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ENVLJ Version 7 Copyright 1989, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved ENVLJ is NOT free; it is distributed on a SHAREWARE basis. The shareware concept is simple. If you use this program, you must pay for it. If you try it and discard it, forget it. The license fee is $25.00. Please make a check payable to "Steven Stern" and mail it (with this page) to: Steven Stern 1213 Glencoe Avenue Highland Park, IL 60035 NAME ________________________________________ ADDRESS ________________________________________ ________________________________________ C,S,Z ________________________________________ I obtained ENVLJ from: Compuserve _____ Shareware Distributor Name? _____________________________ Bulletin Board Name? _____________________________ Number? _____________________________ Thanks. ENVLJ An Envelope Printing Program for the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet Printers What is ENVLJ? ENVLJ is a program which prints envelopes on the LaserJet, LaserJet+, and LaserJet Series II(D,P), III(D), or any other printer which can emulate the HP command set. It does not re- quire a font cartridge; it uses the internal landscape 10-pitch font. Special envelope trays or paper feeders are not required. Installation. Copy the files ENVLJ.EXE, ENVDOC.PRT, READ.ME and ENVLJ.HLP onto the disk from which you intend to use the program. No other files are required. ENVLJ uses the printer connected as the system's default printer. To determine whether your LaserJet is connected as the default, copy this file to PRN; e.g., COPY READ.ME PRN The output appears on the system's default printer. If you wish to use another printer (or "print" to a file), see Advanced Uses, below. Printing an envelope First, be sure your printer is turned on and on-line. Next, type ENVLJ at the DOS prompt. Your screen will be filled with an "envelope". Use the cursor keys to move from field to field. The fields at the upper left are for the return address. The fields in the center are for the mailing address. Fill in the fields and select "Print!" from the menu. The Menu: Commands to this program are selected from a menu. The menu appears at the top of the screen, and becomes active when you press the escape (ESC) key. Select items from the menu by pressing the first character of the command or by moving the highlight to the command with the cursor keys, then pressing "ENTER". Pressing ESC within the menu will return you to the data entry portion of the screen. Menu commands which end with an exclamation point (e.g, "Print!") are executed immediately. Other commands have sub-menus. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 1 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Printing: When you're ready to print an envelope, select "Print" from the menu. At your printer, feed an envelope into the manual feed slot. Slide it in gently, until you hear a click and whir. The printer will move the envelope about 1 inch. In about 1-2 seconds, the printer will begin to move the envelope. On a LaserJet and LaserJet+, the manual insert slot is on the back of the printer. Align the bottom of the envelope with the red line on the manual feed tray. On the LaserJet Series II and III, adjust the guides on top of the paper tray for the height of the envelope. The bot- tom of the envelope should be on the control panel side of the printer. Open the rear exit door to avoid jams. Leaving the program: Select "Quit!" from the menu. The Database Since you're likely to mail to the same addresses again and again (for those companies that bill with a postcard and don't send envelopes), you can create a "database" of addresses. The ad- dresses are stored in ENVLJ.DAT, which must be in the current directory. Note: You can specify another data file on the DOS command line when ENVLJ is started (e.g., ENVLJ ENV2.DAT). You can also specify a file on another directory. See "Where is the Data File", below. The database is used to store definitions of (1) envelopes, (2) fonts, (3) addresses and (4) printer setup information. It can include of up to 128 addresses, 32 fonts, and 32 en- velopes. Adding items to the database: You can add addresses, fonts, and envelopes to the data base by selection "Options / <type> / Add" from the menu, then filling in the data and selecting "Save" from the menu. When adding an address, the address on the main envelope screen is copied onto the "add" screen. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 2 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. When adding fonts, use the character "~" (the tilde) in place of the escape character. The Laserjet manuals show the escape character as "ESC", "EC", and "\027". When ENVLJ sends a font string to your printer, the tildes are replaced with the correct ESC character. To make one font the default font, select OPTIONS/DEFAULTS/FONT. To add envelopes, see "Advanced Uses", below. Extracting Mailing or Return address from the file: The OPTIONS/ADDRESS/SELECT (F4) command copies a single ad- dress from the data file to the return- or mailing-address portion of the envelope screen. To address envelopes using the addresses on file, select "O/A/M" or "O/A/R" from the menu. Place an "x" to the left of the addresses you wish to use. Press "ENTER" to copy the address to the envelope screen. To make one address per- manently the return address, use OPTIONS/DEFAULTS/RETURN. Printing multiple envelopes from the data file: The OPTIONS/ADDRESS/BATCH command prints one or more en- velopes directly from the data file. Select "O/A/B" from the menu. Mark each address for which you will print an envelope with an "x". Select "Print!" from the menu to print the envelopes. (Please note that, depending on the amount of memory in your printer, your PC may "hang" until the last envelope clears the printer.) If you wish to print an envelope for every address in the file, don't bother to mark the addresses. Just select "All" from the menu. Where is the Data file? ENVLJ assumes that all files that it wants are on the cur- rent directory, unless you tell it otherwise. That is, if you start ENVLJ with no command line parameters, it looks for the file "ENVLJ.DAT" on the current directory. If, however, you specify a data file on the command line, it will find that file. For example, you could run ENVLJ by typing: ENVLJ D:\ENVDATA\ENVLJ.DAT In this case, ENVLJ will use "D:\ENVDATA\ENVLJ.DAT" as it's data file, but it will continue to assume that any other files you specify are on the current directory unless you full specify the drive and path when you enter the file name. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 3 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. To tell ENVLJ to use another directory as its default data directory, set the environmental variable "ENVLJ". For ex- ample, SET ENVLJ=D:\ENVDATA\ will cause ENVLJ to treat "D:\ENVDATA" as the current direc- tory. Mono vs. Color Video The data fields on the screen use the underscore video attribute. While this looks great on a monochrome adapter, it is not sup- ported on most color boards. It is entirely possible, therefore, that you won't see "fields" into which you can type. As you move from field to field, however, the current field is shown in reverse video, which is supported on all boards. On the monochrome PS/2, the underscore attribute appears as a dashed line. On color screens, typing CLS after exiting ENVLJ will restore your default DOS colors. LaserJet vs. LaserJet vs. LaserJet For each envelope to be printed, the program sends a series of commands to the printer. This causes a LaserJet to display "PE" and a LaserJet-II to display "ENVELOPE", and sets both for manual feed mode. On the LaserJet-II and -III, the manual feed light resets after the envelope has been printed. On the LaserJet, the manual feed light resets when it prints the next page. The Laserjet IIP, IID and IIID, with their ability to support ad- ditional paper trays and envelope feeds require some special han- dling within ENVLJ. For more information, see "Advanced Uses", below. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 4 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Uses Font: ENVLJ uses whatever fonts you specify. If you don't specify any fonts in the data file, ENVLJ will use the printer's default landscape font. This is usually "Courier", at 10 characters per inch and 6 lines per inch. (Note: This is the Post Office's preferred font, pitch, and spacing.) Cer- tain cartridges (i.e., "F") may change the default font. The LJ+, LJII, and LJIII allow the user to load other fonts into the printer's memory and assign them identifying num- bers. You can instruct the printer to use one of the soft fonts by defining the appropriate setup strings in the data file and selecting "Options/Font" from the menu. Note: You must declare your downloaded fonts as PER- MANENT. ENVLJ sends a reset sequence to the printer (ESC-E) at the start of each envelope, clearing fonts and other data not declared as "permanent". The font must also be LANDSCAPE in orientation. Envelope Sizes: You may define up to 32 envelopes in the data file. If none is defined, ENVLJ defaults to "Legal/LJ" (see table, below). Envelopes are defined with a name, and row and column loca- tions for the first character of the return address block and the mailing address block. For your reference, some standard row and column locations are: Type Ret Mailing ----------------------------------------------------- Pers/LJ 28,37 39,60 Pers/LJII 15,37 26,60 Legal/LJ 25,20 36,60 Legal/LJII 12,20 23,60 Of course, column locations will depend on the pitch of the selected font. To define additional envelope types, select the font you wish to use from the menu, then select "Options/Grid". The alignment pro- cedure prints a full page grid, using the HP escape sequences to locate a reference point every 5 rows and columns. Since ap- proximately 20 bytes have to be sent to the printer for each point, it takes a while to generate the grid. Please be patient. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 5 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Too many addresses? A single data file is limited to 128 addresses. If you have more, select "OPTIONS/ADDRESS/LOAD" from the menu, enter the name of another data file, then press "ENTER". Printing to a file or another printer: By default, ENVLJ uses whatever device is the system's stan- dard printer. DOS refers to this device as "PRN", the "C" language as "stdprn". You can tell ENVLJ to use any device as its "printer" by specifying an environment variable with the DOS SET command. For example, to use the printer connected to the second parallel port (LPT2), type "SET ENVPTR=LPT2" at the DOS prompt before running ENVLJ. Similarly, you can print to a file by specifying a file name: "SET ENVPTR=C:\ENV.OUT". There should be no spaces between the equal sign and the start of the target device name. Printer Options: Some printers may already have envelope feeders or other mechanisms for gracefully dealing with envelopes without resorting to using a Manual Feed option. By default, ENVLJ sends a manual feed command to the printer. It can be dis- abled from the Options/Default/Printer menu option. Other printers may be able to feed an envelope without turn- ing it sideways. By default, ENVLJ prints in landscape orientation. The landscape command can be controlled from the Options/Default/Printer menu option. The Printer Options screen also gives you the ability to send a user-defined setup string to the printer. This string could be used, for example, to switch to an auxiliary input tray or envelope feeder. If no string is defined, none is sent. If you enter a string, use the "~" in place of the ESC character specified in your printer's reference manual. When printing an envelope, ENVLJ does the following (in the order shown): -- Printer Reset (~E) -- Landscape (~&l1O) -- Manual Feed / Envelope (~&l3H) -- Font Definition -- Additional Printer Setup -- Address ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 6 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. For the LaserJet IIP, it may be necessary to adjust the Top Margin to get the bar codes to print in the correct loca- tions. On the IID, you may have to turn off manual feed and landscape and enable the envelope feeder if you have the en- velope feeder attachment. Unfortunately, trial and error and a close reading of the printer's reference manual are the only ways to get everything set up correctly. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 7 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Bar Codes One of the advanced features of ENVLJ Version 7 is its ability to print Postinet and FIM bar codes. These bar codes are used by post office scanners to sort and route mail without human inter- vention. Postinet codes are those little bars on the lower right portion of the envelope. FIM bars are on the top of the envelope, just to the left of the stamp. In the normal course of things, your letter is put into a machine at the Post Office which cancels the stamp, looks for bar codes, "reads" the zip code if there is no bar code, and sends the en- velope to the appropriate bin. The USPS prefers bar coded mail and, in fact, offers discounts for its use. (Contact your local Postmaster for details.) If you have a Laserjet+, Laserjet II, Laserjet IIP, or Laserjet IID, ENVLJ can print bar codes on the envelope. Bar codes are printed if: You define a Postinet print location for the envelope and you have a 5 digit ("60611") or 10 digit ("60611-1575") zip code at the end of the last non-blank address line. The Post Office scanners look for the printed address in an imagi- nary rectangle which extends from 5/8" to 2 3/4" from the bottom of the envelope, with 1" margins on each side. The bar code print location should position the bar code such that the leftmost bar is between 3 1/4" and 4" from the right edge of the envelope and the bottom of the bars is 1/4" from the bottom of the envelope. The FIM code tells the post office scanners to look for the bar codes. The FIM pattern should be no lower than 1/8" from the top edge of the envelope and should lie in an imaginary rectangle which extends for 1 1/4" horizontally, starting no more than 1 3/4" from the right edge of the envelope and no deeper than 5/8" from the top edge of the envelope. The rightmost bar must be be- tween 1 5/8" and 2 1/8" from the right edge of the envelope. Compare the bar locations on your test envelopes with those on a preprinted return envelope. The position of the FIM bars (relative to the top right corner and the position of the Pos- tinet bars (relative to the lower right corner) should be identi- cal. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 8 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. If the bar code print location is "0,0", neither the bar code nor the FIM code will be printer. If the bar code location is non- zero and the FIM code location is "0,0", the bar code will be printed, but the FIM code will not. In any case, the FIM code will not be printed unless the zip code is the extended (10 digit) form. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 9 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Other Stuff Press Alt-H to get on-line help. ENVLJ.EXE, ENVLJ.HLP, ENVLJ.DOC, ENVMM.EXE, ENVMM.DOC, and other files distributed as a part of the ENVLJ package ("The Software") are copyright 1988-1990 by Steven D. Stern. It is NOT placed in the public domain. The software is NOT free; it is distributed on a SHAREWARE basis. The shareware concept is simple. If you use this program, you must pay for it. If you try it and discard it, forget it. The license fee is $25.00. Please make a check payable to "Steven Stern" and mail it to: Steven Stern 1213 Glencoe Avenue Highland Park, IL 60035 What do you get for your $25.00? First of all, you are granted a license to use the software as described below. Additionally, you reward someone for his work and for making it available to you. Finally, you offer encouragement for the continued distribu- tion of software via shareware. Remember, the value of something is not what it costs, but what it does for you. By payment of the license fee, you are licensed to (1) use ENVLJ for personal or business use and on no more than ONE computer at a time. Title to this program remains at all times with Steven D. Stern. When you paid for the software, you paid for a license to use it; you did not purchase the program itself. The terms of the license are quite simple. Treat this program like a book. You may give your copy to someone else, but you may not dis- tribute copies. The license entitles you to install the program on more than one machine, but you may not use it on more than one machine at a time. Some utilities used in this program are copyright (C) 1987, JMB Realty Corporation, and were used with permission and by the now defunct Amber Systems, Inc., and were used under license. The author neither accepts nor assumes any liability resulting from your use of the software, nor does he provide any warranty of fitness, merchantability, or anything else. YOU USE THE SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK The software uses interrupt 60 (hex) internally. It may, there- fore, conflict with some TSR programs which also use 60h and do not chain it. It does, however, work with Sidekick, CED, and PCED. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 10 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Use it in good health. Questions, suggestions, bugs: Contact Steven Stern, CompuServe 70327,135 either via Easyplex or in the IBM Hardware Support Forum (IBMHW), call (voice) at (312) 915- 1131, or format an envelope and send a letter to: Steven Stern 1213 Glencoe Avenue Highland Park, IL 60035 ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 11 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Appendix A Miscellaneous Utilities A program called CONVERT is a part of this package. It will con- vert the data files used by ENVLJ, versions 5.0 through 5.12 into the format used by 7.xx. To use, type: CONVERT <file.ext> where <file.exe> is the name of your version 5.xx data file (usually ENVLJ.DAT). The program will rename your data file (giving it the extension ".BAK") and build a new data file. ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 12 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Appendix B The Menus General Menu: Quit! Exit to DOS Print! Print the envelope on this screen Clear! Erase the screen and reset defaults Options Use the data file set defaults, etc. Address Work with Addresses Mailing Select a mailing address Return Select a return address Batch Print a batch of envelopes Add Add current address to file Edit Edit an address already on file Delete Delete an address from the file Envelope Work with Envelopes Select Select envelope type Add Add an envelope to file Edit Edit an envelope already on file Delete Delete an envelope from the file Font Work with Fonts Select Select font type Add Add a font to file Edit Edit a font already on file Delete Delete a font from the file Defaults Choose default settings Font Set the default font Envelope Set the default envelope Return Address Set the default return address Printer Control landscape, manual feed, add'l setup string Grid! Print an alignment grid Load! Use another data file Compress! Removed deleted data from the file Info! Information about this program ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 13 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved. Batch Printing Menu: Print! Print the selected envelope(s) All Print ALL addresses No I've had second thoughts about this Yes Print them Return! Return to the 'main' screen Load! Load addresses from another data file Quit! Exit to DOS ENVLJ - Version 7.37 Page 14 Copyright 1988-1990, Steven D. Stern. All Rights Reserved.