started by including it in your AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you are unsure how to do this, please consult your DOS manual. You can also start Print Commander! from the command line (DOS prompt). To do this, type: PCOM You will then be greeted by a short message verifying that Print Commander! has been installed. If you later try to re-install Print Commander!, you will be informed that it is already present in your computer's memory, the property known as being "resident". This feature prevents you from using up precious RAM by unnecessarily reloading Print Commander! Once resident, Print Commander! remains silent until needed. Simultaneously pressing the combination hot keys: will cause the Print Commander! screen to pop up on your monitor, the property known as being "activated". Print Commander! can be activated while working at the DOS prompt (command line) or from within most programs. Some programs, especially those that operate in a graphic mode (Prodigy, for example), present certain conflicts with screen appearance, but are operable and will produce reliable results when used with Print Commander! (see below under "COMPATIBILITY"). Once activated, Print Commander! will allow you to control your printer without having to manually change the printer's settings. For most users and most uses, there is never any need to otherwise change the printer's settings except through Print Commander! Once resident and activated, Print Commander! presents the following screen: Print Commander! D Draft 1 Font 1 N Near LQ 2 Font 2 3 Font 3 L Linefeed 4 Font 4 R Reverse LF 5 Font 5 E Eject Page C CPI:10 F File to Print [tab] Enter path/filename: --------------------------- page 4 Draft: For fast printing when speed is important and quality of type is not. Engage this function by pressing D (or d) on the keyboard. Near LQ (Near Letter Quality): Slower but higher quality print. Engage this function by pressing N (or n) on the keyboard. NOTE: The Draft and Near LQ mode functions are mutually exclusive. You may select only one at a time. The cursor will point to the print mode that is currently active. When you start Print Commander!, and after printing a file, the program will always reset itself to the Draft mode of print. Linefeed: Advances the paper one line. Capital (shift) L advances the paper 6 lines. Engage this function by pressing L on the keyboard for a six line feed, or l for a single line feed. Reverse LF: Reverse feeds the paper one line. Capital (shift) R reverse feeds the paper 6 lines. Engage this function by pressing R on the keyboard for a six line reverse feed, or r for a single reverse line feed. Not all printers support this function. Eject Page: Ejects the current page of paper from the printer. Engage this function by pressing E (or e) on the keyboard. CPI: Select type size in Characters Per Inch. Toggle between 10, 12, 15, 17, and 20 CPI. These sizes may be used with any font. They may also be used with Proportional spacing in the 12 CPI and condensed mode (CD), and with Italics and double sized characters. Engage this function by pressing C (or c) on the keyboard. P: Proportional mode printing can be used in either 12 CPI or condensed size, and only in Near LQ mode. Engage this function by pressing P (or p) on the keyboard. [tab]: Toggles from Double height to Double width to Double height/ Double width and back to normal size. These sizes will work properly in any CPI size, and in the Proportional mode with 12 CPI or CD. Always set this mode before selecting other print features, as selecting it will reset other parameters to the printer's default settings. Engage this function by pressing the tab key on the keyboard. page 5 Italics: Turns Italic type on and off. This function will work in either the Draft or Near LQ mode, with any of the fonts, with all character sizes, and with Proportional mode on or off. When Italics mode is turned on, it will be so indicated by the line "Italics ON" at the bottom of the Print Commander! screen. Engage this function by pressing I (or i) on the keyboard. NOTE: The Eject page, Linefeed, Reverse linefeed, CPI, tab, Proportional mode, and Italics functions will not be highlighted by the cursor when you activate them. When you select Italics, the Italics line will toggle ON or OFF. When you start Print Commander!, and after printing a file, the program will always reset itself to Draft mode, 10 CPI size, Proportional mode off, normal size, and Italics OFF. File to Print: Allows you to enter the path and filename of a text (ASCII) file to be printed. Print Commander! will then send the contents of that file to the printer. The document will be printed in the font you specified. Engage this function by pressing F (or f) on the keyboard. After the file is printed, Print Commander! will reset itself to its default parameters. If the file you specified for printing does not exist (for example, if you mistyped the name), you will receive an error message. Hit any key and then you may retype the filename. If you try to access a disk that is not ready (for example if you try to print out a file from a floppy drive with no disk in it), you will receive an error message. Again, hit any key and retype the path and filename. FONTS Print Commander! allows you to choose between five fonts. Select a font by pressing its corresponding number. The actual font will vary depending upon the printer manufacturer. For most Epson compatible printers and printer modes, the fonts will print out as follows: 1 Font 1 is: Roman 2 Font 2 is: SanSerif 3 Font 3 is: Courier 4 Font 4 is: Prestige 5 Font 5 is: Script page 6 This will apply, of course, only if your printer actually provides and supports these fonts. Some printers, such as the Star NX-1000, has only 4 fonts, while other printers, such as some of the Epson 24 pin dot matrix printers, support up to 12. Most modern printers, such as ink jet (or bubble jet) and 24 pin dot matrix printers, provide an intermediate number of fonts. Most will adhere to the above scheme. If you would like to have a version of Print Commander! configured specially for your printer's make and model, please place an order with us using the registration form, PCOM_REG.TXT. NOTE: The five Print Commander! fonts are mutually exclusive. You may select only one at a time. When you start Print Commander!, and after printing a file, the program will always reset itself to Draft mode with no font selected. OTHER KEYS allows you to enter your own choice of escape codes. The codes must be entered in hexadecimal notation but without the trailing letter "H". For example, a linefeed would be entered as: 0A Changing to near letter quality would be done with: 1B 78 01 The is not necessary, but will re-start this function. It can then be terminated by entering . It is not recommended that you use this function unless you have a sound understanding of printer escape codes and how they work. S (or s for System reset) resets Print Commander! to its default settings. exits Print Commander! returns the printhead to the far left margin. Not all printers support this function. For all selections EXCEPT linefeeds, the small and capital case of the letter function the same. For example, both E and e will eject the current page of paper. Arrow keys, the mouse, and any additional keyboard keys not described above, are not supported by Print Commander! page 7 When you are finished working with Print Commander!, just press (the escape key), and the Print Commander! screen will disappear, leaving you back where you started. If you wish to remove Print Commander! from your computer's memory, you can then do so by typing: PCOM /U Print Commander! will then return approximately 4.6 KB of RAM to your computer's memory bank. POSSIBLE PROBLEM: If Print Commander! refuses to work or seems to lock up your system, it is probably because your printer is off line. Make sure the power is on, paper is in the printer, and the printer is on line. EXAMPLES 1) You are working in a text editor, such as Qedit (from SemWare), and you want to print a final copy of a document. You want a high quality product printed in the Prestige font. Follow these steps: -while still in your text editor OR after exiting it, press Print Commander! will pop up on your screen -next press 4 for Font 4 (usually Prestige) -press to exit Print Commander! The printer is now configured to print in Near LQ mode using the Prestige font. Notice that there is no need to specify the Near LQ mode of print as Print Commander! will automatically set itself to Near LQ when you select a specific font or Proportional mode. Now print out your document as you normally would, or using Print Commander!'s "File to Print" function. Without touching the printer or setting up any printer drivers from within your original ("host") program, you have now printed out your file in Prestige using Near LQ mode of print. If you print your document using the Print Commander! File to Print function, the printer will afterwards be reset to the default settings: Font 1, Draft mode, 10 CPI, Proportional mode OFF, normal size characters, and Italics OFF. Then exit Print Commander! by pressing . page 8 2) You are working in one program and want to print out an unrelated text file in another directory without having to leave your current program. Let's say that you are working in a database program, such as askSam (from askSam Systems). It occurs to you that you would like to print out a text file in another directory. Let's assume that you want to print out a documentation file called "MANUAL.TXT" that resides in directory "PCOM" on hard disk C:, but your current program, askSam, is on hard disk E: in directory "ASKSAM". No problem. You want to print the document quickly, as this is a rough draft and you want it printed in Italics. Just follow these steps: (see next page) -while working in askSam press Print Commander! will pop up on your screen -select D (or d) for Draft -turn italics ON by pressing I (or i) -to print a file now press F (or f) -type in the path and directory of the file we want to print: C:\PCOM\MANUAL.TXT The contents of the file will then be sent to the printer and printed out as per your instructions. The cursor will now disappear from File to Print, and will reset to the defaults. Press and, while the text file is being printed, you can go back to what you were doing in askSam. A NOTE ABOUT PRINTING FILES: Print Commander! will print only text (ASCII) files. Printing out text files, as in the above example, is best done in conjunction with a printer spooler. Please see below under "DEFINITIONS" for the definition of printer spooler and text (ASCII) file. Some versions of DOS contain a printer spooler, called PRINT.COM. Please consult your DOS manual if you are unsure how to use this spooler. page 9 COMPATIBILITY We have found that certain software programs give Print Commander! a hard time. Here's what we have learned: Print Commander! works very well when called from the DOS prompt. Some of our users invoke it only when they are working here. But Print Commander! was intended to also be used from within other (host) programs. Almost all text based programs, such as Procomm (from Datastorm), Quicken (from Intuit), the Dosshell (part of DOS), text editors, and so on, work perfectly with Print Commander! Some Norton products (from Symantec Corp.) cause distortion of certain graphic characters on Print Commander!'s screen. This is harmless and does not impair performance of the host program or the TSR. Many graphic based programs, such as Microsoft Works, Prodigy, and Print Shop (from Broderbund), will accept Print Commander! but distort its screen and color pattern. This too seems to be harmless but can also cause the host screen to become distorted until a new host screen is activated. Again, we know of no circumstance where Print Commander! harmed the host program, or vice versa. The text editor bundled with DOS 5.0 (EDIT.COM AND QBASIC.EXE) freezes when Print Commander! is activated and SHOULD NOT BE USED in this setting. This editor is incompatible with pop up type TSR programs. The line editor bundled with DOS, EDLIN.COM, works fine with Print Commander!, as does every other text editor we have tested. Print Commander! will not pop up in Microsoft Windows. However, there is a version of the program available that is compatible with Windows version 3.X, is mouse aware, and is also very small and fast. This program, a DOS program adapted for Windows, can be obtained from Sorcerer Software (see below). Finally some programs, usually word processors, have their own built in software program add-ons to control font selection and mode of print. These add-on programs are called "printer drivers". When using a printer driver in these programs, Print Commander! will not be able to configure a font for you. However you should still be able to reliably control formfeeds (paper ejection) and linefeeds using Print Commander! If you would like to use Print Commander! instead of a driver for font selection in this setting, first start your word processor's printer setup utility. Replace your printer's driver with a TTY or Generic driver. Print Commander! should then work normally. page 10 COMMAND LINE OPTIONS The following options can be used at the command line (DOS prompt): PCOM Loads the TSR program into memory. On systems that are configured with upper memory blocks by an expanded memory manager (such as EMM386.EXE or QEMM386.EXE), Print Commander! can be loaded high. Expanded memory however, is NOT needed. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR MANUAL IF YOU ARE UNSURE HOW TO DO THIS. PCOM /U Unloads Print Commander! from memory PCOM /S Runs the SETUP utility (see below). PCOM /? Displays the help screen SETUP UTILITY After typing PCOM /S , you have the option of changing Print Commander!'s default settings. Four different parameters can be altered: printer (LPT) port, color scheme, location the pop-up screen appears on the monitor, and hot key combination. Printer (LPT) port: Most printers have from 1 to 3 parallel ports that can be connected to a printer. These are often referred to as LPT ports. You can select 1, 2, or 3, but most computers are set up with the printer attached to LPT 1. Print Commander! ships preconfigured to use LPT 1. Color scheme: The pop-up screen can appear in any of 128 combinations of colors, including 8 possible background colors and 16 possible foreground colors. The SETUP menu lists 4 sample choices. If you wish to experiment, the colors are coded in alphanumeric (hexadecimal) notation. In other words, for the 2 digit character that you must enter, the first character can be number 0 through 7, and the second character 0 through 9 or letter A through F. NOTE: Programmers will recognize the color scheme as adhering to the DOS color codes, and can consult any appropriate reference for a full listing of color combinations. Print Commander! ships preconfigured as brightwhite on a blue background, color code 1F. page 11 Screen location: The Print Commander pop-up screen can appear anywhere on your monitor that you wish. The first set of 2 digits determines the starting row number. Valid entries are 00 through 15. The second set of digits determines the starting column number. Valid entries are 00 through 51. Within this range only screen location row=15 with column=51 (the farthest lower right hand corner) is an invalid entry and will be rejected. Print Commander! ships preconfigured to pop up at screen location row=06, column=48, approximately the right center portion of your monitor screen. Hot Key combination: Select 1 of the 6 possible hot key choices. Print Commander! will remember your choice even if you forget. Just enter PCOM /? for the help screen and it will display the hot key combination you previously selected. To accept the default settings, press at each prompt without entering any selections. After your selections are made, they will be written to disk and will be available to you next time you load Print Commander! into memory. PRECAUTION: Always run the setup utility from within the directory you have placed the Print Commander! files. We recommend these files be kept in their own directory, such as C:\PCOM. And NEVER rename PCOM.COM! ***************************************************************************** II. EZprint printer utility The second included printer utility, EZPRINT.COM, is a small and simple program that will let you print out any ASCII text file from the DOS prompt. It will NOT work with a word processor. Like the "File to Print" function in Print Commander!, it is intended to print text files. Typically these files have such suffixes as .TXT, .DOC, .ASC, or .PRN. We recommend keeping EZprint in a directory that is in your path, such as your DOS, PCOM, or a UTILS directory. Then you will be able to access it at any time by simply typing: EZprint (or any combination of capital and small case letters). page 12 COMMAND LINE Start EZprint by typing its name, as described above. You can then enter the name of the file to be printed. Example\ type: EZprint C:\CONFIG.SYS This will cause the file CONFIG.SYS in directory C:\ to be printed. Alternatively, you can type EZprint and . You will then be prompted to enter the name of file you wish to print. Example\ type: EZprint Enter path\filename: C:\CONFIG.SYS Before you use EZprint, it can be configured if necessary to send the file to a printer connected to LPT number 1, 2, or 3. By default, EZprint is configured to use LPT 1, by far the most common and most likely to be used on your computer. The port can be changed quite simply by invoking the LPT switch on the command line (DOS prompt). Example\ type: EZprint /2 This will cause EZprint to start using LPT 2. The port can be changed as often as you wish. Each time you make a change, EZprint will write the new port to your disk and remember it for you. EZprint is shipped preconfigured to use LPT 1. If you should change the port, you can return to LPT 1 by typing: EZprint /1 Suggestion: Use EZprint with a printer spooler (see "DEFINITIONS"). page 13 ***************************************************************************** DEFINITIONS * A PRINTER SPOOLER is a program that intercepts the text that is sent to the printer and holds it in RAM until the printer is ready to receive it. This allows the computer to return control to you almost immediately so you can return to work while the printer is printing. Otherwise you would have to sit and wait until the printer is finished with your document. The DOS PRINT command uses a spooler and remains in memory after being used, occupying RAM. Unfortunately (unlike Print Commander!), PRINT cannot be unloaded from memory, so once you use it, you're stuck with it. Many other spoolers are available commercially from retailers, through mail order, and from bulletin boards. In addition, Sorcerer Software offers an excellent, low cost, and versatile printer spooler. * A TSR (Terminate-and-Stay-Resident) is a program that once installed, remains in memory until it is unloaded by the user, or the computer is re-booted or turned off. Therefore when resident the program (the TSR) can be activated immediately, without the computer having to search the disc, and can be started by pressing specific pre-designated keys ("hot keys"). A TSR can also be run on top of, i.e., without terminating, another (or "host") program. * An ASCII file is a text file, usually produced by a text editor. It does not contain the hidden characters that a word processor places in a file. Typically an ASCII file name will take the format: Myfile.TXT where Myfile is the name given to the file, and the 3 letter suffix .TXT could also be .DOC, .ASC, .PRN, or any ending the file's author chooses to use. Files with hidden characters, such as word processor files, will not appear correctly if read with a text reader (such as TYPE or EZREAD) and will not print correctly with a text printer utility, such as PRINT, EZprint, or Print Commander! ***************************************************************************** LEGAL THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. GOOD DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURE DICTATES THAT ANY PROGRAM BE THOROUGHLY TESTED WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE. page 13 ***************************************************************************** AND FINALLY... Please direct your feedback, special requests, and questions to: Sorcerer Software 16311 Ventura Blvd., Suite #660 Encino, CA 91436 FAX: (818) 990-4432 CompuServe: 71544,2475 Prodigy: HMBS77A America OnLine: Sorsoft (or via Internet: Sorsoft@aol.com)