home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Shareware Supreme Volume 6 #1
/
swsii.zip
/
swsii
/
162
/
PRNTEST.ZIP
/
PRNTEST.DOC
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1988-01-02
|
17KB
|
528 lines
╔═════════════════╗
║ P R N T E S T ║
╚═════════════════╝
A complete printer diagnostic
and testing program for all
printers. Programmed 12/87.
By J. WILSON
Copyright (c) 1987
Version 1.31
...............................................................................
......................... ............................
......................... TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................
......................... ............................
...............................................................................
TITLE PAGE
───── ────
Legal stuff --------------------------------- 1
Why PRNTEST --------------------------------- 1
About PRNTEST ------------------------------- 2
Compatibility ------------------------------- 3
How to use PRNTEST -------------------------- 3
Test Menu ----------------------------------- 4
Test Menu ----------------------------------- 5
Printer Control Keys ------------------------ 6
Acknowledgements ---------------------------- 6
NOTE: This test was designed around printers that are set for the following;
6 lines-per-inch
10 characters-per-inch
11 inch page length
utility print quality (not NLQ)
IBM graphics character set
auto L/F and C/R set to off
If the printer you are going to be testing is not set this way, the
printout may not be properly formatted. Before you run any of these
tests, it is advisable to set your printer for the parameters that
are listed above (these settings are the default for most printers).
───────────
LEGAL STUFF
───────────
PRNTEST.EXE is placed in the public domain under the user supported
shareware concept. It is now and will always remain the sole property
of James Wilson. This program may not be sold or be used to gain a
profit of any type without the expressed written consent of the author.
You are free to distribute this program to anyone who would like a copy
as long as this document file is included. If you find that you are
using this program often and you would like to register for any future
updates, you can make a $15.00 contribution to the address listed
below.
James Wilson
1459 Gregory Ave.
Union, N.J. 07083
────────────
WHY PRNTEST?
────────────
A lot of people have asked me why I even bothered to write a printer
test. I have been in the computer industry for over seven years now and
after that much time you begin to realize that if you want it done
right, you generally have to do it yourself. Now I happen to be one of
those people who love to play with utilities and diagnostics. Any kind
I can get my hands on, I use. Well, being a Service Manager for a very
busy PC repair shop has led me to try and find as many diagnostics,
utilities, and test programs as I can. The stuff available for drives,
monitors, and option boards are not only plentiful but some of them are
damn good. About the only thing my technicians cried out for was a
printer test utility (well, they also wanted more pay, but you can't
please everyone).
-- Page 1 --
─────────────
ABOUT PRNTEST
─────────────
PRNTEST was written and compiled with Borlands Turbo-Basic. This is
actually a nice programming environment for only $59.00. I have been
programming in basic for about five years now but was always
"handicapped" by the inability of IBM's Basic to produce executable
files (.EXE or .COM). Most of my work was with Turbo-Pascal, but I
don't care what anyone says, that is NOT a great language to program in
(although there are a lot of programs out now that were written with
it, so I seem to be a minority with this opinion).
PRNTEST was programmed at home in my spare time, about 20 hours worth
for the first working copy (ver 1.0). That version had very little
appearance value. It was just for my technicians, so what did I care
what it looked like, just as long as it worked. After looking at this
"beta" copy for a few weeks, I decided that it wasn't good enough (of
course a few comments from one of the techs. about "bugs" helped me
with this decision). I fixed the bugs, plus I added a few more tests
(ver 1.1). After a few weeks with this latest version, I realized that
I had forgotten to include full carriage testing capabilities for 132
column printers! So back to the source code to fix that (ver 1.2).
About 2 months later I got sick and tired of looking at the crude menu
system, so once again I went back to the old source code and created a
far better menu (ver 1.3). Function key support (F1-F4) was added in
Dec. of 1987 for a little more versatility (ver 1.31). It works pretty
good now, but I am already working on even more enhancements. Ver 1.4
will include a printer status indicator that is for print status, line
number, page number, and will also include error checking.
If you have any suggestions for enhanced features, or if you find any
bugs, let me know. If the suggestions are good, I'll incorporate them
into future releases. If the bugs are bad, I'll try to fix them.
-- Page 2 --
─────────────
COMPATIBILITY
─────────────
This program has been thoroughly tested on the following printers:
Okidata: 182, 192, 192+, 193, 193+
82, 83, 84, 92, 93, 2410
Epson: EX 800/1000, LQ 800/1000/1500/2500
all FX, MX and RX series printers
Toshiba: P-321, P-341, P-351 (series 1, 2 and SL)
IBM: Proprinter, Proprinter XL
Quietwriter (I, II, and III)
If you use this test on a printer other than what is listed here, drop
me a letter at the address on page 1, and let me know how it works. I
need to know these things for future updates.
──────────────────
HOW TO USE PRNTEST
──────────────────
This test is actually very easy to use. I tried to design it that way
because the last thing anybody needs is a test program that takes a
week to figure out how to work. From the prompt ( A>, B> or C> ), just
type in PRNTEST. The entire program works off of one menu. When the
main menu comes up on the screen you will have 13 options to choose
from, numbers 1-12 are tests and 13 is exit (all of the different tests
are described in detail on pages 4 and 5). The first thing you have to
do is select which test you want to run, next you have to select how
many pages you want to print, and lastly, the width of the paper you're
going to print on. If you pick the CHARACTER SELECT test you will have
a fourth question to answer, namely which character you want to print.
The program will then pause to allow you to put some paper into the
printer. You can then start the test by hitting the <ENTER> key.
Because PRNTEST does not do any line feeds when it first starts, and
because of the amount of lines it prints per page, the best spot to
position the printhead on the paper is just below the perforation.
NOTE: This version of PRNTEST will always be set for LPT1. If you are
testing a serial printer, you must run the DOS MODE command before you
load PRNTEST (see your DOS book for more info on this command). I have
been asked by a few people to make this program give you an option for
which port to test (COM 1,2 - LPT 1,2,3), but my research says most
people print from LPT1 anyway. If you feel that the ability to change
ports for testing is important, and you are a registered user, then let
me know.
-- Page 3 --
─────────
TEST MENU
─────────
The test menu consists of the following options:
TEST # NAME DESCRIPTION
==========================================================================
1 FULL CHARACTER - This will print all the numbers and all the
letters of the alphabet. You won't get any
graphics or symbols here.
2 GRAPHICS AND SYMBOLS - This will print everything that test number
1 doesn't. NOTE: On daisy-wheel printers
and dot matrix that are not IBM compatible,
you will probably experience problems when
running this test.
3 SMALL BLOCK PATTERN - This will print small, solid blocks in a
staggered pattern. This is good for checking
carriage movement.
4 LARGE BLOCK PATTERN - This will print the same thing as the above
test except that the blocks will be much
bigger. If you want to know if all the pins
in your printhead are firing evenly, try
this test first.
5 RANDOMIZED NUMBERS - This will print a series of random numbers
that are four digits or less. It will print
them in columns, so this is a good way to
check for alignment problems.
6 CONSECUTIVE NUMBERS - This will print numbers starting at 1 and
going all the way up to a max of 9999999999.
If you reach the end of this test, you are
working somebodys printer to death! These
numbers will print in columns also.
7 CHARACTER SELECTION - This will print an entire page of only one
character, the one you choose. This test is
great proof to a customer who thinks his
printer won't print a certain character,
number, or symbol.
8 SLOW VERTICAL SPACING - This will print a pair of asterisks (**) at
either end of the page as it slowly advances
the paper. If you think you have a paper feed
problem and you don't want to waste a lot of
paper, this is the test to run.
-- Page 4 --
─────────
TEST MENU
─────────
The test menu consists of the following options:
TEST # NAME DESCRIPTION
==========================================================================
9 FAST VERTICAL SPACING - This will print the exact same thing as test
number 8, except the paper moves as fast
as it can go. If you have plenty of paper
or a real intermittent paper feed problem,
this test will find it.
10 SLOW HORIZONTAL SPACING - This will print number signs (#) in columns
to check for proper horizontal spacing. If
someone has a problem with things lining up
properly on the page, this would be a good
test to see if it's a problem with the printer.
11 FAST HORIZONTAL SPACING - This will print the exact same thing as test
number 10, except it does it as fast as the
printer can go. If you think you have a jamming
type of problem or problems with the ribbon
advancing properly, you might want to run
this test.
12 DOT MATRIX EXERCISER - This will tell you if you have any type of
printhead problem. What you will get is a
totally black printed page. It will fire ALL
of the pins in the printhead ALL of the time,
for as many pages as you want, but be careful
and don't run off too many, because this test
can kill your printhead.
WARNING! This test is ONLY for dot matrix
printers. Do not attempt this test on a
daisy-wheel type of printer because it can
easily break off pieces of the print wheel
and possibly cause a jam.
Do not attempt this test on a laser printer
either because they do not use the same set
of character commands as a dot matrix.
13 EXIT - I hope this doesn't need to be explained.
-- Page 5 --
────────────────────
PRINTER CONTROL KEYS
────────────────────
There are four printer control keys that are used in this program. They
can be used anytime AFTER printing has started.
F1 - Use this key to abort the program entirely. This will
send a form feed to the printer, exit PRNTEST, and then
return to DOS.
F2 - Use this key to abort the test you are running and
restart the program. This key will also send a form feed
to the printer.
F3 - Use this key to pause the program. It will not "forget"
any of your settings nor will it lose its place in the
test you are running.
F4 - Use this key to restart the test after you have hit the
F3 key to pause. The printer will continue exactly where
it left off.
────────────────
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
────────────────
There are very few people I have to acknowledge for this program. Of
course Borland is one of them, for making the Turbo-Basic that PRNTEST.EXE
was compiled with and for the Sidekick that this document file was written
in. This almost sounds like a commercial for Borland, doesn't it? But
seriously, if it wasn't for their under $100.00 programs, the public would
be out of luck as far as a place you could turn to get quality stuff that's
reasonably priced.
Naturally there is myself, but that sounds a bit egotistical. Anyway,
if I can program so great, how come it took me three revisions to get this
thing to look good and to work right?
But the biggest acknowledgement is for two people, my pregnant wife
(that's actually one and a half people, isn't it). She has been very good
while I sit in this room for hours on end programming and playing games on
my XT. While sometimes she does slip and call the computer my "girlfriend",
she has for the most part been very understanding. So to Kathy and my
unborn child, I love the two of you very much.
Sincerely,
Jim Wilson
-- Page 6 --