Piper's Pit BBS/FTP: ibm 0020 - 0029/ibm0020-0029/ibm0028.tar/ibm0028/PRINTBOS.ZIP/MANUAL.TXT

Text File | 1985-07-15 | 13.0 KB | 330 lines

PRINTER BOSS "MANUAL.TXT" FILE
==========================================================================

Your PRINTER BOSS disk contains the following files...

    README   .TXT  Boot-up instructions
    BOSS     .COM  Printer Boss program
    BFONT    .EXE  Font designer
    BFONTLQ  .EXE  Font designer/LQ-1500 printer
    BFONTMSE .MNU  Mouse driver
    IBMATRIX .FNT  Font data/Matrix character set
    IBMGRAF1 .FNT  Font data/Graphics 1 character set
    IBMGRAF2 .FNT  Font data/Graphics 2 character set
    SCRNDUMP .FNT  Font data/Screen character set
    IBMAPL   .FNT  Font data/APL character set
    FULLFONT .FNT  Font data/Full font for user redesign
    COURIER  .TWO  Font data/Two-pass LQ character set
    ORATOR   .TWO  Font data/Two-pass LQ character set
    SANSERIF .TWO  Font data/Two-pass LQ character set
    SIDEFONT .T    Sideways font data
    SIDEFONT .VS   Sideways font data
    SIDEFONT .S    Sideways font data
    SIDEFONT .N    Sideways font data
    SIDEFONT .L    Sideways font data
    SIDEFONT .VL   Sideways font data
    SIDEFONT .LD   Sideways font data
    SHEET6   .PRN  Spreadsheet test file/6 rows
    SHEET10  .PRN  Spreadsheet test file/10 rows
    SHEET100 .PRN  Spreadsheet test file/100 rows
    PRTBOSS  .HLP  Help screen data
    MATRTEST .TXT  Printable test file/Matrix character set
    GRF1TEST .TXT  Printable test file/Graphics 1 character set
    GRF2TEST .TXT  Printable test file/Graphics 2 character set
    SCRNTEST .TXT  Printable test file/Screen character set
    APLTEST  .TXT  Printable test file/APL character set
    MANUAL   .TXT  Updates on manual
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Please note the following changes in or additions to your Printer Boss
manual:


1) Adding DOS system files

Use the DOS "sys" command as outlined on Page 10 of the manual, but in
addition copy the "Command.com" file from your DOS disk onto the
Printer Boss disk.


2) Printer Stream Processing

All print codes are passed straight through to the printer,
EXCEPT if you select...

   - simulated download character set
   - one pass quality print for other than a FX, or
   - two pass quality print.

Simulated download character sets are IBMATRIX, IBMGRAF1, IBMGRAF2,
SCRNDUMP, IBMAPL and user defined fonts for printers other than the
Epson FX or IBM Proprinter. IBMATRIX, IBMGRAF1, IBMGRAF2, and SCRNDUMP
fonts are special in that they are "descended" fonts (with spaces
filled in between the rows in the manner of the IBM printers and the
IBM-PC display).

Fonts are actually downloaded to the printer only if...

   - an FX, IBM Proprinter, or LQ-1500 printer is specified, and
   - normal print mode is selected, and
   - either the APL or user-designed font is selected.

All other font downloading is simulated and the actual printing is done
in graphics mode. All sideways fonts are done in graphics mode. The
user cannot define descended fonts.


3) Appearance enhancement for quality modes

Doublestrike and underline modes may be selected, either via the menu or
via appropriate escape codes, for all print modes. The escape codes for
enhanced print mode will be recognized but will be treated as doublestrike.


4) Building two-pass fonts

When building a two-pass font, the entire font must be defined.
Undefined characters will default to spaces. (When building normal
fonts, partial fonts may be defined and undefined characters will
default to the appropriate one-pass quality character image.)

A handy application of the font building programs is to reassign
character images.  Some word processors don't allow certain characters
to be used in documents, and by reassigning those characters to the
ASCII codes of other legal, but seldom used, characters the user can
"trick" the word processor into accepting the outlawed characters.  To
reassign a character load the font using (F3), display the desired
character using (F4), resave the character to the reassigned value
using (F6), and save the font back with same name using (F5).


5) Two-pass (quad density) fonts

Three fonts are provided on this disk for two-pass (quad density) letter
quality...

   - COURIER.TWO     Courier, serif font
   - SANSERIF.TWO    Modern, sans-serif font
   - ORATOR.TWO      Large, modern font

The serifed, courier type font is the normal default for two pass
quality print. SANSERIF.TWO and ORATOR.TWO may be invoked by selecting
option 8 on download menu after selecting option 3 on mode menu. Type
Esc to erase COURIER.TWO, then type either \SANSERIF.TWO or \ORATOR.TWO.
It is assumed by Printer Boss that these fonts reside in the root
directory. If not, change the file name specification to the proper name.


6) Custom Setup

Either text, control codes (using \ then 3 decimal digits), or a
mixture may be entered as a setup string.  The custom setup string will
be sent to the printer AFTER the normal menu selection and therefore
have final say in terms of setting the printer.  CAUTION: If text is
contained in the string, the resulting font may behave unpredictably if
the Printer Boss transparent driver is already resident. (This will
depend on the last printer setup.)


7) Buffering

If buffering is engaged, certain options will not be available when
using Printer Boss. This can be overcome by flushing or killing the
buffering activity through the menu (Options 4 or 5 on the menu).

You can install the buffer only if the resident driver is not
installed (you have not used Printer Boss and pressed F1 since
you booted the computer). The buffer will start when you press F1.

Also, since Printer Boss itself does not use the resident buffer when
printing from within itself, you cannot print a file or use the
typewriter mode if background buffering is engaged. A warning message
will be displayed if you attempt to do this. Instead, you must exit from
Printer Boss and print from DOS. (This means you cannot print sideways
in background, for example.)


8) Resets

Certain software such as BASIC and some word processors send a reset
signal to the printer.  This can cause a problem since it may clear
options selected by Printer Boss.  One solution is to change the
printer control table in the word processor to avoid such initialization.
Another, less attractive, solution is to disconnect the printer until
the problem program has booted.


9) Sideways Printing Notes

even sideways fonts are available on Printer Boss, including a line
drawing font which will print continuous lines using graphics
characters.

Sideways printing is always performed in graphics mode regardless of
printer type or font. Doublestrike may be added by setting that option
in the Print Options menu. For printing on wide paper, you must
indicate you have a "wide" type printer in the printer type menu AND
select wide paper in the sideways options menu.

The row value setting in the sideways options menu is optional and
intended only for use in printing spreadsheets sideways.  It is not
absolutely required, however, even for spreadsheets, because it affects
only the "glueing" feature (the printing of horizontal segments of the
spreadsheet side by side so that they match up properly and read
continuously). Glueing is required only when rows are
over 240 characters wide.

We recommend that you create your spreadsheet print file in the
following manner (please note that you MUST PRINT-TO-FILE from your
spreadsheet program):

    1. If filename already exists, ERASE the file first. This is
    important because spreadsheet programs will commonly append files
    instead of erasing and then overwriting. Use the /FEP command
    string for File-erase-printfile. Check that the file is erased.

    2.  Starting within your spreadsheet, select the print-to-file
    option, /PF

    3. Select "Range", and indicate
       - the range you wish to print.

    4. Select "Options", and indicate
       - no setup string
       - no headers
       - no borders
       - no footers
       - left, top, bottom margins   =0
       - right margin                =240
       - page length                 =66
       - other                       = As-displayed

    5. Select "Quit" to get back to main print menu
    6. Select "Align"
    7. Select "Go"
    8. Select "Quit" to get back to the spreadsheet

Special note: Avoid entering labels in your spreadsheet which are WIDER
than the column width you have set.  Most spreadsheets will allow you
to do this and will display the labels properly, but such overflow
labels can cause difficulty with print files.


10) Building Sideways Fonts

Users may build new fonts or add to existing sideways fonts.  Each of
the six fonts is capable of the entire 256-character set.  To build or
add to a font, you must choose one of the standard six sizes.  The
filename extension corresponds to the size.  If you build a new font or
add to an existing font, it must have one of the following names...

     Sidefont .T       Tiny
     Sidefont .VS      Very small
     Sidefont .S       Small
     Sidefont .N       Normal
     Sidefont .L       Large
     Sidefont .VL      Very large
     Sidefont .LD      Line drawing

...in order to be found by Printer Boss. This is different from
building the other fonts in which a different name may be specified
in the menu.  To add to an existing font, use F3 and give the
appropriate name, SIDEFONT.x where x corresponds to the size given
at the start of the font building program.  You may STORE sideways
fonts under different names but they can be called from Printer Boss
ONLY if they have the name structure "Sidefont.x".


11) File Input-Output Errors

File IO errors will be reported as "FILE COULD NOT BE FOUND OR FILE IO
ERROR" followed by a letter. The letter corresponds to error type according to
the following table:

    Code      Condition

     A        Invalid function number
     B        File not found
     C        Path not found
     D        Too many open files
     E        Access Denied
     F        Invalid handle
     G        Memory control block destroyed
     H        Insufficient memory
     I        Invalid memory block address
     J        Invalid environment
     K        Invalid format
     L        Invalid access code
     M        Invalid data
     N        Invalid drive was specified
     O        Attempted to remove current directory
     P        Not same device
     Q        No more files


12) Default drive/Root directory/Subdirectory

An important note is that Printer Boss looks for font files and help
files in the ROOT DIRECTORY of the disk from which Printer Boss was
originally started.  A file-not-found message may be due either to
inability to find the font file or to inability to find the print file.
Printer Boss may be redirected to look at another disk by changing the
default disk setting using Shift-F3.  FONT FILES AND HELP FILES MAY NOT
BE PLACED IN A SUBDIRECTORY.


13) Test files

Your Printer Boss disk includes test files which you can simply print
out to test the various character sets.  Use the DOS "copy file.ext
prn" command or the Printer Boss menu "print a file" command.  These
files are...

     Matrtest.txt   Matrix character set
     Grf1test.txt   Graphics set 1
     Grf2test.txt   Graphics set 2
     Scrntest.txt   Screen character set
     Apltest .txt    APL character set


14) Use of Mouse with Font Builders

The Microsoft mouse may be used with the four font building programs.
To use the mouse, first make sure the Microsoft mouse programs
MOUSE.COM and MENU.COM are on the disc. These programs were provided
by Microsoft with the mouse device. Before loading Printer Boss, type
MOUSE at the system prompt, followed by MENU BFONTMSE at the next
following system prompt. The program BFONTMSE.MNU is provided with
the Printer Boss disc. The mouse is now installed and usable when you
engage one of the font design programs from the Printer Boss menu.
The left button will turn a dot on and the right button will turn a
dot off. Moving the mouse will move the cursor around in the font
matrix. All regular keyboard keys will work as normal.


15) Sideways printing with solid lines

The new SIDEFONT.LD font features "normal" size alphanumeric
characters and "very large" graphics characters in a VL matrix.
This font is selectable on the menu, and will print solid
vertical and horizontal lines in sideways mode (note that you
must set character and line spacing to ZERO).


16) "Fullfont" for user redesign

The font data file "FULLFONT.FNT" contains the full screen character
font and is intended primarily as a convenient starting point for
normal-density font design. This differs from the other fonts in
that all characters are defined. You may copy, rename, and redesign
this font to suit your needs; it can save you a lot of time.


We hope that you enjoy the power of Printer Boss.

Connecticut Software

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