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1993-09-13
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PSDRIVER - 0.1 (Sep 09 1993)
============================
Abstract
--------
PSDRIVER.SYS is a DOS-Device-Driver that implements a printing
device for printing ASCII documents on a postscript printer.
This first release supports a subset of line drawing characters
and many language-specific characters of code page 437. It was
tested under MS-DOS 6.0, Banyan Vines 4.11 network and a Postscript
compatible Mannesmann Tally MT906PS printer.
This release is free, try it and report your experience to me.
For further enhancements, the author welcomes any comments. You
may contact me on Compuserve:
Johannes Geenen; Compuserve-ID: 100137,3124
Summary
-------
This is the very first release of a DOS device driver to allow
direct output of ASCII files to a postscript printer. This driver
includes some extensions of the IBM character set, including
Umlaute (like ä, ö or ß) and a set of line drawing characters.
PSDRIVER has to be installed as a device driver in your
CONFIG.SYS file (may be loaded high) and occupies about 8K of
memory. On default, the driver replaces LPT3 and redirects it to
the first (BIOS-)printer port. Different output devices may be
specified on command line.
Installation
------------
Copy the driver onto your hard disk and add to your CONFIG.SYS file
the following statement (change the path, if you copied the
driver to a different location than the root directory):
DEVICE=C:\PSDRIVER.SYS
and reboot your computer. On startup PSDRIVER will display the
used memory segment, the device name used as primary (input)
device and the printer port used for output to the postscript
printer:
ASCII to POSTSCRIPT Translator 0.1
Installed at segment.: 03CA
Using device name....: LPT3
Printing to port.....: 1
The segment address depends on your additional configuration and
DOS version. Device name and printer port may be changed by
command line arguments. The complete command line syntax of
PSDRIVER is:
DEVICE[HIGH]=<Your Drive And Path>\PSDRIVER.SYS <Input> <Output>
where:
Your Drive And Path: Location of PSDRIVER.SYS on your
hard disk
Input : Name of the device you want to
print your ASCII files to (LPTn,
PSDRV, etc.), Default: LPT3
Output : Number of the printer port, the
postscript printer is attached to
(1, 2 or 3), Default: 1
This package contains two drivers: PSDRIVER.SYS and PSDRVLET.SYS.
The only difference between this drivers is, that PSDRIVER.SYS
assumes A4 paper size, while PSDRVLET.SYS assumes Letter paper size.
The PSDRVLET.SYS has not been tested.
Usage
-----
To test the driver, just copy a plain text file to the device,
that PSDRIVER has installed (or replaced):
COPY CONFIG.SYS LPT3
The text will be printed onto your postscript printer (if
attached to the output printer port and online, of course!);
unprintable characters will be replaced by an asterisk ('*'),
Backspace, Tab, Line- and Formfeeds and Carriage Return control
characters will be recognized and interpreted. A formfeed (print
the last page) is appended automatically.
Of course, you may use the original printer port, since
PSDRIVER does not modify it's behavior. Just have
in mind: Print a plain text file to the input device of PSDRIVER,
the driver will do the rest (hopefully).
Features
--------
This version of PSDRIVER is the very, very first release and
supports only a small set of features:
* Prints ASCII files to your postscript printer without any menu
changes (PSDRIVER converts the text file to a Postscript file).
* Allows printing of national character sets and some IBM graphics
extensions.
* Allows use on LAN work stations with a postscript network
printer (tested on our Banyan Vines 4.11 LAN).
Future enhancements
-------------------
* Improving the command line interface
* Adding a user interface: change fonts, page orientation and
margins using an interface program.
* Support of virtually any character of the IBM-set
* Adding a IBM- and/or Epson printer emulation (at least under-
lining, bold and italic faces)
* Reducing the resident memory size
Technical Information
---------------------
PSDRIVER is a small device driver, which uses the DOS-built-in
character device driver interface for processing files. On an
open request the postscript header is downloaded to the printer,
then the file itself is downloaded (performing the neccessary
character translations) and on closing request a final form feed
is performed.
Most of the resident driver size is occupied by the postscript
header which is compressed using a very simple Huffman like
compression method. This reduces the header size from about
10K uncompressed to compressed 7K (this may be improved, I
know!). The header includes already all stuff for font selection,
font sizes, orientation, bolding or underlining and will
hopefully not grow very much during enhancement of functionality.
History
-------
I developed the PSDRIVER program, because I often need to print
program files out of my DOS based text editor. The first approach
was a small programm, that switched the emulation of the printer
between Postscript and Laserjet. But then two things happened:
A new postscript printer was installed (with a different
emulation switching code) and I was attached to a network printer
(Ever changed the emulation from Postscript to Laserjet on a
network printer? Just wait 'til the network administrator - or
angry users - come around...)
The End
-------
So I decided to write this driver. Based on my small assembler
knowledge, Michael J. Young's book "Performance Programming Under
MS-DOS", Sybex 1987, and other stuff, this release of the device
driver was coded in three days or so.
Some enhancements I mentioned above, wait inside my little gray
brain cells to be coded, others are a bit more difficult to me:
* How could I access disk files during installation (for
configuration files)?
* How should I design the user interface (I want to use IOCTL
functions, but how should I determin the device name (or
handle), when not using the default ones?)
Warranty
========
You may use this program on any DOS-PC. I've tested it under DOS 6.0, but
it may work under DOS 3.X, too. Of course, the author can give no warranty
at all, including failures on hardware, software or damaging of data.
(There is no code in PSDRIVER, which may cause such defects, but who knows?).
The Author
==========
Mail: Johannes Geenen
Schwannstrasse 21
D-41460 Neuss
Germany
E-Mail: Compuserve 100137,3124