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Documentation for PRINTER EXPRESS by Freshour Software 531 Main Street #306 El Segundo, CA 90245 310-640-1649 Contents Introduction.............................................Part I Welcome Command Line Usage DOS Path Statement and Environment Variable The Files For PRINTER EXPRESS General Notes............................................Part II Guidelines Hardware and Software Requirements. How PRINTER EXPRESS Works Configuring PE.DAT.......................................Part III How to Configure the File General Rules How to Enter Printer Control Codes Startup Mode Printer Reset Default Printer Ports Hot Key Scan Code Color Systems Function Keys............................................Part IV Uninstalling PE..........................................Part V PE and Graphics..........................................Part VI Technical Support........................................Part VII Registration Form........................................Part VIII License Agreement........................................Part IX Reference Tables: Color Table..........................................Part X Hot Key Table........................................Part X Part I - INTRODUCTION Welcome to PRINTER EXPRESS (PE). You use PE to control your printer's most frequently-used functions. You can run PE as an .EXE program, or as a TSR (Terminate but Stay Resident) program. You can change printer settings on the fly when you use PE as a TSR. For example, in the middle of an application you can press ALT / (the default Hot Key) and change your printer settings to Condensed, Underline ON, Landscape Mode ON, etc. The controls supported by PE apply to any Dot Matrix, Ink Jet, or Laser Jet printer. Here's how to use PE from the DOS prompt: PE <CR> run as an .EXE program, using the PE.DAT file PE "MYFILE" <CR> run as an .EXE program, using "MYFILE" vs PE.DAT PE /L "MYFILE" <CR> load as a memory resident (TSR) program using "MYFILE" vs the PE.DAT file PE /U <CR> uninstall PE as a TSR program PE /S remove screen snow, for older CGA monitors PE /G use b&w attributes for gas plasma/LCD screens PE /F use fast cursor speed PE /H <CR> this Help screen PE /? <CR> this Help screen "MYFILE" is a copy of the PE.DAT file which you modify to create a customized configuration file for your printer. <CR> is the Return or Enter key. /S: Enables "snow removal" code for older CGA color monitors. It will eliminate screen flicker while PE is running. Don't use this switch unless you need it. /G: On Gas plasma and LCD screens, this switch will force PE to use default monochrome attributes instead of color settings. Note that you may set monochrome color values in the PE.DAT file if you have a mono system. The -G switch uses pre-set monochrome values. /F: This switch increases cursor movement speed in lightbar operations. This switch works only on 286 class machines and above. You may use the -, /, or \ characters in front of the switch. Part I - INTRODUCTION cont... INSTALLATION PRINTER EXPRESS can be installed onto your hard drive two ways. For root directory Installation: Copy PE.EXE and PE.DAT files into your root directory. Printer Express can then be executed upon system start-up. This is the fastest and easiest way install PRINTER EXPRESS. For subdirectory installation: Create a C:\PE subdirectory Copy PE.EXE and PE.DAT files into the C:\PE subdirectory You should include this subdirectory in the PATH statement of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. You can also include a DOS environment variable for PE. By placing "set PTREXP=C:\PE" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, DOS will create an environment variable string called 'PTREXP'. When you start PE, it looks for the string 'PTREXP'. If the string is found, PE looks at the rest of the statement (=C:\PE) and knows where to find the required PE.DAT file. If you don't use a PATH statement or a DOS Environment Variable, then you need to start PE from within it's own directory. The files for PRINTER EXPRESS: 1. PE.DOC This file; READ IT BEFORE USING PE. 2. PE.DAT The file to be customized for your printer. The Printer Control Codes in PE.DAT are for Epson-compatible printers. PE.DAT is the default file. If you use a different printer, change PE.DAT settings BEFORE you using that printer. 3. PE.EXE The executable file. Part II - GENERAL NOTES Guidelines: 1. Copy the original PE files to a subdirectory on your hard disk. We suggest C:\PE as the subdirectory. 2. DO NOT CHANGE THE PE.DAT FILE LAYOUT. PRINTER EXPRESS EXPECTS THE CONTROL CODES TO BE IN THE EXACT POSITIONS SHOWN IN THIS FILE. 3. For unused selections, leave the ON/OFF codes as 254 decimal. PE stops sending control codes to the printer when it encounters a 254 decimal code. 4. Activate PE only when the printer isn't printing. 5. Don't activate PE while other TSR programs are running. 6. Don't activate other TSR's unless you have de-activated PE by pressing the ESC key. 7. Load DOS's PRINT.COM TSR utility before PE to be able to uninstall PE as a TSR. We recommend that you load any TSR that you want to keep in memory before you load PE. You can deactivate PE only if it is the last TSR loaded. Hardware and Software Requirements: o IBM-PC/XT/AT PS/2 286 386 486 and most clones o Color or Monochrome 80 x 25 Text mode video system. o DOS 3.00 or higher How PRINTER EXPRESS Works: PE sends control codes to your printer when you press the spacebar. These codes remain in effect until changed. Applications you use after running PE can also change these settings without PE's knowledge. Part III - CONFIGURING PE.DAT How to Configure the File: The PE.DAT file holds the codes you enter to control your printer. In PE.DAT you also identify the functions of these codes, along with the header line that specifies the printer model supported. PE.DAT is a file you can change with any ASCII text editor or word processor in ASCII mode. You can have as many printer configuration files as necessary. To create a file other than the PE.DAT default, rename that file when it is saved. To use a new file, enter the file name on the PRINTER EXPRESS command line. You'll find the control codes for your printer in your printer's reference manual. General Rules: PE.DAT doesn't use TAB control character and Printer Express doesn't expand any TABs it finds. The second line is for a header to identify the printer and model PE.DAT is designed to operate with. There are 10 rows for printer function names on the PE menu. Some examples are included. NOTE: Keep the border characters "|" intact. There are 18 spaces for function names and 19 spaces for ON and OFF codes. How to Enter Printer Control Codes: Place the cursor just to the right of the ON or OFF code border. Hold down the ALT key and use the NUMERIC KEYPAD NUMBERS. ENTER THE CONTROL CODE VALUES IN DECIMAL. Example: to set an Epson printer to Condensed Mode, the code is 15 decimal. Hold down the ALT key, and on the NUMERIC KEYPAD only, press 1 and 5 keys. Now, release ALT key. You should see the character on the screen that represents 15 decimal. PE sends this control code to the printer when you press the Spacebar. Enter the ON/OFF control codes for each printer function. Part III - CONFIGURING PE.DAT cont... ------------------+-------------------+-------------------+ (Header Line) This file for Epson Printers. | ------------------+-------------------+-------------------+ Printer Function | ON Codes | OFF Codes | ------------------+-------------------+-------------------+ Letter Quality |xqy. |*(4. | Condensed |a. |~. | Italics |!4. |`5. | |<----------------->|<----------------->| Max width of 19 Max width of 19 Enter printer control codes here. From the start of each area, you have 19 spaces to write in. The "|" (vertical bar) character is a border. Write within these borders. NOTE: The square block character is character 254 decimal. It is used by PE as a terminating character. PE stops sending control codes to the printer when this character code is encountered. Be sure to end all printer control codes with the 254 decimal character. Startup Mode: Enter the Startup Mode control code(s) that set your printer to the initial Startup Mode you desire. Use the same procedure as described above for entering these control codes. Example: You may have the option of initializing your printer to the IBM Mode or the Epson Mode. If your printer doesn't have this feature, leave the code as 254 decimal. Printer Reset: Enter the control code(s) that reset your printer. If your printer doesn't have this feature, leave the code as 254 decimal. Initialize COM Port: Enter the initialization string desired to initialize the COM port if you are using a serial printer. The format is "9600,N,8,1" which is baud rate, parity, char size and stop bit. If you do not use this feature leave the first position blank or enter the 254 decimal character. ----------------------------------------------------------+ Init COM Port |9600,N,8,1|<--- Baud Parity Char Stop | ----------------------------------------------------------+ Make initialization settings here in the PE.DAT file. Part III - CONFIGURING PE.DAT cont... Default Printer Ports: PE is pre-configured with LPT set to Port 1. The "Printer Port" reference line in the PE.DAT file lets you select which of the 3 allowable LPT Ports PE will start up with. Valid LPT port settings are: LPT1 LPT2 LPT3 PE also supports COM1 and COM2 serial ports, primarily for laser printers. Valid COM port settings are: COM1 COM2 You can change the printer port setting once PE is running. From the PE Main Menu, press F5 to cycle through the currently active port options. For example, if LPT1 is the active port, pressing F5 will cause PE to cycle through LPT2, LPT3 and back to LPT1 again. Press F7 to make the LPT port the active printer port. Press F8 to make the COM port the active printer port. ----------------------------------------------------------+ Printer Port |LPT1|<---- LPT1 LPT2 LPT3 COM1 COM2| ----------------------------------------------------------+ Make LPT or COM port settings here in the PE.DAT file. Part III - CONFIGURING PE.DAT cont... Hot Key Scan Code: PE is pre-configured with ALT / as the Hot Key. You can change this in the PE.DAT file. A Hot Key reference chart is included at the end of this file to help you select a new Hot Key. The Hot Key value is read when PE loads. Therefore, if you use PE as a TSR and wish to change the Hot Key, you have to change it in the PE.DAT file, deactivate it and then run PE again. You can set any Hot Key combination to load PE into memory. The PE.DAT file is read only once during installation, when PE is loaded as a TSR. Each key on the IBM Keyboard has a unique identification called a Scan Code. These are NOT the same codes as the ASCII codes. For example, the "a" key has a Scan Code of 1E hex compared to it's ASCII code of 61 hex. The Scan Code for that key is the same regardless of upper or lower case. In the "Hot Key Scan Code" line in the PE.DAT file, you'll see 3 characters defining PE's Hot Key. The default characters are A35. Example: The 35 is the Scan Code in hex. In this case, 35 hex is the / (forward slash) key (see the chart at the end of this file). The "A" just before the 35 means the ALT key must also be depressed along with the / key. Other options available if you prefer something other than the ALT Key: C = CTRL Key L = LEFT SHIFT Key R = RIGHT SHIFT Key = a blank means no ALT, CTRL, LSHIFT or RSHIFT key. It means just the Scan Code Key. For example, the Scan Code for the F10 Key is 44 hex. If you wanted to just have the F10 key pop-up PE, then you would enter " 44" in the Hot Key box. If you wanted to activate PE with Control-F10, you would enter "C44". ------------------+---+-----------------------------------+ Hot Key Scan Code |A35|<---- Enter in Hexadecimal | ------------------+---++---+------------------------------+ Make Hot Key changes here in the PE.DAT file. At the end of this file are the Scan Codes for every key on the 83-Key IBM PC/XT Keyboard. You can use any key (including the Escape Key) either alone or in any combination with ALT, CTRL, LEFT SHIFT or RIGHT SHIFT keys to define your Hot Key. PE displays the Hot Key each time you run it. Please note that the Scan Codes for the Up Arrow, Down Arrow, PgDn, PgUp, etc. keys, are located on the NUMERIC KEYPAD. There are no Hot Key provisions for dedicated cursor control keyboards (keyboards that have a separate numeric key pad and PgUp, PgDn, Arrow keys). Part III - CONFIGURING PE.DAT cont... Color Systems PE (via PE.DAT) allows you to customize its colors. Enter the DECIMAL values for each of the color attributes. Enter the Background color and then the Foreground color. Be sure to enter the values in DECIMAL and enter them like the existing color settings are entered. That is, don't use the ALT numeric keypad as you did when entering the printer control codes. Enter the color values between the | | vertical bar markers. For example, Main Menu Background is set to the background color of Blue (see 001 below). The Main Menu Foreground color is set to White (see 007). Only the 3 characters between the | | vertical bar markers are read by PE. -----------------------+---+------------------------------+ Main menu Background|001| | Main menu Foreground|007| | -----------------------+---+------------------------------+ ^^^ Make color changes here in the PE.DAT file. There is a color chart at the end of this file and in the right hand side of the PE.DAT following the color setting area. NOTE: FOR BACKGROUND COLORS, YOU MUST USE VALUES BETWEEN 0 AND 7 ONLY. For a monochrome system, the primary monochrome color combinations are: Background Foreground Results 000 007 Normal text 000 015 Bright text 014 000 Inverse text When you run PE the first time (during loading as a TSR, or each time as an .EXE program), it reads the PE.DAT file and loads the codes you have set for your printer. To try different colors, run PE as a regular .EXE program. That way, you can see the effects of your color changes right away and don't have to load and then unload PE as a TSR to check out different colors. When you are finished entering your control codes, you can test these codes by running PE as an .EXE program and pressing the F2 Test Print function key for each lightbar selection you've set. Use the spacebar to toggle each selection ON and OFF. Part IV - FUNCTION KEYS F1 Reset Printer: Clears and resets the printer. You must enter your Printer Reset control code(s) in the PE.DAT file in order for this function to work. F2 Test Print: Sends a Test Print message string to the printer so you can check the correctness of your control codes. F3 Line Feed: Causes your printer to do a line feed. F4 Form Feed: Causes your printer to do a form feed. F5 LPT1 PE supports up to 3 parallel printer ports and COM1 2 COM ports. The F5 key cycles the active port between it's allowable values. F6 Initialize This will send the initialization parameters out COM Port the active serial port; COM1 or COM2. F7 Key Makes the LPT port the active printer port. F8 Key Makes the COM port the active printer port. F9 About... Displays information about PE. ESC Press the ESC key to exit PE. Part V - UNINSTALLING PE To uninstall PE just type PE U <CR>. If it is safe to do so, PE will remove itself from memory and display an uninstall message. If it isn't safe, PE won't remove itself from memory. An ill-behaved TSR is one that always lets you uninstall it. Under certain conditions, this can place DOS in an unstable state. PE, being a well-behaved TSR, always makes sure it is safe before it allows itself to be removed from memory. Remember, loading other TSR's after PE has been installed will prevent PE from uninstalling itself. There are some DOS Utilities that are themselves TSR's. If any of these are run after PE is installed, they prevent PE from uninstalling itself. Examples of these DOS TSR utilities include PRINT, SHARE, SUBST and ASSIGN. Part VI - PE AND GRAPHICS PE checks the current video mode before it pops up. If you're currently running a graphics-based application, it won't pop up and you'll hear a beep instead. Part VII - TECHNICAL SUPPORT We provide unlimited non-toll free telephone technical support. This means that when you call, you are paying for the call. Call 310-640-1649, west coast time. We'll be happy to answer your questions. Note: Technical support is provided for unregistered users as well. We strongly believe in supporting Printer Express. Part VIII - REGISTRATION FORM Printer Express is being distributed as a Shareware product. Shareware is a marketing method only. It allows you to "try before you buy". Shareware is not Freeware or Public Domain software. If you use Printer Express, you are expected to pay for it. We don't believe in releasing special versions of Shareware until you decide to register for the "real" product. Examples of this type of software are: limited or demo versions of a product, Bannerware versions and other types of nuisance reminders that you haven't registered your copy yet. We trust that if you find Printer Express to be useful to you, you will support our efforts in bringing Printer Express to the marketplace by registering your copy. The version you have now is a full release version of Printer Express with no shareware reminders other than what's contained in this PE.DOC file. Printer Express is a fully copyrighted, commercial quality product. The only way for us to keep improving Printer Express and to advise you of future changes (enhancements, added features, etc.) is for you to support it by registering your copy. The registration fee is $20.00. Thank you. +----------------------------- REGISTRATION FORM -----------------------------+ | | |Name:________________________________________________________________________| | | |Title:_______________________________________________________________________| | | |Address:_____________________________________________________________________| | | |City:__________________________________ State:_____________ Zip:_____________| | | |Work Phone:____________________________ Home Phone:__________________________| | | |PE Version:____________ Date Received:________________ | | | | | | | |Comments:____________________________________________________________________| | | |_____________________________________________________________________________| | | |_____________________________________________________________________________| | | |_____________________________________________________________________________| | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Mail this form to: Freshour Software Printer Express Registration 531 Main Street #306 El Segundo, CA 90245 310-640-1649 Part IX - LICENSE AGREEMENT GRANT OF LICENSE: Freshour Software grants to the legal purchaser of Printer Express the right to use this copy of Printer Express on a single CPU at a time. Printer Express is copyrighted (C) and owned by Freshour Software and is protected by United States copyright laws. You may make backup copies of Printer Express to protect your purchase. DISCLAIMER: Printer Express and any associated support files, including documentation files, are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. The entire risk as to the results and performance of Printer Express and any associated files is assumed by you. Freshour Software disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the Printer Express software product itself, the diskette it came on and any associated files and/or materials. In no event shall Freshour Software be liable for any damages whatsoever (including without limitation damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, and the like), arising out of the use or the inability to use, this product, even if Freshour Software has been so advised of such damages. Part X - REFERENCE TABLES +------------------------------------------------------+ | COLOR REFERENCE TABLE | +--- Background --+--------- Foreground ---------------+ | 00 Dark Black | 00 Dark Black 08 Bright Black | | 01 Dark Blue | 01 Dark Blue 09 Bright Blue | | 02 Dark Green | 02 Dark Green 10 Bright Green | | 03 Dark Cyan | 03 Dark Cyan 11 Bright Cyan | | 04 Dark Red | 04 Dark Red 12 Bright Red | | 05 Dark Magenta | 05 Dark Magenta 13 Bright Magenta | | 06 Dark Brown | 06 Dark Yellow 14 Bright Yellow | | 07 Dark Gray | 07 Dark White 15 Bright White | +------------------------------------------------------+ +-------------------------------------+ | Scan Codes for the 83-Key IBM PC/XT | +-------------------------+------------------------+---------------------------+ | Scan Code Key | Scan Code Key | Scan Code Key | | in Hex | in Hex | in Hex | +-------------------------+------------------------+---------------------------+ | 01 ESC | 0F TAB | 1D CTRL | | 02 1 | 10 Q | 1E A | | 03 2 | 11 W | 1F S | | 04 3 | 12 E | 20 D | | 05 4 | 13 R | 21 F | | 06 5 | 14 T | 22 G | | 07 6 | 15 Y | 23 H | | 08 7 | 16 U | 24 J | | 09 8 | 17 I | 25 K | | 0A 9 | 18 O | 26 L | | 0B 0 | 19 P | 27 ; Semi-colon| | 0C - Minus | 1A [ | 28 ' Apostrophe| | 0D = Equals | 1B ] | 29 ` Accent | | 0E Backspace | 1C Return | 2A Left Shift | +-------------------------+------------------------+---------------------------+ | 2B \ | 39 Spacebar | 47 Home | | 2C Z | 3A Caps Lock | 48 Up Arrow | | 2D X | 3B F1 | 49 PgUp | | 2E C | 3C F2 | 4A Grey Minus | | 2F V | 3D F3 | 4B Left Arrow | | 30 B | 3E F4 | 4C Num 5 | | 31 N | 3F F5 | 4D Right Arrow | | 32 M | 40 F6 | 4E Grey Plus | | 33 , Comma | 41 F7 | 4F End | | 34 . Period | 42 F8 | 50 Down Arrow | | 35 / | 43 F9 | 51 PgDn | | 36 Right Shift | 44 F10 | 52 INS | | 37 Print Screen| 45 Num Lock | 53 DEL | | 38 ALT | 46 Scroll Lock| | +-------------------------+------------------------+---------------------------+