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1991-01-26
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DocPRINT
The Paper Saver
Version 1.30
January 26, 1991
A Documentation File Formatter for IBM PC Compatible Computers
using EPSON Compatible Printers
by
Lawrence Belan, ][
(This down here is the legal technobabble.)
DocPRINT is provided "AS IS" without any warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied as to the merchantability or fitness
of purpose. The risk as to the quality and performance of the
software is the end user's. The Author shall have no liability
or responsibility to the user with respect to the liability, loss
or damage caused or alleged to be caused by this software,
including, but not limited to, any interruption of service, loss
of business or anticipatory profits or consequential damages
resulting from the use of, or the inability to use the software.
The information in this document is subject to change without
notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the
Author.
Page 2 DocPRINT
Table Of Contents
Preface....................................................3
License & Registration.....................................4
Credits....................................................5
Trademarks.................................................5
Files Included With DocPRINT...............................6
Before Using DocPRINT......................................7
Using MLL..................................................8
Using DocPRINT.............................................9
DocPRINT's Main Menu......................................10
Setting DocPRINT Options..................................11
R Input Document File (the file to Read).......11
D Settings File Name (save to Disk)............11
L Form Length in Inches........................12
W Form Width in Inches.........................12
I Lines Per Inch...............................13
C Characters Per Line..........................13
H Horizontal (Left) Margin.....................13
G Gutter Margin................................14
O Output Printer Port..........................14
F Printer Font & Size..........................14
N Page Numbering...............................15
X Page Number Location.........................15
V Vertical Justification.......................16
M Multi-Pass Printing..........................16
U Save User Configuration......................17
Z ReDisplay the Main Menu......................17
P Print........................................18
S Save Settings................................18
Q Quit DocPRINT................................18
Alt-V View the DOC File............................19
Alt-S Shell Out to DOS.............................19
DocPRINT Examples.........................................20
Printing Using The Single Pass Option.................20
Enhancing The Single Sided Printout...................21
Printing Using The Double Sided Option................22
Getting Fancy With Double Sided Printing..............22
Comments & Counseling.....................................24
Advanced uses for DocPRINT............................24
Points Of Interest....................................25
1) Graphics Characters............................25
2) Printer Enhancement............................25
DocPRINT Worksheet........................................26
DocPRINT Page 3
Preface
Haven't you come across a Shareware program that you thought was
great? I've found many and probably the same for you. The only
problem with it is that the Documentation file that comes with
the program is SO LONG, printing it out takes an hour, and half a
box of paper! Of course after you have it printed, you want to
file it in some place for reference. Which means your new stack
of paper ends up in one of those computer printout holders (with
the nylon posts) or you tear it apart, punch holes in it (hoping
that you don't punch out any instructions) and stick it in a 3-
ring binder. Remember that ALL of those pages you've printed out
are only ONE sided! Essentially this means that HALF of your
printout is wasted! Why can't printers PRINT on BOTH sides of
the paper automatically? (Why did COKE change their formula?)
Who Knows? Currently on my desk I have an EPSON LQ-1050 printer
that allows you to switch between tractor feed paper and single
sheets at the flip of a switch. You don't have to play with the
tractor mechanism to do it either! One more lever would be nice
to actually turn the paper over for you. Just a dream now, I
believe. Printing companies print on BOTH sides of the paper.
So do the new line of photocopiers out these days. I thought it
was time to do something about it!
Back in the summer of '88, I saw a program on the BITNET Netnews
called PRINTDOC, a similar program written by Phillip Garding
that got DocPRINT started. It allowed you to print out ASCII
files using both sides of the paper. It worked well too; but,
I'm a nit-picker that has nothing better to do than find faults
with things. A few items were: 1: What if you want to print on
odd size paper (like index cards, and wide computer paper)? 2:
(sorta related to (1)) I love those IBM Documentation Books that
hold the 5½" by 8½" pages. I wanted to print out files that I
could easily cut down to size and put in those binders. 3: Page
Numbering: Printed books usually have the page numbers on the
outside corners of the pages (Good Place to have them when you're
looking for page 317.) 4: PRINTDOC needed disk space to save the
even pages of the printout. If you run PRINTDOC on a 300k file,
you need 150k of space to save the even pages. It Can't Be Done
on a 360k Floppy! I said to myself, "Hey, I can write a program
to do that!," so that's how DocPRINT came to be.
In June of '88, I sat down with my new copy of Microsoft QuickC
and began coding DocPRINT. Since I'd never programmed in C, it
took me ages to get the hang of the language. (Why some people
love to use it still makes me wonder. I started with FORTRAN and
still swear by it.) Two months later, finished product. I've
tried my best to work out all the bugs, but I'm no computer
myself and there's still the chance that something in there
smells of RAID.
Since I maintain a large library of Shareware programs and
documentation (even if I don't use them), DocPRINT should reduce
the amount (and weight) of my papers by half. It should do the
same for you. Even if you use the program rarely, the usefulness
of this utility should be worth the endeavor.
Page 4 DocPRINT
Now in January of '91, as I look back at the development of
DocPRINT, I wonder how long it will go on. The latest revision