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- Perfect Software
- by Wayne Haisten
-
- This month let's take the plunge and learn to install Perfect
- Writer to properly operate a printer. Of course its impossible to cover
- every conceivable printer, so we'll install the Smith-Corona TP-I
- Printer. If you look over how it was done for that printer, you should
- be able to get the idea of how it is installed and modify the directions
- to your specific printer. The main point to be made is that the format
- given below allows you to format your file on the screen and except for
- boldface and underscore, you will see exactly what the printed page will
- look like to include page breaks, margins, justifications, etc. That's
- important. You will have to print your document only one time and it
- will not only save time, it will save printer ribbons and wear and tear
- on your printer. Here, then, is how it is done - step-by-step. The
- information after the ":" is what you enter at the keyboard. Of course,
- "return" means just hit the carriage return.
-
- PERFECT WRITER INSTALLATION
- PROTOCOL FOR TP-I PRINTER
-
- The printer configuration program uses a program on your
- installation disk named PFCONFIG.COM. This program gathers material
- regarding printer configuration and stores it in a special file named
- PF.DAT. Note that this file comes from Perfect already full of printer
- definitions, and if any more are to be added, it is necessary to delete
- one or more existing definitions first. The PF.DAT file must be present
- when you use your printer or Perfect will not understand how to send it
- data. The following installation procedures result in an edit disk
- suited for writing a book and make all opening instruction in text files
- unnecessary. The text will be 51 lines to the page and the line length
- will be 55 characters. The margins will be one and a half inch on each
- side and margins will be justified.
-
- A. Copy the MASTER Installation disk.
-
- B. Copy the MASTER Edit disk.
-
- C. Sysgen (write CP/M to) both new disks.
-
- D. Place the newly created Edit disk in drive A and the newly
- created Installation disk in drive B.
-
- E. Give the system a "cold start" by pressing reset.
-
- F. After getting the "A>," type "B:pfconfig" and hit "return".
-
- 1) To the question "Wish to change Edit disks?" Answer "NO".
-
- 2) Select No. 2, "Define printer types".
-
- 3) Select No. 1, "List the currently defined printer types". Look them
- over. Note that one printer type MUST BE DELETED to make room for your
- new printer definition. Choose one to be deleted. Type any character to
- return to the next level, and delete the printer definition by selecting
- option No. 4, "Delete printer definition". When it asks the name of the
- printer to delete, respond with your selection.
-
- 4) When the prompt says "O.K. to delete printer definition?" Answer
- "Yes".
-
- 5) Select option No. 1, "List currently defined printer types," and
- verify that the selected type has in fact been deleted.
-
- 6) Return to the next level by typing any character and select No. 2,
- "Define a new printer type".
-
- 7) When the prompt asks the name of the new printer type, respond
- "TP-I".
-
- G. The specific steps to follow in selecting a new printer are as
- follows:
-
- 1) Paper Width: 21590 micas.
-
- 2) Paper Height: 27940 micas.
-
- 3) Standard character width: 254 micas.
-
- 4) Height of a single-spaced line: 423 micas.
-
- 5) Smallest Horizontal movement: 254 micas.
-
- 6) Smallest Vertical movement: 423 micas.
-
- 7) Proportionally spaced font/printwheel? No.
-
- 8) There may be no number 8, or there may be an 8 that says Character
- Width: return.
-
- 9) Generate on-line readable output? No.
-
- 10) Initial paper offset: 0.
-
- 11) Special Printer code: 1.
-
- 12) Use Control-H for backspace? Yes.
-
- 13) Use Carriage return (Control-M) for bare carriage return? No.
-
- 14) Use form feed (Control-L) for form feed? No.
-
- 15) Type of Synchronization protocol: 1.
-
- 16) Translate character on output? No.
-
- 17) Translation Table? No.
-
- 18) Initialization string: Just respond with "return"
-
- 19) Reset String: "return"
-
- 20) New line string: " Control Q", "return", "return". Note this will
- yield a "control M" as follows: "^M".
-
- 21) Boldface on string: return.
-
- 22) Boldface off: return.
-
- 23) Italics on string: return.
-
- H. Return to the previous level.
-
- I. Select "1," "List Currently defined printer types," and verify that
- TP-I has been listed as a newly defined printer type.
-
- J. Return to the previous level by typing any character.
-
- K. Select "5" - "Select the default printer type".
-
- L. Name of the default printer type: "TP-I".
-
- M. Name of printer type for console: "Console".
-
- N. "Update existing printer definition," and when it asks for the name
- of the printer to be edited, respond "Console". Change the "Console"
- definitions so that they match the definitions for the TP-I. This is
- necessary so that "what you see on the screen is what you get on the
- printer". Specifically:
-
- 1) Paper width: 21590 micas.
-
- 2) Paper height: 27940 micas.
-
- 3) Standard Character: 254.
-
- 4) Height of Single spaced line: 423.
-
- 5) Smallest Horizontal movement: 254.
-
- 6) Smallest vertical movement: 423.
-
- 7) Proportionally spaced font? No.
-
- 8) Generate on-line readable output? Yes. (You MUST enter yes to
- this question.)
-
- 9) Return to the main menu by entering "Control-G" and then
- selecting option 6.
-
- P. Select "3". "Select Default style parameters".
- 1) Topmargin: 0.
- 2) Bottommargin: 3598 micas.
- 3) Leftmargin: 3810 micas.
- 4) Rightmargin: 3810 micas.
- 5) Space between heading: 1270 micas.
- 6) Space between bottom and footing 1270 micas.
- 7) Line spacing: 10.
- 8) Space between paragraphs: 423 micas.
- 9) Amount to indent: 1270 micas.
- 10) Tab spacing in Characters: 8.
- 11) Justify? Yes.
- 12) Footnotes: End.
- 13) Superscript? No.
- 14) Extra Vertical space? No.
- 15) Full level sectioning? Yes.
- 16) Vertical space: 423 micas
- 17) Vertical space below: 423 micas.
- 18) End space: 5000 Bytes.
-
- Q. Type "control-G".
-
- R. Select option No. 6. "Exit Configuration Program".
-
- S. CONGRATULATIONS! You have just configured Perfect Writer to
- the Smith-Corona TP-1 printer.
-
- Think about this. It is possible to delete all the pre-defined printer
- types on the COPY above. SAVE THE MASTER! When you do, you can redefine
- seven or eight variations for your one printer. One is justified; one is
- without right margin justification; one is block paragraph; one is
- indented paragraph; one has endspace; one has no endspace, etc. THEN
- WHEN YOU SEND YOUR DATA TO THE PRINTER - DO NOT SELECT THE DEFAULT
- PRINTER TYPE. SELECT THE ONE THAT IS THE FORMAT YOU WANT. Be sure you
- have named them something meaningful like Just; non-just; indent;
- non-indent; etc. The point is - Perfect Writer doesn't know or care
- that all those "different" printer definitions are really the same
- printer with different style outputs.
-
- Perfect Writing!