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READ.ME
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1990-06-26
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SIMPLE SQUEEZE PRINT
The versions of this program listed below are placed in the
public domain, without any warranty against damage to user's
equipment, paper, data, or software, or any thing that is the user's.
If in doubt, read the instructions.
One of the most useful programs for PC users is Paul Dawson's
Squeeze Print, which produces highly compressed printouts of ASCII
files on an Epson-compatible printer. I found in practice that I
only wanted to use one format (160 characters wide, double column,
four 66-line blocks to a page), and I wanted:
1. a version which would run under TRSDOS 6.x, CP/M, and generic
MS-DOS as well as PC-DOS;
2. a form feed at the end of every page, so that the printout did
not overrun the perforations on tractor-feed paper;
3. to print long lines without their being truncated or
overprinting the second column;
4. to print several files in a single run;
5. a version which would not grab too much memory when run on a PC
under multi-tasking utilities.
Simple Squeeze Print is the result. It still requires an
Epson-compatible printer.
The MS-DOS ZIP archive includes the following:
Name Length Date Time CRC-32
---- ------ ---- ---- ------
1. SMPSQZGW.BAS 2845 26-06-90 10:26 256f74f0
2. SMPSQZM2.EXE 17920 26-06-90 10:17 fcda01eb
3. SMPSQZPR.EXE 17792 26-06-90 10:19 4c1dd1df
------- -------
3 38557
1 is a GWbasic version which should run on any PC clone.
3 is the standard version for Generic MS-DOS, including PCs.
2 is a version to cope with extra long lines (more than 255
characters).
Do not LZEXE the EXE files; they won't run properly.
The program is very basic (no pun intended): there's not much
error checking; there are no command-line switches; it won't
display the directory or allow you to tag files to be printed: you
have to type the names in at the prompt. Up to ten files may be
printed in one run; there will be a form feed at the end of each
file. If you want the printout to run on without a page break at
the end of each file, unite the files with a text editor before
printing them.
SOME POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
1. Non-ASCII files
Simple Squeeze Print is NOT designed to print fancy
word-processor files with embedded control strings, or any other
non-ASCII text files. Such files will cause the printer to behave
unpredictably and will probably waste paper. Files should be pure
ASCII and each line of text should end with a carriage return -
line feed sequence (on TRSDOS 6.x, a carriage return only).
SMPSQZM2.EXE provides for files which end lines consistently with
EITHER a carriage return, OR a line feed, OR both, but no version
can handle buckshee carriage returns and line feeds predictably.
2. Line and Column wrapping
All versions should wrap lines of between 80 and 255 characters
so that text is not lost. This is character wrapping, not word
wrapping, so that words may be broken at the ends of lines of the
printout. There is no guarantee that long lines will wrap
correctly if they happen to fall at a break between upper and
lower blocks on the page, or across page breaks, on the printout.
If the text ends in a left-hand column, that column will be
shortened and the text balanced across two columns. If the text
ends in a right-hand column, the columns won't balance.
Some early versions would, when more than one file was printed
and one of the later files ended in balanced columns, print a couple
of lines from an earlier file at then end of the later one.
I hope that I have fixed this in this release. If I haven't, please
let me know.
3. Very long lines
The behaviour of all versions when trying to print files with
lines longer than 255 characters is unpredictable:
a. The GWbasic, TRSDOS, and CP/M versions will probably break
the line at the 255th character and start a new line ranged left.
b. The standard generic MS-DOS version (SMPSQZPR.EXE) will
CRASH HORRIBLY at an UNPREDICTABLE point in the process (which may
make you think there is something wrong with your hardware, or
that you've got a virus). This is owing to a nasty bug in the
M*CR*S*FT compiler which I had to use. If such a crash happens, try
SMPSQZM2.EXE instead.
c. The alternative generic MS-DOS version (SMPSQZM2.EXE)
should get round this problem, though it may not cope with lines
which happen to fall across a block or page break. You will have
to choose between using a carriage return or a line feed as the
line-end delimiter; if all lines end with CRLF you can choose
either without loss of text (except perhaps at a block break).
This program is a little slower than the standard version: don't
be alarmed if text doesn't start to appear instantly.
I hope that someone finds Simple Squeeze Print useful.
Christopher Currie
20, 26 June 1990