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1991-09-29
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2col
Shareware Version 2.5
A Compressed Print Utility
Copyright 1991
by
ARCaine Technology
960 Neilson St
Albany, CA 94706
(510) 527-9859
All Rights Reserved
Introduction
2col is intended to greatly reduce the huge volume of paper that
results from printing reference manuals and text files. Regular
use of this program should cut your paper bill by 60 to 70
percent. It provides excellent readability (unlike other
compressed print programs) while compressing an average of
four pages of source material onto one side of a sheet of
paper. By using its even/odd alternate side print feature eight
pages of text can be printed using both sides of a page. Since the
normal draft mode of printing is used it is also much faster than
those programs which rely on nonstandard print modes.
As a side benefit, many 2col users actually find it easier and
faster to read the compressed versions than the originals because
they can take in more words at one time without having to scan
across the page.
2col will optionally print in subscript mode - doubling the amount
of text contained on a single sheet to a total of sixteen pages -
with a significant loss in legibility and printing speed. This
mode is intended mainly for archival use not for documents that
will be read frequently.
This program will work on most dot-matrix printers which provide
17 characters/inch compressed printing but is especially intended
for newer printers which have a compressed/elite mode (20 char/in)
allowing two complete 80 character lines to be printed across the
page.Printers which support 20 char/in include:KXP1180,KXP1124,
FX86,GS-200,GS-140,LQ series,etc. Twenty four pin printers are
supported only in the registered version of 2col.
The 20 char/in mode on many printers cannot be accessed by
software if your DIP switches are set for IBM mode. The printer
must be set for the Epson standard mode. 2col will optionally
supply the control characters to cause the full IBM character set
to print. Also, your printer should have the auto linefeed switch
turned off.
Page Length
Twenty-four pin printers will print past the bottom of the page
with the unregistered version of 2col because line feed commands
are different for these printers. The registered version supports
almost all 24 pin printers. Your registration fee will be promptly
refunded if you are dissatisfied in any way with 2col.
Registration
This program was originally written for my own use. When I saw how
helpful it was, I put in a considerable amount of time to rewrite
it so that it would meet a wide range of others' needs. I think
a $20 registration fee is a fair way to compensate me for my
efforts. If you cannot afford $20 send what you can or at least
let me know you are finding 2col useful.
The registered version of 2col permits multiple document names and
wildcards to be used on the command line and eliminates the
registration screen. It also supports most 24 pin letter quality
printers. Please tell me the version number you have when
registering.
Multi-site fees for commercial users can be negotiated.
Terminology
Since several pages from the original source file are combined
onto a single page of printer output, there may be some confusion
about the word "page." We will always refer to the original
document pages as "source pages." What is actually printed will
simply be called "pages."
Usage:
2col [options] path\filename [options] [path\filename]...
Options may be specified in any order before and/or after the file
name(s). Options must be separated from each other by spaces and
preceded by a "-". Upper and lower case are interchangeable.
Options are defined as follows:
-Lxx = Each column will be xx lines long
-Cxx = No more than xx consecutive blank lines will be printed
-Sxx = Skip xx pages before starting to print
-O = Print only odd # pages
-E = Print only even # pages
-Wxx = column width (number of characters in each column)
-P = Pause before printing each page.
-N = Prints filename and page # at lower left corner
-D = Delimit each (source) page with a line and page #
-T = Truncate long lines instead of wrap.
-G = Enable full IBM graphics set.
-Fx = Put a margin of x blank lines at the top of each page.
-A = Append multiple files. (registered version only)
When more than 102 lines/page requested,shifts to subscript
(half-height) mode. When column width is less than 69 chars,uses
compressed mode (17 char/in.) When column width is greater than
68 uses compressed/elite (20 char/in.)
Defaults: 80 characters/column;88 lines/page;1 consecutive blank
line; no pause before printing page; do not number pages;
wrap (not truncate) long lines;4 blank lines at top of
page.
Description of options
-Lxxx
Each column will contain xxx lines of data. Line spacing will
be automatically adjusted to approximately fill the page. Some
flexibility is included to vary the white space at the bottom
of the page: -L102 or -L90 (-L100 or -L85 for 24 pin printers)
give minimum white space; other values give more. Characters
will be normal (pica) height until more than 102 lines/column
are specified; printer will then shift to subscript mode
allowing up to 220 lines/column. Default value is 88.
-Cxx
Pages of text frequently contain many blank lines of data.
Experience has shown that most of these can be discarded
without sacrificing readability. This option specifies that
when there are more than xx consecutive blank lines, the
excess will be discarded. The default value is 1.
-Sxx
This feature is useful if you have a paper jam or decide to
print part now and part later. Using this option will cause xx
pages to be skipped before printing begins. For example,
specifying "-S2" will cause printing to begin with page 3.
-O
This and the -E option allow you to print on both sides of
each sheet of paper. By specifying "-O", only the odd numbered
pages will be printed. When printing is complete,reload the
first page back into the printer with the blank side facing
the print head and rerun 2col using the -E option.
-E
Prints only even numbered pages. When using this option after
the -O option be sure to shift the paper about 1/2 inch to the
right before starting to print, to allow space for hole
punching or other binding requirements.
-Wxx
This option specifies how wide each column will be. Wrapping
or truncating will begin at this position. It also determines
the print density. If xx is 68 or less, the printer will use
compressed mode (137 characters across the page). If xx is 69
or larger the printer will use compressed/elite (160
characters/line). If your printer does not support
compressed/elite and you try to use it, you will end up with a
mess. You should then specify xx as 68 and decide whether you
want to truncate long lines or wrap them. You may first want
to use a word processor to do a word wrap since 2col will wrap
in mid-word.
-P
Program will pause before printing each page. Hit any key to
print a page. This option is useful if you are feeding single
sheets to the printer.
-N
This will cause the filename and page number to be printed in
the lower left-hand corner of each sheet. To avoid confusion
when using the -S, -O and -E options the page numbering is not
reset for each document when multiple documents are specified
on the command line(registered version only).
-D
If you need to keep track of each source page, this option
will print a dashed line with a page number in the middle
whenever a form feed is encountered or after 66 lines of data.
Experience has shown that this option will be rarely used
because most documents either number their own pages or it is
just not important to keep track of original page breaks.
-T
Normally when lines longer than the specified column width are
encountered, 2col will wrap the data to the next line. If you
prefer to truncate or discard excess characters on a line, you
should invoke this option.
-G
Sends control codes to enable full IBM graphics set (ASCII
128-255).
-Fx
2col will insert x blank lines at the top of each page before
printing. The default is 4.
-A
When multiple files are specified on the command line
(registered version only) you have the option of either
starting a new page for each file (default) or appending them
as though they were one continuous file. The -A option causes
them to be appended.
Suggested Usage
Create a batch file named "2.bat" containing a call for 2col
with your most often used options as part of the command line.
You need then only type "2" followed by the filename you wish to
print. You could also include options you wish to add or
override as part of the call. For example 2.bat might contain
the following line:
2col -P -N -L86 %1 %2 %3 %4
(%2 %3 %4 are there in case you enter options or additional
fileneames)
Distribution
Permission is hereby given to copy and distribute this program
as long as no fee other than a minimal (<$10) handling cost is
charged. Please include all files in their original unmodified
form when distributing this program.
Ye olde disclaimer
The author has made all good faith attempts to provide a
reliable product. But there are no guarantees expressed or
implied that this program will work perfectly (or indeed at all)
or that it won't cause your data or hardware to self destruct.
If you are a registered user and become dissatisfied with the
program for any reason, I will be glad to refund your
registration fee but will not be liable for any damage resulting
from the use of this program.
-Tony Caine-
GEnie mail:A.CAINE