Cream of the Crop 1/Cream of the Crop 1.iso/PRINTER/P4UP30.ARJ/P4UP.DOC

Text File | 1992-03-15 | 25KB | 557 lines

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 Introduction
 ══════════
 P4UP is a DOS utility program that prints ASCII text files in a concise
format on laser printers.  In previous releases, P4UP printed four page
images in portrait mode on one side of a piece of paper.  With this release,
you can print anywhere from a single page image to 25 page images on one side
of a piece of paper by setting the rows and columns options from one to
five.  For example, you can choose a single row of five narrow columns to
produce newspaper style output.  P4UP will automatically reformat your
document files to fit whatever column width you choose.

P4UP builds and downloads its own soft fonts on laser printers.   With this
version, P4UP uses both a fixed space font and a proportionally spaced font,
which is more suitable for reading materials, such as documentation.  P4UP
automatically reformats such files to fit in whatever size columns you choose.
P4UP has many options, but all default to a reasonable value, so you can ignore
them until you want to take finer control of the printing.

P4UP works on HP LJ II's or better.  It no longer supports the ThinkJet,
DeskJet, or older laser printers, such as the Plus or 500.  P4UP is
shareware for $29.95.





 A Note on this Document
 ════════════════════
 This document is formatted to be printed with the command "P4UP -W -C3
P4UP.DOC".  The -W causes long lines to be Wrapped to fit in P4UP columns
using a proportionally spaced font, suitable for reading material,
such as documentation.  The -C3 tells P4UP to display 3 Columns of pages
on each piece of paper.

Headings have been indented a space so when P4UP wraps long lines to fit, it
recognizes a paragraph break and separates it on the output.  For text that
should not be treated as words, such as the block P4UP 3.0 at the top of this
document, blanks have been replaced with the ASCII 255 character.  This still
prints as a blank, but doesn't trigger P4UP's word separation.

 Background
 ══════════
 When I printed the first pages of text on my laser printer, I was a little
disappointed with the standard 60-line pages.  I knew the laser printer
had great resolution, but I had no way to show it off.  To do so, I wrote
a program that could print four small page images on a piece of paper (on
one side in portrait mode).  This satisfies both my desire to conserve paper
while letting me view a few hundred lines of text in a concise format.

Since the standard line printer font is a little too large, I first made a
soft font of the appropriate size.  I gave P4UP several options, some to
control the soft font (-P makes the soft font Permanent; -I lets you specify
the soft font ID; etc.);  some control the printing (-Z prints the page images
in a Zigzag fashion; -H controls the Headers on each page image; etc.)

I found out I could also support the DeskJet and even ThinkJet if I added some
limitation to P4UP which I did.  However, there have been very few DeskJet
registrations, and no ThinkJet registrations, so in this release (3.0) I am
dropping support for those printers.  Doing so lets me make further use of
the LaserJet, beginning in release 3.0.



 Format
 ══════
 P4UP has several options to let you control the print operation.  Enter these
options on the command line along with the file names.  Precede each option
with a dash (-).  All options have default values, and can be turned on or off.
(When you register P4UP, you will also receive P4CUSTOM which lets you customize
P4UP to your liking by setting your own default value for all options.)  An
example of a P4UP command with options is:

        P4UP -NoB -Z archives.*

This prints text with No Breaks (NoB) in a Zigzag pattern (Z).  You may use
upper or lower case for all P4UP arguments.

In its simplest form, using all the default values, P4UP works like the DOS
PRINT command.  Just give it the file names you want printed, using disk,
directory, or wild cards.  For example:

    P4UP  APRIL.LET    or    P4UP  *.PRN    or    P4UP P4UP.DOC

You don't have to remember P4UP options.  Just enter the P4UP command with no
arguments, and a list of options will be displayed in a help screen.

 P4UP Features
 ════════════
 Several new features have been added to P4UP with version 3.0,
and a few features have been changed from previous versions.
The following list highlights P4UP features:

 P4UP can now print up to 5 columns and rows per page.
 P4UP now comes with a fixed space font for data files or computer
programs, and a proportionally spaced font to print documentation.
 Long input lines are automatically broken up to fit.
 Text can be both right and left justified.
 Headers now include File Name, Size, Date, and Time.
 Inter-line spacing can be directly controlled.
 Box characters match up with many line spacings.

 P4UP also:
 automatically expands tabs, and can ignore formfeeds.
 can print pages top-to-bottom or left-to-right.
 writes to LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, COM1, or COM2.
 supports letter, legal, executive, and A4 paper sizes.
 prints Even or Odd sides only to help with two-sided printing.




 Typical uses for P4UP
 ═══════════════════
 P4UP prints a lot of data in a small but readable format using little paper.
I wouldn't recommend using P4UP to send memos you want people to read, but
there are several occasions where it is appropriate.  The following are some
of my own experiences; I'm sure you will find others.

As a programmer, I often have to work with three or four hundred lines of
code at one time.  Using P4UP allows me to get this many lines printed out
on two pieces of paper which fit easily on my desk.  Then I see the whole
picture at one time, making it easier to deal with problems.

When I've finished a program, I like to get an archive listing of all the
source.  Chances are I'll never have to refer to it again, but should the
worst happen, I want to know there's a hardcopy backup around.  Using P4UP
for archive purposes saves a lot of paper.

New software that I acquire often comes with a README or online documentation
file.  Admittedly I don't spend more time reading the documentation than most
people, but having it printed out increases the chance that if I refer to it
I'll be able to quickly find what I'm looking for, just by scanning for page
headings.  Using P4UP means I don't waste a lot of paper.

The obvious value of P4UP is that when it is appropriate to use, it saves
resources, space, and expense.


 General P4UP Options
 ══════════════════
 P4UP uses a format similar to the DOS Print command.  You can give it one or
more file specifications, optionally including the wildcard characters ? and *.
Some examples:

    P4UP \123\plan.prn   or    P4UP  a:*.doc a:*.lst

Before you give the P4UP command, your printer should be attached, powered up,
and switched online.

P4UP processes the file specifications you give it.  If the file specifications
do not use a disk or path, the current disk and path will be used.  If the file
specifications contain the DOS wild cards ? or *, all matching files will be
printed.  Entering P4UP with no files and no options prints a help screen.

P4UP has many options to give you control of the print operation. The following
describes the P4UP's general purpose options.  Options specific to soft font
management are more completely described in another section.  You can set
default values for all options with P4CUSTOM which is given to all registered
P4UP users.

    -B or -NoB
    By default, P4UP begins a new page image box when each new file
is started.  However, you can use the -B option to force P4UP
to Break to a new piece of paper to start each new file.

    -Cn
    Previous versions of P4UP were limited to two columns of two rows
of page images on each side of a piece of paper.  P4UP now can
print 1 to 5 columns.  Choose many narrow columns for a newspaper
style display.  Choose 1 huge column to print very long lines without
truncation.  See also the Row (-Rnn) and the Wrap (-W) options.

    -Ddevice
    Normally P4UP prints to the device LPT1.  You can use the -D option
to name a different printer device including: LPT1, LPT2, LPT3,
COM1, COM2, or to a disk file.  Examples: -Dlpt2 or -Da:memos.prn

    -E
    Print Even sides only.  Useful for printing on both sides.  See
Odd (-O) option.

    -F
    Interpret Formfeed characters as a skip to a new page box.  Use -NoF
if you want P4UP to ignore Formfeed characters in the input.

    -H
    P4UP prints a Header including the file name, file size, and the
date and time the file was created to begin each new file print.
On subsequent pages, only the file name and page number are printed.
You can use -NoH to suppress these Headings, or the -H option
to include them.

    -Innnnn
    P4UP uses it own small soft fonts.  Use the -I option to give the
soft font a specific font id for referring to it by other programs.
Normally P4UP gives its font the id 1.  You can give it a different
id with the -I option, as in -I33.  Pick an id not in use by other
programs.  If you make the font Permanent, you can use this ID later
to select the font (with the Escape(nnX printer command.)

When you use the Permanent (-P), P4UP downloads two fonts, one fixed
space, and one proportionally spaced.  The value you give in the ID
(-I) option is given to the fixed space font; the proportional
font is given an ID one higher.

    -J
    The Justify (-J) option is effective ONLY when the Wrap (-W) option
is selected.  When you choose Justify, the space between words is expanded
until the rightmost character in the text meets the righthand border.
The is effective only with the proportionally spaced font that is used with
the Wrap option.   Note that the justification is smooth in that each word
is moved over by an appropriate number of laser printer dots (1/300 inches)
as opposed to inserting extra character blanks between words.

    -Lnn
    The -L parameter has two meanings, what Leading (or interline
spacing) to use, or how many Lines P4UP should use in each box.
If the value following the -L is 30 or less, it is interpreted
as Leading.  If greater than 30, it is interpreted as Lines.

Leading refers to the space between lines.  Normally P4UP uses
characters that are 16 dots from top to bottom, and a leading
of six dots.  A laser printer dot is 1/300 inches.  You can
specify your own leading value with the -L command.  Use a
leading value of 0 for the tightest printing.  Use a value of
16 to produce a double spacing effect.  The maximum value is 30.

Alternatively, you can specify the number of lines per box and let
P4UP figure out what leading to use.  Specify the number of lines
per box with the -Lnn parameter, using a value of nn greater than
30.  If the value is too large, it will be set to the maximum.  So,
You can get the most lines per box by specifying a very large number,
such as -L999.

Note that P4UP makes very intense use of the laser printer's
capabilities.  In some cases, the printer may show "21 ERROR",
which is a Print Overrun.  P4UP sends data to the printer which
collects and organizes a page full.  The 21 Error means that
the data could not be presented fast enough to keep up with the
movement of the paper.  If this occurs, you might be able to print
the data by adding a blank line or two to the text, or by
increasing the leading.

    -O
    Print Odd sides only.  Useful for printing on both sides.  See the
Even (-E) option.

    -P
    The -P option makes the P4UP's soft fonts Permanent in the LaserJet
(until the printer is turned off).  Both the fixed and proportionally spaced
fonts are downloaded.  Without the -P option, the P4UP font lasts only
for the duration of the P4UP command.  If you make the font permanent,
you can bypass the downloading portion of P4UP in subsequent runs with
the Resident (-R) option.

    -R
    There are two -R options.  If the -R is followed by a number, the
-R is interpreted as the Row option; otherwise the -R is interpreted
as a Resident option.

The Resident (-R) option tells P4UP to reuse a Resident font (after a
previous P4UP used the -P option).  Normally the font is downloaded anew
with each P4UP invocation.  Once the font is made permanent, you can
use it with other software or save the downloading time by using the Resident
(-R) option.

    -Rn
    There are two -R options.  If the -R is followed by a number, the
-R is interpreted as the Row option; otherwise the -R is interpreted
as a Resident option.

Previous versions of P4UP were limited to two columns of two rows
of page images on each side of a piece of paper.  P4UP now can
print 1 to 5 columns and 1 to 5 rows.  Use the Row (-Rn) to specify
the number of rows P4UP should use.

Note that rows refers to rows of page images, not rows of lines.
Use a single row (-R1) to display uninterrupted text from the
top of the page to the bottom of the page.  This might be used
to display a computer program, for example, where page separations
are artificial.

    -Sn
    P4UP supports different paper sizes.  Use the Size (-Sn) option
to identify what paper you want.  Use 1 for letter size, 2 for executive,
3 for legal, or 4 for A4.

    -Tn
    Tab expansion.  Normally, P4UP expands tab characters in the text
to enough spaces to get to the next group of 8 characters.  You can
set a value between 1 and 9 with the -T option.  Example: P4UP -T3.

    -W
    P4UP automatically breaks lines longer than the column width of its
page images.  If you do not select word Wrap, long lines are broken at
the edge of the page box.  If you try to print a 100 character line in a
box that is only 80 characters across, the 100 character line will take
up two lines, the first 80 characters on the first, and the last 20
characters on the next.  The next line will start at the leftmost column
of the next P4UP line.

If you use the Wrap (-W) option, P4UP essentially ignores carriage returns
in the input text.  Text is printed continuously.  Lines are broken only
at word boundaries.  When you use Wrap, P4UP switches to a proportionally
spaced font, since with Wrap, the specific columns individual words
or characters appear in is not important.

When you use Wrap, the Justification (-J) option is enabled.

    -Z
    Zig-Zag printing.  When you specify -Z, page 2 is to the right of
page 1; with -NoZ, page 2 is below page 1.  In other words, Zigzag
prints page images rowwise or horizontally, NoZigzag prints page
images columnwise or vertically.

 The P4UP Character Set
 ════════════════════
 P4UP contains the shapes for all 256 characters in the 8-bit ASCII code.
This includes all the single and double box characters.  A few of the low
numbered characters won't print out because they are intercepted by other
hardware and software and interpreted as special control characters.

The following table shows the P4UP character set:

         
             
         !"#$%&'()*+,-./    0123456789:;<=>?
        @ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO    PQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_
        `abcdefghijklmno    pqrstuvwxyz{|}~
        ÇüéâäàåçêëèïîìÄÅ    ÉæÆôöòûùÿÖÜ¢£¥₧ƒ
        áíóúñѪº¿⌐¬½¼¡«»    ░▒▓│┤╡╢╖╕╣║╗╝╜╛┐
        └┴┬├─┼╞╟╚╔╩╦╠═╬╧    ╨╤╥╙╘╒╓╫╪┘┌█▄▌▐▀
        αßΓπΣσµτΦΘΩδ∞φε∩    ≡±≥≤⌠⌡÷≈°∙·√ⁿ²■



Box characters are set up to connect vertically when printed with an
appropriate separation between lines, called leading.  Use the Leading
(-L) option to assign a leading from 0 to 8 if you want the box characters
to meet.

        ╔══╦═╗    ┌──┬─┐
        ║  ║ ║    │  │ │
        ╠══╬═╣    ├──┼─┤
        ╚══╩═╝    └──┴─┘

        ╒══╤═╕    ╓──╥─╖
        │  │ │    ║  ║ ║
        ╞══╪═╡    ╟──╫─╢
        ╘══╧═╛    ╙──╨─╜

    ███  ▄▄  ▌▌ ▐ ▐  ▐▌ ▐█  ▄▄
    ███  ▄▄  ▌▌ ▐ ▐  ▐▌ ▐█  ▀▀

Box characters may not line up horizontally when printed with the Wrap (-W)
option because the font it uses is proportionally spaced.  With it, different
characters have different widths.  Box characters will line up horizontally,
with each other, but may not match other characters.

Thinner characters, such as an 'I' or '1' take up less space than thicker
characters, such as 'M' or 'W'.  If you try to draw a box around two lines of
text, one containing an 'I' and the other a 'W', the rightmost box character
in the line with the 'I' will be positioned further to the left than in the
line containing the 'W', as shown in the following box:

        ╔════╗
        ║ I1 ║
        ║ W4 ║
        ╚════╝


 Font Management Options (-P, -R, and -I)
 ════════════════════════════════════
 P4UP uses two soft fonts, each with a point size of 5.8 and a pitch of 21.4.
You can make these P4UP soft fonts permanent for use with other software
besides P4UP, but you might require a special print driver or setup to use
them.

Soft font printers have two classes of soft fonts, temporary and permanent.
Temporary soft fonts are erased whenever the printer is reset, something that
occurs during many print operations.  Permanent soft fonts are kept until
software specifically removes them, or until the printer is turned off.

Normally, P4UP downloads whichever font it needs each every time you use
P4UP.  The font is marked temporary and lasts only for the duration of the
P4UP command.  If you plan to use P4UP several times in succession, you can
tell P4UP to make its fonts permanent in the first P4UP command, and tell
subsequent P4UP commands to bypass the downloading operation.  This will
save some time.  To mark the fonts as permanent, enter:
    P4UP -P

P4UP uses two soft fonts, one fixed spaced and the other proportional.
If you use the Wrap (-W) option, the proportional spaced font is used,
otherwise the fixed space font is used.  Normally, a P4UP job will only
download the one font it needs.  However, when you use the Permanent (-P)
option, P4UP will download both fonts to your printer.  Each font takes
up about 16K of your printer's memory.

The -P option makes the fonts Permanent in the LaserJet (until the printer is
turned off).  Without the -P option, the P4UP font lasts only for the duration
of the P4UP command.  In subsequent commands, use the R option:
    P4UP -R filename

The -R option tells P4UP to Reuse a Resident font (after a previous P4UP used
the -P option).  Normally the font is downloaded anew with each P4UP invocation.
Once the font is made permanent, you can use it with other software.  Select the
soft font by font ID or with the characteristics.  A complete identification of
the P4UP fixed space font is: E&l0OE(10UE(s0p21.43h5.76v0s0b3T where the E's are
Escapes.  In English, this means:  portrait orientation; PC-8 symbol set; fixed
spaced; 21.43 pitch; 5.76 point; upright style; medium stroke; courier typeface.
For the proportional font, replace the "s0P" with an "s1P".

The -I option can be used to give the soft font a specific font id.  Normally
P4UP gives its font the id 1.  You can give it a different id with the -I
option, as in -I33.  Pick an id not in use by other programs.  If you make
the font Permanent, you can use this ID later to select the font.  With the
Permanent (-P) option, two soft fonts are downloaded, one fixed space, and the
other proportional.  The fixed space font is given the id indicated with the
ID (-I) option, the proportional font is given an id one higher.


 Acknowledgement
 ══════════════
 The rough edges of the soft font used by P4UP were smoothed out using
FONTFIX.  This and other SoftFontWare programs are available from:
            S. H.  Moody & Associates, Inc.
            1810 Fair Oaks Avenue
            South Pasadena, CA  91030






 Disk Vendors, Bulletin Boards, and Users Groups
 ════════════════════════════════════════════════
 You may distribute this program as long as the following guidelines are met:

 Distribute all files essentially unchanged.
 Charge less than $10 for distribution of the program.
 Describe the product as shareware.

 Please forward problems or complaints to the author.
 Please let the author know you are distributing the program.
 Please distribute the latest version of the program available.




 Where's My Copy?
 ═══════════════
 If you are ready to buy the software, order it directly from Hexagon Products.
See below for the address and price list.  If you are looking for an evaluation
copy, you should find it from one of the shareware channels.

Because of the indirect method of distribution, shareware ends up in many more
places than the author ever knows about.  If you can't find Hexagon Products
shareware on a bulletin board or from a local users group, you can use one
of the following sources which carry the most recent versions:

The HPPERIP forum of Compuserve.

Public Brand Software in Indiana, 800-426-3475.

Public Software Library in Texas, 800-242-4775.

 What's Shareware
 ═══════════════
 With shareware, the software author sends evaluation copies to a few central
places such as bulletin boards.  They in turn make copies available to others
at little or no cost.  Quality software is passed on continuously, making
the software readily available to all.  Users need only pay for software that
works for them.

Since there are many shareware authors, and a large audience for quality
shareware, some companies called disk vendors have formed to bring the two
together.  By charging a small copying fee, they can collect catalogs of
shareware, pay for toll-free telephone numbers, take credit charges for disk
copying fees, and make a profit.  A catalog from these vendors is the best
survey of quality shareware available.  They usually charge $5 or less per disk
and maybe $5 or less for shipping and handling.

Shareware authors get no payment from the bulletin boards or disk vendors who
distribute the shareware.  When you pay a vendor for an evaluation copy of the
software, the payment covers their expenses and goes to their profit.  The
shareware authors get paid only when you pay them directly for the products
you choose after you evaluate them.

Although you can evaluate the software before paying, it is not free.  If you
continue to use the software after a reasonable evaluation period, you
are required to pay for it.  Shareware is protected by the Copyright laws.
However, since the software author does not keep track of who is evaluating
the software, you're not going to get a bill.  Rather, you are on your honor
to pay for the software.  It is much like public supported television.


 Registration
 ═══════════
 P4UP is $29.95.  All registered users will also receive P4CUSTOM, a
program that can set the default values for all P4UP options at whatever
you choose.  You also get a small landscape soft font for LaserJets that
prints 240 characters across the page, suitable for spreadsheet printing.

There is a charge of $15 to upgrade from a previous version of P4UP.

    contact:
    P4UP
    Hexagon Products
    P.O. Box 1295
    Park Ridge, IL  60068-1295

    Bill Arendt
    [phone]
    76064,1776

When you register P4UP, please include the following information:


Name:_____________________________________________


Company:__________________________________________


Address:__________________________________________


City:______________________________State:_________


Zip:______________Phone:__________________________


Please circle what you use:


Printer Brand / Model: II   IIP     III     IIIP


Other:____________________________________________


Diskette:       3.5         5.25        Either


Where did you find P4UP?__________________________