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TYPESETTER PC
by
Len Dorfman & Dennis Young
Copyright (c) 1987
by XLENT Incorporated,
Len Dorfman & Dennis Young
All Rights Reserved
TYPESETTER PC is a SHAREWARE program. Any contributions for the
use of this program are appreciated and should be sent to:
XLEnt Software
P.O. BOX 847
Springfield, Virginia 22150
U.S.A.
TYPESETTER PC SOFTWARE, DOCUMENTATION AND ARTWORK ARE COPYRIGHT
1987 BY XLENT INCORPORATED, LEN DORFMAN AND DENNIS YOUNG. THIS
PRODUCT IS PROTECTED BY INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAWS AND ALL
RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.
You are granted a limited license to use, copy and distribute
TYPESETTER PC provided that:
1. No fee is charged for the copying and distributing of
TYPESETTER PC, and
2. TYPESETTER PC is distributed in its original, unmodified
format.
You may not use this product in a commercial environment or
governmental organization without paying a license fee of $30.00.
Site and commercial distribution licenses are available. Please
go to the end of the manual for more details.
XLEnt Software and any parties authorized to distribute this
product make no expressed or implied warranties regarding this
manual and software, their quality, merchantability, performance
or fitness for any particular use. It is the user's
responsibility to determine suitability for any particular use.
Every effort has been made to supply complete and accurate
information.
Update Policy - Please send in your registration card. Our
software artists continually update and revise our software
packages. By registering your software, we will be able to
notify you of future revisions and updates. Please go to the end
of the manual for more details.
Acknowledgements
Typesetter PC is dedicated to the families of Len and Dennis, who
have supported them through the late nights, early mornings and
long weekends.
Many thanks to Jim Frye, Johnny Masuda, Jennifer B. Brabson,
Michael C. Barnes, Barbara A. Calderon, Linda K. Kubota-Barnes
and everyone else who helped shape this product. Thanks also to
the manufacturers who loaned us equipment.
Manual written by Michael C. Barnes.
Epson is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc.
WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation.
Dr. Halo is a registered trademark of Media Cybernetics, Inc.
WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro, Inc.
Hercules and Ramfont are registered trademarks of Hercules, Inc.
Microsoft Mouse is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DESKTOP PUBLISHING? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
ARCHITECTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
JUST MESSING AROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
TEXT FUNCTIONS--Detailed Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
F3 MiniDos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
F5-Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
F6-Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Additional Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
GRAPHICS MODE FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Direct Command Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Mouse Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Graphics Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
F1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
F2-Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
F2 Flexible Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
A Spline Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
F3 Graphic Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
F5 Fat Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
F3-Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Direct Function Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
USING OTHER GRAPHICS PACKAGES WITH TYPESETTER PC . . . . . . 36
THE FUTURE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
SITE LICENSE AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
ORDER FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
INTRODUCTION
Thank you very much for trying Typesetter PC (TS PC). It is very
likely that this is the first XLEnt Software product that you
have tried unless you have previously owned an Atari Computer.
As you are now a new friend, the staff of XLEnt Software wants
you to know a bit more about the history of XLEnt Software.
XLEnt Software was founded in 1983 to market a product called
MegaFont on the Atari 8-Bit computers. When we released
MegaFont, Atari was releasing a new line of computers called the
"XL line." We named the company after our desire to create
truly excellent software; spelling excellent, XLEnt, to show our
support for Atari's new "XL" computers. XLEnt Software later
developed versions of MegaFont for MS-DOS based computers and the
new line of Atari ST computers.
MegaFont is a very successful product. After four years on the
market, it still is one of the better selling products on the
Atari 8-bit computers. During the last few years, XLEnt Software
has released many other successful printer utilities, creating a
line of software billed as "XLEnt's Printware Series". XLEnt
Software produces utilities for Print Shop and Print Master, as
well as a word processor that can use multiple fonts and mix text
and graphics, a very high resolution page print program and a
special utility to create logo's, letterheads, and printed
ICONS.
When the Atari 8-bit version of Typesetter was released, it was
the first program we were aware of that created a page in the
same manner as one might create a large spreadsheet, working on a
small portion of the page at a time. Other products worked with
single screens that were later pieced together like a puzzle.
The technique that we pioneered on the Atari, is now employed by
some of the most sophisticated desktop publishing packages on the
market.
Typesetter for the Atari 8-bit computer was truly ahead of its
time and is one of the best selling products for Atari's 8-bit
computer. Typesetter was moved to the ST line of computers in
1985 (Atari's low-cost MacIntosh-like computer). A GEM based
version of Typesetter for the ST, Typesetter Elite, was released
in 1986.
Typesetter PC represents the most mature product that Len and
Dennis have ever written. Until now, XLEnt Software has avoided
the MS DOS market as we believed that surely the market that we
were addressing on the Atari computers was being met in a market
as large as the MS DOS world. After a year of seeing products
that were inferior to our 8 bit effort being released at high
prices, XLEnt Software decided to throw our hat into the ring.
We did not make a hasty decision to enter the PC market just to
make money, our goal is to make magic. We hope that you will
regard TS PC as indispensable.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING?
Just what is TS PC? Is it in fact a Desktop Publishing product?
Is it a print program or a screen dump program? TS PC is an
evolution of an effort that has been underway at XLEnt Software
for nearly four years. TS PC is not a program that has been
written to directly compete with any other program. Instead, TS
PC represents the best that we know how to program and the best
printer output that can be achieved from a low-cost dot matrix
printer.
TS PC is not geared to utilize the intelligence of more expensive
laser printers, instead, TS PC fully utilizes the computer's CPU
to push low-cost dot matrix printers to limits not realized with
other products.
Most desktop publishing packages are designed to operate on
systems that consist of a scanner, expensive laser printer with
some type of page definition language, an 80386 or 80286 based
CPU with a hard disk and 2 to 3 MB of EMS RAM and a software
package that goes for just under $1,000. These systems are
capable of remarkable results. However, the total cost for such
a system is often in excess of $13,000. Still, considering the
capabilities of such systems, there is certainly a big market for
them.
On the low-cost end, most software products are designed to
either produce signs and cards or newsletters. Typically, these
products are easy to use, produce attractive results and are
priced under $100. However, all of these products produce output
that Is obviously generated with a dot matrix printer. Most of
these products either provide the only artwork that can be used
with the product, or force you into purchasing all additional
graphics or artwork. Usually, fonts are of limited resolution
and varieties. While these products are certainly useful, they
cannot be considered substitutes for or even entry level systems
to desktop publishing.
An important design goal for Typesetter PC was to produce a
product that was capable of generating multiple fonts and
graphics without relying on any other products. The most
important capability of Typesetter PC is its ability to produce
output that in many cases can be substituted for pages created
with an expensive desktop publishing system. All that is
required to achieve this capability is any MS DOS compatible
system with 512 KB RAM, graphics card, and Epson graphics
compatible printer, will be able to utilize Typesetter PC.
TS PC features the ability to create custom sized printouts so
that it can be used to create labels, business, index and Rolodex
cards. There are two different printout resolutions provided.
The standard printout lets you print with 960 x 695 pixel
resolution. This is greater than a half million pixel elements.
A double strike option is provided to produce darker output.
One of the best features found in TS PC is its ability to
generate Near Laser Output. If the Near Laser Output options is
selected, Typesetter PC can produce a page with 1920 x 1392
pixels. That's 2,672,640 pixels! This is the absolute limit of
the Epson FX 80 and compatible printers. This translates to 245
x 145 dots per inch. Other products claiming to be entry level
desktop publishing systems costing three times the price of TS PC
only drive the Epson to 72 x 72 dots per inch. Typesetter PC
utilizes a mathematical algorithm to rescale the image in memory
to produce the highest printer output. At the end of each
printed line, the computer will process the graphic image to
smooth out the curves, increase the resolution, and rescale the
image to the printer. An additional design goal that is found
in all Typesetter products is that you are provided a "what you
see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) environment.
ARCHITECTURE
Typesetter PC provides you with a small view of the full page via
the screen or viewport. The page is moved under the viewport to
give you full access to all sections of the page. You may move
around by typing and allowing the page to scroll beneath the
viewport or by using the SHIFT options to move the viewport
quickly over any portion of the screen.
Typesetter PC toggles between the Text and Graphics set of Menu
boxes. Instead of copying the traditional interface used on the
MacIntosh and our products running on the Atari ST, Len and
Dennis decided to create a user interface that was unique. Both
Len and Dennis have extensive experience programming drop down
windows, however, due to the unusually high number of options
provided in Typesetter PC, they chose to provide a unique but
friendly interface that offered more user instructions than found
in drop down window style programs.
You toggle between the Text and Graphics modes by pressing
function key F1. The text mode provides you with three different
font options. Two of the fonts are bit mapped fonts. The other
font is a stroked font (sometimes called a vectorized font). The
following is a list of the three font styles:
DEFAULT MAPPED FONT An 8 x 8 matrix font that uses the same
architecture as the default screen matrix. The Default font is
the smallest font available. This font behaves in the manner of
the standard PC fonts which allow 80 characters by 25 lines of
text per screen.
GRAPHICS FONTS These fonts can be designed by purchasing the
Metagraphics "Graphics Font Editor". These fonts can be made as
large as required with the Metagraphics "Graphics Font Editor" so
long as the font becomes no larger than 32 KB. A variety of
graphic font styles have been provided with TS PC.
STROKED FONTS Stroked fonts are also known as vectorized fonts.
These fonts are not stored as bit-mapped images as are the other
two font types provided with TS PC. STROKED FONTS are actually
drawn or plotted to the screen. These fonts are based on
mathematical formulas rather than fixed forms. These fonts can
be resized, slanted and angled. Metagraphics also markets a
Stroked font editor.
The bit-mapped fonts offer a variety of options such as bold,
italics, underlined, strikeout, reverse, overlay and replace. A
new feature found in this version Typesetter PC is the ability to
use proportional fonts. These proportional fonts are very
similar to the fonts found on the Macintosh. In fact, many of
the fonts in the XLEnt Font Library were derived from public
domain Macintosh font disks. All operations from the text mode
must be executed using the keyboard. Function key F10 will
activate a help window at any time.
The Graphics mode is literally a stand-alone paint program. With
this option, you can create drawings that can be incorporated
into the final printouts. The Graphics mode of TS PC includes
all of the expected options: Draw, Drawto, K-Line, Seed fills,
Spray can, Rays, etc. It also has some unexpected features such
as: Spline, Polygon draw, Rounded rectangle, Copy, Drag, and
Silly putty modes. Additionally, instead of the standard
bit-manipulations associated with most drawing packages, TS PC is
very math intensive. The Fat Bit mode (ZOOM) redraws the edited
portion in such a way as to mimic an anti-aliasing function
(removes the jagged edges).
Both the Text and Graphics modes of TS PC have an UNDO feature.
If at any time between new windows being selected, you want to
UNDO any operation, you simply has to press "ALT F10" and the
screen is returned to the state of the last window selection. If
you are satisfied with the screen, you can lock the screen into
place by pressing "ALT F9".
GETTING STARTED
NOTE: Do not try to run Typesetter PC with any RAM
resident programs. This includes printer drivers, spoolers, RAM
disks, desktop programs etc.
If the hard disk is set up to load in other programs, boot from a
floppy to run TS PC. TS PC is not copy-protected. This is to
your advantage. Please do not violate the copyright by giving
out copies of TS PC. XLEnt Software strongly feels that you
have a right to make backup copies for their personal use.
Unlike most companies, we grant you the right to use this product
on multiple machines provided that only one copy of the product
is being operated at a time. This means that you may use this
product at home and at work, however, while you are home, this
product cannot be used by someone else at work and vice versa.
If you have a hard disk, create a directory for TS PC by typing:
MD TS
Change the directory to TS PC by typing:
CD \TS
Copy all of the files contained on the disk(s) provided with the
TS PC package to the TS directory.
COPY A:*.* C:*.*
If you have a floppy disk system, use the DISKCOPY.COM utility
found on the MS DOS disk to make backups of any of the disks
provided in the TS PC package. Use only the backup disks and put
the original disks away for safe keeping. If for any reason, all
copies of your program get destroyed, or you want to upgrade to
a newer version of TS PC, simply return your original disk(s) and
$10.00 per disk to XLEnt Software at P.O. Box 847, Springfield,
Virginia 22150.
To boot TS PC, place the program disk in drive A or if you have a
hard disk system, change the directory to TS by typing "CD \TS".
To activate Typesetter PC, simply type TS. This causes a batch
file to load two programs. The first program is a RAM resident
utility used by Typesetter PC called Metawindows. After
Metawindows is loaded, TS PC will be loaded. After the title
screen is displayed, simply press return to get started.
JUST MESSING AROUND
Before getting serious with TS PC, let's just cruise around some
of its features. The first selection that you need to make is
what type of Mouse or input device you will use. All the options
are still functional even if you don't use a mouse. However, the
keyboard does not provide the same flexibility to draw with as
does a mouse. As a matter of fact, using the keyboard to draw
might be tedious.
Press F1 a few times. Notice that the labels at the bottom of
the screen change as you do this. F1 will switch between the
graphics and text modes. When the lower left label displays
TEXT, you are in the graphics mode. In this mode, the mouse is
fully functional. Moving the mouse cursor down to F2 GRAPHICS
and clicking on the mouse button will activate the first graphics
instructional menu. You may make selections with the mouse or by
pressing the appropriate function key.
Pressing F1 will now place you in the text mode. From this mode,
the mouse will not function. Instead you can place text on the
screen.
The different font types are activated by pressing ALT F1, ALT F2
or ALT F3. Pressing F10 will activate a HELP window at any time.
Activate the HELP screen by pressing F10. Notice that the HELP
window provides a list of actions provided by various keyboard
inputs. Look at the top left of the HELP window. There is a
list of the functions provided by use of the ALT key. Look at
the functions provided by ALT F1-F3. These are the various FONT
types provided with TS PC. By pressing one of these ALT plus
function key combinations, the font type that is displayed on the
screen is changed. The font types are:
ALT F1 Default Mapped Font
ALT F2 Stroked Font
ALT F3 Elective Mapped Font
Return to the TEXT mode by pressing "RETURN".
Hit "RETURN" to move the cursor down one line. Now press ALT F1
to activate the built in font. Now type "Now is the time for all
good men to come to the aid of their country". Press "RETURN".
Now press ALT F3. Press "RETURN" again. Type "Now is the time
for all good men to come to the aid of their country". Look at
the screen. You will notice that the second font is larger and
smoother than the first. However, both of these fonts are bit
mapped.
Now press ALT F2. Hit "RETURN". Now type "Vectorized Fonts".
Press F3. A menu box will appear which provides you with "Stroke
Text Options". Press ALT H until the three digit height counter
reads 010 pts. Press ALT W until the three digit width counter
reads 014 pts. Notice that while you are adjusting the height
and width, an "A" in the right box will change in size. Press
"RETURN". Now type "Same font, different size". Press F3 again.
Press ALT S until the three digit slant counter reads 350 degs.
Press "RETURN". Now type "This is slanted text". Press F3.
Adjust the Height until the three digit counter displays 030 pts.
Adjust the three digit width counter to display 030 pts. Using
ALT D, adjust the three digit direction counter to display 026
degs. Press "RETURN".
We will return to the "Stroke Font" in just a bit. Now we are
going to learn a little about the Typesetter page. Up till now,
we have only worked on a screen. However, this is just a small
portion of the full page. Press F6. This is the PRINT function.
A menu box will appear titled Printout Size Options. For now, we
are only interested in the F9 function which is a Print Preview.
Press F9. In a few seconds, a rectangle will appear on the
screen. Inside the rectangle on the top left will appear bit
representations of the text that you just typed on the screen.
Notice that this is only a small portion of the space available
on the full page. Up on the top left, there is a message that
states "KEY F1 for Shifter". Press F1. A smaller rectangle will
appear inside the larger rectangle. This rectangle represents
the "Viewport" or the screen that was viewed last. If you have a
mouse, move it and you will see the smaller rectangle move. If
not, use the cursor keys. Move the smaller rectangle to a clean
area and press "RETURN". The screen will be blank.
Move your cursor to about the middle of the screen. Press ALT F2
to activate the Stroke Font. Now type "For Sale". I don't mean
to brag, but you have to admit that was really neat. The words
"For Sale" should appear at an angle on the screen. Press F5 to
invoke the Shift Menu Box. The Viewport is marked on the screen
by the smaller rectangle. Notice that there are no bit
representations on this screen as there were in the previous
Print Preview function. The reason is the Shift function does
not require any formatting of data and is therefore faster to
use. Press the HOME key. Notice that the Viewport is at the top
left of the screen. Press END. The Viewport moved to the lower
left. The mouse or the cursor keys can move the rectangle
anywhere on the page. Press HOME. Press "RETURN". The Viewport
now displays the text that was typed originally into the first
screen.
With the information that we have provided in this last section,
you should be able to begin a pure text layout. We suggest that
you experiment with the functions previously described before
going to the next section.
TEXT Functions--Detailed Overview
Make sure that TS PC is in the Text Mode by checking that the F1
label at the bottom of the screen displays F1-Graphics.
At the bottom of the screen, there is a line separating various
commands as follows:
F1-GRAPHICS F2-BIT FONT F3-STROKED FONT F4-DISK I/O F5-SHIFT F6-PRINT
F1-Graphics activates the Text and Graphics modes by toggling between
the two.
F2-Bit Mapped calls up the menu of options for Fonts activated by ALT
F1 and ALT F3. Pressing F2 activates the Mapped Font Options menu box.
A larger rectangle provides the various options and a smaller rectangle
at the bottom left of the screen displays the results of these options.
The following is a description of the Mapped Font Options:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Mapped Font Options ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ Off F1-> Bold ║
║ Off F2-> Strikeout ║
║ Off F3-> Italics ║
║ ║
║ F4-> Underline:Off ║
║ F5-> Under gap:Off ║
║ F6-> Path: <R> u l d ║
║ F7-> Default Map Font ║
║ F8->Proportional ║
║ F9/ALT F9-> Space Width ║
║ ║
║ Write Mode: ║
║ ║
║ F10 Normal Replace ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed or ESC to exit ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝
F1 turns the Bold text option on and off. Notice the effect that this
mode has on the two characters in the smaller box. On a printed page,
text entered in the Bold option will be printed darker.
F2 turns the Strikeout option on and off. Notice the effect that this
has on the two characters in the smaller box. On a printed page, text
entered in the Strikeout option will be printed with a line through the
middle of the text.
F3 turns the Italics option on and off. Notice the effect that this
has on the two characters in the smaller box. On a printed page, text
entered in the Italics option, will appear slanted. When in the
Italics mode, make sure that F8 has been pressed to select the Normal
Overlay option.
F4 turns the Underline option on and off. Notice the effect that this
has on the two characters in the smaller box. On a printed page, text
entered in the Underline option, will be printed with a line under the
text. Pressing F4 will increase the distance of the line under the
text.
F5 turns on the underline gap. This allows descenders to break through
an underline. There are three different gap sizes. The largest gap is
indicated by the <3> symbol to the right of Underline Gap:. <1> and
<2> indicate smaller gaps.
F6 changes the direction of the cursor movement. The default setting
is <R> for cursor to the right. Other options include <U> for cursor
up, <L> for cursor left and <D> for cursor down.
F7 toggles between the built in 8 x 8 bit mapped font and the Elective
Map Font that is activated by pressing ALT F3. To illustrate how this
function works, press F7 to display the default Elected Map Font.
Press "RETURN". Now press F4 to activate the Disk I/O menu box. Press
F1 to activate the Load file options. Press "RETURN" to proceed.
Press F5 to load a bit mapped font. Press "RETURN" to proceed.
Select the Function key that represents SYSTEM35.FNT. Press "RETURN".
Press F2. Notice that a different larger font now appears in the lower
box. However, all of the described functions will work with this or
any bit mapped font that is loaded.
F8 toggles between the Proportional and Fixed Space options for fonts.
Proportional fonts are fonts that the spaces between letters very from
character to character. Fixed Spaced Fonts are fonts each character
occupies the exact same space. Fixed Space fonts are easier to deal
with as back spacing will erase the entire character. Proportional
fonts are erased a pixel at a time. Additionally, Fixed Spaced fonts
must be used when loading text files that have been formatted with
Typesetter Interface.
F9 adjust the space between words. ALT F9 will reduce the white space
between words when proportional fonts are used, F9 will increase the
white space.
F10 Allows you to choose from a variety of write modes for the bit
mapped fonts. The default mode.
Normal Replace. In normal replace mode, when you type over graphics or
other text, it will erase the underlying graphics or text.
The following write modes are available from the Mapped Font Options
menu box:
┌────────────────┐
│ Normal Replace │
│ Normal Overlay │
│ Normal Invert │
│ Normal Erase │
│ Inverse Replace│
│ Inverse Overlay│
│ Inverse Invert │
│ Inverse Erase │
└────────────────┘
Normal Replace puts a character on the screen by erasing what is
beneath the character cell. This is the normal mode of entering text.
Backspacing will erase the previous character.
Normal Overlay puts a character on the screen by overlaying what is
beneath the character cell. Text can be overlaid over graphics or
other text. Backspacing will not erase the previous character.
Normal Invert places the character on the screen by reversing the
background color. If text is entered on the screen in a blank area,
the text will appear as if it were Normal Replace. However, if text is
typed over a filled area or an area which has graphics, the text will
inverse the background. Using text in this fashion is very effective
for attracting attention to specific portions of text.
Normal Erase is very similar to Normal Invert. The major difference is
that while this mode will print characters inverted over filled areas
or graphics, it will not place text on a blank part of the page.
Inverse Replace will place a character on the screen with its character
cell outlined. Text entered to the screen in this mode will print a
black border around white text. On the screen, the text will be
outlined by a white box. Headlines can be created in this mode.
Additionally, this mode writes over any text or graphics which is
beneath the character cell.
Inverse Overlay works the same as Inverse Replace except that it will
overlay text or graphics beneath the character cell.
Inverse Invert will place a white border around the text when typed to
the screen on a blank section of the page (this will be printed as a
black border around white text). If characters are typed over a filled
area, the characters will appear the same as normal replace text and
will appear with a black border around white text (printed as black
text in a white box).
Inverse Erase will operate exactly the same as Inverse Invert when text
is typed over a filled area. However, no text will appear on the
screen if typed to a blank portion of the page.
F3-Stroked font. In the Just Messing Around section, we had fun with
this option. The following is a detailed list of functions provided in
this mode:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Stroked Text Options ║
║ ║
║ F1-> <Standard> ║
║ F2-> <Overlay> ║
║ F3-> <Proportional> ║
║ H/Alt H Height 016 pts. ║
║ W/Alt W Width 024 pts. ║
║ S/Alt S Slant 000 degs. ║
║ D/Alt D Direction 000 degs. ║
║ ║
║ Use OVERLAY when Slant or Angle ║
║ functions are other than 0 deg. ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed or ESC to exit ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
F1 switches between directly typing text to the screen or into a
preview box when using the stroked font. In the standard mode, you
simply type and the text will appear on the screen. As stroked fonts
can be slanted and are a bit more difficult to erase, an option to type
the text into a "preview" box is available. Hitting the RETURN key
will place the text on the screen starting at the cursor position.
F2 toggles between the Overlay and Replace modes. In the Overlay mode,
text does not overwrite the area beneath the character cell. In the
Replace mode, text will overwrite the area beneath the character cell.
NOTE: The Overlay mode must be used if the Slant or Angle is set at
more than 0 degrees.
F3 toggles between characters having fixed or proportional spacing.
H and ALT H increase or decrease the height of the character. The
maximum height is 180 points. The "A" in the right rectangle
represents the modifications being made on the stroked fonts.
W and ALT W increase or decrease the width of the character. The
maximum width is 200 points. The representation of the "A" will change
as the width is changed.
S and ALT S adjust the slant of the character in degrees. Characters
can be slanted forward or backwards. The slant option does not affect
the direction of the text, only the angle of the character itself. The
"A" in the small middle rectangle in the lower right of the Stroked
Text Options menu box represents the slant and direction of the
character.
D and ALT D adjust the direction of the text in degrees. This allows
you to place text that is not positioned in a straight line. The "A"
in the small middle rectangle in the lower right of the Stroked Text
Options menu box represents the slant and direction of the character.
Once again, stroked fonts are the same as vectorized fonts. They are
mathematically sized given your size selections. Vectorized fonts look
good when blown up and are ideal for creating headlines and large text.
Vectorized fonts can be made solid by using the Seed Fill option in the
Graphics Mode.
NOTE: Remember, ALT F10 will UNDO all the changes made since the last
menu box appeared or ALT F9 was pressed. To lock in anything you want
to remain permanent, press ALT F9.
F4-Disk I/O All disk operations are performed by selecting F4.
Additionally, this operation provides a mini-DOS and is the proper exit
path for quitting TS PC. Selecting F4 will activate the Disk
Input/Output menu box with the following commands:
╔════════════════════════════════╗
║ Disk Input/Output ║
║ ║
║ F1-> Load file options ║
║ F2-> Save file options ║
║ F3-> MiniDos ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚════════════════════════════════╝
Selecting F1, F2 or F3 will activate additional menu boxes.
Pressing F1 and then "RETURN" from the Disk Input/Output menu window
will activate the Load File menu box.
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Load File Options ║
║ ║
║ F1-> Load full page ║
║ F2-> Load screen ║
║ F3-> Load screen icon ║
║ F5-> Load bit mapped font ║
║ F6-> Load stroked font ║
║ F7-> Load Text80 page ║
║ F8-> Load Text120 page ║
║ ║
║ F9-> <REPLACE> overlay ║
║ ║
║ OVERLAY may be used when loading ║
║ F2 :: F3 :: F4 :: F7 ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
F1 activates the Full page load menu box. A full page is the file
that represents the entire page designed by Typesetter PC. The file is
a maximum of 83520 bytes long. Below is a description of the File
Selector box used in Typesetter PC for all load and save operations:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Load Typesetter page ║
║ ║
║ F1-> FILENAM1.PAG ║
║ F2-> FILENAM2.PAG ║
║ F3-> FILENAM3.PAG ║
║ F4-> ║
║ F5-> ║
║ F6-> ║
║ F7-> ║
║ F8-> ║
║ ║
║ Path:C:\ ║
║ Filename: ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
To load a file, press the function key that is to the left of the file
desired. If there are more files available than fit in the window, use
the down cursor key to scroll through the available files. Once the
function key is pressed, the filename will appear just below the label
"Filename:." You can alternately type in the filename. Press
"RETURN" to load the file into memory.
All the file types are loaded in the same manner as the Typesetter
page. The following is a description of the other file types that can
be loaded using options F2 thru F8 of the F4 Load File menu box.
F2 loads in a screen's worth of information. Screens created with the
Hercules version are not compatible with screens created with the CGA
system. However, a screen can be saved as an entire page to exchange
data between the two different resolutions. The CGA version uses the
standard BLOAD/BSAVE graphics standard to load and save screen
information.
BEAM IT is a RAM resident utility available from XLEnt Software that
will capture any graphics screen and save it in Typesetter screen
format. It is included in the TS PC package. There is a version of
this program for CGA (CBEAM), Hercules (HBEAM), EGA (EBEAM) and VGA
(VBEAM). To use BEAM IT, load the program prior to running the
graphics package that generates the desired screen. When you see the
screen you want to capture, press CTRL B. The screens will
automatically be saved and numbered in the order that the screens were
captured. As many graphics packages work with a positive screen image
(black drawn on a white screen), CBEAM, HBEAM and EBEAM can also
capture an image in inverse. To capture an inverse image, type CBEAM
-I (in the case of CGA) when loading the program. To remove CBEAM from
memory, type CBEAM -R from DOS. NOTE: Some programs may not allow you
to cleanly break into them with the BEAMIT program.
Portions of screens can be clipped by using the ICON SAVE feature of
Typesetter PC. In this way, you can capture screens from popular
programs that have clip art and then cut out the ICONS from those
programs and use them in Typesetter PC.
F3 loads an icon that is any portion of a standard screen. Icons are
not compatible between versions of TS PC designed to work with
different graphics boards. Icons can be created using the Icons save
options. To load an icon, first select the filename. Now a box will
appear in the upper left corner of the screen. Move this box with the
cursor keys until it is where you want to load the icon. Press
"RETURN" to fix the location for the Icon load.
F5 will load bit-mapped fonts that are accessed by pressing ALT F3
while in the text mode. A complete description of the font types is
provided earlier in the documentation. The file extension for bit
mapped fonts is .FNT.
F6 will load stroked fonts that are accessed by pressing ALT F2 while
in the text mode. A complete description of the font types is
provided earlier in the documentation. The file extension for stroked
fonts is .VEC.
F7 will load a preformatted 80 column ASCII or word processing file
created with Typesetter Interface. This is a separate package
available from XLEnt Software that will bring text from popular word
processing packages into Typesetter PC. It includes a mini-word
processor and a page formatter which will let you set up a page in a
non graphics mode, allowing for the positioning of graphics and
headlines. This page can then be loaded into Typesetter PC.
Typesetter Interface provides for two formats. The first format is an
80 column format. This format is designed for letters. Using this
format, you can integrate graphics, logo's and graphs into business
and personal letters. A second format provides for 120 columns. This
format is ideal for newsletters, price lists and announcements. One
of the major advantages in using Typesetter Interface is that mistakes
are easier to correct and text can be run through a spelling checker.
NOTE: The 80 column load is adjusted for the 12 x 10 matrix fonts or
smaller. Larger fonts will not work properly.
F8 loads a 120 column preformatted ASCII file that has been created
with the Typesetter Interface program. NOTE: The 120 load has been
adjusted for 8 x 8 matrix fonts. Larger fonts will not work properly
in this mode.
F9 toggles between the Replace and Overlay load modes. In the Replace
mode, information in the load area is replaced with the new
information. In the Overlay mode, the area loaded will be overlaid on
top of the information already on the screen. The Overlay option can
be used with F2, F3, F4, and F7.
F2 Save File Menu Box
By selecting F2 from the Disk Input/Output menu box, the following menu
box is provided:
╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Save File ║
║ ║
║ F1-> Save full page ║
║ F2-> Save screen ║
║ F3-> Save icon ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝
F1 lets you save the entire Typesetter PC page. Make sure that there
is at least 83 KB of disk space available before trying to save a
Typesetter PC page. Typesetter PC uses a compression algorithm to save
a file. Therefore, most files are likely to be smaller than 83 KB.
Typesetter pages are compatible between different versions of
Typesetter PC designed to operate on different graphics boards. The
file selector box for the save mode works exactly like the file
selector box for the load mode.
F2 saves a single screen of information to disk. On the CGA version,
the screen is saved in the standard BLOAD format so that the screen can
be printed or loaded into Microsoft Basic programs.
F3 saves a portion of the current screen or viewport as an icon. It
might help to consider this option as a rectangular cookie cutter that
lets you cut out and save a portion of the screen. It can then be used
later either on the same page or on a different page. Once you press
"RETURN", the Save icon file selector box appears. You can either
type in a new filename or select an already existing one by pressing
the function key to the left of the filename. After entering your
filename, press "RETURN". A box will appear on the screen. Use the
cursor keys to move it over the icon you want to save. The following
keys are used to adjust the size of the icon save box:
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Free Form Setup Guide ║
║ ║
║ Use the Function keys to size ║
║ the free form box. The F1-F4 ║
║ keys are used to expand the box ║
║ and F5-F8 will contract it. ║
║ ║
║ F1-Increase R side F5-Decrease R side ║
║ F2-Increase L side F6-Decrease L side ║
║ F3-Increase top F7-Decrease top ║
║ F4-Increase bottom F8-Decrease bottom ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Press "RETURN" to save the icon.
NOTE: The following filename extensions are used by Typesetter PC:
.VEC Vectorized or Stroked font.
.FNT Bit mapped font.
.PAG Full Typesetter PC page.
.SCN Single screen equivalent to a BLOAD file.
.ICN A portion of the screen that can be varied in size
.120 preformatted ASCII file formatted to 120 columns.
.T80 preformatted ASCII file formatted to 80 columns.
F3 MiniDos
The last option from the Disk Input/Output menu box is the MiniDos
option. Pressing F3 and then "RETURN" will bring up the following
menu box:
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Directory Options ║
║ ║
║ F1-> Directory contents ║
║ F2-> Change default drive ║
║ F3-> Change default path ║
║ F4-> Lock / unlock file ║
║ F5-> Delete file ║
║ ║
║ F10-> EXIT to DOS ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚════════════════════════════════════╝
F1 will list the files in the current directory. Eight files can be
displayed at one time. If additional files are in the directory, use
the down and up cursor keys to view the additional files, eight at a
time.
F2 activates a menu box to change drives. The menu box appears as
follows:
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Change Drive ║
║ ║
║ Old Drive:A New Drive: ║
║ ║
║ A-Z are allowed as drive ║
║ selection. ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to execute / ESC to exit ║
╚════════════════════════════════════╝
Enter in the letter representing the new drive and press return to
change drives.
F3 lets you change the Directory/Path. Pressing F3 and then "RETURN"
will activate the following menu box:
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ Change Directory/Path ║
║ ║
║ Old Path:A:\ ║
║ New Path:C:\TS ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to execute / ESC to exit ║
╚════════════════════════════════════╝
F4 activates the File lock / unlock file selector box. Eight files are
displayed at a time. You can scroll through the entire directory using
the up and down cursor keys. Files can be selected either by using
the function keys or by directly typing the filename. Once the file is
selected, its status will be displayed on the lower left of the file
selector box. L = Locked and U = Unlocked. Pressing return will lock
unlocked files or vice versa. You must press "ESC" to exit this
function.
F5 activates the File deletion file selector box. Eight files are
displayed at a time. You can scroll through the entire directory using
the up and down cursor keys. Files can be selected either by using the
function keys or by directly typing in the filename. Once the file is
selected, pressing "RETURN" will delete the file if it is unlocked.
F10 will exit you from Typesetter PC to DOS. All information not saved
will be lost.
F5-Shift
Pressing F5 from the main screen (viewport) in the text mode will
activate the Page - Screen - Icon shifts. This lets you alter portions
of the page or to move very quickly to any part of the page. A window
will appear with the following options:
╔═════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ Page - Screen - Icon - Shifts ║
║ ║
║ F1-> ICON Rotation ║
║ F2-> Page Inverse ║
║ F3-> Page Vertical Flip ║
║ F4-> Page Horizontal Flip ║
║ F5-> Screen Inverse ║
║ F6-> Screen Vertical Flip ║
║ F7-> Screen Horizontal Flip ║
║ F8-> ICON Inverse ║
║ F9-> ICON Vertical Flip ║
║ F10-> ICON Horizontal Flip ║
║ ║
║ Enter for Shifter / ESC to exit ║
║ ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
The above operations will allow you to invert, horizontally and
vertically flip Pages, Screens and ICONS. Additionally, you can rotate
an ICON 90, 180 or 270 degrees. The rotated ICON can be overlaid or
replace what is already on the screen. This rotation function is
especially good for labeling objects sideways.
When the page, screen or ICON is inversed, it will appear the same on
the screen as it will after being printed. Typesetter PC displays all
images and text in inverse from what they will appear on the paper to
avoid monitor flicker and to speed up the performance of the program.
When the page or a portion of the page is vertically flipped, the
defined area will be displayed upside down.
When the page or a portion of the page is horizontally flipped, the
defined area will be reversed as if looking into a mirror. This is
useful for creating T-Shirts or other images that must be mirror imaged
prior to final output.
Hitting RETURN will activate the screen shifter function as follows:
If you are using a mouse, the mouse will move a small rectangle which
represents the viewport inside a larger rectangle which represents the
total page. If a mouse is not available, you can use the cursor keys
to move the viewport. The "HOME" key will move the viewport to the
upper left portion of the page and the "END" key will move the viewport
to the lower left portion of the page. The left mouse button activates
the shifter. The right mouse button or the "RETURN" key will return
you to the viewport at the new page location.
F6-Print
Pressing F6 will activate the following menu box:
╔═════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Printout Size Options ║
║ F1-> Full page ║
║ F2-> Full screen ║
║ F3-> Free Form ║
║ F4-> 4 * 1 7/16 label ║
║ F5-> 3 1/2 * 15/16 label ║
║ F6-> Landscape ║
║ ║
║ F8-> Linefeed:<On> ║
║ F9-> Print Preview ║
║ F10> Printer Selection ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to Proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
Although it's the last function key, F10 is the first option you need
to pick to set the printer selection. If you don't see your printer
name, don't panic. Most new printers being sold are Epson compatible.
Here are some guidelines for determining which printer to select.
Most new printers are capable of 1920 dots across a page. Older
printers such as the Epson MX 80 and 100 could only print 960 dots
across the page. Some laser printers have an Epson compatible graphics
driver. When using a laser printer, you need to take the printer
off-line and press the form-feed button to receive a printout. The old
IBM Graphics printers are very similar to Epson printers.
Gemini 10X printers are not fully Epson compatible. Use the Gemini 10X
option if you own this printer. If you own a Star Micronics SG-10
printer, set it up for IBM graphics.
F1 will let you print the full Typesetter PC page. Two options are
available to you. Pressing F1 and then "RETURN" will bring up a menu
box as follows:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Full Page Printouts ║
║ ║
║ For printers capable of quad density (1920) ║
║ graphics, NLaserQ yields finest definition. ║
║ ║
║ F1-> Full page option: Normal 960 ║
║ ║
║ Enter to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Pressing F1 from this menu box provides you with the following choices:
┌────────────────┐
│ Normal 960 │
│ Double V960 │
│ NLaserQ 1920 │
└────────────────┘
Normal 960 - Normal 960 will give you results the fastest. This output
is also easier on the printer and ribbon.
Double V960 - Double V960 mode uses the quad density option of Epson
FX-80 compatible printers. This printout will appear darker as each
bit is printed twice, however, the resolution will not be improved from
the Normal 960 mode.
NLaserQ 1920 - NLaserQ 1920 mode is unique in that no program can
achieve a higher output on a low cost dot matrix printer. By use of
sophisticated rescaling algorithms, TS PC produces output that is truly
near laser quality. The vertical resolution in this mode is 245 dots
per inch. This compares to just 72 dots per inch provided in most
other page layout programs. This printout mode is slower than the
other modes. However, a very intelligent look ahead print driver
saves time by skipping all blank lines and spaces. A full page will
take about 16 minutes to produce in this mode.
F2 acts similar to a screen dump because it prints the current screen
in the viewport.
F3 lets you size and position a box that will be printed to any size
label or form which is no larger than a single screen. Pressing F3 and
then RETURN will activate the following menu box:
╔══════════════════════════════════╗
║ Printout Controls ║
║ ║
║ F1-> <MARGIN> actual ║
║ F2-> <NORMAL> double v ║
║ ║
║ Number of copies: 001 ║
║ Use Up / Down Arrow keys ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚══════════════════════════════════╝
F1 provides control over the position that the printer will begin
printing. Margin is the default mode and will print starting at the
left margin of the page. The Actual option starts the print from the
position of the print box in relationship to the position on the
screen. Press F1 to switch between the two modes.
F2 toggles between the standard 960 resolution or the Double V option.
In the double v mode, Epson FX/RX compatible printers will have a
darker printout.
Up & Down Cursors - Pressing the up and down cursor keys will allow you
to set the number of copies to be printed. This is particularly useful
for generating stick-on labels or forms.
The following keys are used to adjust the size of the free form
printout box:
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Free Form Setup Guide ║
║ ║
║ Use the Function keys to size ║
║ the free form box. The F1-F4 ║
║ keys are used to expand the box ║
║ and F5-F8 will contract it. ║
║ ║
║ F1-Increase R side F5-Decrease R side ║
║ F2-Increase L side F6-Decrease L side ║
║ F3-Increase top F7-Decrease top ║
║ F4-Increase bottom F8-Decrease bottom ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ ENTER to proceed / ESC to exit ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Pressing "RETURN" after sizing the box will initiate the printout.
F4 plus "RETURN" activates the 4 x 1 7/16 label printout menu box. The
menu box is the same as the Free form menu box except that the label
size is fixed. To use this feature of Typesetter PC, create a label
using the built in text and graphics features. Once you are satisfied
with the appearance of the label, save it as an icon or screen.
Pressing "RETURN" will display a small rectangle on the screen.
Position this rectangle with the cursor keys over the area to be
printed. Pressing "RETURN" will start the printout.
F5 plus "RETURN" activates the 3 1/2 x 15/16 label. This function
operates exactly like F4 except that the printout box is smaller.
F6 plus "RETURN" activates the Landscape printout feature. This
feature prints the screen sideways on a full page. This feature is
useful for making signs and certificates.
F8 toggles the linefeed on and off. Most printers work just fine with
the default setting of on. Some printers print white stripes between
each line when doing Full screen printouts. This option will
compensate for this problem.
F9 is the print preview feature. This feature was first explained in
the Just Messing Around section. Basically, this feature produces a
low resolution representation of what the final page printout will look
like. This is useful because you can see how your layout is shaping
up. After you have pressed F9, a rectangle will appear on the screen
with bit representations of the work you have done so far. Up on the
top left, there will be a message that states "Key F1 for Shifter." If
you want to move to a different part of the page, pressing F1 will
activate the viewport rectangle. You can move the viewport with the
mouse or cursor keys. Press RETURN when the viewport is where you want
it. This will return you to the normal editing mode.
NOTE: To stop the printer, press the "ESC" key. To pause the printer,
press the "SPACE BAR". Striking any other key will resume printing.
To print only the current screen, press the "CTRL" and "PRT SCRN" keys.
This will print out the screen minus the bottom menu and three lines
above the menu. This function is particularly useful for printing a
copy of the "PRINT PREVIEW" screen.
Additional Features
Pressing F10 at any time will bring up a HELP screen. Most of the
features have been previously explained or are easy enough to
understand. However, some of the features need additional
clarification as follows:
ALT F5 is the Cursor Alignment Gauge. This feature will draw a small
box that represents the size of the character cell. The two
intersecting lines represent the horizontal and vertical alignment of
the current cursor position in relationship to the selected font.
ALT F6 is the Screen Anchor. Normally, the Typesetter PC page will
scroll as text is being typed. When you want to anchor a screen to
create headlines or create double column text, pressing ALT F6 turns
off the scrolling feature of Typesetter PC.
ALT F7 is the toggle for the left margin. Pressing ALT F7 once will
set the left margin. Pressing it a second time acts as a margin
release and pressing it a third time will reset the left margin.
CTRL/HOME activates the ERASE menu box. You can erase either the
current viewport or the entire Typesetter PC page.
GRAPHICS MODE FUNCTIONS
A Detailed Overview
We have covered in detail the text functions of TS PC. All of the text
functions are available directly from the keyboard. In the graphics
mode, the same is true to a point. While all the functions are
accessible from the keyboard, a mouse is extremely useful in invoking
the various graphics functions. Len and Dennis have tried to simulate
a mouse using the keyboard, however, drawing with a keyboard can be
very tedious.
F9 DIRECT COMMAND WINDOW
F9 pressed from the main screen will open up a help window that
provides a list of direct commands that can be used instead of
activating the main menu system as follows:
╔═════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ DIRECT COMMAND OPTIONS ║
║ ║
║ SHIFT/F2-> Default Directory ║
║ SHIFT/F3-> Load Typesetter Page ║
║ SHIFT/F4-> Load Screen ║
║ SHIFT/F5-> Save Typesetter Page ║
║ SHIFT/F6-> Save Screen ║
║ ║
║ Enter to Proceed ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════╝
The direct commands are a shortcut to the normal path of the F4 I/O
Command menu.
HELP Menu
Just as in the text mode, you can bring up a HELP menu by simply
pressing ALT F10. There are three ways to enter a command into TS PC
while in the Graphics mode. If you have a mouse, you can move through
a hierarchy of menu boxes to make the desired choice. You can also
make selections by pressing the appropriate function key from the
various menu boxes. Otherwise, you can enter direct key commands.
These key commands are outlined in the HELP Menu. Many of the
functions duplicate the functions of the HELP Menu available in the
text mode. For example:
ALT F9 locks the screen so that the UNDO function does not erase recent
changes.
ALT F10 is the UNDO key. Pressing it will erase any changes made
since the last Menu box appeared or ALT F9 was pressed.
CTRL/HOME brings up an erase window.
Mouse Key
In a pinch, the keyboard can simulate a mouse. The following is a list
of commands available:
Mouse Key Operation
Cursor Keys move one pixel in the direction of the arrow
HOME Key moves the cursor ten pixels to the left
END Key moves the cursor ten pixels to the right
PG DN Key moves the cursor ten pixels up
PG UP key moves the cursor ten pixels down
SHIFT plus any of the above keys is the same as pressing the left
mouse button while moving the mouse
SPACE BAR is the function set.
INSERT = Left mouse button
DELETE = Right mouse button
NOTE: Mouse Key operation does not function for Fat Bits or Spline.
Unlike using the mouse, all functions need to be set. When you are
satisfied with the current results of a function, pressing the SPACE
BAR will lock the function into place.
GRAPHICS Operation
From the Text Mode, press F1 to enter the Graphics Mode of operation.
When you are in the Graphics Mode, the menu at the bottom of the screen
looks like this:
F1-TEXT F2-GRAPHICS F3-SCREEN [PENCIL DRAW] X POS.=100 Y POS.=100
F1
F1 toggles between the graphics and text modes.
F2-Graphics
Pressing F2 activates the Graphics Categories Menu box. From this menu
box, all drawing tools, shapes, and special features are available.
Please do not become overwhelmed with all of the features available.
The Graphics Categories menu box appears as follows:
╔═══════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ Graphics Categories ║
║ ║
║ [ ] F1 Graphic Toolbox ║
║ [ ] F2 Flexible Shapes ║
║ [ ] F3 Graphic Attributes ║
║ [ ] F4 Copy/Drag/Insert ║
║ [ ] F5 Fat Bits ║
║ ║
║ [ ] [ ] ║
║ Continue Cancel ║
║ ║
║ Press FUNCTION KEY for Selection ║
║ ENTER to Continue / ESC to Cancel║
╚═══════════════════════════════════╝
NOTE: For the balance of the documentation about the Graphics mode,
when the instructions describe pressing a function key, assume that
moving the mouse cursor to the check box and pressing the left mouse
button is also an appropriate choice.
F1 followed by "RETURN" calls up the Graphic (drawing)tools menu.
After pressing "RETURN", the following menu box is activated:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ GRAPHIC TOOLS ║
║ ║
║ [ ] F1 Pencil 1 ║
║ [ ] F2 DrawTo 2 ║
║ [ ] F3 K-Line 3 ║
║ [ ] F4 Spray Can ALT/1 ║
║ [ ] F5 Eraser E ║
║ [ ] F6 Seed Fill SFT/1 ║
║ [ ] F7 Rays Draw ALT/2 ║
║ ║
║ [ ] [ ] ║
║ Continue Cancel ║
║ ║
║ Press FUNCTION KEY for selection ║
║ ENTER to Continue / ESC to Cancel ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
F1 Pencil Draw turns the cursor into a pencil. The cursor can be used
to draw free hand with the mouse or cursor keys. The width of the
pencil can be varied by making changes in the Graphic Attributes menu
box.
F2 DrawTo is similar to the BASIC command DRAW TO. You select the
first point with the left mouse button and then stretch a visible line
to the second point on the screen. To lock the line in place, press
the ALT F9. Otherwise, the UNDO function (ALT F10) will erase the
line.
F3 Draw K-Line lets you produce only vertical and horizontal lines.
This mode is especially useful for creating forms. The width and style
of the K-Line can be varied by making changes in the Graphic Attributes
menu box. You can select a horizontal or vertical line by varying the
position of the mouse 45 degrees. To lock in the line, press function
key F9. Otherwise, F10 can be used to erase the K-Line.
F4 Spray Can is similar to an airbrush tool found in other graphics
programs. A variety of spray patterns are provided under the Graphics
Attributes menu box.
F5 Eraser places an eraser on the screen. The eraser appears as a
small square inside a larger square. The inside square erases
information on the screen. The area between the small square and the
larger square is a safe zone that is not erased. This area can act as
a guide in erasing. To activate the eraser, press the left mouse
button. ALT F10 will UNDO erased areas provided that ALT F9 has not
been pressed or a new menu box has not been activated.
F6 Seed Fill lets you fill in geometric shapes. A variety of patterns
are provided through the Graphic Attributes options. Len and Dennis
have designed a semi-smart fill. Our experience has shown that a fully
intelligent fill can be frustrating when filling around small areas
such as text. For solid fills, the Typesetter PC seed fill is fully
intelligent. However, for pattern fills, the fill process will stop
and wait for you to continue the fill process rather than to try to
compute the fill. To continue to fill the area, press the left mouse
key over the remainder of the area to be filled.
NOTE: Pressing the "SPACE BAR" stops the fill. When you are filling
curved or angled shapes, the shape should be created with the line
width set at the second minimum width or higher or else the fill might
bleed through the shape.
F7 Rays Draw lets you create designs with multiple lines emanating from
a single point.
F2 Flexible Shapes
From the Graphics Categories menu box, you can choose from a variety of
shapes if you press F2 and then "RETURN."
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Shapes to Make ║
║ ║
║ [ ] F1 Rectangle ║
║ [ ] F2 Rounded Rectangle ║
║ [ ] F3 Oval ║
║ [ ] F4 Polygon ║
║ [ ] F5 Spline ║
║ ║
║ [ ] [ ] ║
║ Continue Cancel ║
║ ║
║ Press FUNCTION KEY for Selection ║
║ ENTER to Continue / ESC to Cancel ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
All of the above shapes are affected by the following Graphic
Attributes selections which are explained later.
┌────────────────┐
│ Pen Size │
│ Line End Style │
│ Line Dash Style│
│ Write Mode │
└────────────────┘
F1 Rectangle lets you draw a rectangle. The rectangle is sized
interactively with the mouse. Press the left mouse button, then move
the mouse in any direction to get the correct size and then let go of
the button. Pressing "RETURN" after selecting F1 will activate the
following menu:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Rectangle ID ║
║ ║
║ ║
║ [ ] F1 Outline 4 ║
║ [ ] F2 F/Outl SFT/4 ║
║ [ ] F3 Fill ALT/4 ║
║ ║
║ [ ] [ ] ║
║ Continue Cancel ║
║ ║
║ Press FUNCTION KEY for Selection ║
║ ENTER to Continue / ESC to Cancel ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝
F1 Outline only draws the border of the shape selected. The size and
style of the border can be affected by the Graphic Attributes menu box.
F2 F/Outline draws the border of the shape and fills the shape with the
preselected pattern.
F3 Fill only fills the area inside the border and does not display the
border.
The above fill options are available for each of the flexible shapes.
F2 Rounded Rectangle lets you create a rectangle shape with rounded
corners.
F3 Oval lets you draw an ellipsoid. The ellipsoid is sized
interactively with the mouse. Press the left mouse button, then move
the mouse in any direction to get the right size and then let go of the
button. Pressing "RETURN" will activate the Oval menu box.
F4 Polygon lets you generate irregular shapes. The Polygon option lets
you draw any multi-sided shape and then automatically close the figure.
You draw a minimum of three lines. The lines are connected when you
press the right mouse button. If you select the filled Polygon option,
you can easily fill in irregular patterns by plotting dots around the
perimeter of the shape. Pressing the right mouse button will then fill
in the area defined by the dots.
F5 Spline function is one of the most sophisticated features found in
Typesetter PC. While this feature has is designed for scientific and
engineering applications, the Spline feature can also assist any artist
in constructing images that require curves. This feature can be used
to create the curve in a sail or the tail of an aircraft. The
explanation provided is designed to provide you with a detailed
description of XLEnt Software's approach to the Spline operation.
However, an example is provided first to give you sufficient
information to experiment with this function.
Three degrees of resolution are provided for in the Spline function.
These are:
F1 Fine is the highest degree of resolution and smoothness.
F2 Medium offers a reasonable degree of resolution and smoothness.
F3 Loose offers the lowest degree of resolution and smoothness.
All plotting is done with the keyboard and not the mouse. As the
Spline Function requires very specific abscissa data, special rules for
entry were devised in order to insure monotonic abscissa data were fed
into the math formulas. This method of point entry proved far better
than allowing you to enter points with the mouse and then using math to
adjust the abscissa data. That method ruined the accuracy of the line
draw, something on which we placed the highest priority.
A spline requires that at least three points are plotted in a single
left or right direction. There is no specific limitation on the number
of points plotted. Pressing the "DEL" key simulates a right mouse
button press which causes the spline to be drawn.
A Spline Example
Select the Spline Function (F5). Pick the Loose (F3) mode. Move the
cursor to the starting point of the spline with either the cursor keys
or the mouse.
╔═════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Spline Plotting Movements ║
║ ║
║ F5 - PLOT & move left ║
║ F6 - PLOT & move right ║
║ F7 - CURSOR up ║
║ F8 - CURSOR down ║
║ UP arrow -cursor up ║
║ DOWN arrow - cursor down ║
║ DEL - draws splines & restarts ║
║ F9 - redraw spline from new starting║
║ position ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
1. Press F6 - Plot & move right. A small dot will appear under the
cursor and the cursor will move to the right.
2. Using the UP arrow key, move the cursor up four spaces.
3. Press F6 again.
4. Using the DOWN arrow key, move the cursor down six spaces.
5. Press F6 one more time.
6. Using the UP arrow key, move the cursor up four spaces.
7. Press the "DEL" key to draw the spline (Some keyboards require you
to press "SHIFT" + "DEL").
8. Once the spline is drawn, move the cursor near the starting
position of the spline but just a bit below it.
9. Press F9 and the spline will be drawn at the new location. The
process can be repeated over and over again to create truly wonderful
3D type effects.
REMEMBER that three points are required to draw a spline. Any less
will result in an error.
F3 Graphic Attributes
Pressing F3 from the Graphics Categories menu box will activate the
Graphic Attributes menu box as follows:
╔═══════════════════════════════════╗
║ Graphic Attributes ║
║ ║
║ [ ] F1 Pen Size ║
║ [ ] F2 Line End Style ║
║ [ ] F3 Line Dash Style ║
║ [ ] F4 (+) Fill Pattern ║
║ [ ] F5 (-) Fill Pattern ║
║ [ ] F6 Write Mode: N Replace ║
║ [ ] F7 Spray Pattern ║
║ [ ] F8 Seed Pattern ║
║ ║
║ [ ] [ ] ║
║ Continue Cancel ║
║ ║
║ Press FUNCTION KEY for Selection ║
║ ENTER to Continue ║
║ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════╝
F1 Pen Size lets you change the width of the pen used in all drawing
and flexible shape operations. The widths of the line are displayed to
the right of the menu box.
F2 Line End Style lets you vary the appearance of line ends and corners
of rectangles and polygons. To use this function, the pen size needs
to be at the third size or larger. Three different styles are
available.
F3 Line Dash Style lets you create various line patterns. These
patterns are usable for all drawing and flexible shape operations.
This option lets you create a variety of dashed lines. In diagraming,
this function can be very useful in distinguishing from direct and
indirect relationships.
F4 (+) Fill Pattern rotates forward through the 18 available fill
patterns. These fill patterns are used by the filled flexible shapes
or Seed Fill options. The patterns are displayed in the rectangle in
the middle right of the menu box.
F5 (-) Fill Pattern rotates backwards through the 18 available fill
patterns.
F6 Write Mode toggles through the various write modes. This function
can be particularly useful when combined with the Drag and Copy
functions. Setting the INVERSE OVERLAY write mode will allow you to
cut out a portion of the screen and stamp it in reverse. The following
write modes are available:
N Replace replaces the area beneath the new shape or line.
N Overlay does not erase the area beneath the new shape or line.
N Invert inverses intersecting areas. For example, two crossed lines
will appear inverse at the point of intersection.
Normal Erase is very similar to Normal Invert. The major difference is
that while this mode will print lines and shapes inverted over filled
areas or graphics, it will not place lines or shapes on a blank part of
the page.
Inverse Replace will place a line or shape on the screen with its
borders outlined. Additionally this mode writes over any text or
graphics which is beneath the character cell.
Inverse Overlay will work the same as Inverse Replace except that it
will overlay text or graphics beneath the character cell.
Inverse Invert will place a white border around the shapes or lines
placed on the screen on a blank section of the page (this will be
printed as a black border around white shapes). If lines or shapes are
placed over a filled area, the lines and shapes will appear the same as
normal replace lines and shapes.
Inverse Erase will operate exactly the same as Inverse Invert when text
or graphics are placed over a filled area. However, lines or shapes
will appear on the screen if placed on a blank portion of the page.
F7 Spray Pattern cycles through the 18 available spray patterns used
with the Spray Can drawing tool. The Spray Pattern's are displayed in
the small upper box in the lower middle of the menu box.
F8 Seed Pattern cycles through the various seed fill patterns. The
patterns are displayed in the lower box in the lower middle of the menu
box.
F4 Copy/Drag/Insert
F4 and then "RETURN" will activate the Copy/Drag/Insert menu box as
follows:
╔═══════════════════════════════════╗
║ Copy/Drag/Insert ║
║ ║
║ [ ] F1 Fast Drag 8 ║
║ [ ] F2 Fast Copy 9 ║
║ [ ] F3 Fast Insert I ║
║ [ ] F4 Drag Putty D ║
║ [ ] F5 Copy Putty C ║
║ [ ] F6 Put Putty P ║
║ ║
║ [ ] [ ] ║
║ Continue Cancel ║
║ ║
║ Press FUNCTION KEY for Selection ║
║ ENTER to Continue / ESC to Cancel ║
║ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════╝
F1 Fast Drag lets you move sections of a screen from location to
another. With a mouse, the following procedure is used:
1. Place the cursor at the upper left of the area to be moved.
2. Press the left mouse button to form a rectangle that
completely covers the area to be moved.
3. Release the left mouse button.
4. Press the right mouse button. A rectangle representing the
area which has been cut away will appear. Move the mouse to
relocate the rectangle to the new location.
5.Press the left mouse button to complete the move.
The UNDO key will restore the screen to the condition ion prior to the
move.
F2 Fast Copy is similar to the Fast Drag option. The difference is
that with this option, the original screen data is not disturbed but
rather copied to another location. The mouse operation is the same as
the Fast Drag option.
NOTE: To repeatedly stamp the information in the
drag/copy buffer on the screen, move the mouse and press the left mouse
button.
HINT: There are two ways to move images around on the
page. The first way is to save the image out to disk as an icon, move
to another section of the page, and then load in the saved image. The
other method is to use the F5 Shift function with the direct commands I
and P after you have cut or copied an image.
F3 Fast Insert works with both the Fast Drag and Fast Copy options.
This function operates just like the right mouse key button in the Fast
Drag and Fast Copy modes.
F4 Drag Putty is similar to the Fast Drag. The difference is, instead
of moving the data bit by bit to a new location, the putty feature
allows images to be resized larger or smaller. Please note that
reducing the size too much will result in unreadable text. To operate
this function with the mouse, move the cursor to the upper left
position of the area to be moved. Press the left mouse button and move
the mouse down and to the right to cover the area to be moved.
Releasing the left mouse button will cause the area to be moved to be
cut away from the screen. Press the right mouse button once. This
will toggle to the Put Putty mode. Move the mouse to the new location.
Press the left mouse button and move the mouse down and to the left to
size the new location. Release the left mouse button. The image moved
will be resized to fit the new location.
F5 Copy Putty works that same as Drag Putty except the original image
is not cut away but rather copied. The mouse operation is identical to
the Drag Putty option.
F6 Put Putty works the same as pressing the right mouse button in the
Drag Putty and Copy Putty modes.
F5 Fat Bits
Pushing F5 and then "RETURN" activates the Fat Bits mode. This is
similar to the "ZOOM" function found in many other drawing products.
The Typesetter PC Fat Bits mode is different from most "ZOOM" modes in
that most "ZOOM" modes are achieved by doubling and quadrupling the
pixels of a certain area and then dividing the pixels after the changes
are made. Usually, the cursor gives you very crude control over the
pixels. You can only turn on and off very large pixels. In the TS PC
Fat Bits, the area that is blown up is mathematically plotted to a
larger area. The Fat Bits' cursor is the same as the "ERASER". The
cursor appears to be a smaller square inside a larger square. The area
between the two squares is a safe zone. The outside square is used to
aid alignment. The inside square draws or erases.
For mouse operation, the left mouse button draws and the right mouse
button erases. A HELP menu is available.
To activate the Fat Bits mode, move the Fat Bits' box over the area
desired. Press the left mouse button. The area inside the smaller box
will be enlarged. The time required to redraw the image will depend on
the speed of the CPU.
To activate the Fat Bits HELP menu, press F10. The HELP menu appears
as follows:
╔══════════════════╗
║ HELP FAT-BITS ║
║ ║
║ ARROWS-> ║
║ PIXEL MOVES ║
║ SFT ARROWS-> ║
║ PIXEL MOVES ║
║ INS->PLOT DOT ║
║ DEL->ERASE DOT ║
║ F1/F2->LT,RT ║
║ MOVE/PLOT ║
║ F3/F4->UP,DN ║
║ MOVE/PLOT ║
║ F5/F6->LT,RT ║
║ MOVE/ERASE ║
║ F7/F8->UP,DN ║
║ MOVE/ERASE ║
║ -----------------║
║ ENTER exits ║
╚══════════════════╝
Once the edits in the Fat Bits mode have been completed. pressing
"RETURN" will replot the bits back to the original area. First the
bits are plotted to a box in the upper right corner of the screen then
the bits are copied back to the original location.
F3-Screen
Pressing F3 from the main graphics menu will activate the following
menu box:
╔══════════════════════════════════╗
║ Screen Options ║
║ ║
║ [ ] F1 Erase Screen ║
║ [ ] F2 Erase Page ║
║ [ ] F3 Shift Screen ║
║ ║
║ [ ] [ ] ║
║ Continue Cancel ║
║ ║
║ Press FUNCTION KEY for Selection ║
║ ENTER to Continue / ESC to Cancel║
╚══════════════════════════════════╝
F1 plus "RETURN" will erase the contents of the viewport.
F2 plus "RETURN" will erase the entire Typesetter PC page.
F3 plus "RETURN" will activate the Shift menu box described earlier.
This lets you move quickly anywhere on the TS PC page.
Direct Function Window
Just to the right of the F3-Screen command on the main screen in the
graphics mode is the direct command window. This window displays the
current mode for the cursor. Once you have learned the direct
commands, you can enter single letter, number or function keys to
invoke commands without the need of going to the individual menu boxes.
A list of these commands is always available by pressing F10 to
activate the HELP menu.
Using Other Graphics Packages with Typesetter PC
Every effort possible has been made to allow you to bridge other
software packages to Typesetter PC. Some graphics packages work with
screens that are the inverse of the Typesetter Page. In other words,
the cursor is black on a white background. These packages often use
the screen as the final output and are not directly written to support
a printer. All files are loaded into Typesetter in the BLOAD format.
This is supported by BASIC and several other packages.
The easiest way to move screens from another package to Typesetter PC
is to use the utility program CBEAM to capture a screen. Load CBEAM
prior to running the desired package. When the screen appears as
desired, press CTRL B.
A box will appear instructing you to type the desired filename. The
screen will be saved in the BLOAD format. Sometimes, it is desirable
to inverse the screen. This is particularly true when capturing
digitized images. Typesetter works with a negative on the screen and
prints a positive. ALT F1 from the graphics mode will inverse the
screen from within Typesetter PC. You may capture an image in inverse
by typing CBEAM -I when loading the CBEAM program. It is essential
that CBEAM not be RAM resident while running Typesetter PC. Remove
CBEAM from RAM by typing CBEAM -R.
Typesetter Interface
Introduction...
TypeSetter Interface (TSI) is designed to be a text formatting program,
a true interface between a user's favorite word processor and
TypeSetter PC or XLEnt Software's future products. TypeSetter PC and
future products will accept TSI's formatted pages with ease.
Typesetter Interface can also be effectively utilized as a standalone
application as well. The interface of Typesetter PC has been patterned
after the popular Word Perfect word processing program. However,
Typesetter Interface is not intended to be a replacement or substitute
for any word processing package. It is instead, a text editor with
formatting capabilities.
Let's examine how we can use Typesetter Interface as a standalone
application: Typesetter Interface will allow the user to create
professional layouts and pages from existing word processing files with
virtually any printer. No special hardware is required what-so-ever.
Typesetter Interface will allow you to take an article that you have
written and then reformat your document into a variety of single,
double and triple column layouts. Additionally, you can reserve blank
spaces where your graphics can be pasted. In many cases, you will be
able to duplicate the capabilities of very expensive publishing
packages.
For Example...
Suppose that you wanted to produce a newsletter.
You have the artwork that you need. In the past, you have sent the
text to be typeset and pasted up with your graphics. You may have
tried to use a computer and printer to produce your newsletter,
however, the word processing package that you had either did not offer
custom layouts or you needed a PHD just to do double columns. However,
for the price of having just one page typeset, you can now reformat you
standard text files so that they can be printed in a variety of
predesignated formats.
XLEnt Software has been working in the area of design and layouts with
computers for nearly five years. Only recently has the field of
desktop publishing become popular. Most people think of desktop
publishing in terms of expensive hardware and software to create
newsletters and flyers. The irony is that most people originally went
to have their documents typeset because they needed to create the
proper format, not because the output of their daisy wheel or laser
printer was substandard.
Even today, the best laser printers produce graphics that are often not
suitable for publication. Storing graphics on disks can also quickly
use up limited disk capacity. Cutting and pasting graphics is the
overlooked solution to the majority of small scale publishing
requirements. There is no rule that says that you must produce the
graphics for your documents at the same time you produce the text. In
fact, having to scan an image or to draw the image might just add an
extra step.
Getting Started....
To initiate Typesetter Interface, simply execute the TSI.EXE file.
There are variety of text file formats for the PC. The ASCII file
format is a universal one, so ASCII files may be loaded using the SHIFT
F10 function, or the retrieve function from the F5 I/O menu.
ALL CONTROL AND END OF LINE CODES ARE STRIPPED WHEN TSI LOADS ASCII
FILES.
The reason this has been done is to create a plain vanilla text
environment. The two column and three column formatting options do
require HARD CARRIAGE RETURN at the end of paragraphs in order to be
formatted properly.
There are 2 ways to place a HARD CARRIAGE RETURN is your text document.
One is to hit the CARRIAGE RETURN. Hitting the carriage return will
place the diamond HARD CARRIAGE RETURN MARKER where the cursor is and
then move the cursor to the next line while inserting.
The standard word wrap dictates that the user should type and hit
carriage returns at the end of paragraphs. When you load an ASCII
document you must manually insert HARD CARRIAGE RETURNS at the end of
appropriate lines. The easiest way to do this is by hitting the ALT-R
key combination. This will append a HARD CR diamond at the end of the
line on which the cursor resides. There is NO INSERT with the ALT-R.
The key combination of ALT-K will kill or erase the text to the end of
the line. ALT-F will reformat the document if you kill a line and wish
to have a more uniform screen feel. The intended process to prepare
text for TSPC or XLEnt's other packages is to prepare the document
using your favorite word processor, save the document back disk in an
ASCII format, load it into TSI, add the Carriage Returns...and you're
in business.
Now to the features:
F1 - pulls up the TSI TEXT save.
This option will save the text in a specialized format. It is NOT
a DOS text file. If you want to cancel the window, hit return
without entering a filename.
SHFT F1 -loads a TSI TEXT FILE.
It will appear in an 80 col wrapped format on the screen.
F2 - forward search.
SHFT F2 - backward search
CTL F2 - GOTO line
F3 - main help window
SHFT F3 - cursor help
F4 - 80 column page format.
You select the 80 column format of choice.
SHFT F4 - 120 column.
F4 - Standard text print format (for convenience)
F5 - I/O functions SHFT F5 - save .T80 page. The file will be
save in the TS PC text load format. The format will match the one
selected with the F4 selection in the text mode of Typesetter PC.
Place the cursor at the BEGINNING of the text line where the save
is to start.
CTL F5 - save .120
F6 - printer options (for convenience only)
F7 - exit to DOS
SHFT F7 - CLEAR text
F8 - prints a .T80 or .120 preview in the standard printer text
mode. If the .120 mode is selected Epson IBM printers will
automatically print in the condensed mode. This is a print
preview.
SHFT F8 - Prints the text with the selected margins or a straight
listing with no page breaks margins..etc.
F10 - DOS text save. This save appends a CR LF on the end of each
line. NOTE: DO NOT use this save when preparing a document. If
you do, when you load in the file you will have to re-assign the
hard CRs.
SHFT F10 - load a DOS text file.
Odd facts:
Text will be limited to 2000 lines (About 30 pages). The 80 col page
is 68 rows high and the 120 column page is 86 rows high.
Creating a text file...
Typesetter Interface's user interface was patterned to look like the
interface that is used in WordPerfect. The reason that we did this was
that as WordPerfect is perhaps the most popular word processor on the
market today, Typesetter Interface will be very easy to learn.
Typesetter Interface's text editing features are sufficient for small
documents and letters. Files are saved in DOS format. This is the
format that is created by virtually all editors.
For example, the editor EDLIN and the Sidekick editor will produce
exactly the same format that is generic to Typesetter Interface. In
fact, Sidekick can be used to easily grab text from spreadsheets and
word processor to be used with Typesetter Interface.
If you wanted to use a file from your word processor, you will have to
save your file in a format that is compatible with Typesetter
Interface.
For WordPerfect, you will select SHFT F5 to save your file. In
Wordstar, you will create a "Non-Document File" using the letter "N"
from the main menu. Spreadsheets can be moved to Typesetter Interface
by "printing" the spreadsheet to disk. For example, when you select
the print option under Lotus 1-2-3, you are prompted to either print
to the printer or to a file. If you wanted to use the spread sheet in
a document, you will have to print the spreadsheet to a file.
As Typesetter Interface was patterned after WordPerfect, we have
preserved one of its most attractive features. Typesetter Interface
allows the user to retain the charts, boxes and graphics created with
WordPerfect.
Loading Text:
The easiest way to load text is via the F5-Directory function. As
stated earlier, text has be in DOS format to be utilized by Typesetter
Interface. Here are some suggestions:
Sidekick -- All files that are compatible with Sidekick's editor
are compatible with Typesetter Interface.
Wordstar -- Use the non-document file option to create compatible
files.
WordPerfect -- Use the CTRL - F5 Save DOS format option to save
files in a compatible format. Lotus 1-2-3 -- Press "/P" to
activate the "PRINT" menu. Select the option to print to a "FILE"
instead of the printer.
Once a file has been saved in the DOS format, simply use the
F5-Directory option of Typesetter Interface to select the appropriate
option. The arrow keys and the Page Up and Page Down keys will move
you through the available selections. Pressing F4 will allow you to
scan only through files with a specific extender.
For example, if you are looking for files with the extension "DOC",
press F4 and type in DOC. Only the files with this extender will be
displayed. To load a specific text file, press the number "1".
This will load the appropriate file into Typesetter Interface Editing
a Document: Typesetter Interface follows the normal conventions for
editing found in most word processors and editors. The up, down, left
and right cursor keys perform the obvious functions. The Page Up and
Page Down keys move the text up or down 22 lines. The return key and
the "ALT R" key selection place a diamond symbol in the text. This
diamond symbol displays a hard carriage return.
When text is formatted, all text will be assembled without carriage
returns unless a hard carriage symbol is embedded in the text. the
"ALT V" key selection will place a hard carriage return at the end of
every line. This is the proper choice if text will be printed exactly
as it appears on the screen as in the case of a spreadsheet.
Otherwise, columns will be jammed together.
Typesetter Interface is always in the "INSERT" mode. This means that
all text in front of the cursor will be moved ahead of the newly
entered text. Text can be deleted by using the "BACKSPACE" key to
remove text behind the cursor and using the "DELETE" key to erase text
in front of the cursor.
Reformatting a Document:
There are two types of layouts, 80 characters and 120 characters per
line. These different layouts equate to the .T80 and .120 load found
in Typesetter PC. The 80 character layout is primarily used for single
and double column layouts while the 120 character layout is primarily
used for triple column layouts.
Pressing F4 will display a list of 80 character line format options for
your layout. A box on the upper left displays the list of choices
while the large box to the right displays a representation of the
layout.
Hitting return will lock in your choice.
Pressing "SHIFT F4" will display the .120 page formats. Selecting
the no format option in the .T80 page layout, "a", is specifically
designed when you are going to use the CHART.FNT option with Typesetter
PC to display the standard graphics found in Word Perfect. Saving
Pages in .T80 and .120 format: Pressing "SHIFT F5" will allow you to
save a page in the .T80 format.
To save a page, move your cursor to the start of the page. In order to
find the start of a page after page 1, you have to print the previous
page first. F8 will print the page. If you own an Epson printer, the
printer will automatically be put in the correct character pitch.
If you are using a different printer, please set the printer to the
correct pitch manually. After the page is printed, use the Forward
Search, F2 to find the last word printed on the page. Insert a hard
carriage return just after the last printed word. Move the cursor to
the beginning of the next line and save the next page. Continue
printing and saving until the document is saved. It might be helpful
to develope a naming scheme that will make page identification easy.
For example: COVER.T80 PAGE1.T80 PAGE2.T80 PAGE3.120
Once the pages are saved in .T80 or .120 format, they can no longer be
loaded back into Typesetter Interface. Make sure not to erase or loose
your original DOS file. Pressing "CTRL F4" will allow you to set the
margins, top and bottom page lengths. This gives you additional
control over your pages.
The Future?
Upgrades will be available for a variety of graphics cards. XLEnt
Software has already completed work on VGA and Metheus Omega PC
versions. Please write XLEnt Software for details.
XLEnt Software will also release a Postscript driver for Typesetter PC.
The fonts used in Typesetter PC are Postscript compatible fonts and
will be printed in finer detail on a Postscript compatible device.
XLEnt Software will also distribute fonts and ICONS to be used with
Typesetter PC. XLEnt Software will also produce conversion programs
that will allow ICONS created with our product to be used with other
packages such as Print Shop (TM) and Print Master and vice versa.
Questions and Answers
Question: Why is Typesetter PC so inexpensive?
Answer: As XLEnt Software is a private corporation, we are not
responsible to pay back large loans to venture capitalists or answer to
shareholders that expect to make a fortune from their investments.
Question: Why doesn't Typesetter PC use a more traditional mouse
interface?
Answer: Typesetter PC was designed to be as functional as possible
using only the keyboard. The direct commands will provide even the
most adept mouseketeer a quicker and more direct method of entering
commands.
Question: Why wasn't Typesetter PC based on Microsoft Windows or GEM?
Answer: Typesetter PC was designed so that a hard disk was optional.
Typesetter PC works well even on one drive systems. With a two disk
system, no disk swapping is necessary.
Question: Why did XLEnt Software ignore the Laser Printer?
Answer: We didn't. Many Laser Printers offer compatibility with
popular dot matrix printers. The design goal of Typesetter PC was to
provide near laser capability from low-cost dot matrix printers. We
have seen many companies rushing to support a variety of page
definition languages. However, we are the only company trying to
extract the best output from a Dot Matrix. XLEnt Software now has a
utility to print Typesetter Pages at 150 or 300 dpi on a Hewlett
Packard compatible Laser Printer. We also have a utility that will
convert Typesetter Pages into PC Paintbrush + format. These pages will
then work with a variety of programs that support laser printers.
Index
8 x 8 bit mapped font 9
Actual position
22
Additional fonts
43
Additional icons
43
Airbrush tool 27
ALT D 7
ALT F1 6
ALT F10 4
ALT F2 6
ALT F3 6
ALT F9 4
ALT H 6
ALT S 7
ALT W 7
ASCII file load
120 columns 15
80 columns 15
Atari 1
Backup copies 5
Bit Mapped
F2 8
Bit mapped font load
14
Bit-mapped fonts 4
Bold text option 8
Booting up
5
CBEAM 14, 36
Conversion programs 43
Copy protection
5
Copy Putty 34
Cursor Alignment Gauge 23
Default directory
18
Default drive
F 17
DEFAULT MAPPED FONT 3, 6
Default path
18
Delete file
18
Design goal 2
Direct command window 36
Direct commands 24
Direction adjustment
12
Directory Options 17
Disk I/O 12
Double V option
22
Drag Putty 34
Draw K-Line 27
Drawing tools menu
27
DrawTo 27
Elective Map Font 9
Elective Mapped Font 6
Erase 25
ERASE menu 24
Eraser 27
Exit
18
F/Outline 29
F1 7
F1-Graphics 8
F10 4, 6
F2-Bit Mapped 8
F3 6
F5 7
F6 7
F9 7
Fast Copy 34
multiple copies 34
Fast Drag 33
multiple copies 34
Fast Insert 34
Fat Bits 35
HELP menu 35
File save
15
Filename extensions 16
Fill 29
Fill Pattern 32
Fixed spacing
11
Font Editor
bit-mapped 4
stroked font 4
Font styles 3
Font types
using 6
Free form
16
adjust size 22
Freeform print
21
Full page load 13
Graphic Attributes 28, 31
Graphics Categories Menu 26
Graphics FONTS 4
Graphics function lock
25
Graphics mode
6
options 4
Graphics tools menu
27
Hard disk installation
5
Hardware requirements
2
Height adjustment
11
HELP Menu 25, 36
HELP screen 23
Help window 4, 6
History
Typesetter 1
XLEnt Software 1
Icon load
14
Icon save
16
Image movement
34
Input device
keyboard 6
Mouse 6
Inverse Erase 11, 33
Inverse Invert 10, 32
Inverse Overlay 10, 32
Inverse Replace 10, 32
Italics option 9
Laser printer support
laser 2
Left margin 24
Line Dash Style 32
Line End Style 32
List files
17
Load File menu 13
Lock 4, 12
Lock file
18
Mapped Font Options 8, 10
Margin position
22
MegaFont 1
Metawindows 5
Mini-DOS 12
MiniDos 17
Mouse
keyboard simulation 25
N Invert 32
N Overlay 32
N Replace 32
Normal Erase 10, 32
Normal Invert 10
Normal Overlay 10
Normal Replace 10
Other software packages 36
Outline 29
Oval 29
Overlay mode
11, 15
Page
erase 36
Page architecture
7
Page movement
7
Page save
15
Pen Size 32
Pencil Draw 27
Polygon 29
Postsript driver 43
print counter
22
PRINT function 7
Print page options
Double V960 21
NLaserQ 21
Normal 960 21
Print Preview
7
Printer selection 20
Printout
size options 20
Printout controls 22
Printout resolutions
double strike 3
standard 3
Printout Size Options 7
Printout types
3
Printouts
current screen 23
full page 21
labels 23
landscape 23
linefeed option 23
pause 23
print preview 23
resume 23
stop 23
Program architecture
3
Proportional spacing
11
Purpose
2
Put Putty 34
Quit
18
Rays Draw 28
Rectangle 28
Replace mode
11, 15
Replacement disks
5
Rounded Rectangle 29
Screen
erase 36
inverse 37
shift 36
Screen Anchor 24
Screen load
14
Screen lock
25
Screen options
36
Screen print
21
Screen save
16
Screen shift 19
Seed Fill 28
Seed Pattern 33
Shift menu
36
Shift Menu Box 7
END 7
HOME 7
Slant adjustment
11
Spline 29
example 30
fine 30
loose 30
medium 30
plotting movements 30
Spray Can 27
Spray Pattern 33
Standard resolution
22
Strikeout option 8
Stroke Text Options 6
direction adjustment 7
height adjustment 6
slant adjustment 7
width adjustment 7
Stroked Font 6, 11
Stroked font load
14
STROKED FONTS 4
Stroked Text Options 11
Text mode 6, 8
cursor direction 9
options 3
Text preview box
11
Tutorial
6
Typesetter Interface 15
Underline gap option
9
Underline option 9
UNDO 4, 12, 25
Unlock file
18
Upgrade policy
5
Vectorized Fonts 6
Viewport 7
erase 36
shift 36
Width adjustment
11
Write Mode 32
Write modes
bit mapped fonts 9
Zoom
35
Zoom funtion
4
SITE LICENSE AGREEMENT
The use of TYPESETTER PC and TYPESETTER INTERFACE in a commercial
environment or governmental organization is granted under the following
terms:
1. Payment of a site license fee to XLENT Software. The fee is based
on the number of computers on which the software will be used, as
follows:
Site License Fee Schedule
1 to 9 copies $30 each
10 to 24 copies $25 each
25 to 49 copies $20 each
50 to 99 copies $15 each
100+ copies $1500 blanket fee
The license is effective upon our receipt of the license fee and signed
Site License Agreement.
2. You may use TYPESETTER PC and TYPESETTER INTERFACE on the number of
computers as covered by your fee. If you have paid the $1500 fee, you
may use TYPESETTER PC and TYPESETTER INTERFACE on any number of
computers within your organization.
3. You may make and distribute copies of the program and documentation
in their original and unmodified form, without restriction. You are
responsible for making the copies required by your organization.
4. You are not obligated to control copies distributed outside of your
organization.
5. You may use all future versions of TYPESETTER PC and TYPESETTER
INTERFACE under this site license. Revisions and updates will be
available from XLENT Software for a small service fee.
6. You CANNOT modify the TYPESETTER PC or TYPESETTER INTERFACE
programs or documentation. You CANNOT charge any fees for copying or
distribution of the programs or documentation.
7. XLEnt Software and any parties authorized to distribute this
product make no expressed or implied warranties regarding this manual
and software, their quality, merchantability, performance or fitness
for any particular use. It is the your responsibility to determine
suitability for any particular use. Every effort has been made to
supply complete and accurate information.
I agree to abide by the terms and conditions of this license.
___________________________________ ____________
Signature Date
___________________________________ $___________
Name (Please print or type) License Fee
___________________________________ XLENT Software
Company P.O. BOX 847
Springfield, Virginia
___________________________________ 22150
Address U.S.A.
___________________________________ _______________________
City/State/Zip/Country XLENT Official
___________________________________ ____________
Telephone Date
ORDER FORM
Check the items you are purchasing.
_____ Noncommercial license for the use of TYPESETTER PC & TYPESETTER
INTERFACE. (Contributors of $30 will receive a printed manual
PLUS a copy of MegaFont PC.)
_____ Commercial site license for the use of TYPESETTER PC &
TYPESETTER INTERFACE. Please include a signed copy of the Site
License Agreement.
Payment method (U.S. $):
_____ Check or money order for $__________ enclosed.
_____ Please bill by MasterCard or VISA account.
_________________________________________ ______________
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Please send this completed form to:
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P.O. BOX 847
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U.S.A.