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1986-10-23
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FONT-SET tm
Copyright 1986, Harvest Resources
All Rights Reserved
FONT-SET is a program designed to work with most of today's dot
matrix printers, and provide a means of easily changing the style
of print, or "font". Most of the more common fonts are supported
such as bold, compressed, underline, etc.
First, you will want to make a working copy, storing the original
disk in a safe place. Probably the best way would be to format a
blank disk using the " FORMAT B: /s " option, then copying all
the files from the original disk onto your new working disk.
Never attempt to use FONT-SET unless your printer is hooked up,
turned on, and ready (i.e. "SELECTED").
Start the program by entering FONT-SET at the A> prompt (assuming
you have the program disk in drive A. You may copy the program
onto your hard drive if you wish). Since you are using the
program for the first time, you will be presented with a
directory of the printer files (ending in the .FS extension).
You will be asked to choose one of these files to be used as the
default configuration. Use the chart below to help you select
the proper file for your printer:
Filename - Supports these printers -
EPSON.FS All newer Epsons and many older models.
Most Citizens. Many IBMs. NEC P5.
Star NX-10. & many many others.
GEMINI.FS Old Star Gemini 10X or 15X.
NECP6P7.FS NEC P6 or P7.
OKIDIBM.FS Most newer Okidatas w/ IBM interface.
PANASON.FS Most Panasonics, like 1091,1092, etc.
STARSGDR.FS Star SG, SD, or SR series.
TOSHIBA.FS Most newer Toshibas, like P351, etc.
Once you have made your selection, the program will copy the data
from that file to a file called DEFAULT.FS. This file must
always be in the default drive when using FONT.SET, or the
program will think it has not been configured yet.
Now you will be presented with the Main Menu. This is the screen
you will be seeing first from now on, since you have already con-
figured the program for your particular printer.
With the printer turned on, you may select any of the fonts
listed on the menu by typing the first letter of the font. For
example, press the B key to set BOLD on your printer. You may
also experiment with combining fonts, but please read your
printer manual first, to determine which fonts can be combined.
(For fun, try Compressed and Superscript). Any font you select
will remain in effect until you either press the R (Reset) key,
or turn your printer off then back on again. If you have never
used other fonts on your printer before this, the best way to
learn what each menu option will do is to experiment. Always
remember to press R when you are finished with one font and wish
to see another one or return to normal.
You may have noticed the Typewriter option on the menu. This
option will allow your printer to behave like an electric
typewriter of sorts. You will be able to type a line of text on
the screen, backing up using the Backspace key to make any
corrections, and then pressing the Return key to send the line
to your printer. This is a terrific option to use when you want
to quickly type a label, an envelope, or a short memo. Of
course, you may set a font first before selecting the Typewriter
option. When you are done typing, enter a slash ( / ) by itself
on the next blank line (then press Return), and you will be
returned to the Main Menu.
You will also notice a selection called "Other Options". You
will use this selection when you want to change the default
printer file (maybe you'll buy a new printer, or maybe you have
more than one), and also when you want to add a new printer file.
If you have no need to use these options at this time, you may
want to skip the next few paragraphs and move to the section on
command-line entries.
In order to add a new printer file, you will need the manual for
the printer you wish to add, and you must locate the list of
Control (Escape) codes. When prompted, you will need to enter
the proper sequence of codes in their DECIMAL ASCII values,
separated by commas. For example, if your manual lists Esc + "M"
as the sequence to set the elite font, you must enter 27,77 (the
decimal ascii values for Esc and M) when you see the "Elite:"
prompt. For your reference, the BASIC language equivalent of
this is LPRINT CHR$(27);CHR$(77). If you enter a new printer
file and find it does not work properly, you can either begin the
process over again, or edit the file with a text editor, if you
feel comfortable doing so.
The most common mistake made when adding a file is forgetting to
use DECIMAL ASCII values. For example, if your printer manual
specifies a code sequence of Esc + "4" for italics, then do not
enter 27,4 at the "Italics:" prompt, because the decimal ascii
value for 4 is 52. Therefore, you should enter 27,52. It is
advisable to have a list of ASCII code values in front of you
when you attempt to add a file. You might look in your DOS
manual or your BASIC manual for such a list.
When you have finished entering all the Control sequences, you
will be asked for a filename. It is assumed that you are
familiar enough with DOS to know what constitutes a valid file
name. For example, do not try to use more than 8 characters
before the file extension. The extension must be .FS, or else
the program will continue to prompt you for a valid name. If you
were adding a Brother printer for instance, a valid filename
would be BROTHER.FS. Try to make it easy for yourself and others
to tell what printer the file is for just by looking at the
filename.
COMMAND-LINE ENTRIES: If you like, you may bypass the Main Menu
entirely and place your selections on the command-line when you
first start the program. You will, of course, have to remember
the first letter of the selection you want. Two examples:
1) Instead of entering just "FONT-SET" to start the program, you
might enter "FONT-SET B". This would set the printer to BOLD and
would kick you right back out to DOS. 2) If you were to enter
FONT-SET C T R E T R at the DOS prompt, then the program would
first set the COMPRESSED font, then take you to Typewriter Mode
for a typing session. When you finish typing, the R would Reset
the printer to normal and then the E would set ELITE print. Then
the T would put you back to the Typewriter again, and finally,
right before returning you to DOS, the printer would be reset.
You just got a lot of mileage out of a few letters, didn't you?
TROUBLESHOOTING: You should never experience difficulty with
your FONT-SET program if you have followed this documentation
carefully. If you DO have trouble:
- Check to see that your printer is not at fault.
- Are you attempting to do something that your printer does
not support?
- Check to see that the default printer file is the correct
one for your printer (and present in the default drive).
- Are you remembering to Reset the printer between choices?
- If you're using a file you added yourself, could there
perhaps be an error in the file?
- Check to make sure your printer cable is firmly inserted.
- Is your computer fully IBM compatible?
- Are you using a fairly recent version of DOS?
- Are you using the parallel port LPT1?
If you've done all you can do and still have problems, please
write to us at Harvest Resources, P.O. Box 11513, Phoenix, AZ
85061, and include the following:
- A letter describing the problem in DETAIL.
- Sample printouts showing the problem, if possible.
- Photocopies of the Control codes from your printer manual.
We hope you will find FONT-SET to be very useful to you through
the years. Feel free to write if you have comments for us.