Category : Printer Utilities
Archive : IMPRT4A.ZIP
Filename : IPV4.DOC
Output of file : IPV4.DOC contained in archive : IMPRT4A.ZIP
IMAGEPRINT
Print Quality Enhancer
Version FOUR
for the IBM PC and
IBM/Epson/Compatible dot matrix printers
(USA)
IMAGE Computer Systems
P.O. Box 647
Avon, Connecticut, USA 06001
Ph: (203) 678-8771
(ENGLAND)
IMAGE Computer Systems
27 Cobham Road
Wimborne, Dorset, England BH21 7PE
Ph: (0202) 876064
(C) Copyright IMAGE Computer Systems 1985-1990
All Rights Reserved
IMAGEPRINT is (C) Copyright IMAGE Computer Systems 1985, 1986,
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990. Non-registered users are granted a
limited license to use IMAGEPRINT on a trial basis for the
purpose of determining whether IMAGEPRINT is suitable for their
needs. Use of IMAGEPRINT, except for this limited purpose,
requires registration. Use of non-registered copies of
IMAGEPRINT by any person, business, corporation, governmental
agency or other entity or institution is strictly forbidden.
This notification is an abbreviation of the full license
requirements listed in the Appendix Section "Rules and
Regulations."
IMAGE Computer Systems is a member of ASP, the Association of
Shareware Professionals.
Registration of IMAGEPRINT costs $42.95 (plus $3.00 shipping and
handling) and gives you the right to use IMAGEPRINT, the latest
version with all of the fonts and a printed manual. See the
Section "Registering your copy of IMAGEPRINT" and the order form
for all details. Order by mail or phone. MasterCard and VISA
accepted.
You are encouraged to give unmodified copies of IMAGEPRINT
distribution diskettes to your friends and acquaintances. We
want to reach as many people as possible with this product.
The programs and the documentation on the IMAGEPRINT diskette(s)
are copyrighted. No programs or documentation can be added or
deleted or altered. See the APPENDIX Section "Rules and
Regulations" for details.
ALPS/TM ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
BROTHER/TM BROTHER U.S.A., INC.
CANON/TM CANON U.S.A., INC.
CITIZEN/TM CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD.
EPSON/TM EPSON AMERICA, INC.
HERCULES/TM HERCULES CORP.
IBM, PC-DOS, PC, PC-XT, PC-AT, PCjr, PS/2 MODEL 30-50-60-70-80
GRAPHICS PRINTER, PROPRINTER, CGA, EGA, VGA/TM IBM CORP.
IMAGEPRINT, METATEXT/TM IMAGE COMPUTER SYSTEMS.
MS-DOS, MICROSOFT WORD/TM MICROSOFT CORP.
MULTIMATE/TM MULTIMATE INTERNATIONAL CORP.
NEC PINWRITER/TM NEC INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC.
OKIDATA/TM OKIDATA CORP.
PANASONIC/TM PANASONIC INDUSTRIAL CO., INC.
PC-WRITE/TM QUICKSOFT.
STAR MICRONICS/TM STAR MICRONICS, INC.
TANDY/TM TANDY CORP.
VOLKSWRITER/TM LIFETREE SOFTWARE, INC.
WORDPERFECT/TM WORDPERFECT CORP.
WORDSTAR, WORDSTAR 2000/TM MICROPRO INTERNATIONAL CORP.
IMAGEPRINT Version 4
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is ImagePrint? ......................... 1
What does ImagePrint include? ............... 1
What printers does ImagePrint work with? .... 3
What computers will ImagePrint run on? ...... 3
ImagePrint files ............................ 4
Registering your copy of ImagePrint ......... 4
Support from IMAGE Computer Systems ......... 5
Installing ImagePrint ....................... 6
Starting ImagePrint ......................... 7
Using the full screen menu ................ 7
Using a command line ...................... 10
Typewriter mode ........................... 14
Creating a Text File to Print ............... 15
Using the IMAGEPRINT Editor IE ............ 15
Using your word processor ................. 15
Backslash Commands .......................... 16
Fonts ..................................... 17
Print quality ............................. 22
Character attributes ...................... 22
Character offsets ......................... 24
Cancelling character attributes/offsets ... 24
Print density ............................. 24
Lines per inch ............................ 25
Straight-through mode ..................... 25
Soft Hyphens when formatting .............. 26
Printing a backslash ...................... 26
Color control ............................. 26
Formatting Commands ......................... 27
Enable formatting ......................... 28
Page length ............................... 29
Page number ............................... 29
Move to next page ......................... 29
Printing page range ....................... 29
Headers and footers ....................... 29
Set header and footer width ............... 31
Kill header and footer definitions ........ 31
Lines per inch ............................ 31
Line spacing .............................. 32
Start paragraph ........................... 32
Word wrap with justification .............. 32
No word wrap .............................. 32
Ragged right margin ....................... 33
Left margin ............................... 33
Right margin .............................. 33
Extra gutter, even pages .................. 33
Extra gutter, odd pages ................... 33
Temporary indent .......................... 34
Center line ............................... 34
Force printing ............................ 34
Force paper movement ...................... 34
Stop before printing page ................. 34
Immediate backslash execution ............. 34
Comments .................................. 35
IMAGEPRINT Version 4
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Appendix
ImagePrint backslash commands summary ....... 36
ImagePrint formatting commands summary ...... 37
Major error messages ........................ 37
Technical notes ............................. 39
THE IMAGE PRINTING UTILITIES ................ 40
Rules and Regulations ....................... 41
ORDER FORM .................................... 43
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WHAT IS IMAGEPRINT?
IMAGEPRINT allows you to produce high quality printing on your
standard IBM or Epson or compatible dot matrix printer.
Text input to IMAGEPRINT can come either directly from the
keyboard (typewriter mode) or from a disk file. The text input
can contain embedded backslash ("\") commands, which select
bold, underlining, double width, italics, etc. Text can be
formatted (left and right justification, margins, etc.) with a
word processor, or by using IMAGEPRINT's built-in formatting
capabilities.
WHAT DOES IMAGEPRINT INCLUDE?
Characters -
IMAGEPRINT allows you to print an IBM PC's extended character
set in letter quality. All of the standard text characters,
mathematical symbols, national characters and graphics
characters are included.
Character attributes -
IMAGEPRINT provides all of the standard printer character
attributes like 10 or 12 cpi (characters per inch), bold,
underline, italic, double width, and compressed. Additional
features provided by IMAGEPRINT include half-high, true
superscript and subscript, Epson printer color control and
proportional character spacing.
Print Modes -
There are five IMAGEPRINT print qualities:
- Draft quality. Your printer's standard dot matrix output.
- Low quality 3 pass printing.
- Low quality single pass printing for proofing.
- High quality 3 pass printing (this is the default output).
- High quality 6 pass extra-dark printing.
Fonts -
All IMAGEPRINT font files have a standard name format: FONTxx,
where xx is the number of the font.
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IMAGEPRINT includes 25 fonts:
Standard fonts:
FONT0, Courier FONT8, OCRA
FONT1, Cubic FONT9, OCRB
FONT2, Elite FONT10, Small
FONT3, Italic FONT11, Pica
FONT4, Orator FONT12, Block
FONT5, Typewriter FONT13, Graphics
FONT6, Roman FONT14, Spreadsheet
FONT7, Outline FONT15, Clifton
Large headline fonts:
FONT16, Helv-18B FONT21, Helv-26
FONT17, Helv-20 FONT22, Roman-32
FONT18, Helv-20B FONT23, Helv-32
FONT19, OldEnglish24 FONT24, Cent-34
FONT20, Cent-26
Font numbers above 15 are headline fonts and their approximate
size in "points" (72 points = 1 inch) is included in their
names. For example, Helv-26 is 26 points. Headline fonts
should normally be printed using the "\P" proportional spacing
command because they look much better that way.
Formatting -
IMAGEPRINT recognizes "dot commands" that set margins, text
micro-justification, even and odd page gutters, automatic
centering, headers, footers and line spacing. Backslash
commands, including double width, do not affect the
formatting. See the Section "Formatting Commands" for more
details.
Editing -
IMAGEPRINT includes an "ASCII" editor, suitable for creating or
modifying text files for printing with IMAGEPRINT. You can print
or preview within the text editor.
Previewing -
IMAGEPRINT can preview what your printed output would look like
on Hercules, CGA, EGA or VGA screens.
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WHAT PRINTERS DOES IMAGEPRINT WORK WITH?
IMAGEPRINT is compatible with any of the following dot matrix
printers:
ALPS P2000, ASP1000
Brother M1509, M1709
Canon PW-1156A, PW-1080A, PW-1088A, A-50, A-40
Citizen MSP series, 120D
Epson DFX, EX, FX, GX, JX, LX, RX printers
Epson LQ 24 pin printers or compatibles (use "-E" option)
Epson compatible printers
Fujitsu DX2200
IBM Graphics Printer or compatibles
IBM Proprinter or compatibles
NEC Pinwriter
Okidata 92/93 (IBM compatible versions; use "-M" option)
Okidata 192/193 (IBM versions), 320/321
Okidata 390 24 pin series
Panasonic 1080, 1180, 1091, 1191, 1092, 1093, 1095, 1592, 1595
Star Micronics NL/NP/NX/SD/SG series
Tandy DMP 130/132/430
THIS IS ONLY A PARTIAL LIST!. Almost all printers are IBM
and/or Epson compatible. If in doubt about your printer's
suitability, check that it recognizes the following control
sequences: (ESC = ASCII 27)
ESC "3" - set line spacing in 216ths of an inch
ESC "L" - double density graphics mode (for Epson "MX" type
printers)
or
ESC "Z" - quadruple density graphics mode
IMAGEPRINT works with printers connected to parallel port
LPT1: (PRN:), LPT2:, or LPT3:. A printer with a serial
interface will also work if you use the DOS "MODE" command to
redirect output. For example:
MODE LPT1:=COM1:
would redirect printer output to serial port number 1. See
your DOS manual for more information about the "MODE" command.
WHAT COMPUTERS WILL IMAGEPRINT RUN ON?
IMAGEPRINT works with any IBM Personal Computer, (PC, PC-XT,
PC-AT, PCJr, PS/2, etc.) and any true compatibles or clones.
It runs under PC-DOS or MS-DOS versions 2.0 and above.
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IMAGEPRINT FILES
NOTE: There may be a "README" file on your diskette. If it
exists, it contains information about recent program changes
or alterations, or explanations about additional files on your
diskette not listed below.
IMAGEPRINT includes the following files:
IP.EXE The IMAGEPRINT program
IPV4.DOC The documentation
ORDER.FRM The registration order form
FONT0...FONT24 The 25 font files
The following four text files can be printed with IMAGEPRINT:
TUTOR_1.TXT Simple IMAGEPRINT demonstration
TUTOR_2.TXT Detailed IMAGEPRINT demonstration
FONT13.SHP Text file that shows FONT13's character shapes
ALLFONTS.TXT Sample of all 25 fonts
The following two files comprise the IMAGEPRINT editor:
IE.EXE Easy-to-use "ASCII" text editor
IE.DOC Documentation for text editor
The following files comprise a utility program bundled
with IMAGEPRINT:
CONTROL.DOC CONTROL program documentation
CONTROL.EXE Utility to control printer, boiler-plate text
REM-CTRL.EXE Program to remove CONTROL from memory
CONTROL.DAT Epson control code data file - used with CONTROL
SAMPLE.DAT Text string data file - used with CONTROL
REGISTERING YOUR COPY OF IMAGEPRINT
IMAGEPRINT is distributed as User-Supported Software.
Registration costs just $42.95 (plus $3.00 shipping and
handling) and gives you the following benefits:
(1) You gain the right to use IMAGEPRINT and you are supporting
us in our effort to release quality software at a low price.
(2) You get the latest version of IMAGEPRINT. This version has
no opening screen with a need to "Press a key to continue".
(3) You get a printed manual.
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You can also order THE IMAGE PRINTING UTILITIES ($52.95, plus
$3.00 shipping and handling), which combines the latest
version of IMAGEPRINT with the latest version of METATEXT.
METATEXT allows you to print directly from within your word
processor, spreadsheet, etc., in high quality. See the Appendix
Section "The IMAGE Printing Utilities" for more details.
Order by mail or phone. We accept MasterCard and Visa. If
you order by mail, you can use the order form at the end of
this manual, or print out the file ORDER.FRM. Our address is:
IMAGE Computer Systems
P. O. Box 647
Avon, CT 06001
Ph: (203) 678-8771
If you send a check, it must be in US funds payable from a
United States bank. The only exception is an international
postal money order made out in US funds.
You may also order our products from our English location.
Their address is:
IMAGE Computer Systems
27 Cobham Road
Wimborne, Dorset
England BH21 7PE
Ph: 0202-876064
Prices in England are as follows:
IMAGEPRINT Version 3 30 pounds
The IMAGE Printing Utilities 50 pounds
Shipping and handling for all orders 2 pounds
If you order by check from IMAGE Computer Systems in England,
be sure to send payment as English funds payable from an
English bank. Otherwise, they will have to return your order.
SUPPORT FROM IMAGE COMPUTER SYSTEMS
It is our policy to provide full support to our registered
users and to ensure complete satisfaction with our products.
If you have a problem or question, give us a call. Otherwise
send a letter, clearly stating your question. Include sample
printouts if possible.
Suggestions and comments are welcome from everyone.
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INSTALLING IMAGEPRINT
COMPUTERS WITH FLOPPY DISKS ONLY:
First, make working copies of the IMAGEPRINT diskettes. Usually
IMAGEPRINT comes on two 5 1/4 diskettes, though some User-
Supported Software distributors may compress everything onto one
diskette or use a single 3 1/2 diskette. The diskettes are not
copy protected, so they can be copied in the conventional way:
1) Put the IMAGEPRINT master diskette in drive A:
2) Put an empty formatted diskette in drive B:
3) Type "COPY A:*.* B:"
4) Put the IMAGEPRINT supplemental fonts diskette in A:
5) Put an empty formatted diskette in drive B:
6) Type "COPY A:*.* B:"
The DOS "COPY" command is safer than the "DISKCOPY" command
because the diskettes can be accidentally reversed and still
not overwrite the IMAGEPRINT diskettes. Store the master
diskettes in a safe place.
If you are unfamiliar with this procedure, refer to your
operating system manual.
COMPUTERS WITH A HARD DISK:
1) Create a directory on your hard disk for the IMAGEPRINT
files. For example "MD IMAGE" will create a directory
called IMAGE.
2) Change your active directory to the newly-created
IMAGEPRINT directory.
3) Place the IMAGEPRINT master diskette in drive A:
4) Type "COPY A:*.*".
5) Place the IMAGEPRINT supplemental fonts diskette in A:
6) Type "COPY A:*.*" again.
All of the IMAGEPRINT files will then be copied to your hard
disk.
SETTING THE PATH
To be able to run IMAGEPRINT from any directory or disk drive:
1) Alter your DOS PATH to include the IMAGEPRINT directory
in the search for executable files. For example, if
IMAGEPRINT is in C:\IMAGE, and you don't already have a
search path, type in:
PATH=C:\IMAGE
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2) IMAGEPRINT recognizes a special environment string called
FONTS, which allows you to specify the search path for
IMAGEPRINT fonts. For example, if the IMAGEPRINT fonts
are in C:\IMAGE, type in:
SET FONTS=C:\IMAGE
Do not include a trailing backslash.
If you have two 360K floppy drives and you want to have access
to all 25 fonts, you can put the IMAGEPRINT number one disk in
A: and the number two disk in B: and then type in:
SET FONTS=B:\
If you run IMAGEPRINT from A:, it will then look on B: for any
fonts it doesn't find on A:.
If you are unfamiliar with search paths and environment strings,
refer to your operating system manual.
STARTING IMAGEPRINT
Make sure you have the Disk Operating System (DOS) prompt
displayed, then invoke IMAGEPRINT. The two methods of starting
IMAGEPRINT (full screen menu or command line) are described
below.
You can abort IMAGEPRINT by pressing CTRL-C (the CTRL key,
plus the "C" key at the same time). If your printer is not
ready (off-line, out of paper, etc.), then the CTRL-C key
combination may not be recognized because the part of your
operating system that drives your printer may be in an endless
loop. IMAGEPRINT will not time-out. This allows you, for
example, to take your printer off-line while on the phone, and
to resume printing later.
USING THE FULL SCREEN MENU
The syntax for running IMAGEPRINT in the full screen mode is:
IP
The
type anything between IP and
IMAGEPRINT using the command line method described below.
After invoking IMAGEPRINT, a full screen menu will be
displayed.
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Note: Some IMAGEPRINT options, such as Epson MX compatibility
mode, Epson 24 pin printer mode and print previewing are not
available with the full screen menu. Use the command line method
of starting IMAGEPRINT instead.
Press Function key F10 when you are finished making your
selections. Press the ESC key if you want to abort IMAGEPRINT
and return to DOS.
Instructions about how to move between selection fields and
how to edit the contents of the fields will appear on your
screen. Context sensitive help will also appear near the
bottom of your screen as you move from field to field.
The following selection fields are displayed:
FILE TO PRINT:
Enter the name of the file you wish to print with IMAGEPRINT.
The text file must be in "ASCII" format, containing only
printable characters (A...Z, 0...9, etc.) and no printer or
word processor control codes. See the Section "Creating a
Text File to Print" for more details about ASCII files and
the IMAGEPRINT editor.
The default input source is "CON:," which indicates that
input will come from the keyboard (CONsole). This is called
typewriter mode and is detailed in the Section "Typewriter
Mode."
FONT:
This is the font number you wish to use, and can be a one or
two digit number. The font name will be displayed to the
right of the font number. When IMAGEPRINT is invoked, FONT1
is the default font. FONT1, plus any other fonts you wish to
use, must be on the same disk or subdirectory as IMAGEPRINT,
unless you have set the FONTS environment string as described
in the Section "Installing IMAGEPRINT."
PRINT QUALITY:
Draft - With this mode, IMAGEPRINT uses your printer's
standard print quality and capabilities to print a rough
draft of the text file.
Fast - This mode uses an IMAGEPRINT font and is useful for
printing rough drafts of a final copy which shows the font
shapes. Only one print pass is made, instead of the default
three print passes.
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Quality - This is the default print mode for IMAGEPRINT. The
print head makes 3 passes over each line, using an IMAGEPRINT
font.
Laser - In this mode, the print head makes 6 passes over each
line, using an IMAGEPRINT font. This mode is useful if your
printer has a worn ribbon. Otherwise, this mode may be
excessively dark.
CHARACTERS PER INCH:
If you are using the standard size fonts (FONT0...FONT15),
then the following characters per inch (cpi) densities are
available:
Compressed 17.1 cpi - With the compressed mode enabled,
IMAGEPRINT compresses the current font to 17.1 characters per
inch, yielding 136 characters per line on a letter width
printer, and 233 characters per line on a wide carriage
printer.
12 cpi - Printing at 12 characters per inch density, allowing
96 characters per line on a letter width printer, and 163
characters per line on a wide carriage printer.
10 cpi - This is the default setting of IMAGEPRINT. It will
yield 80 characters per line on a letter width printer and
136 characters on a wide carriage printer.
Double width 5 cpi - Selects double width (5 characters per
inch) density. Each character takes up twice as much space as
the standard 10 cpi density.
Fonts 16 through 24 almost always look best when proportionally
spaced (enabled with "\P" embedded in the text to be printed).
PRINTER:
Enter the number of the port to which your printer is
attached. This will almost always be "LPT1:," the IMAGEPRINT
default. Only numbers 1, 2 or 3 are valid selections.
80 COLUMN PRINTER:
Set this flag to (Y)es if you are using a letter width (8
inch platen) printer.
136 COLUMN PRINTER:
Set this flag to (Y)es if you are using a wide carriage
printer.
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RESET BIT 7 OF INPUT:
Set this field to (Y)es if you are printing a WordStar(tm)
document file. This will turn off bit 7 of every character,
which is the standard way of "cleaning" WordStar document
files to make them print correctly. If you use WordStar's
non-document mode for editing, you don't have to enable this
option.
Resetting bit 7 limits IMAGEPRINT's range of character values
to the range 0...127, making the IBM PC's extended character
set unavailable.
OPTIMIZE PRINT SPEED:
(Y)es will select print head movement optimization, which can
speed up printing. When enabled, IMAGEPRINT will send regular
10 cpi space characters to locate the print position, rather
than always returning the print head to the left margin
before each print pass. The default setting is "Y".
Note - It is assumed that your printer is in 10 characters
per inch mode if print head optimization is enabled. If your
printer is not at 10 cpi print density because of a software
command or the setting of your printer's DIP switches, text
will print at the wrong location.
USING A COMMAND LINE
This method is suitable for running IMAGEPRINT from within a
batch file, or if you don't want to use the IMAGEPRINT full
screen menu to select options. You must first create a text
file to print. See the Section "Creating a Text File to Print".
The syntax for running IMAGEPRINT using a command line is:
IP input-file [LPTx:] [dash options] {x=1,2,3}
The "command line" is what you type after "IP." For example,
in the following example, "LETTER.DAT -E" is the command line:
IP LETTER.DAT -E
The command line can be typed in as either upper or lower
case.
The input-file is the source of input to IMAGEPRINT. This can
be either "CON:" (typewriter mode) or a disk file in ASCII
format.
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Following the input-file name is the printer port
specification. This can be LPT1:, PRN:, LPT2: or LPT3:. If you
don't specify the printer port, it will default to LPT1:.
Examples:
IP C:\LETTR\TEXTFIL {input from C:\LETTR\TEXTFIL}
IP CON: {input from console (keyboard)}
The dash options are dashes ("-"), immediately followed by one
or two characters. Each dash option must be separated by at
least 1 space from anything else.
These dash options correspond to options displayed when the
full screen menu method of starting IMAGEPRINT is used. Do not
confuse command line dash options with backslash ("\")
commands embedded in the printed text. The dash options are:
-E : (E)pson 24 pin printer
Use this option if you are using IMAGEPRINT with an Epson or
compatible 24 pin printer. For example:
IP -E
The "-E" option maintains standard 6 lines per inch spacing.
Without the "-E", 24 pin printers elongate IMAGEPRINT's
output vertically, resulting in 55 lines on an 11 inch page,
instead of the standard 66 lines.
If the "-E" option is used, the "\S" (six lines per inch)
and "\E" (eight lines per inch) backslash commands have no
effect.
Technical explanation:
The same ESC "3" printer command means something different
to 9 and 24 pin printers. On a 9 pin, it sets up the line
feed distance in increments of n/216", and on a 24 pin it
sets up the line feed distance in increments of n/180". The
"-E" lets IMAGEPRINT know that it is dealing with 180ths
instead of 216ths.
-P : (P)review
This option sends IMAGEPRINT's output to your screen instead
of your printer. Your computer must have a graphics card that
is Hercules, CGA, EGA or VGA compatible. All IMAGEPRINT error
messages that are normally sent to your screen are suppressed
during preview. There is a pause after each screenful until
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you press a key. To break out of preview mode before the end
of the text file is reached, press CTRL-C rapidly several times.
If IMAGEPRINT incorrectly reports that a graphics card isn't
installed, you can force IMAGEPRINT to preview by using the
following variations of the "-P" command:
-PH preview to a Hercules or compatible screen
-PC preview to a CGA or compatible screen
-PE preview to an EGA or compatible screen
-PV preview to a VGA or compatible screen
-+ : 136 Column Printer
IMAGEPRINT assumes you are using a letter-width printer,
with an 8 inch platen. If you have a wide-carriage printer,
use the "-+" command line option, which tells IMAGEPRINT it
can print all the way to the right side of the wide platen.
-Cx : Multiple (C)opies
You set the number of copies with the "-Cx" command line
option, where 'x' represents the number of copies you want.
For example, to print three copies of LETTER.TXT:
IP LETTER.TXT -C3
You can only print multiple copies of disk files. Keyboard
input can't be duplicated. A form feed is sent to your printer
between each copy.
-M : Epson (M)X compatibility
IMAGEPRINT normally drives a printer in quadruple density
graphics mode, which earlier Epson printers don't support.
The "-M" option selects double density mode, which many "MX"
and compatible printers do recognize.
-D : (D)raft
Print a rough draft of the text, using only your printer's
built-in print modes. This corresponds to the draft printing
choice on the full screen menu.
-O : (O)ptimize print speed
If print head movement optimization is enabled, then
IMAGEPRINT will send regular spaces to locate the print
position, rather than always returning the print head to the
left margin for each print pass. This corresponds to the
optimize print speed selection on the full screen menu.
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-F or -G or -Q or -L : Select print quality
These four selections correspond to the backslash commands
"\F," "\G," "\Q" and "\L" that can be embedded in the input
text. This allows printing of text files using different print
qualities without having to re-edit the text file to change
the quality selection.
-00...-24 : Select font
Select which font to use when printing your document. The
default font is FONT1; Cubic. You can, of course, also
change fonts by using embedded backslash commands in the
text being printed.
-W : Print a WordStar document file
All characters in the text file being printed will be
"cleaned." This option corresponds to the reset bit 7 option
on the full screen menu.
-# : Print to a disk file
This option causes IMAGEPRINT to send its output to a disk
file, instead of directly to your printer. This option can
be useful if you have a hard disk and wish to save
IMAGEPRINT's output for printing later.
The "#" is immediately followed by the name of the file that
is to hold IMAGEPRINT's output. There must not be any gap
between the "#" and the file name. For example:
IP SAMPLE.TXT -#TEMP.BIN
would create a file called TEMP.BIN that contains
IMAGEPRINT's output of SAMPLE.TXT. When you are ready to
print the file, you must use the "/B" option of the DOS COPY
command. For example:
COPY /B TEMP.BIN PRN:
The "/B" is necessary because an IMAGEPRINT output file
contains "binary" data.
Note: Make sure you have enough room on your disk to hold
the output file. IMAGEPRINT outputs a lot of data because it
drives your printer in graphics mode. For example, a single
page of text can take up 360K of disk space.
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-N : (N)o Printer Reset
IMAGEPRINT normally resets your printer before printing. You
can disable the reset with the "-N" command line option. For
example:
IP -N
One instance where this command is useful is if you are
using a batch file to print different files with IMAGEPRINT.
Because a printer can buffer data, IMAGEPRINT may reset your
printer before it is finished printing the previous file.
-T : Alternate (T)rigger Character
You can now substitute another trigger character for the "\"
trigger character used by ImagePrint. "-T" is the command
line switch. You must immediately follow the "-T" by the
character you want to be the new trigger character. For
example, if you wanted to use "^" as the new trigger
character:
IP -T^
This option is useful because files that already contain "\"
characters can be printed as-is.
Command line examples:
IP AFILE LPT3: -O {print to LPT3:, optimize print speed}
IP LETTER -E {using Epson LQ type printer}
IP CON: -9 {Use FONT9, input from keyboard}
TYPEWRITER MODE
You can select typewriter mode from either the full screen
menu method or command line method of starting IMAGEPRINT (see
above.) Just specify the text input source as CON:, which is
your keyboard.
All IMAGEPRINT backslash and dot formatting commands are
recognized. The current line can be edited with the standard
DOS keyboard buffer editing syntax. The most useful editing
keys are:
BACKSPACE delete character to left of cursor.
TAB move to next tab stop.
FUNCTION KEY 1 display previous line 1 character at a time.
FUNCTION KEY 3 display entire previous line.
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Because the top of large fonts extend up into the previous
lines, IMAGEPRINT has to pre-scan lines. This means that
IMAGEPRINT can't print the current line until it has seen what
is on the following two lines. This pre-scan results in a two
line delay in printing when you are using IMAGEPRINT's
"typewriter" mode. The prescan isn't apparent when printing a
text file.
When in typewriter mode, IMAGEPRINT can't print large
characters on the first line, because the paper can't be
moved backward to allow the top of the large characters to
print. For the largest fonts, you must leave a two line gap.
Each line on the screen is not sent to IMAGEPRINT until the
characters.
To exit IMAGEPRINT and return to DOS, press
press the function key F6, and then press
CREATING A TEXT FILE TO PRINT
When creating a text file, any IMAGEPRINT backslash or dot
commands are entered directly into the text you want to print. A
backslash is an ordinary printable character; only IMAGEPRINT
considers it as a command.
If you are using IMAGEPRINT's dot formatting commands, then
all of your text should start at the far left margin, in
column 1. Use the ".LM" left margin command to shift the test
over to the correct position.
USING THE IMAGEPRINT EDITOR IE
The IMAGEPRINT editor IE, which is included with IMAGEPRINT, can
be used to create a plain "ASCII" file. ASCII is computer
terminology for a file that contains only printable text. IE can
remove any non-printing 'garbage' from a file and can also
directly run IMAGEPRINT so you can preview or print while you are
editing a file. The preview facility is especially useful, as
you can interactively change the file until it is ready to
print. IE.DOC is the documentation file for IE.
USING YOUR WORD PROCESSOR
If you use your own text editor or word processor, create a
diskette file you wish to print with IMAGEPRINT. Your word
processor must be able to create standard "ASCII" or "DOS" files,
containing only printable characters, to work correctly with
IMAGEPRINT. There must be no word processor formatting
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information or special printer control codes contained in the
file.
You must be at the DOS prompt to use IMAGEPRINT. You cannot
access it directly from within your word processor.
Note - See the description of THE IMAGE PRINTING UTILITIES
in the Appendix if you wish to print directly from your word
processor, spreadsheet, etc. without first having to create an
intermediate ASCII file.
Creating an ASCII file can be accomplished as follows for the
following common word processing programs:
MICROSOFT WORD : Save as an unformatted file, or print to
disk using a plain vanilla printer driver.
MULTIMATE : Use "TTYCRLF.PAT" as a generic printer
definition file. Select "print to file" from the print menu,
as well as draft print quality. Do not use left or top
margins.
PC-WRITE : Default is standard ASCII. Edit the file, don't
use the ALT keys, and save the file to disk.
VOLKSWRITER : Select plain vanilla printer driver and
print to disk.
WORDPERFECT : Save your work as a "DOS" file using the Text
In/Out function, accessed by pressing CTRL-F5.
WORDSTAR : Use the non-document mode or use IMAGEPRINT's
"Reset bit 7" facility to print a document file.
WORDSTAR 2000 : When you edit a file, use the format
file "UNFORM.FRM."
Most word processors can save text in ASCII format. Check
your documentation on how to do this if your word processor
isn't listed above.
BACKSLASH COMMANDS
A backslash ("\"), NOT a slash ("/"), is used by IMAGEPRINT.
Backslash commands, which select character density, width,
etc., are standard printable characters, embedded within the
text of a file created for printing with IMAGEPRINT. For
example, "\I" gives you italics, and "\U" gives you
underlining. These backslash commands are recognized as
IMAGEPRINT commands, and are removed from the stream of data
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sent to the printer. They are not printed. If formatting is
enabled, backslash commands, including the double width
command, will not affect margin justification.
There is no space between the backslash and the following
character(s) that identify the command. Most backslash
commands are made up of a backslash, plus one more alphabetic
character. One exception is font selection, where the
backslash can be followed by up to two numeric characters.
There are two kinds of backslash commands: toggling and non-
toggling. Toggling commands reverse the current state of the
mode selected. For example, because DOUBLE WIDTH is a toggling
command, the first "\W" encountered enables DOUBLE WIDTH mode,
the second cancels DOUBLE WIDTH, etc. You can turn off all
active toggling modes with "\C" (cancel).
Non-toggling commands are cancelled by selecting another
mutually exclusive mode. For example, if "\|" is selected (12
characters per inch), a later "\>" (10 cpi) command will
cancel 12 cpi mode and enable 10 cpi mode.
The backslash command characters (except for the color
commands) represent, as closely as possible, the action
involved. For example, superscript is "\^," subscript is "\v."
Backslash commands can be combined. For example:
\u\bThis would print as underlined bold\c
In the following backslash summary, the command letters
following the backslash are shown in upper case, though lower
case will also work.
There are examples of backslash commands in the files
TUTOR_1.TXT and TUTOR_2.TXT on the IMAGEPRINT diskette.
FONTS:
IMAGEPRINT fonts are broken into two categories; standard
fonts (FONT0...FONT15) and headline fonts (FONT16...FONT24).
Both types of fonts are selected with backslash commands. For
example:
\02This is FONT2 (Elite), \21this is FONT21 (Helv-26).
The font files selected must be on the same drive that
IMAGEPRINT was started on, unless you have set the FONTS
environment string (see the Section "Installing IMAGEPRINT").
Your new font choice remains in effect until over-ridden by
another font choice.
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To see what all the fonts look like, print the ALLFONTS.TXT
file with IMAGEPRINT:
IP ALLFONTS.TXT
STANDARD FONTS -
Standard fonts are smaller than headline fonts and are
typically used to print the main body of a document.
All standard fonts (except FONT13, see note below) include the
IBM PC's extended character set. If your word processor allows
it, you can access any extended character (above 127 decimal)
by using the ALT key on your keyboard. For example, the ASCII
value for a British pound sign is 156. To input the pound sign
from your keyboard, hold the ALT key down and type 156 using
your numeric keypad. Then release the ALT key. A pound sign
should then appear in your text on-screen.
The numbers following the backslashes correspond to
the font files:
00 - FONT0 (Courier)
01 - FONT1 (Cubic)
02 - FONT2 (Elite)
03 - FONT3 (Italic)
04 - FONT4 (Orator)
05 - FONT5 (Typewriter)
06 - FONT6 (Roman)
07 - FONT7 (Outline)
08 - FONT8 (OCRA)
09 - FONT9 (OCRB)
10 - FONT10 (Small)
11 - FONT11 (Pica)
12 - FONT12 (Block)
13 - FONT13 (Graphics)
14 - FONT14 (Spreadsheet)
15 - FONT15 (Clifton)
The default font is FONT1, Cubic.
There can be up to two digits following the backslash. The
first character following the backslash must be a digit. If
the second character is also a digit, then IMAGEPRINT assumes
that the two digits combined select a font.
Examples:
"\0123" would use FONT1 to print "23"
"\0abc" would use FONT0 to print "abc"
"\06123" would use FONT6 to print "123"
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Mixing different fonts on the same line slows the printing
because of the font file disk access time. IMAGEPRINT has
to load each font while accumulating the line before printing,
and also has to load each font to print the line. Using a RAM
memory disk or a hard disk greatly reduces the font access
time.
All standard fonts except FONT13 have the extended IBM
character set in ASCII positions 128...255. FONT13 has
different character shapes, such as rounded corners for boxes,
a copyright symbol, etc. To see what these shapes look like,
you can print FONT13.SHP with ImagePrint:
IP FONT13.SHP
You cannot use italic mode ("\I") or half-high mode ("\H")
with FONT13.
The SPREADSHEET font (FONT14) has been specially designed for
printing spreadsheets in compressed (17.1 characters per inch)
mode. It doesn't alter it's shape when compressed, like the
other fonts.
The CLIFTON font (FONT15) is the largest standard font,
suitable for headings, etc. It works best at 10 characters
per inch. You cannot use italic mode or half-high mode with
this font.
HEADLINE FONTS -
Headline fonts are just like standard-size fonts with a few
exceptions:
1) Headline fonts should almost always be printed using
proportional spacing (see the "\P" command). They are
designed to look much better that way.
2) If proportional mode isn't selected, the large fonts
print at either 5 or 3.3 characters per inch, not the
standard 10 or 12 cpi.
3) Headline fonts are tall, so you need to leave some
blank space above them, or they print on top of the
previous line(s) of text.
4) Headline fonts can't be italicized with the "\I" command
or made half-high with the "\H" command.
Headline fonts are selected just like standard fonts, with
backslash commands:
\18This is FONT18, \21this is FONT21.
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The numbers following the backslashes correspond to the font
files:
16 - FONT16 (Helv-18B)
17 - FONT17 (Helv-20)
18 - FONT18 (Helv-20B)
19 - FONT19 (OldEnglish24)
20 - FONT20 (Cent-26)
21 - FONT21 (Helv-26)
22 - FONT22 (Roman-32)
23 - FONT23 (Helv-32)
24 - FONT24 (Cent-34)
Headline fonts are usable only with IMAGEPRINT - Metatext
can't use them.
\19\Pproportional looks MUCH BETTER than \>fixed spacing
In order to print the new large fonts, several changes have
been made to IMAGEPRINT:
1) Because the top of large fonts extend up into the previous
lines, IMAGEPRINT has to pre-scan lines. This means that
IMAGEPRINT can't be sure it's safe to print the current
line until it has seen what is on the following two lines.
This pre-scan results in a two line delay in printing when
you are using IMAGEPRINT's "typewriter" mode. The prescan
isn't apparent when printing a text file.
2) There are two circumstances where IMAGEPRINT can't print
large characters:
a) On the first line of the first page. For the largest
fonts, with point sizes greater than 26, you must skip
two blank lines.
b) At the top of a page reached by using a form feed.
If you use line feeds instead of a form feed to move
to a page (other than the first), then large
characters can print on the first line.
The reason for this limitation is that IMAGEPRINT can't
print a large font if it would require moving the paper
backwards, which not all printers are capable of.
IMAGEPRINT will output an error message if it can't print
the text, which it then ignores.
Printing a large font doesn't change the line feed distance,
so you must allow for the extra height by leaving blank
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lines above a tall font. This gives you clearance between
the line with the tall font and the line(s) above.
Don't change the line feed distance (with "\E" or "\S")
within 2 lines of any large font, or distortion of the large
font can result, because large fonts span multiple lines.
The default print density is 5 cpi for FONT17 and FONT18. The
default density for the other large fonts is 3.3 cpi.
The "density" backslash commands have a different meaning when
used with larger fonts:
- "\<", which normally selects 17.1 characters per inch
compressed printing, halves the default characters per
inch density.
- Both "\>" and "\|" have the same effect, which is to
select the default print density.
"\P" still selects proportional mode, which is very much
recommended.
Large fonts have ASCII characters from 32 to 126.
International, line drawing and math characters aren't
included.
When you use a large font keep in mind that different font
sizes have different font widths. For example, if you print:
\11Hello\19 there
the "there" prints much farther to the right than:
\11Hello \19there
because in the first instance the leading FONT19 spaces are
much wider than the FONT11 spaces.
If you are using IMAGEPRINT's dot formatting commands and
using large fonts for headlines, etc., then you should switch
back to your standard paragraph text font as soon as possible.
For example:
.en
.lm 9 {left margin = 9}
.rm 72 {right margin = 72}
.ce {center the font 24 text}
\P\24FONT24 Headline\>\04 {switch to FONT4 immediately!}
.lf 1 {move down 1 line}
Paragraph text using FONT4 starts here
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PRINT QUALITY:
Four IMAGEPRINT print qualities are available that use
IMAGEPRINT fonts:
\F - (F)ast low quality 3 pass printing.
In this mode the print head moves at standard printer
speed. The printing is more dotty than the other two modes,
especially in the horizontal direction. All character
attributes can be used except BOLD.
\G - (G)rouped low quality printing.
In this mode, what normally prints using three print passes
only takes one pass. This is the fastest print mode and is
good for printing a rough draft that shows what the final
copy will look like.
You can also use the command line version of this option, "-G",
when using the preview option "-P" to get faster screen output.
For example:
IP LETTER -P -G
If you use "-G" with the screen preview mode, then you may
see horizontal tramlines running through the text.
\Q - (Q)uality High quality 3 pass printing.
In this mode the print head moves at one half standard
printer speed. This is the default quality of IMAGEPRINT.
The print quality is excellent.
\L - (L)aser High quality 6 pass printing.
In this mode, the print head moves at one half standard
printer speed. Use this mode for your most important
printing, or if your printer ribbon is getting old. On some
printers, 6 passes will be too bold, or dark.
The above print qualities are different from selecting standard
printer draft mode ("-D") when starting IMAGEPRINT.
CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES:
\B : BOLD
Toggle bold mode. Bold characters appear darker and
thicker in appearance. Example:
\bThis would print in bold, \c and this would not
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\H : HALF HIGH
Toggle half high mode. Half high characters are compressed
in the vertical direction, much like subscript or
superscript characters appear on a standard dot matrix
printer.
\hThis would print half high, \cand this would not
\I : ITALIC
Toggle italic mode. Italic characters lean to the right.
\iThis would print in italic, \cand this would not
\U : UNDERLINE
Toggle underline mode. Characters received after this
command will be underlined. A space is considered a
character, and will be underlined too, unless formatting
(".EN") and left and right justification (".WW") are
enabled, in which case only printable characters can be
underlined.
\uThis would print underlined, \cand this would not
\W : DOUBLE WIDTH
Toggle double width mode. One double width character takes
up exactly 2 normal character widths.
If formatting is enabled (".EN"), you must not span spaces,
line feeds, or tabs in double width mode. If you do, an
error message will be displayed. The reason for this
restriction is that a line may break at any point and, if
double width mode is still active, then the left margin of
the next line may not be correctly located. Double width
can, however, encase a word that contains soft or hard
hyphens.
Examples:
\wWord AnotherWord\w {ERROR}
\wOneword\w \wAnotherWord\w {OK}
\wHy\-phen\-ated\w {Soft hyphens - OK}
\wOver-ride\w {Hard hyphen - OK}
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CHARACTER OFFSETS:
\^ : SUPERSCRIPT
Select superscripted printing for the following characters.
Use "\N" or "\C" to exit this mode.
IMAGEPRINT won't print any text that would require a
backward movement of paper through the printer. This means
that some characters of the larger fonts (FONT4, FONT5,
FONT7, FONT12, FONT15) will not print in superscript mode
on the first line of the first page.
\V : SUBSCRIPT
Select subscripted printing for the following characters.
Use "\N" or "\C" to exit this mode.
\N : NORMAL OFFSET
Select a standard offset for the following characters. The
offset is the distance above or below the standard print
position on a line. This command ends superscript and
subscript mode.
Examples:
\vThis would be subscript, \^this would be superscript
\nnormal offset
CANCELLING CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES/OFFSETS:
\C : CANCEL
Cancel all character attributes and offsets. This command
is useful because keeping track of the current state of the
toggling commands can become difficult. Bold, half high,
italic, underline, and double width are all cancelled, plus
any superscripting and subscripting.
Note: "\C" does not cancel a print density command.
PRINT DENSITY:
\> : 10 CPI
Select 10 characters per inch mode. IMAGEPRINT defaults to
this density.
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\| : 12 CPI
Select 12 characters per inch mode. In this mode, 96
characters will print on an 8" line. The backslash is
immediately followed by the vertical bar character, which
often has a break in the middle.
\< : COMPRESSED
Select 17.1 characters per inch mode. In this mode, 136
characters will print on an 8" line.
\P : PROPORTIONAL
Select proportional inter-character spacing. This means
that a "W" will take up more space than a "!," for example.
The number of characters that can print on a line depends
on the accumulated character widths.
Print density examples:
\
\>and this would print at 10 cpi
\pthis would print proportionally
When printing headline fonts (FONT16...FONT24),
proportional mode often looks much better than fixed
spacing.
LINES PER INCH:
\S : SIX LINES PER INCH
Select 1/6 inches inter-line spacing. This is the default
value of IMAGEPRINT. This command is identical in action
to the ".LI 6" dot formatting command.
This is the standard vertical line spacing of a dot matrix
printer.
\E : EIGHT LINES PER INCH
Select 1/8 inches inter-line spacing.
STRAIGHT THROUGH MODE:
\[ : BEGIN STRAIGHT THROUGH MODE
Text received after this command is printed in standard
printer quality. The only backslash command recognized in
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this mode is the "END STRAIGHT THROUGH MODE" command
("\]"). All other backslash commands received are printed
as normal text. This mode is useful for mixing standard
printing and IMAGEPRINT quality printing on the same page.
It is also useful for sending non-printing ASCII character
values (values below 31 decimal, 1F hex) to your printer.
Standard printing and IMAGEPRINT quality printing cannot be
successfully mixed on the same line. The character placement
and paper movement will not be correct.
\] : END STRAIGHT THROUGH MODE
Characters received after this command are printed in
IMAGEPRINT quality. All backslash commands are enabled
following this command.
SOFT HYPHENS WHEN FORMATTING:
\- : POTENTIAL WORD BREAK
If formatting has been enabled (".EN"), then a line can be
broken any place a soft hyphen "\-" appears in a word. To
minimize the size of gaps between words if right justifica-
tion is enabled, long words can be broken up into sections
with the soft hyphen.
Soft hyphen examples:
for\-mat\-ting il\-lus\-tra\-tion
PRINTING A BACKSLASH:
\\ : DOUBLE BACKSLASH
To print a single backslash character, put double backslash
characters in the input text, with no intervening space.
COLOR CONTROL:
If you have an Epson JX color printer, or a compatible,
IMAGEPRINT can control each line's color. It is not
possible to mix different colors on the same line. If more
than 1 color backslash command is on a line, the left-most
command is the one recognized for that line. The backslash
commands and the corresponding colors are:
\! : BLACK \& : YELLOW \% : PURPLE
\@ : RED \* : ORANGE \$ : BLUE
\= : GREEN
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FORMATTING COMMANDS
IMAGEPRINT has text formatting capability using individual
commands that specify the page length, left and right margin,
word wrap, etc.
You do not need to use IMAGEPRINT formatting if your word
processor has already formatted your text, and you can use
IMAGEPRINT backslash commands without using the text
formatting commands.
You must explicitly turn on formatting with the ENABLE
FORMATTING command (".EN"). The ".EN" command must come before
any other formatting command. Otherwise, all text preceding
".EN", including formatting commands, is printed literally.
Each formatting command is preceded by a ".", which must be
the first printable character on a line. Leading spaces or
tabs are ignored. Formatting commands like this, that have a
leading ".", are called dot commands. A dot command line is
not printed, and only one dot command can be on a line. The
command type is made up of two characters, upper or lower
case, following the dot, separated from it by zero or more
spaces. There must be no space between the two command
characters. If there is an optional trailing variable, it is
separated from the command type characters by zero or more
spaces. The following dot commands are equivalent:
.lf3
. LF 3
. lf 3
Depending on the type of command, a trailing variable can
either be a literal string, or a relative or absolute
numerical value. An example of an absolute numerical value in
a command is ".LM 3". Following this command, the left margin
will be set to column 3. An example of a relative numerical
value in a command is ".RM -10". Following this command, the
right margin is shifted ten columns to the left.
If the formatting command normally expects a trailing
variable, and it is missing, the default value is assumed. The
default values of the variable parameters are:
.PN 1 (page number 1)
.PL 66 (page length = 66 lines, or 11 inches at 6 lines/inch)
.LS 1 (no extra gap between lines)
.LM 1 (left margin = column 1)
.RM 80 (right margin = column 80, unless you selected a
wide carriage printer)
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These commands are explained in the following sections.
Word wrap (".WW") is initially enabled, and there are no
default headers or footers. If you want a top and bottom
margin, you can define blank headers and/or footers.
The diskette file TUTOR_2.TXT shows IMAGEPRINT formatting and
backslash commands in use and has extensive comments.
The character positions each backslash command takes up is
taken into account during formatting. The extra width
generated by the DOUBLE WIDTH command is also taken into
account. The double width and underline backslash commands
should not span spaces or tabs or line feeds. Each individual
word should be "wrapped:"
\wwide\w \uunderline\u \wsemi-detached\w \why\-phen\w
This is because a line may be broken at any point and the
double width mode continuing on to the next line can cause
margin shift and the underlining mode continuing on to the
next line can cause leading spaces to be underlined.
Compressed, 12 characters per inch and 10 characters per inch
cannot be mixed on a line that is to be left and right
justified. The left and right margins shift when switching
density. Keep the entire document in one density or use the
FORCE PRINTING formatting command (".FP") to clear the
formatting buffer before changing density.
If formatting has not been enabled, IMAGEPRINT recognizes
tabs, line feeds, and form feeds. If formatting is enabled
(".EN"), form feed characters are ignored. If formatting, use
the ".PA" dot command to move to the next page.
.EN : ENABLE FORMATTING
Default: not enabled.
If you are going to use IMAGEPRINT's dot command formatting
capabilities, include the enable command at the very top of
your text file, before any other dot command or printable
text. Once ".EN" has been sent, all of the dot commands are
recognized. Otherwise no scanning for dot commands takes
place and all text is printed literally.
Formatting is not initially enabled because you may have
already formatted your text with a word processor, or you
may not want formatting. Backslash commands are always
recognized.
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When ".EN" is first encountered in the input text the values
for variable parameters are set to the default values. ".EN"
should only be sent once. There is no "disable formatting"
command. Once enabled, formatting is active until IMAGEPRINT
returns to DOS. You can get the effect of disabled
formatting if you send the ".NW" command and set the left
margin to 1 and the right margin to the width of your
printer. If you have defined headers and footers, you can
cancel them with the ".KI" command.
.PL x :PAGE LENGTH
x default: 66 lines, or 11 inches at 6 lines/in.
Set page length to x lines. This is always the actual length
of the paper in your printer. If you don't specify headers and
footers, the entire page is available to you for printing text.
To get a blank area at the top and bottom of each page, define
blank header and footer lines. The page length command normally
appears once in a document, before the first printable text.
.PN x : PAGE NUMBER
x default: 1
Set the current page number. If an "&&&" string appears in a
header or footer, the current page number will be
substituted. The page number increments automatically as
each page is printed.
.PA : MOVE TO NEXT PAGE
This command forces the current contents of the print buffer
to be sent to the printer and moves the paper to the top of
the next page. If you are already at the top of a new page,
this command will have no effect.
.PR : PRINTING PAGE RANGE
This dot command prompts you for the starting and ending
pages to print. The page numbers correspond to the count of
pages actually printed, not the page number set by the ".PN"
command. The ".PR" command avoids unnecessary printing,
especially if only one page in a long document needs reprinting.
HEADERS AND FOOTERS:
A header is the text that automatically prints at the top of
each page and a footer is the text that automatically prints
at the bottom of each page. If you want top and bottom
margins, use blank header and footer lines.
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IMAGEPRINT allows a variable number of header and footer
lines on both even and odd pages. You might have 3 even page
headers, 5 odd page headers, 2 even page footers and 3 odd
page footers. If you specify only 1 kind of header or
footer, it will print on both even and odd pages.
Three dots "..." in a header or footer string cause
justification to take place:
.EF ...even page footer, right justified
.EFeven page footer, left justified...
.EF ...even page footer, centered...
.EFleft justified...centered...right justified
If the header or footer is longer than the width specified
by the ".SW" (set width) command, it will be truncated.
Headers and footers do not shift if the left or right
margins are altered. Shift the headers and footers with the
".EE" and ".OE" commands.
If the header or footer string contains an "&&&" string,
then the current page number is substituted for the "&&&".
The header/footer storage pool holds about 950 characters.
This is more than most people will ever need. If you run out
of room by specifying a lot of headers and footers (and get
the error message), you may not be taking advantage of
"...". Headers and footers are justified and expanded as
they are printed and do not take up much room in storage.
The file TUTOR_2.TXT shows all four types of headers and
footers in use.
.EH string : EVEN PAGE HEADER
Default: empty
As an example, the following dot commands would cause a 3
line header to print on all even pages, and all odd pages
too, if no odd header had been defined. The printing header
line would be preceded by 1 blank line and followed by 1
blank line. The first line of document text would be
immediately below the last header line, on line 4.
.EH
.EH ... IMAGEPRINT Demonstration page &&&
.EH
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.OH string : ODD PAGE HEADER
Default: empty
Same format as ".EH" above.
.EF string : EVEN PAGE FOOTER
Default: empty
Same format as ".EH" above.
.OF string : ODD PAGE FOOTER
Default: empty
Same format as ".EH" above.
.SW x : SET HEADER AND FOOTER WIDTH
default: 80 (unless 136 column printer selected with "-+"
on command line)
This command allows you to set the length of the headers and
footers and thus the header or footer right margin when
using justification ("..."). Headers and footers are
truncated if they are longer than the ".SW" value.
.KI : KILL HEADER AND FOOTER DEFINITIONS
This command cancels all header and footer definitions. Use
it to change or remove your headers and/or footers in the
middle of a document. Be sure to move to the top of a new
page (by using ".PA") before issuing this command. Also,
specify any new headers and/or footers immediately after a
".KI" command.
.LI x : LINES PER INCH
x default: 6
Only two values for x are recognized: 6 or 8 lines per inch.
All other values are ignored. Six lines per inch works well
with proportional, 12 and 10 cpi characters. Eight lines per
inch works well with compressed (17.1 cpi) characters.
Switching the lines per inch value in the middle of printing
a document can cause page alignment problems.
31
IMAGEPRINT Version 4
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.LS x : LINE SPACING
x default: 1
x is the number of line feeds between text lines. For
example, to print on every other line, use ".LS 2".
.PP x : START PARAGRAPH
x default: 0
The paper will move down 1 line and the first line of the
new paragraph will be indented x spaces.
.WW : WORD WRAP WITH JUSTIFICATION
Default: enabled
Turn on left and right justification within the boundaries
of the left and right margins. If the line is too short,
spaces are inserted into the line following punctuation
characters ("." ":" ";" "?" "!"). If IMAGEPRINT quality mode
was selected, and the line is still not left and right
justified, then the line is micro-justified by increasing
the gap between words by an equal amount. If draft mode was
selected when IMAGEPRINT was started, then justification is
accomplished by padding with spaces.
The soft hyphen ("\-") backslash command can be used to
break extra long words up into smaller segments so less
spaces are needed to justify a line. For example, "dynamite"
can be broken up into 3 sections: "dy\-na\- mite". Lines
will also break at hard hyphens: "semi-detached".
Proportionally spaced lines ("\P") cannot be right
justified.
This command turns off the no word wrap (".NW") and ragged
right (".RR") modes.
.NW : NO WORD WRAP
Default: disabled
Text sent after this command will be printed literally and
will not be right justified. This command turns off the word
wrap (".WW") and ragged right (".RR") modes.
32
IMAGEPRINT Version 4
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To keep a table or chart from being automatically formatted,
use the ".NW" command to turn off formatting. For example:
.nw disable formatting
Qty Code Price Total
--- ---- ----- -----
1 3232 65.95 65.95
.ww enable formatting
.RR : RAGGED RIGHT MARGIN
Default: disabled
Format text, printing lines between the left and right
margins, like ".WW", but don't right justify. This command
turns off the word wrap (".WW") and no word wrap (".NW")
modes.
.LM x : LEFT MARGIN
x default: 1
Set the left margin. This is the starting column for
printing in both the word wrap, no word wrap and ragged
right modes.
.RM x : RIGHT MARGIN
x default: 80 (136 if "-+" command line option used)
Set the right margin. No text will print beyond this column
if the word wrap (".WW") or ragged right (".RR") modes are
enabled.
.EE x : EXTRA GUTTER, EVEN PAGES
x default: 0
This value is added to both the left margin of your text and
the left margin (column 1) of the headers and footers. In
the case of even numbered pages, this value is often zero or
negative to keep the text away from the center binding of a
publication.
.OE x : EXTRA GUTTER, ODD PAGES
x default: 0
The same as ".EE" above, but for odd pages. This value is
often positive.
33
IMAGEPRINT Version 4
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.TI x : TEMPORARY INDENT
x default: 0
Indent x spaces for the start of the next line. This indent
is added to the value of the left margin, not the left side
of the paper. The current contents of the print buffer will
be printed before the paper moves 1 line feed and the
temporarily indented line is printed.
.CE : CENTER LINE
Center the following line of text between the left and right
margins. The line to be centered should be at the left margin,
with no leading spaces. All fonts can be centered this way.
.FP : FORCE PRINTING
Any characters in the print buffer will be printed, even if
word wrap mode is enabled and the right margin has not been
reached. You can use this command to empty the print buffer
before changing the left or right margins. Otherwise the
buffered text will print within the new margin settings.
.LF x : FORCE PAPER MOVEMENT
x default: 1
Move the paper x lines. If x is greater than the remaining
lines on the current page, the paper will move to the top of
the next page only. If you are already at the top of a new
page, this command will have no effect.
.ST : STOP BEFORE PRINTING PAGE
This command will cause IMAGEPRINT to pause between pages,
so if you are printing on single sheets of paper, you can
insert the next piece of paper in your printer before
resuming printing. A prompt to "Press a key when ready" will
appear on the screen.
.!! \? : IMMEDIATE BACKSLASH EXECUTION
This command causes the following backslash command,
separated from ".!!" by zero or more spaces, to be acted on
immediately. Only a single backslash command may follow a
".!!". The question mark represents the character(s)
following the backslash.
Suppose you want to print a document, including headers and
footers, at 17.1 (compressed) characters per inch density,
34
IMAGEPRINT Version 4
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rather than the default 10 cpi density. Usually backslash
commands, embedded in a line of text, are acted on as that
line of text is printed. If you precede the first line of
text in your document with "\<", by the time the first line
of text prints, any headers will have already printed at 10
cpi. To get around this, precede any printable text with
".!! \<".
.. string : COMMENTS
If the dot in column 1 is followed by another dot, separated
from it by zero or more spaces, then the entire line is
considered to be a comment line, and is ignored by
IMAGEPRINT. For example:
.. This is a comment line
35
APPENDIX
--------------------------------------------------------------
IMAGEPRINT BACKSLASH COMMANDS SUMMARY
\00 ... \24 = select font
\F = select (F)ast print mode (3 passes)
\G = select (G)rouped print mode (1 pass)
\Q = select (Q)uality print mode (3 passes)
\L = select (L)aser quality print mode (6 passes)
\B = toggle (B)old attribute
\H = toggle (H)alf-high attribute
\I = toggle (I)talic attribute
\U = toggle (U)nderline attribute
\W = toggle double (W)idth attribute
\N = (N)ormal offset
\^ = Superscript offset
\V = Subscript offset
\C = (C)ancel character attributes & offsets
\> = select 10 characters per inch
\| = select 12 characters per inch
\< = select CONDENSED (17.1 characters per inch)
\P = select (P)roportional spacing
\S = (S)ix lines per inch
\E = (E)ight lines per inch
\[ = start straight through mode
\] = end straight through mode
\\ = "\"
\- = soft hyphen (if formatting enabled with ".EN")
****JX-80 color control****
\! = black
\@ = red
\$ = blue
\% = purple
\& = yellow
\* = orange
\= = green
36
APPENDIX
--------------------------------------------------------------
IMAGEPRINT FORMATTING COMMANDS SUMMARY
.EN (EN)able formatting - This command must be received
before any other formatting commands are recognized.
.PL x x = (P)age (L)ength
.PN x x = (P)age (N)umber
.PR Prompt user form (P)age (R)ange to print
.PA Move to top of next (PA)ge
.OH string define (O)dd page (H)eader string
.EH string define (E)ven page (H)eader string
.OF string define (O)dd page (F)ooter string
.EF string define (E)ven page (F)ooter string
.SW x x = (S)et (W)idth of headers, footers
.KI (K)ill all header and footer definitions
.LI x x = (L)ines per (I)nch (6 or 8 only)
.LS x x = (L)ine (S)pacing
.PP x x = temporary indent for new (P)aragra(P)h
.WW Enable (W)ord (W)rap with justification
.NW (N)o (W)ord wrap
.RR (R)agged (R)ight margin
.LM x x = (L)eft (M)argin
.RM x x = (R)ight (M)argin
.EE x x = (E)ven page (E)xtra left gutter
.OE x x = (O)dd page (E)xtra left gutter
.TI x x = (T)emporary (I)ndent for next line
.CE (CE)nter next text line between margins
.FP (F)orce (P)rinting of text buffer
.LF x x = number of (L)ine (F)eeds
.ST (ST)op before printing each page
.!! \? Execute a backslash command immediately
.. Comment
MAJOR ERROR MESSAGES
ERROR - Input text contains non-printing characters
The text file you want to print with IMAGEPRINT is not plain
ASCII. It contains either hidden word processor information
or printer control codes. Check your word processor's
documentation for information on how to save your work as an
ASCII (or "DOS") text file.
ERROR - Font file not found or invalid: ????????
Either the font file you specified is not on the currently
active drive, or your FONTS environment string is incorrect
(see Section "Installing ImagePrint") or the font file has
been corrupted. If you don't specify a font, FONT1 (Cubic) is
the default.
37
APPENDIX
--------------------------------------------------------------
ERROR - Input file not found: ????????
Your text input file cannot be found. Make sure you have
spelled the name correctly and included any possible file name
extension.
ERROR - tall character too near top of page
Printing a character of this size would require IMAGEPRINT to
move the paper in the printer backwards, so the character is
ignored.
ERROR - No graphics adapter detected
You have selected preview mode with "-P" but IMAGEPRINT is
unable to detect a graphics-capable video card. If, and only
if, you do indeed have a Hercules, CGA, EGA or VGA system, then
append the video card type letter to the "-P" command as
outlined in the description of the command line method of using
IMAGEPRINT.
ERROR - Invalid backslash command: '\?'
An unrecognizable backslash command has been found. The
question mark above represents the erroneous character(s),
which will be displayed on your screen.
ERROR - Invalid dot formatting command: ??
A recognizable IMAGEPRINT formatting command does not follow a
dot (".") on a line. A line is considered to be a dot
formatting command if the first printable character is a "."
ERROR - Invalid command following '.!!' : ??
The string following ".!!" does not start with "\". Only
backlash commands can follow the immediate execute command.
ERROR - Double width active beyond word
A "\W" double width backslash command must not cross a line
feed or tab or space. Examples:
\wtwo words\w {Wrong. Double width crosses space}
\wWORD\w {Correct}
\why\-phen\-ated\w {Hard, soft hyphens can be in word}
ERROR - Not enough room in Header/Footer buffer
The header/footer buffer save area is full, or there is no
room for the size of header/footer you are trying to add. If
38
APPENDIX
--------------------------------------------------------------
you are right justifying text with spaces use "..." to do the
same thing. It takes up less room.
ERROR - Invalid input
or
ERROR - Value out of range
You have entered an invalid page number in response to the
".PR" dot formatting command.
ERROR - Start greater than end
You have entered a starting page that is greater than the
ending page in response to the ".PR" dot formatting command.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The effective dot density of IMAGEPRINT is 216 dots per inch
vertically by 240 dots per inch horizontally.
IMAGEPRINT normally positions the print head 1/14 of an inch
above the next print line. This is done so that unusually tall
characters can print correctly. If you need exact paper
positioning, just before running IMAGEPRINT position the top
of the page slightly lower, relative to the print head, than
you would otherwise, because the paper will move 1/14 of an
inch before the first line is printed.
IMAGEPRINT works by driving a printer in dot graphics mode.
Printing an 80 column line of text means that about 6000 bytes
are sent to a printer. If a transmission error occurs and a
byte or two is lost, then the graphics byte count is wrong,
and you can end up printing a lot of garbage. If this happens,
wait for the printer to resynchronize with IMAGEPRINT. This
shouldn't take more than 1 print pass.
Just as on a standard dot matrix printer, the line graphics
characters do not print correctly in half-high mode.
If your ribbon is very "inky" (possibly from re-inking), then
IMAGEPRINT may leave horizontal ink streaks on your paper. A
possible solution to this problem is to widen the print head
gap on your printer. Ordinarily this can be accomplished by
setting a lever for multi-part forms (i.e., setting it as
though you were using carbon paper to print several sheets at
once).
If your ribbon is very old, it may leave horizontal streaks
because it is frayed.
39
APPENDIX
--------------------------------------------------------------
If you print in draft mode, you should avoid using backslash
commands for which your printer has no corresponding built-in
function. For example, if a "\P" proportional spacing command
is detected in the input text, then IMAGEPRINT will send
ESCAPE "p" (std. Epson escape sequence) to your printer. If
your printer isn't capable of proportional spacing and doesn't
recognize the command, then the letter "p" may print.
Some word processors don't add a line feed to the last line of
a document. This can cause a problem because ImagePrint doesn't
print a line until a line feed is reached. The solution is to
add an extra blank line at the bottom of your document by
pressing the
THE IMAGE PRINTING UTILITIES
THE IMAGE PRINTING UTILITIES include the latest versions of
METATEXT and IMAGEPRINT, along with 25 fonts and a printed
manual.
Excerpts from press reviews:
"I use only one RAM-resident utility, The IMAGE Printing
Utilities, which give me near-laser-quality printing from my
$200 dot-matrix printer."
George Campbell, COMPUTE!'s PC Magazine
"Inexpensive utilities that coax startling performance out
of your 9-pin dot matrix printer."
Jonathan Matzkin, PC Magazine
"Metatext's characters differ from those bundled with
NicePrint. They're much clearer; in fact they're as good as
those printed on a 24-pin printer."
PC Resource
"The IMAGE Printing Utilities from IMAGE Computer Systems solves
the dot matrix print quality problem. This wonderful set of
programs gives your dot matrix printer letter quality print"
James L. Yacavone III, Clearwater Newspapers, Inc.
"I was astounded when it ran on a beat up Epson FX-100 at
work, and it performed almost as well on the IBM Proprinter
I use at home."
Michael J. Himowitz, Baltimore Evening Sun
40
APPENDIX
--------------------------------------------------------------
METATEXT Version 3 offers the same high quality printed output
as IMAGEPRINT, but is much easier and simpler to use.
METATEXT DOESN'T ALTER THE REGULAR OPERATION OF YOUR COMPUTER
OR SOFTWARE IN ANY WAY. Basically, all you have to do is
load METATEXT and then use your computer as you normally
would.
Once METATEXT has been loaded, it becomes part of your
computer's operating system, automatically intercepting and
enhancing data you send to your printer. You do not have to
exit your word processor to print, as you do with IMAGEPRINT.
You can toggle METATEXT on and off by using a user-selectable
"Hot-Key" combination on your keyboard. No extra hardware is
needed.
METATEXT is designed to be compatible with word processors,
data base programs, spreadsheets, etc. It is compatible with
Lotus 123, Symphony, Word, WordStar, WordPerfect, Multimate,
PC-Write etc., because it recognizes the control codes of an
IBM or Epson printer. Metatext uses any standard font (FONT0
through FONT15). Metatext won't use any headline font (FONT16
through FONT24) for the following reason: The larger fonts
take up much more room than word processors, etc. expect.
Because Metatext is designed to be transparent in operation,
it has to limit itself to fonts that can print at a standard
10, 12 or 17 characters per inch density.
Up to 8 fonts can be loaded with METATEXT, allowing instant
font switching. When only one font is loaded, METATEXT takes
up about 38K of RAM.
THE IMAGE PRINTING UTILITIES cost $52.95, plus $3.00 shipping
and handling. It comes with a no-questions-asked money-back
guarantee.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
EVALUATING IMAGEPRINT
IMAGEPRINT is (C) Copyright IMAGE Computer Systems 1985, 1986,
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990. Non-registered users are granted a
limited license to use IMAGEPRINT on a trial basis for the
purpose of determining whether IMAGEPRINT is suitable for
their needs. Use of IMAGEPRINT, except for this limited
purpose, requires registration. Use of non-registered copies
of IMAGEPRINT by any business, corporation, governmental
agency or other institution is strictly forbidden.
41
APPENDIX
--------------------------------------------------------------
COPYING IMAGEPRINT
IMAGEPRINT distribution diskette(s) are made up of the
IMAGEPRINT program, 25 font files, an on-disk documentation
file, and several support programs and text files.
Individuals may make copies of the IMAGEPRINT distribution
diskette(s) and give it to friends or acquaintances. There must
be no fee involved.
Computer clubs may also copy the diskette(s) and give it to
their members. There must be no fee involved, other than a
small fee for the cost of making a copy of the diskette(s).
User-Supported Software distributors may sell copies of
IMAGEPRINT for no more than six dollars per diskette.
The IMAGEPRINT distribution diskette(s) must be unaltered if
copied and given away as a diskette or transmitted by any
telecommunications link or made available on a computerized
"bulletin board." The programs and documentation are a complete
entity that must not be separated or modified in any way.
DISCLAIMER
IMAGE Computer Systems makes no representations or warranties
with respect to IMAGEPRINT programs or documentation and
specifically disclaims any implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.
In no event shall IMAGE Computer Systems be liable to the
purchaser or any user for any damages, including any
incidental or consequential damages, expenses, lost profits,
lost savings, or other damages arising out of the use or
inability to use the product.
42
IMAGE ORDER FORM
****************************************************************
IMAGE Computer Systems
P. O. Box 647
Avon, CT 06001
Ph: (203) 678-8771
****************************************************************
Name ___________________________________
Company ___________________________________
Address ___________________________________
Address, Zip Code ___________________________________
Daytime phone number ___________________________________
__ ImagePrint Version 4 Registration Disk $42.95
Latest version, 25 fonts, printed manual
__ The IMAGE Printing Utilities $52.95
Described in appendix section of documentation.
Includes memory-resident Metatext, ImagePrint,
25 fonts, printed manual
SHIPPING AND HANDLING FOR ALL ORDERS $3.00
Add $3.00 to cover cost of air mail shipping
if you are outside of North America __________
Subtotal __________
Connecticut residents add 8% sales tax __________
Total __________
Diskette size: ____ 5 1/4 (360K) or ____ 3 1/2 (720K)
Payment is by:
__ Check (MUST be payable in US funds from a US bank)
__Money order/Bank draft __ MasterCard __Visa
Card number _______________________ Expiration date ___________
Card Holder Signature _________________________________________
Card Holder Name (Please Print) _______________________________
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