Dec 172017
 
FastDump is a general text and graphics screen dump TSR which supports almost all displays and HP LaserJet printers.
File FASTDUMP.ZIP from The Programmer’s Corner in
Category Display Utilities
FastDump is a general text and graphics screen dump TSR which supports almost all displays and HP LaserJet printers.
File Name File Size Zip Size Zip Type
FASTDUMP.COM 14443 6748 deflated
FASTDUMP.TXT 18446 6704 deflated

Download File FASTDUMP.ZIP Here

Contents of the FASTDUMP.TXT file


FASTDUMP.COM Version 1.1
13 May 1990

Peter M. Thompson
Systems Technology, Inc.

-----------------------
BULLENTIN BOARD MESSAGE
-----------------------

Title: General Text and Graphics Screen Dump TSR
Keywords: CGA HERCULES EGA VGA EPSON PROPRINTER LASERJET

FASTDUMP.COM is a fast, general purpose TSR (7.2 Kbytes) which
supports the above screens and printers. Suggested shareware cost
is $10 or $20. Output can be landscape (1 to a page) or portrait
(1, 2, or 3 to a page). Laserjet times range from 3, yes 3!, to
30 secs. Dot matrix times are slower, but putting 3 screens on a
page helps. Source code available by mail. Uploaded by author.


-------
SUMMARY
-------

FASTDUMP.COM is a TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) screen dump
program which can read from any of the following screens:

Text (25 or 43 lines)
CGA (320x200 or 640x200)
Hercules (720x348)
EGA (320x200, 640x200, 640x350, or 640x350/mono)
VGA (640x480, 640x480/mono, 320x200)

The screen mode can be automatically determined, which is the
preferred choice. Hercules graphics, however, must be explicitly
chosen. All non-background colors are mapped to black. The output
can be sent to any of the following printers (and compatibles):

Epson dot matrix (low, medium, or high density)
IBM Proprinter dot matrix (low, medium, or high density)
HP Laser Jet (75, 100, 150, or 300 DPI)

The following orientations and sizes of the printer outputs are
possible (from graphics screens):

Landscape: full page
Portrait: full page
Portrait: 2 to a page
Portrait: 3 to a page

The printers can be connected to either parallel or serial ports,
and there are several different ways to access these ports.
Alternatively, the output can be directed to a file:

Parallel ports LPT1, LPT2, LPT3 (direct write to output ports)
Parallel ports LPT1, LPT2, LPT3 (use ROM BIOS level interrupts)
Serial ports COM1, COM2 (use ROM BIOS level interrupts)
Standard DOS output to LPT1 (use DOS level interrupt)

Alternatively, the output can be directed to a file. The
filename is FD.nnn, where nnn is the next available number, and the
file is located on the current directory. Copy the file to the
printer using the DOS copy command, for example "copy FD.1
LPT1:/b". Use the /b switch to indicate a binary file transfer.

Fast speed is obtained by direct memory fetches and by writing
directly to the output ports. Optionally, though slower, DOS calls
can be made to fetch from the screen and write to the printer. In
order to track the progress of the screen dump, a small bar moves
either down the screen or across the bottom.

------------------
SETUP INSTRUCTIONS
------------------

Type FASTDUMP, and then the following options are available:

p = answer prompts for the above options
q = quit
s = share ware information
c = current status
? = instructions for command line parameters


Enter "p" and then follow the prompts. Default options are
available by entering just a return. Command line parameters,
separated by blanks, are suggested at the end of the prompt
session. The memory resident portion of the TSR is 7.2 Kbytes.

----------------------
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
----------------------

After installing FASTDUMP, the screen dump is activated by using
Shift-PrtSc. Any former use of Shift-PrtSc is lost.

The parameters can be changed by re-installing the program.
Re-installation changes data parameters in the memory resident
portion and does not use up any more memory.

The 2 and 3 to a page portrait outputs send a form feed
respectively after the 2nd and 3rd output. If you wish to start
again at the top of the page: manually form feed, and then
re-install FASTDUMP.

----------------------
SHARE WARE INFORMATION
----------------------

Please send $10 if you use FASTDUMP, or $20 if you think it is
really neat. The cost is per CPU. Give yourself a quantity break
if you or your group has many CPU's. Send to:

Program FASTDUMP
Systems Technology, Inc.
13766 So. Hawthorne, Blvd.
Hawthorne, CA 90250

Systems Technology, Inc. (STI) will mail you source code on a
diskette for $50. If you are adept at assembly language you can
carve out a smaller version for a particular screen and printer.
Probably the best use for the source code is to make an assembly
language subroutine callable from a BASIC or C program.

FASTDUMP is copyrighted by myself, Peter M. Thompson, and STI;
and we do place some restrictions on the use of the source code.
Derivative programs are meant for your personal use or for use
within a small group. Use of the screen dump code in a commercial
program whose primary purpose is screen dumps is not allowed. If
the screen dump code is included in any other type of commercial
program then a one-time license fee of $100 should be mailed to the
above address. Our copyright does not have to appear.

-------------
THE ALGORITHM
-------------

Algorithm? Give me a break. Set the screen segment offset, loop
through the rows and columns, convert the screen bytes to printer
bytes, and then send the bytes to the printer. This is basically
what FASTDUMP does, and the fact that there are 10 screens, 3
printers, 2 orientations, and 4 sizes just means that there are
more than the usual number of choices to make at each step.

It is of course not that simple, with the main problem being that
the number of screen pixels do not usually map in a nice way to the
number of printer pixels. The core algorithm in FASTDUMP maps ANY
rectangular block of screen pixels to ANY rectangular block of
printer pixels. A two dimensional generalization of the famous
Bresenham integer line mapping algorithm is used to do this (for
the 1 dimensional version see J.E. Bresenham, IBM Systems Journal
4 (1) 1965, pp. 25-30; or almost any computer graphics book). The
advantage of this type of algorithm is that the number of screen
and printer pixels do not have to be integer ratios, and therefore
you have the ability to set visually pleasing printer aspect
ratios. The integer mapping algorithm, besides being fast, insures
that the printer result is "optimally" smooth.

This general area mapping algorithm is initialized depending on
your choice of one landscape and three portrait outputs. Only
these options, and not the full generality, are available to TSR
users. The subroutine version of FASTDUMP, available by mail,
allows the full generality, and makes it possible, for example, to
enlarge the upper left hand corner of the screen to a full printer,
or a full screen to a 300 DPI postage stamp.

------
PORTS
------

A gruesome amount of output port options are available. Here is
all that you probably have to know:

1 = parallel printer
0 = serial printer

To initialize the serial port for a HP LaserJet at 9600 Baud use
the following DOS commands:

MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p
MODE LPT1:=COM1:

Now if you want to know more, read on, otherwise skip to the next
section. The output port options are divided into four groups:

(1) The lowest level options (1,2,3) write directly to the
parallel ports LPT1,2,3. The locations of the ports are obtained
from the respective memory locations at segment 40, offsets
8,10,12.

(2) The next lowest level of options (4,5,6) access the parallel
ports LPT1,2,3 via the ROM BIOS interrupt 17h. Function 0 is used
to send a byte, followed by function 2 to check for errors. The
attempts is repeated until the error condition is cleared. These
options are the same speed as options 1,2,3.

(3) The same level of options (7,8) can be used to access the
serial ports COM1,2. The ROM BIOS Int 14h, function 1 is used to
send one byte. This function returns with an error code, and if
an error has occured the call is repeated until the error condition
is cleared.

(4) The highest level option (0) accesses the parallel port LPT1
using the DOS Int 21h, function 5. You would not ordinarily use
this option for parallel printers because it takes 2 to 3 times
longer. If LPT1 is redirected to a serial port then this option
takes the same length of time as 7 or 8.

If you are using an HP Laser Jet with a serial port, then use the
printer control panel to set 9600 Baud, XON=ON, and PTR=HI. The
HP Laserjet uses no parity, has 8 data bits, and 1 stop bit. Setup
the serial port with the DOS command MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p. If
the standard DOS output is used to access the serial port, which
results in the same times as above, then use the same MODE command
as above and redirect the LPT1 port with a 2nd mode command MODE
LPT1:=COM1:.

--------------
PRINT SPOOLERS
--------------

Before using a print spooler, ask yourself if you really want to.
The files for graphic screen dumps can be quite large, anywhere
from 60 Kbytes to 360 Kbytes. Check to make sure that your print
spooler can efficiently handle large files. It may take almost as
long to go to the spooler as going to the printer.

The spooler, if it is to be used, must be able to capture the
output stream. The direct writes to the output port (options
1,2,3) almost certainly will not be captured. On the other hand,
the ROM BIOS interrupts (options 4-8) probably will be captured.
The DOS interrupt (option 0) is the most likely to be captured.

------------------------------------
EPSON AND IBM PROPRINTER PERFORMANCE
------------------------------------

The speed of the screen dump program depends on the screen
resolution, the CPU clock speed, the communications channel, the
printer resolution, and the printer hardware time. The limiting
factor, i.e. the bottleneck, depends on the type of hardware which
you have. Its not easy to predict the times, so I'll settle for
using my equipment as a test case (a 20 Mhz CPU, an Epson
compatible printer, and a HP LaserJet Series II):

If dot matrix printers are used then the printer hardware speed
is the limiting factor. Faster CPUs won't help. Here are the
times for my dot matrix printer:

landscape: full page 160 seconds
portrait: full page 80 seconds
portrait: 1/2 page 80 seconds each time
portrait: 1/3 page 40 seconds each time

FASTDUMP does not have any special claim to being a speed demon
when using a dot matrix printer. If you don't need full size plots,
however, you'll find the 1/2 and 1/3 page options to be quite nice.


The following bit image sizes are used on Epson and IBM
proprinter printers:

landscape: full page 800x640
portrait: full page 840x300
portrait: 1/2 page 840x300
portrait: 1/3 page 640x200

The 1st number is the number of horizontal bits, at the medium
resolution of 120 DPI. For low resolution divide by 2, and for
high resolution multiply by 2. High resolution is not recommended,
because only 1 pass per line is used, and the printer head, at
least on my printer, skips every other bit. The 2nd number in the
above table is the number of vertical bits, at 72 DPI, which is
independent of the chosen resolution.

------------------------------
LASERJET PERFORMANCE, PARALLEL
------------------------------

FASTDUMP does much better when connected to a laser printer.
When set at 150 DPI resolution and connected via a parallel port:

landscape: full page 8 seconds
portrait: full page 12 seconds
portrait: 1/2 page 12 seconds each time
portrait: 1/3 page 8 seconds each time

The above times assume that FASTDUMP is set up to go directly to
the parallel port (any of port options 1 thru 6). If the standard
DOS output is used (port option 0) then multiply the above times
by 2.

When the laser printer is set at 300 DPI and is connected by a
parallel port, multiply the portrait times by 3, and for 75 DPI
divide the portrait times by 3. Why 3 (as opposed to 4) I'm not
sure, but that's what I measured. The landscape times are
discussed in the next paragraph. If your CPU operates at 10 Mhz
(as opposed to 20) add 2 to 4 seconds to the above times. Just as
for dot matrix printers, it is not the CPU speed which is the
limiting factor. If the parallel port is used, then the limiting
factor for laser printer speed is the response time of the printer.


The landscape times on the HP LaserJet remain the same no matter
what resolution you choose, but that is because the program ignores
your choice and uses either 75 or 100 DPI. It turns out that for
landscape plots it is possible to get good screen to printer
mappings with either one or two printer pixels per screen pixel.
If you have an integer ratio like this then there is nothing to be
gained by going to a higher printer resolution, so FASTDUMP doesn't
let you make this mistake. The printer aspect ratio is adjusted
by backing up from 0 to 3 decipoints (0 to 3/720 inches) between
each line.

The printer bit image sizes (for laserjets) are listed below:

landscape: (from CGA, 75 DPI) 640x400
landscape: (from Hercules, 75 DPI) 720x348
landscape: (from EGA, 75 DPI) 640x350
landscape: (from VGA, 100 DPI) 640x480
portrait: full page (150 DPI) 1080x650
portrait: 1/2 page (150 DPI) 1080x650
portrait: 1/3 page (150 DPI) 800x460

The portrait resolutions can be adjusted to 75, 100, 150, or 300
DPI, which changes the above numbers appropriately. For landscape
images, the resolutions entered by the user are ignored, and the
resolutions listed above are used.

----------------------------
LASERJET PERFORMANCE, SERIAL
----------------------------

If the laser printer is set at 150 DPI resolution and is
connected by a 9600 Baud serial port, then:

landscape: full page 29 seconds
portrait: full page 91 seconds
portrait: 1/2 page 91 seconds each time
portrait: 1/3 page 47 seconds each time

There is a lesson to be learned here: don't use the serial port
for graphics screen dumps. The only excuse I can think of is if
you are connected via a network. In any case, the limiting factor
is the communications time. For the full page and half page
portrait outputs, then printer pixel image (at 150 DPI) contains
1080x650 = 702,000 bits. Add 2 bits per byte for serial overhead
to make a total of 1080x650x1.25 = 877,500 bits. At 9600 baud
(bits/sec, including overhead bits) it takes 877,500/9600 = 91
seconds to transmit.

All of the above times (dot matrix and laser jet) were recorded
using an EGA screen mode. The times will be virtually identical
for CGA, Hercules, and VGA screens. The only exception to this is
if you use the standard DOS screen, because only in this case does
the time it takes to read the screen become important. The times
for the standard DOS screen are much slower, up to 10 times slower,
than the above times. By "standard DOS screen" it is meant that
the graphics image is read using interrupts (Int 10h).

-----------
HP DESKJETS
-----------

Fastdump can be used with HP Deskjet printers. The Deskjet
extends the Laserjet Series II printer command language to include
data compression commands, but these newer commands are not used
by Fastdump. The potential time savings with these commands will
have to wait until a later day.

------------------------
GRAPHICS SCREEN SEGMENTS
------------------------

The following segment locations are assumed for the graphics
screens:

CGA b800h
Hercules b000h
EGA a000h
VGA a000h

The CGA screens have two interleaves, and the Hercules screen has
four interleaves. Paging schemes which store multiple images at
different locations may not be read properly. Also, EGA screens
with only 64 Kbytes of memory may not be read properly.

------------
TEXT SCREENS
------------

Text screens are read using interrupts (Int 10h), but since the
number of characters on a text screen is small compared to the
number of pixels on a graphics screen, the time it takes to read
the screen is not oppressive. The advantage of using the
interrupts is that different screen pages are easier to keep track
of. If you use landscape output (on a laserjet), then the text
screens are printed in the landscape mode. Form feeds are not used
for text screen dumps, and therefore must be manually entered.

-------
HISTORY
-------

FASTDUMP.COM started life as an assembly language subroutine for
a computer-aided-design package: Program CC, which is used for
systems and control theory analysis and design. I am the author
of Program CC, and Systems Technology Inc. (STI) distributes and
supports the program. STI is mainly a systems and control
consulting outfit, but befitting the times we live in, a small part
of the company is devoted to software sales.

The lack of good screen dump facilities has been a constant
problem. The screen dump programs that I'm are aware of, either
of the commercial, share-ware, or free-ware variety, all suffer
from being either too slow or too limited. Maybe I'm just too
picky, but out of frustration I just wrote my own. I have recently
made a TSR version of the screen dump program, and STI has agreed
to distribute it via the share-ware market as an experiment.
Hopefully, and with your help, this experiment will be profitable.

FASTDUMP.COM is quite general, and to laser printers with
parallel ports at least, quite fast. I have some ideas (paging,
buffering, and print spooling) for making it even more general and
even faster, but I'll wait and judge the Version 1.00 response.


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