Simtel MSDOS 1992 June

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╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print V2.2 ║ (C) 1985, 1986, 1987 ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ enterprises, inc. ║ 306 Park Avenue Wilmette, Illinois 60091 ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print is a memory-resident utility that lets ║ your Epson printer print virtually all of the characters available on your PC's screen. Supported Epson printers include the FX, MX, RX, EX, JX, LX and LQ series models. Some characters that show on the screen of an IBM personal computer are actually printer control characters. During screen prints, MPM-Print properly prints ALL characters that can be shown on the screen. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print also supports all of the pitch combinations ║ available for the Epson printers. If your software sets your printer to use compressed print, for example, then MPM-print will automatically print all of its characters using the compressed pitch. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print AUTOMATICALLY "connects" any of the PC's ║ line drawing characters (like those used for the MPM logo) both horizontally and vertically, for any pitch or line spacing you set for your printer. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print is distributed as USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE. ║ If you find it useful, please register with MPM Enterprises, Inc. Fees are: Registration ......................... $10.00 Registration (including a diskette with the latest version) ............ $15.00 Commercial use without registration is prohibited. Multiple-copy prices and site licenses are available. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print is provided on an "as-is" basis, and no ║ warranty is expressed or implied. In no event shall MPM Enterprises, Inc., be liable for any commercial or non-commercial damage arising from the use of MPM-print. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print ║ TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1 USING MPM-PRINT ...................................... 2 PRINT PITCHES ........................................ 4 SCREEN PRINTS ........................................ 5 CONNECTED CHARACTERS ................................. 6 HOW MPM-PRINT WORKS .................................. 7 SETTING MPM-PRINT .................................... 8 TESTING .............................................. 12 DISTRIBUTION ......................................... 13 TECHNICAL NOTES SPEED ........................................... 14 LOSING SPECIAL CHARACTERS ....................... 14 SUPPORTED PRINTERS .............................. 15 LQ SERIES PRINTERS .............................. 16 EPSON CONTROL CODES ............................. 16 ADDING CONTROL CODES (MODIFYING MPM-PRINT FOR COMPATIBLE PRINTERS) 16 SOFTWARE CHECKS FOR MPM-PRINT ................... 18 OTHER PRINT MODES ............................... 19 SETTING PITCHES AT THE PRINTER .................. 20 REINSTALLING MPM-PRINT .......................... 20 PRINT SPOOLERS .................................. 20 COMPATIBILITY ................................... 21 ASCII CODES .................................... APPENDIX ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 1 ║ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print is a utility which allows an Epson printer ║ to print virtually ALL of the characters available on your PC's screen. MPM-print works in a way that is completely transparent to you and to any program or operation on the computer (including screen prints using the PrtSc key). When it is run, MPM-Print becomes memory-resident, that is, it stays active in a small portion of your computer's memory. MPM-Print can be turned off or on, or removed from memory at your command. After it is run, MPM-Print allows an Epson printer to print 240 of the 255 graphics characters that IBM PC monitors can display (which is more IBM characters than even the IBM Graphics Printer can print). The only characters that MPM- Print does NOT print are those that are used to control the Epson printer. When MPM-Print has been run, screen prints (using your computer's PrtSc key) will print ALL the IBM characters. ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ MPM-Print also "connects" the line- │ │ drawing characters (like those used to │ │ make this box) -- automatically -- for │ │ any line spacing or pitch you set your │ │ printer to use. │ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ MPM-Print is an ideal addition to your "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file; if you include the line: MPMPRINT in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then MPM-Print will become resident in memory whenever you restart your computer, and will then always allow IBM's special characters to print on your printer. MPM-Print works with Epson FX, MX (with Graftrax Plus), RX, EX, JX, LX and LQ series printers, AND with the IBM Graphics Printer (which is a version of the Epson MX printer). MPM- Print uses less than 12,000 bytes of system memory after it is run, and works with PC-DOS versions 2.0 and above. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 2 ║ USING MPM-PRINT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You can run MPM-Print simply by typing its name at the DOS prompt, i.e. DOS prompt └───┬────┘ │ A>MPMPRINT <enter> │ │ ┌────┴─────┐ └─ carriage return or program name enter key MPM-Print will then "attach" itself to DOS, and will display an initial message. After you run MPM-Print, just run your software as you normally do. Whenever you print something, MPM-Print will automatically print any of the IBM's "special" characters that you use. Whenever your software tells the printer to change pitch (to go into compressed print, for example) or to change line spacing, MPM-Print will ALSO automatically switch. If MPM-Print has already been run, and you run it again, the program will give you the following message: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ │ │ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print V2.2 ║║║╠═╝║║║ enterprises, inc. │ │ ║ ║ │ │ (C) 1985, 1986, 1987 306 Park Avenue │ │ Wilmette, Illinois 60091 │ │ │ │ Status is MEMORY RESIDENT and ON(OFF) │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ where ON indicates that MPM-Print is active (converting characters before sending them to the printer), and OFF indicates that MPM-Print is inactive, and will simply pass all characters straight to the printer. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 3 ║ You can also include one of several commands for MPM-Print to use. Those commands include: ON -- Turns MPM-Print ON (if it is off); OFF -- Turns MPM-Print OFF (if it is on); REMOVE -- Removes MPM-Print from memory (if it is already memory-resident); SETUP -- Lets you set MPM-Print to use different printers; and HELP or ? -- Displays a help screen which lists the allowable commands. The commands are all mutually exclusive. If you enter more than one command, MPM-Print will only act on the first one. MPM-Print will ignore leading spaces or tab characters, and will ignore the - and / characters if you type them before one of the commands. You also do not need to type the full command name; simply enter enough characters for MPM-Print to distinguish between the commands. For example: MPMPRINT SETUP MPMPRINT SET MPMPRINT S MPMPRINT /S MPMPRINT -S will all tell MPM-Print to allow you to set it to use a different printer. If you type: MPMPRINT OFF at the DOS prompt, it will turn MPM-Print OFF (the program will stay in memory, but will NOT convert any of the characters sent to the printer). To turn MPM-Print ON again, type: MPMPRINT ON To remove MPM-Print from memory, type: MPMPRINT REMOVE or MPMPRINT R The program will remove itself from memory, and will thus "free" the memory that it uses for other applications. Please be careful when removing MPMPRINT to make sure that it is the LAST memory-resident program that was run. If you try to remove MPM-Print, and other programs were made memory resident after it, then your computer may behave unpredictably. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 4 ║ PRINT PITCHES ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MPM-Print supports all of the print pitches available on the Epson printers: Pitch Characters per inch Printers ═════ ═══════════════════ ════════ Pica (normal) 10 All Elite 12 All except MX series 15 CPI 15 LQ-800, LQ-1000 & LQ-2500 only Compressed 17.16 All Compressed Elite 20 LX, EX, & LQ series only Expanded Pica 5 All Expanded Elite 6 All except MX series Expanded 15 CPI 7.5 LQ-800, LQ-1000 & LQ-2500 only Expanded Compressed 8.58 All When you set MPM-Print for your printer (see SETTING MPM- PRINT, page 8), the program will automatically recognize the pitches supported by your printer. It will also automatically recognize the priorities between print pitches (with FX series printers, for example, elite has priority over emphasized pica which has priority over compressed printing). ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 5 ║ Whenever your software sends a command to change pitches to the printer, MPM-Print AUTOMATICALLY switches to the proper pitch. For example: 1 2 3 4 ╟┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╫┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╫┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╫┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╢ Pica ░▒▓αßΓπΣσ╟┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╢ MEliteP M░▒▓αßΓπΣσ╟┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╢P Compressed ░▒▓αßΓπΣσ╟┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╢ Expanded Pica ░▒▓αßΓπΣσ╟┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╢ MExpanded EliteP M░▒▓αßΓπΣσ╟┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╢P Expanded Compressed ░▒▓αßΓπΣσ╟┬┬┬┬┼┬┬┬┬╢ Other print modes (such as underline, italics, superscript and subscript) work only for the "normal" characters printed by the Epson. The special characters that MPM-Print uses will still print in the proper pitch, but will not be underlined, or printed in italics, etc. (See TECHNICAL NOTES, page 19). SCREEN PRINTS ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MPM-Print will print ALL of the characters that can show on your computer's screen when you print the screen. The only characters that will not print are the ASCII 0 and the ASCII 255, neither of which are defined for the IBM's screen. Some characters that can be shown on the screen are also Epson control characters. Those characters should be printed when printing the screen, but sent to the printer unchanged at other times. MPM-Print must therefore know when a screen print is in progress, and sets an internal "flag" whenever you hit the PrtSc key. MPM-Print uses your computer's original screen print logic to actually get information from the screen. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 6 ║ If you have problems getting screen prints to work properly with MPM-Print, it means that your computer prints screens in a way that is significantly different from that used by IBM PC's and true compatible computers. If this is the case, you can disable MPM-Print's screen- printing logic (see SETTING MPM-PRINT, page 8). If you disable the screen-printing logic, all special characters EXCEPT those used as Epson control characters will print during a screen print -- Epson control characters will be sent directly to the printer. The standard screen-printing logic sends only the characters from the screen to the printer. No information about the attribute (bold, or inverse, or colored) of the character is sent. Because it works with your computer's existing screen- printing logic, MPM-Print also does NOT show the attributes of the characters from the screen. CONNECTED CHARACTERS ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MPM-Print automatically connects the IBM line-drawing characters when they are adjacent, either horizontally (like ┌──┘) or vertically (like ⌠ ⌡ ). MPM-Print detects any changes that your software makes to the line spacing and pitch of your printer, and automatically adjusts to properly connect the characters -- even at line spacings as large as one line per inch! To connect the characters vertically, MPM-Print scans each line of text as it is printed. If one of the characters should connect to the character below (as with the integral sign in the first paragraph on this section), then MPM-Print "remembers" that character and its position in the line. When the original line is done printing, MPM-Print prints a second line that extends the tails of the appropriate characters. MPM-Print automatically adjusts to whatever line spacing you've set your printer to use. You can even change print pitch within a line, and MPM-Print will adjust. For example: ╒════════╤═W1════════W0═╤════════╕ │ normal │ W1EXPANDEDW0 │ normal │ ╘════════╧═W1════════W0═╧════════╛ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 7 ║ One warning -- if you switch to compressed mode within a line, make sure that there are an even number of characters in the compressed portion of text. Some Epson printers add an extra dot's space when switching from compressed print to Pica print IF an odd number of compressed characters have been printed. This apparently happens ONLY when switching from compressed print to Pica print, and occurs ONLY when an odd number of compressed characters have been printed. This anomaly can, however, make MPM-Print "miss" connecting vertical lines properly. Characters that MPM-Print "connects" include: ASCII CODE 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 CHARACTER ░ ▒ ▓ │ ┤ ╡ ╢ ╖ ╕ ╣ ASCII CODE 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 CHARACTER ║ ╗ ╝ ╜ ╛ ┐ └ ┴ ┬ ├ ASCII CODE 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 CHARACTER ─ ┼ ╞ ╟ ╚ ╔ ╩ ╦ ╠ ═ ASCII CODE 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 CHARACTER ╬ ╧ ╨ ╤ ╥ ╙ ╘ ╒ ╓ ╫ ASCII CODE 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 244 245 CHARACTER ╪ ┘ ┌ █ ▄ ▌ ▐ ⌠ ⌡ HOW MPM-Print WORKS ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ After it has been run, MPM-Print is completely transparent both to you and to programs running on your computer. MPM-Print "reviews" each character that is sent to the printer, and takes one of four actions: 1. If the character is "shared" by your printer and IBM monitors, it will be printed normally. Normally, only the "standard" ASCII characters, ranging from the space (ASCII 32) to the ~ (ASCII 126) are shared. Some printers are, however, able to emulate the IBM character set -- for those printers, you can instruct MPM-Print to "pass" all but the line drawing characters to the printer, and therefore still make use of MPM- Print's ability to properly connect the line drawing characters. Please see SETTING MPM-PRINT, page 8. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 8 ║ 2. If you are printing normal text, and if the character is an Epson control character, it will be passed without change to the printer. If that control character changes the pitch used for printing, then MPM-Print will remember the new pitch. If you are printing a screen (using the PrtSc key), MPM-Print will print even control characters exactly as they appear on the screen. 3. If the character is an Escape (ASCII 27), and you are NOT printing the screen, MPM-Print will send the Escape character AND the appropriate number of following characters to the printer without change (Epson printers use "Escape sequences" to control a wide variety of printing functions). If the escape sequence changes the pitch or line spacing used for printing, then MPM-Print will remember the new pitch/line spacing. 4. Finally, if the character is one of the 145 characters that is neither "shared" nor a printer control character, then MPM-Print will "translate" the character and print the IBM monitor's version of that character using the Epson printer's graphics capability. If the character is a line-drawing character (see CONNECTED CHARACTERS, page 6), then MPM-Print will remember its location, and extend the tail of the character so that it connects with the character below. SETTING MPM-PRINT ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MPM-Print is initially set up to run with an Epson FX-80 printer. If you've got another model of printer, then you should use the SETUP command with MPM-Print to make sure that the program will work correctly with your printer. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 9 ║ To set up MPM-Print, at the DOS prompt type: MPMPRINT SETUP or MPMPRINT S You'll see the message: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ │ │ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print V2.2 ║║║╠═╝║║║ enterprises, inc. │ │ ║ ║ │ │ (C) 1985, 1986, 1987 306 Park Avenue │ │ Wilmette, Illinois 60091 │ │ │ │ │ │ Press the Escape key to stop now, or press any other key to │ │ continue setting up MPM-Print. │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you press the Escape key (either now or at any other prompt during the setup routine), then MPM-Print will simply return you to the DOS prompt. If you press any other key, then you'll see: ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ MPM-Print Setup │ │ │ │ FX-80 LQ-800 │ │ FX-100 LQ-1000 │ │ FX-80 with Letter Quality ROM LQ-2500 │ │ FX-100 with Letter Quality ROM LX-80 │ │ FX-80+ LX-86 │ │ FX-100+ MX-80 with GRAFTRAX (old GRAFTRAX) │ │ FX-80+ with Letter Quality ROM MX-80 with GRAFTRAX+ (Type III) │ │ FX-100+ with Letter Quality ROM MX-100 Type II (original MX-100) │ │ FX-85 MX-100 with GRAFTRAX+ (Type III) │ │ FX-185 RX-80 │ │ FX-285 RX-80 F/T │ │ FX-86e RX-100 │ │ FX-286e RX-80+ │ │ JX-80 RX-80 F/T+ │ │ JX-80 with Letter Quality ROM RX-100+ │ │ EX-800 RX-80+ with Letter Quality ROM │ │ EX-1000 RX-80 F/T+ with Letter Quality ROM │ │ LQ-1500 version 1.8 RX-100+ with Letter Quality ROM │ │ LQ-1500 version 2.0 │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ One of the printers will be "highlighted"; use the cursor keys (on the right hand side of your keyboard) to move the "highlight" to your printer. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 10 ║ The list of printers is so extensive because even similar printers will often have subtly different command sets. If you're using an "Epson-compatible" printer, choose the model that your printer emulates. You may need to experiment a little to find the Epson model whose command set is closest to that used by your printer. When you've chosen the model of printer that you use, simply hit the Return (or Enter) key. NOTE: For the Epson MX-series printers, most of the models available in this country used the GRAFTRAX+ module. Printers produced by Epson with the GRAFTRAX+ chip should all be labelled TYPE III somewhere on the back of the printer. Therefore, if your MX printer is a TYPE III, then you can be reasonably confident that it has the GRAFTRAX+ installed. However, even if your MX printer is NOT a TYPE III, there is also a good chance that it has the GRAFTRAX+ (rather than an older GRAFTRAX chip) installed. Epson provided user upgrades so that older GRAFTRAX chips were usually upgraded to the GRAFTRAX+. Therefore, if you are not sure whether you have the GRAFTRAX+ or an older version, first try configuring MPM-Print for the MX-80 (or MX-100) with GRAFTRAX+. Run our TEST program (see page 12); if the printer works without problems, then your printer has the GRAFTRAX+ chip. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 11 ║ The setup routine will ask next about screen prints: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Some characters that show on the screen are printer control │ │ characters -- MPM-Print can translate those characters when │ │ you print the screen using the PrtSc key. This feature may │ │ not, however, work properly with some "IBM-compatible" │ │ computers. If you have problems with screen prints, then you │ │ can stop MPM-Print from trying the translation by answering │ │ No to the next question: │ │ │ │ Should MPM-Print "translate" all characters on the screen │ │ during a screen print? >> _ │ │ │ │ Press Y for Yes, anything else for No, Escape key to abort │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you answer Yes, then MPM-Print will translate all characters that appear on the screen when you do a screen print. We suggest that you answer No ONLY if you try screen prints with MPM-Print and have problems (and if you do have problems, please notify us). If you answer Yes, the MPM-Print will pause briefly while it determines how the print screen function works on your computer. If MPM-Print is already memory-resident, the setup routine will then ask you: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ MPM-Print has already been run. Should the copy in memory be │ │ updated with the new printer information? >> _ │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you answer Yes, then the copy of MPM-Print that is in memory will be updated for the new printer that you've chosen. The setup routine will next ask: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Should an updated copy of MPMPRINT.COM be saved to disk? >> _│ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 12 ║ If you answer Yes, then a new copy of MPMPRINT.COM will be written to the current directory. If MPMPRINT.COM already exists in the current directory, it will be replaced. Finally, if MPM-Print is NOT already memory resident, then the setup routine will ask: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ MPM-Print was not found in memory. Should a copy be made │ │ memory-resident now? >> _ │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you answer yes, then MPM-Print will install itself in memory, using all of the new information that you entered. TESTING ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Included with MPM-Print is a testing program, TEST.PAS. Written in TURBO Pascal, the testing program "exercises" most of the print commands available for the Epson printers. The program prints the full character set for each of the print pitch combinations, and also tests combinations of print modes and pitches. With some Epson printers, certain print modes have "priority" over other modes. For example, for FX series printers, Elite pitch has priority over compressed print which has priority over Pica print. For each control code and escape sequence, the program sets the printer's mode, then (if appropriate) it prints the 240 non-control characters, and finally restores the printer to its original mode. The purpose of the test is to verify that MPM-Print properly transmits the control codes/escape sequences to the printer, and that it properly prints the full 240 MPM-print character set after setting the printer's mode. TEST.COM is a compiled version of TEST.PAS. It was compiled using TURBO Pascal version 3.0, and requires DOS version 2.0 or later. The compiled version of TEST takes about 10-15 minutes to run (it is limited by the speed of the Epson printers), and prints ten to fifteen pages. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 13 ║ DISTRIBUTION ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ MPM-Print is distributed as "user-supported software", with the following conditions: MPM-Print and its associated documentation are the copyrighted property of MPM Enterprises, Inc. We grant NON-COMMERCIAL users the right to use, copy and share MPM-Print. Any distribution of MPM-Print must contain unaltered versions of the program itself and all associated documentation: MPMPRINT.COM MPMPRINT.DOC PRINTDOC.EXE READ .ME TEST .PAS TEST .COM MPM-Print may NOT be sold or distributed for profit without the express, written consent of MPM Enterprises, Inc. We encourage you to register your copy with MPM Enterprises, Inc. Fees are: Registration ............... $10.00 Registration (including a diskette with the latest version) ................. $15.00 Registered users will be notified of updates, enhancements, and new products from MPM Enterprises, Inc. Registered users will also receive instructions to disable most of the initial ("sign-on") screen shown by MPM-Print. Commercial use WITHOUT a $10 per copy registration fee is prohibited. Multiple-copy prices and site licenses are available. Dealer pricing is also available. MPM-Print is provided on an "as-is" basis, and no warranty is expressed or implied. In no event shall MPM Enterprises, Inc., be liable for any commercial or non-commercial damage arising from the use of MPM-Print. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 14 ║ TECHNICAL NOTES ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ SPEED ═════ MPM-Print uses the graphics printing capabilities of the Epson printers to produce the 145 IBM characters that the Epson printers normally don't print. Printing using graphics modes requires more information and more effort on the part of the printer, so the 145 non-Epson characters take longer to print than do the "normal" characters. "Normal" text is printed at the normal speed. To help speed up printing of the special characters, MPM- Print uses a special internal buffer and is optimized for speed. Connecting special line-drawing characters vertically requires MPM-Print to print additional "lines" between the original line of characters and the next line -- this, too, adds to the time required to print special characters. No extra printing time is needed if there are no characters that need to be "connected" to the line below. There is one problem with using the graphics buffer to speed printing: the Epson printers do NOT "wrap" graphics characters at the right margin -- any characters remaining in the graphics buffer can be lost. Please see LOSING SPECIAL CHARACTERS below. LOSING SPECIAL CHARACTERS ═════════════════════════ MPM-Print uses a "graphics buffer" to speed up printing special characters. Characters stored in the buffer will be held either until the buffer is full, or until a non-special character is printed. If something happens BEFORE the buffer is printed (such as a "crash" or a reboot of your computer), then the characters will be lost. A second problem can occur with special characters -- Epson printers DO NOT WRAP characters printed using graphics modes. If special characters extend past the right margin, the printer simply truncates the line at the right margin. In contrast, Epson printers automatically "wrap" lines of normal text that are too long (text that would extend past the right margin is printed on the next line.) This problem will occur ONLY when the information being printing is improperly formatted, and is therefore easy to avoid. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 15 ║ SUPPORTED PRINTERS ══════════════════ Printer Number Printer Model ────────────── ──────────────────────────────────── 0 FX-80 1 FX-100 2 FX-80 with Letter Quality ROM 3 FX-100 with Letter Quality ROM 4 FX-80+ 5 FX-100+ 6 FX-80+ with Letter Quality ROM 7 FX-100+ with Letter Quality ROM 8 FX-85 9 FX-185 10 FX-285 11 FX-86e 12 FX-286e 13 JX-80 14 JX-80 with Letter Quality ROM 15 EX-800 16 EX-1000 17 LQ-1500 version 1.8 18 LQ-1500 version 2.0 19 LQ-800 20 LQ-1000 21 LQ-2500 22 LX-80 23 LX-86 24 MX-80 with GRAFTRAX (old GRAFTRAX) 25 MX-80 with GRAFTRAX+ (Type III) 26 MX-100 Type II (original MX-100) 27 MX-100 with GRAFTRAX+ (Type III) 28 RX-80 29 RX-80 F/T 30 RX-100 31 RX-80+ 32 RX-80 F/T+ 33 RX-100+ 34 RX-80+ with Letter Quality ROM 35 RX-80 F/T+ with Letter Quality ROM 36 RX-100+ with Letter Quality ROM The list of printers is so extensive because there are typically subtle differences in the command set supported by printers even in the same family. For example, the FX-80+ printer supports certain commands that are not available for the older FX-80 printer. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 16 ║ LQ SERIES PRINTERS ══════════════════ MPM-Print completely supports all of the print pitches and commands used by the LQ series printers. HOWEVER, MPM-Print only uses 8-pin graphics when printing its special characters. The standard version of MPM-Print does not approach the print quality available from the 24-pin standard LQ character set. We have a version of MPM-Print (called MPM-LQ) devoted exclusively to the LQ series printers. Please contact MPM Enterprises, Inc. for information about MPM-LQ. EPSON CONTROL CODES ═══════════════════ Epson printers use certain one-byte codes (ranging from ASCII 7 to 27) to control some of the printers' features. Each feature can be activated by sending EITHER the code OR the code+128 to the printer (for example, both ASCII 7 and ASCII 135 would "beep" the printer's speaker). We have chosen to print IBM characters for all ASCII codes above 127, since printer control codes are already provided by ASCII characters 7-27. We have also chosen to print the IBM character (ASCII 127) instead of the "delete" code for the Epson printers. The "delete" code deletes the last character in the Epson printer's line buffer; since it is rarely used, we chose to print the IBM character instead. All other control codes and escape sequences are passed directly to the printer. ADDING CONTROL CODES (MODIFYING MPM-PRINT FOR COMPATIBLE PRINTERS) ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Some printers are Epson-compatible, but extend the control codes that can be sent to the printer. You can "patch" MPM- Print to recognize (and pass) those new control codes. A new control code must have three characteristics to allow it to be added to MPM-Print: 1. The control code must begin with the Escape character (ASCII 27); 2. The escape character must be followed by a code character that is between ASCII 0 and ASCII 127; 3. Following the code character must be a constant number of additional characters. That constant number can be anything from 1 to 127. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 17 ║ For example, the ADS 2000 printer emulates the FX-80 printer, but extends the control codes. One of its additional control codes is: Esc 'a' chr$(n) which turns ON high density printing if n=1, and turns it OFF if n=0. This "new" control code fits all of the characteristics required for you to add it to MPM-Print: It begins with an Escape character; the Escape is followed by the character 'a' (ASCII 97); and the 'a' is followed by one additional character. The "patch" area for MPMPRINT.COM begins at an offset of 270 bytes (270 decimal, 10E hex) from the beginning of the file, and is 256 bytes long. To patch MPMPRINT.COM using DEBUG (the DOS utility), first work ONLY on a copy of MPM-Print. Next, set up that copy for the Epson model that your printer most closely emulates (see SETTING MPM-PRINT, page 8). Finally, determine the offset for the code character you want to add: Offset = 100H + 10EH + 2 * character code in hex (using DEBUG) where H indicates a hexadecimal number. For our example, the character code 'a' is 61H. Its offset is 100H + 10EH + 2 * 61H = 20EH + C2H = 2D0H. Make sure the DOS program DEBUG.COM is available, either in the current directory or along the PATHs you've set for your computer, and type: DEBUG MPMPRINT.COM At the DEBUG prompt, type: e <offset> where <offset> is the offset you've calculated, in hexadecimal In our example, you'd type: e 2D0 ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 18 ║ DEBUG responds with: xxxx:02D0 00. where xxxx is the code segment value. The 00 is the value currently stored at that offset. Enter the number of characters that follow the code character (remember, you've got to enter the number in hexadecimal). In our example, the 'a' is followed by one character, so we'd enter: xxxx:02D0 00.01 then hit the space bar (which tells DEBUG to let you enter the next byte), giving: xxxx:02D0 00.01 00. and enter 0 (if the next byte is not already 0), followed by a carriage return. Please note that the second zero byte is essential to having your modified code work properly. When you've done this, type w at the DEBUG prompt to Write the file to disk (skip this step if you want to quit WITHOUT changing the disk's copy of MPMPRINT.COM). To quit, type the letter q at the DEBUG prompt. SOFTWARE CHECKS FOR MPM-Print ═════════════════════════════ Version 2.2 of MPM-Print gives your programs a way to check to make sure that MPM-Print is resident in memory, and to check whether MPM-Print is active or not. To check, your software must be able to use the BIOS Printer I/O interrupt (17H), and use the 8088/8086/80286 registers. Contents Register Hex Decimal AX 0CAFE 51966 BX 0 0 to check status 1 1 to turn MPM-Print ON 0FFFF -1 to turn MPM-Print OFF To test if MPM-Print is resident, put 0CAFEh in the AX register, and either 0, 1, or -1 in the BX register (see the table above), and execute an interrupt 17h. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 19 ║ Upon return from the interrupt 17h: Contents Register Hex Decimal AX 0FEED 65261 BX 0 0 MPM-Print is OFF 1 1 MPM-Print is ON DX printer number, from the table under SUPPORTED PRINTERS, page 15 If AX equals anything other than 0FEEDh, then MPM-Print is NOT installed. If AX does equal 0FEEDh, then the BX register will indicate whether MPM-Print is active or not, according to the table above. The TEST program gives a TURBO Pascal example of testing to make sure that MPM-Print is installed and active, and of retrieving the number of the printer for which MPM-Print was installed. OTHER PRINT MODES ═════════════════ MPM-Print supports all of the pitches available for Epson printers. Most of the other print modes available will not affect the way MPM-Print prints the "special" characters: Print Mode Action ────────── ────── Graphics All graphics modes work properly. Underline "Normal" characters are underlined; MPM-Print's characters are not. Italics Normal characters are printed in italics; special characters are not. Emphasized With the Pica pitch, special characters are emphasized; with Expanded Pica, only normal characters are emphasized. Double Strike Only normal characters are "double- struck". Super- and Only normal characters print in Subscript the script mode; special characters print at their normal heights. Proportional Only normal characters print proportionately; special characters print with the current pitch. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 20 ║ SETTING PITCHES AT THE PRINTER ══════════════════════════════ If your software sends printer control characters to the printer, then MPM-Print will always know the proper pitch to use. If, however, you change pitches for the printer WITHOUT MPM- Print's knowledge, (for example, by using printer switches) then MPM-Print will use the last known pitch when printing special characters. Suppose you were printing in compressed pitch, and turned the printer OFF. When you turn the printer ON again, it will print in the Pica pitch. MPM-Print, however, will continue to print the special characters in compressed pitch. To solve the problem of confused pitches, send the printer reset code (Escape 64) to the printer. MPM-Print will automatically reset its pitch. REINSTALLING MPM-PRINT (or trying to) ═════════════════════════════════════ MPM-Print works by taking control of IBM's ROM BIOS interrupt 17h (Printer I/O). When you try to re-run MPM-Print, it checks the ROM BIOS interrupt to see if it has already been run. If it has, MPM-Print notifies you of that fact. A problem can occur, however, if you run other memory- resident software (such as a print spooler; please read the PRINT SPOOLERS section below) that also takes control of interrupt 17h AFTER MPM-print has been run. If this is the case, and IF you try to re-run MPM-Print, it may not find a copy of itself when it checks. If MPM-Print does NOT, then it WILL proceed to install itself again. PRINT SPOOLERS ══════════════ Print spoolers are memory-resident programs that "reserve" a portion of memory to buffer information sent to the printer. To achieve good performance, most print spoolers completely replace the ROM BIOS printer interrupt logic. Therefore, most print spoolers will completely ignore MPM-Print if they are run AFTER MPM-Print. This problem occurs when the spooler (or any other memory-resident program) replaces rather than chains to the previous printer interrupt. If you are using one of those spoolers, then please install MPM- Print AFTER installing your print spooler. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 21 ║ COMPATIBILITY ═════════════ We have not been able to test MPM-Print with every available piece of software. We HAVE, however, tested it with: IBM PC-DOS versions 2.1,3.0,3.1,3.2 Lotus 1-2-3/Printgraph Graphics screen dumps (as long as the DOS utility GRAPHICS.COM is also installed) TimeLine project management system from Breakthrough Software MathCAD from MathSoft, Inc. Sidekick (from Borland International) Text files produced with a variety of word processing programs. If you have compatibility problems with other memory- resident programs, try changing the order in which the programs are loaded into memory. If you discover compatibility problems that you are unable to solve, please let us know about them. Some word processing packages try to do the same job as MPM-Print -- they convert the IBM graphics characters into graphics commands before sending the information to the printer. Because the characters have already been converted BEFORE MPM-Print ever sees them, MPM-Print is unable to do its job. If MPM-Print works with some of your software, but you find that the "line drawing" characters are not properly connected when you print a document from your word processor, it is most probably because your word processor is converting the line drawing characters. Try "reinstalling" your word processor for another printer (try the IBM Graphics printer first) to find a printer driver that instructs your word processor to send ALL characters WITHOUT CHANGE to the printer. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print Page 22 ║ ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ MPM-Print, ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print, and its associated documentation ║ are copyright (C), 1985, 1986, 1987, MPM Enterprises, Inc. Please direct all comments and registrations to: ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ enterprises, inc. ║ 306 Park Avenue Wilmette, Illinois 60091 ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ Special thanks are due to Ms. Carole Anne Ogdin of Semiotics Designers for her suggestions about command line parsing and the logic for the REMOVE command for MPM-Print. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print APPENDIX 1 ║ APPENDIX ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ASCII CODES ═══════════ Decimal │ Hexadecimal │ │ │ Character or function │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 0 00 32 20 64 40 @ 96 60 ` 1 01 33 21 ! 65 41 A 97 61 a 2 02 34 22 " 66 42 B 98 62 b 3 03 35 23 # 67 43 C 99 63 c 4 04 36 24 $ 68 44 D 100 64 d 5 05 37 25 % 69 45 E 101 65 e 6 06 38 26 & 70 46 F 102 66 f 7 07 BEL 39 27 ' 71 47 G 103 67 g 8 08 BS 40 28 ( 72 48 H 104 68 h 9 09 HT 41 29 ) 73 49 I 105 69 i 10 0A LF 42 2A * 74 4A J 106 6A j 11 0B VT 43 2B + 75 4B K 107 6B k 12 0C FF 44 2C , 76 4C L 108 6C l 13 0D CR 45 2D - 77 4D M 109 6D m 14 0E SO 46 2E . 78 4E N 110 6E n 15 0F SI 47 2F / 79 4F O 111 6F o 16 10 48 30 0 80 50 P 112 70 p 17 11 DC1 49 31 1 81 51 Q 113 71 q 18 12 DC2 50 32 2 82 52 R 114 72 r 19 13 DC3 51 33 3 83 53 S 115 73 s 20 14 DC4 52 34 4 84 54 T 116 74 t 21 15 53 35 5 85 55 U 117 75 u 22 16 54 36 6 86 56 V 118 76 v 23 17 55 37 7 87 57 W 119 77 w 24 18 CAN 56 38 8 88 58 X 120 78 x 25 19 57 39 9 89 59 Y 121 79 y 26 1A 58 3A : 90 5A Z 122 7A z 27 1B ESC 59 3B ; 91 5B [ 123 7B { 28 1C 60 3C < 92 5C \ 124 7C | 29 1D 61 3D = 93 5D ] 125 7D } 30 1E 62 3E > 94 5E ^ 126 7E ~ 31 1F 63 3F ? 95 5F _ 127 7F NOTE: Character 26 is not shown here, although it is printed by MPM-print. ASCII 26 is the end-of-file (EOF) marker used by a number of programs; many programs will not read past the character. ╔╦╗╔═╗╔╦╗ ║║║╠═╝║║║ - print APPENDIX 2 ║ APPENDIX (continued) ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ASCII CODES ═══════════ Decimal │ Hexadecimal │ │ │ Character or function │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 128 80 Ç 160 A0 á 192 C0 └ 224 E0 α 129 81 ü 161 A1 í 193 C1 ┴ 225 E1 ß 130 82 é 162 A2 ó 194 C2 ┬ 226 E2 Γ 131 83 â 163 A3 ú 195 C3 ├ 227 E3 π 132 84 ä 164 A4 ñ 196 C4 ─ 228 E4 Σ 133 85 à 165 A5 Ñ 197 C5 ┼ 229 E5 σ 134 86 å 166 A6 ª 198 C6 ╞ 230 E6 µ 135 87 ç 167 A7 º 199 C7 ╟ 231 E7 τ 136 88 ê 168 A8 ¿ 200 C8 ╚ 232 E8 Φ 137 89 ë 169 A9 ⌐ 201 C9 ╔ 233 E9 Θ 138 8A è 170 AA ¬ 202 CA ╩ 234 EA Ω 139 8B ï 171 AB ½ 203 CB ╦ 235 EB δ 140 8C î 172 AC ¼ 204 CC ╠ 236 EC ∞ 141 8D ì 173 AD ¡ 205 CD ═ 237 ED φ 142 8E Ä 174 AE « 206 CE ╬ 238 EE ε 143 8F Å 175 AF » 207 CF ╧ 239 EF ∩ 144 90 É 176 B0 ░ 208 D0 ╨ 240 F0 ≡ 145 91 æ 177 B1 ▒ 209 D1 ╤ 241 F1 ± 146 92 Æ 178 B2 ▓ 210 D2 ╥ 242 F2 ≥ 147 93 ô 179 B3 │ 211 D3 ╙ 243 F3 ≤ 148 94 ö 180 B4 ┤ 212 D4 ╘ 244 F4 ⌠ 149 95 ò 181 B5 ╡ 213 D5 ╒ 245 F5 ⌡ 150 96 û 182 B6 ╢ 214 D6 ╓ 246 F6 ÷ 151 97 ù 183 B7 ╖ 215 D7 ╫ 247 F7 ≈ 152 98 ÿ 184 B8 ╕ 216 D8 ╪ 248 F8 ° 153 99 Ö 185 B9 ╣ 217 D9 ┘ 249 F9 ∙ 154 9A Ü 186 BA ║ 218 DA ┌ 250 FA · 155 9B ¢ 187 BB ╗ 219 DB █ 251 FB √ 156 9C £ 188 BC ╝ 220 DC ▄ 252 FC ⁿ 157 9D ¥ 189 BD ╜ 221 DD ▌ 253 FD ² 158 9E ₧ 190 BE ╛ 222 DE ▐ 254 FE ■ 159 9F ƒ 191 BF ┐ 223 DF ▀ 255 FF