LPRINT, the laser printer program. Version 3.00

This program will accept an ordinary ASCII text file including tabs and form
feeds and format it for printing on a postscript laser printer. There are
many directives allowing the text to be manipulated, compressed and redirect-
ed. This program was written with networks in mind and contains a three tier
directive parsing scheme that allows network defaults, user defaults, and
finally the user command line.

LPRINT is distributed as a Copyrighted Shareware program! I will spare you
most of the long text trying to make you feel guilty other than to say this is
a serious program and support will be offered to those who register. More on
that later.

Command line usage is as follows:

LPRINT [filename] [-F ] [-P ] [-T ]
[-C []] [-D ] [-U ]
[-2] [-B] [-H]

If only LPRINT is typed, you are provided with a brief set of instructions.

Directive parsing:

There are actually four sources of directives to LPRINT. The first is a file
called LPRINT.CFG which resides in the same directory LPRINT.EXE resides in
(If you rename LPRINT.EXE, the .CFG file will also need to be renamed). This
file is optional and contains a single line of text in exactly the same format
as the command line. The second is optional LPRINTF environment variable.
This variable directs the postscript output only. It is useful if that is the
only default you wish to change is the destination device. It is the equiva-
lent of the -D directive without the -D in front. The third is the environ-
ment variable LPRINTC. This specifies the full path to a file similar to the
LPRINT.CFG file earlier (For simplicity sake I recommend the same name).
LPRINTF and LPRINTC will never need to co-exist. LPRINTF is mainly around for
compatibility with earlier versions of LPRINT. The final source of directives
is the command line itself. The sources are listed in the order they are
parsed and if the same directive is specified more than once, the latest one
is chosen.

The reason for this somewhat elaborate directive parsing is to allow easy
integration into a network without adversely affecting a dedicated printer.
In a network situation, the LPRINT program will reside on a networked disk.
In that directory, the file LPRINT.CFG can contain the network-wide parameters
such as user name and printer port. Each user then could have their own set
of default preferences such as page banners specified with the LPRINTF or
LPRINTC environment variables. Also, should the user have reassigned printer
ports, this would be the place to override the network defaults. Finally, the
user is able to override or add directives at the command line that are unique
to each file printed. In the case of a non-networked printer, the user can
set up the defaults in the LPRINT.CFG file where LPRINT.EXE resides.
Directives are as follows:

The filename is an unambiguous filename (no wildcards) specifying the file to
print. While not required, it is highly recommended that this be the first
parameter. Not doing so can sometimes result in some parsing ambiguities
with directive data if the file name begins with a number.

-2 This directive will print two rotated and reduced pages of text onto a
single page of paper. For program listings and the like, this is an in-
credible paper saver while keeping the text very readable. This directive
is not reversible and therefore not recommended for a default setting.

-B This directive will print a banner at the top of each page of text. This
banner will consist of the file name and page number.

-C This directive will compress the text horizontally only. This is primarily
useful for assembly language listings whose output habitually exceeds 80
characters in length. This directive is optionally followed by a number
from 1 to 100 representing the compression size in percent. 1% would
reduce the text to 1% of its horizontal size while 100% would print the
text full size. If no number is specified, a default of 50% is assumed.

-D This directive will redirect the output to a specified device or file. The
parameter following the -D directive is the file or device to send the
postscript data to. When specifying a device such as LPT2:, do not include
the colon! When specifying a filename, specify the full path including the
filename itself. When a file is specified, any pre-existing file with that
name is erased without warning. This directive is the best candidate for a
network default as most networked printers share a common port for each
user. The default if not specified is LPT1. If the -D directive is speci-
fied, a device must be specified as well.

-F This directive specifies the font with which to print the text . Rather
than using postscript names directly which require precise spelling and are
case sensitive, a series of numbers are used instead. These assignments
are shown in the table below:

Font Name normal Italic Bold Bold-Italic
========= ====== ====== ==== ===========
Helvetica 1 2 3 4
Times 5 6 7 8
Courier 9 10 11 12
Symbol 13

Note that Courier is the only font that has fixed spacing and therefore the
only one that is real useful for program listings and the like. For that
reason, Courier (font #9) is the default font. All other fonts are propor-
tionally spaced. The default font and size are such that 60 lines of 80
characters will fit on a single page. If you wish to use a font whose name
or number you cannot remember, you can specify a ? for the font number.
This will print all the font options on the screen and query you which one
to use. If the -F directive is specified, a font number is required.
-H This directive will print a header page before printing the file. This is
only of real use on networked printers. This header page consists of a
page border (for easy identification), the file name, the user name (see -U
directive) and the directives used for printing the file. This directive
is also a good candidate for a network default.

-P This directive specifies the point size of the printed text. This can be
an integer from 1 through 100. Note that the point size is actually the
spacing between lines of text, not the actual text height. 1 point is 1/72
of an inch. The default if not specified is 12 point text. The default
font and size are such that 60 lines of 80 characters will fit on a single
page. If the -P directive is specified, the font size is required.

-T This directive specifies how many spaces are between tabs. This can be an
integer from 1 through 20. The default if not specified is 8 spaces. If
the -P directive is specified, the tab spacing number is required.

-U This directive specifies the name of the environment variable that speci-
fies the users name. This is only of use if the header (-H) directive is
used. For example Netware uses the environment variable LOGIN to specify
the users name. For this application, the directive would be -U LOGIN.
LPRINT will then query the LOGIN environment variable to get the users name
for the header page.
Payment:

LPRINT is a copyrighted Shareware program. You are entitled to use the pro-
gram for a period of 21 days for evaluation purposes. If you still use it
after that time, you are required to submit a $15.00 registration fee to the
address below. After payment is received, you will be sent the latest version
of LPRINT without the annoying registration message. For an extra $5.00, you
will also be sent the next major revision of the program. If there is a
special feature you feel would make the program more useful, please include
suggestions with the payment.

LPRINT is also available under a network licensing agreement. Payment is
$15.00 for the first user, $10.00 for the next five users, and $5.00 per user
thereafter up to a maximum of $150 per network. Each network has its own $150
limit. Upgrades are available for $15.00. Network users wishing to use the
program at home are encouraged to get a separate license.

Keep in mind that by using the two-page-per-page feature, this program will
pay for itself after the first 300 sheets printed for a single user, and 3000
sheets printed on a network. File headers and page banners should further
reduce lost papers in network situations.

Support:

There are two methods of getting questions answered or submitting suggestions,
unfortunately neither are immediate. They are mail and GEnie. The mailing
address is shown below. The GEnie mail name is W.BEALS.

Send payment and all other correspondence to:

CMI Productions
15014 East Idaho Place
Aurora, CO 80012



ORDER FORM


Name: ___________________________________________________

Company: ___________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

City, State, ZIP: ___________________________________________________


Please register first license of LPRINT at $15.00 $ ____.00

2nd through 6th licenses at $10.00 each $ ____.00

7th through 19th licenses at $5.00 each $ ____.00

____ Network licenses at $150 each $ ______.00

Individual update at $5.00 $ ____.00

Network update at $15.00 $ ____.00

TOTAL ENCLOSED $ ______.00

Thank-you for the payment.


Send payment and all other correspondence to:

CMI Productions
15014 East Idaho Place
Aurora, CO 80012