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| SETPRN A printer utility for the IBM PC & Compatibles by Vince Bly 3/11/91 |
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SUMMARY
-------
SETPRN provides an easy method of setting printer parameters from the
DOS command level or a batch file. SETPRN is similar to the BASIC LPRINT
command, except that control codes are enclosed in square brackets ("[]")
instead of the "CHR$()" used in BASIC. Also, text strings should not be
enclosed in quotes. Like LPRINT, the normal carriage return/line feed can
be suppressed by a trailing semicolon (";") or comma (","). A trailing
semicolon will leave the print head at the end of the just printed text,
while a comma will advance the print head to the next tab stop. The
assembly source, SETPRN.ASM, has been included for those who might wish
to examine a reasonably straightforward .COM file source. It can be
assembled with MASM or TASM.



EXAMPLES
--------
The following examples assume that the file SETPRN.COM is on the
default disk drive or in a subdirectory included in the current PATH.
Note that "" means that you should press the Enter/return key
after typing the command.

SETPRN Testing 0123456789
This command will simply print the string "Testing 0123456789" on
the printer and drop down to the next line.

SETPRN Merry Christmas;
This command will print the string "Merry Christmas" on the printer,
but NOT drop down to the next line. Notice the trailing ";" which
suppresses the carriage return/line feed. On some printers, "Merry
Christmas" may not actually be printed until an output is sent to
the printer which contains a carriage return. SETPRN will display
the message "* Done *" on the screen so you will know that the
string was succesfully sent to the printer.

SETPRN [27]E;
This command will send Escape E to the printer. This sequence turns
on emphasized printing on the IBM and Epson dot matrix printers.

SETPRN [27]!Boldface Title[27]"
This command will print the string "Boldface Title" in boldface on
the C. Itoh and NEC dot matrix printers and drop down to the next
line. With these printers, Escape ! starts boldface printing and
Escape " stops boldface printing. Note that the quote symbol (") may
be included in the SETPRN command line, just like any other character.




NOTES
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Any printable character may be included in the SETPRN command line
except the left square bracket ("["), which is used as the prefix to a
control code. This character may be included by enclosing its ASCII code
(91) between square brackets; that is "[91]".

SETPRN should work correctly on any IBM compatible computer operating
under MS-DOS. It should work with any version of MS-DOS, including 1.0,
1.05, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 4.0.

SETPRN has been revised (3/21/86) to correct a bug. In the earlier
version, if a control code was the last character in SETPRN's command
line and not followed by a comma or semi-colon, the control would be
sent to the printer twice. The revision corrects this problem.

SETPRN has been revised (3/11/91) to add on-line help. If you enter
the SETPRN command with no argument, a summary of the documentation will
be displayed.



DISTRIBUTION/COST
-----------------
SETPRN Copyright Vincent Bly 1991.

SETPRN may be used or distributed freely within the following limits:
1> All files (SETPRN.COM, SETPRN.DOC, and SETPRN.ASM) must be kept
together in the same compressed file, unmodified in any way.
2> No charge or fee may be requested except for a nominal handling
charge for media and mailing.
3> SETPRN may not be bundled with any commercial software or hardware
without the specific, written permission of the author.

Small donations between $5.00 and $10.00 are encouraged from those who
find the program SETPRN.COM useful or the source SETPRN.ASM enlightening.

Correspondence requesting a response should include a self-addressed,
stamped envelope or a donation. Send donations and correspondence to:

Vincent Bly
Post Office Box 409
Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060