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1990-03-21
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22KB
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479 lines
DOCSMASH (TM) -- by David W. Rettger
====================================
DOCSMASH may be copied and passed to other users only if this
document file accompanies the executable program file and both
remain intact. No party other than the author may change the
contents of these files or charge any fee for distribution (other
than a nominal sum to cover the cost of a floppy disk and mailing
fees).
If you have benefitted from the use of DOCSMASH, please contribute
toward to costs of creating and updating this program by sending
$10.00 (or $12.50 for a disk containing the latest version) to:
David Rettger
5304 Johnson Avenue
Western Springs, Il. 60558
Updated versions are not attempts to get more money from registered
users. They are my efforts to continue to improve this program.
After registering, please feel free to use future new versions free
of charge. If you notice that the asking price has gone up and
you feel that the additional enhancements are useful, send a
contribution for the increase only.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT ABOUT DOCSMASH, PLEASE INCLUDE
THE VERSION NUMBER OF THE PROGRAM YOU ARE USING. About 30 different
versions have been released, each with additions or corrections based
on user input. Older versions are still floating around some BBS's.
The problem or improvement you wish to comment about may already be
fixed.
=====================================================================
DOCSMASH.EXE - Version 3.30
Purpose:
--------
On a graphics-capable printer, DOCSMASH reduces the size of normal
printed output by a factor of 4. This means that a 200 page document
will print out in 50 pages or less. The type of hardware used
determines the degree of compression that can be achieved. (My nine
pin printer will squeeze five full pages of text onto each sheet of
paper.)
This program is intended to print only pure ASCII files. BBS
listings and most program manuals and documentation are usually pure
ASCII files. Document files created by word processors, however,
generally contain a variety of soft codes, not pure ASCII. Form feed
codes are the only soft codes filtered out by DOCSMASH. Other codes,
if present, will play havoc with the final output from DOCSMASH. To
print a word processor file with DOCSMASH, resave the document in
ASCII format with your word processor before using DOCSMASH.
Operation: The Opening Menu
----------
DOCSMASH may be run from the current subdirectory or from the DOS
path. At the DOS prompt, type the name "DOCSMASH" to begin. The
opening menu will appear asking for the name of the document you
wish to print. At this point you may:
- Type the name of a file to print.
- Display a Help Menu
- Change printer configuration.
- Change screen colors.
- Display a directory
- Change subdirectory
- End the DOCSMASH session.
The other method of starting the program is to type DOCSMASH
followed by the path\name of the file to print. No menu is
shown; instead, the print routine begins immediately. (Ex: DOCSMASH
DOCSMASH.DOC will cause the DOCSMASH.DOC file to be printed from the
current subdirectory.)
Throughout the program session, hitting the <Esc> key will either
erase any existing typed entry, or it will cause the program to back
up to the previous menu. On certain menus, any changes made will be
ignored if you "escape" back to a previous menu.
Printing a File: The Print Menu
----------------
To print a file from the Opening Menu, type the name of the file
followed by <ENTER>. The Print Menu appears asking if you want to
begin printing at the beginning, or in the middle, or if you wish to
print something else instead. To print the file from the beginning,
just hit <ENTER>. If your printer is on, it should begin printing
four pages of text per sheet of paper. If your first try at printing
produces a strange looking output, you must change the control codes
DOCSMASH sends to your printer.
You can start or re-start a print job from any specified point within
the document file by pressing the space bar at the print menu. At
the prompt, type the phrase which identifies where you wish the
printing to start. DOCSMASH will search the file for that phrase and
begin the printing on the line FOLLOWING the phrase. Note: The
search feature is case sensitive. Type the phrase exactly as you
expect it to appear in the document.
The default setting is for continuous printing. However, the <F3>
key acts as a toggle switch whenever the "Page Break Pause" status
box is visible on the screen. When the Page Break Pause is ON, the
printer will pause between page breaks. This enables users to feed
individual sheets of paper into their printers. This also allows
double sided printing to be done, thereby printing eight pages of the
document text on one sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Just think of the
compression factor available here! On wide computer paper you can
get at least six pages of text per side. That means at least 12
pages of print per sheet of paper. (OK, so who uses wide paper? You
probably will have to settle for eight pages of text per sheet of
paper.)
If the document to be printed is page formatted with form feed codes,
you may choose to suppress the form feeds or have the program use the
codes to format each smashed page. The <F4> key will toggle between
the two choices. Maximum compression will occur if you suppress the
author's pagination. Suppression is the default setting. If you
definitly want to keep the original page format, select the no-
suppression setting. NOTE: Be sure to set the number of lines per
page (on the Page Format Menu described below) to a value at least as
large as the authors pages used in the document. Also, this option
assumes that the document is being printed as the author wrote it.
Over-long text lines containing form feeds will not wrap correctly.
Display the Help Menu:
----------------------
Hit the <F1> key to bring up a simple help menu. It displays the
special phrases and keystrokes that DOCSMASH is looking for at this
point in the program. Hit any key to resume. (Note: The help menu
will not function on certain monochrome systems. If your system
is not compatible, you will see a notice when you start DOCSMASH
that indicates that the <F1> key has been disabled.)
The DOCSMASH Page Layout:
------------------------
The basic DOCSMASH page layout is a single 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of
paper divided into four quadrants. The program compresses one page
of normal text into each of the four quadrants. This four quadrant
format may be thought of as two vertical columns, each of which is
split into two units. However, the user may change this basic four
quadrant format. DOCSMASH allows the user to select both the number
of columns to be printed on a page and the number of units each
column is to be split into. The user may also select the number of
lines to pe printed per inch and the number of lines to be printed in
each unit.
If the default settings for the page layout are not satisfactory, the
user may change them from the "Parameter Control Menu."
Changing the Page Layout: The Parameter Control Menu
-------------------------
Changing the printer settings is easy if you have an Epson
compatible printer. At the opening menu, instead of typing a
document name, type RESET PARAMS (or just hit <ENTER>). The
Parameter Control Menu will appear showing the current settings.
These settings and their preset defaults are:
Page Format Settings:
Print Width Setting = 164
Number of Columns to Print = 2
Number of Pages Per Column = 2
Lines Per Page Printed = 58
Max Blank Lines to Print = 4
Word Wrap Is