Subject: comp.periphs.printers - FAQ - Part 2 of 5
Version: 3.07
Last-Modified: 1996/03/25
Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked
         Questions (and their answers) about printers and
         should be read by anyone wishing to post to the
         comp.periphs.printers newsgroup.
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 20:11:43 GMT
Archive-Name: comp-periphs-printers-faq

different manufacturers may differ slightly in their functionality.
Normally the differences are additional functions not provided with
the original version from Epson, so beware of using them if you want
to support all ESC/P or ESC/P2 compatible printers.

Information about ESC/P and ESC/P2 may be found in the printer manuals
of the respective manufacturer. Sometimes it is only a short listing
of all available functions (hopefully!) sometimes the functions are
declared in depth with examples in BASIC. Character set tables and
font width tables may be found there too.

Epson sells the "ESC/P2 Reference Manual", which includes both ESC/P
and ESC/P2, as well as a complete description of the differences in
commands supported by each printer. The newest version is August 1992,
but there is also an addendum which includes the new Stylus Color
commands, identified as: "Epson Stylus COLOR Programming Note" dated
July 8, 1994.

According to Stuart Williams <williams@skyler.arc.ab.ca>, a
listing of ESC/P codes can be found in
<ftp://ftp.epson.com/impact/ESCODE.TXT>

_______________

Subject: 03.04 IBM Proprinter

The printer language IBM ProPrinter is originally used with IBM
printers (IBM Graphics Printer 5152, IBM ProPrinter XL 4201/4202,
IBM ProPrinter X24/XL24 4207/4208), today it is supported by many
dot-matrix printers as is the case with Epson's ESC/P and ESC/P2.
IBM ProPrinter has become another standard emulation for third-
party printers. The functionality is different according to the
version used or selected during printer setup (XL, X24/XL24 or
AGM are some of these versions).

As with many printer languages, IBM ProPrinter on printers
from different manufacturers may differ slightly in their
functionality. Normally the differences are additional functions
not provided with the standard emulations so don't use them if
you want to support the standard.

Information about the IBM ProPrinter emulation may be found in
the printer manuals of the respective manufacturer. As with ESC/P
and ESC/P2 this information can be a short listing of the
available functions, or the functions declared in depth.
Character set tables and font width tables may be found there,
too.

_______________

Subject: 03.05 Other Emulations

There are a lot of other unique emulations in the printer market.
The following list is therefore far from being complete (the
intention is not to describe them exactly, but only to mention
them). The order of the listed emulations doesn't say anything
about their importance in the printer market.

Advanced Function Printing (AFP): is used on IBM Mainframes for
  page printers. It is an architected presentation function set
  of the Mixed Object Document Content Architecture (MO:DCA),
  which is part of IBM's System Application Architecture.

  You don't actually print with MO:DCA, IPDS (Intelligent Printer
  Data Stream) is used. The information we have may be out of
  date, but it used to contain PTOCA (Print Text Object Content
  Architecture), GOCA (Graphic Object Content Architecture), IOCA
  (Image Object Content Architecture) as well as some other, non-SAA
  descriptors (simple image, for example). IPDS is IBM's SAA printing
  language.

  It handles a variety of bit-mapped fonts, simple graphics
  primitives, and bit-mapped images. Because of the simplicity of the
  imaging model, it can be used to drive high speed laser printers.

Diablo 630 emulation: was originally used with daisywheel printers
  and typewriters. It supports only sequences for tabulation, line
  and character spacing, attribute selection (bold, double-strike,
  underline), horizontal movement in both directions, proportional
  spacing and automatic centering and justification among others.
  This emulation is sometimes used by other vendors as a base for
  their printer specific emulation.

CaPSL: (Canon Printing System Language) was the former standard
  emulation for Canon laser printers. Another name for this
  emulation is LIPS (Laser-beam Image Processing System).
  LIPS supports Diablo 630 (the factory setting for the command
  mode), ISO mode (for printing text data and raster graphics)
  and VDM mode (for vector graphics and character printing).
  The story behind CaPSL was that because Canon makes printing
  engines for HP, they weren't allowed to license HP PCL for their
  own printers. Hence the need for their own printer language.
  Canon lasers traditionally included CaPSL, IBM ProPrinter,
  ESC/P and PostScript emulations, but no PCL emulation).
  This part of the contract between Canon and HP has apparently
  expired, since nowadays Canon offers printers with PCL 4 and
  PCL 5 code. On the other hand Canon no longer seems to offer
  printers with CaPSL emulation.
   
RENO: this is the standard emulation for Agfa printers (P400,
  P3400 etc.). RENO is a sort of page description language.
  The functionality is enormous: beside printing text with
  different scalable fonts, you may draw lines, fill windows
  with a pattern, use programming statements (if-then-else,
  repeat-until, set, use and print variables, push and pop
  operations), download and print your own symbols and transfer
  data to the printer's RAM or to a hard disk or floppy disk
  if attached.

Prescribe: this is a page description language created by
  Kyocera. The advantage of this language is that you may embed
  it in any other currently selected printer emulation on the
  Kyocera machines. Kyocera printers support HP PCL, an HP-GL
  clone called KC-GL, Epson ESC/P (LQ-850 mode), IBM ProPrinter
  X24E, Diablo 630, a generic line printer emulation and, as
  an option, KPDL, a PostScript clone. Being able to use the
  selected option for text output functions and then switch to
  an embedded Prescribe sequence for something neat the other
  emulation doesn't do easily is kind of nice.

DEC: DEC has their own unique emulations for their laser printers
  (LN03, LN06). I'll see if my former employer still has the further
  details I remember them having.

ECMA, ECMA 35: a printer language standard?

ANSI: Dan McGowan of Mannesmann Tally tells us that "The
  Mannesmann Tally printers that support ANSI are based
  upon the ANSI 3.64 specification.  This is a rather loose
  spec that covers general functions of peripherals.  Those
  of our printers produced in the U.S., in general, support
  all of the ANSI 3.64 commands pertaining to printer functions.  

  Those of our printers produced in Germany are flying serial
  head printers.  They support MTPL (Mannesmann Tally Printer
  Language) which is based upon the ANSI 3.64 spec but includes
  additional commands unique to serial printer functions/features."

_______________

Subject: 04 Printer Interfaces

_______________

Subject: 04.01 Centronics (parallel) Interface

The Centronics interface transfers data in a parallel fashion
to a printer. As opposed to a serial cable that only sends data
down one wire, the parallel protocol sends data down 8 wires at
once, thus being generally much faster. The standard interface
is only able to transfer data in one direction the "communication"
in the reverse direction is done by status lines, e.g. paper error
or busy), but there is a newer specification called Bi-Tronics
(from HP) with bidirectional communication and higher transfer rates.

This interface is typically used for connecting a printer to a PC
(with any OS) or a workstation, since the cable is very limited
in length.

If you want the gory details, you can order the spec from the
IEEE. Call 1-800-701-4333 and ask for document # SH17335.
$56.50 plus $6.00 UPS ground shipping (From an article posted
by <customer@quake.net>, dated 18 Apr 1995).

Basically, IEEE-1284 specifies the timing and protocol for
several modes, including compatibility ("Centronics"), nibble
(the reverse-channel part of HP's Bi-Tronics), and ECP (a fast,
parallel bi-directional interlocked handshake). ECP should be
able to transfer data in either direction at speeds approaching
2 MB/sec.

IEEE-1284 also specifies the electrical interface and cable
length properties, and allows for cable lengths up to 10 meters.
With pre-1284 specs (e.g. by HP) the maximum length was 3 meters.

The parallel connection may well work with longer cables (I have
heard of 15 to 20 meters), but it very much depends on the setup
(electrical wires near the cable may cause noise on the cable,
power of the +5 volt supply, sensitivity of the printer's input
decoder and so on). If you need a longer cable, you should
consider using either a serial connection (RS232 or RS422) or a
parallel repeater or extender kit.

In either case the maximum length is limited by IEEE-1284 since
the maximum propagation delay of the cable must be less that 58 ns.
When calculating with the speed of light this would result in a
theoretical maximum length of about 17 meters.

Parallel interfaces run anywhere from < 25kbps to > megabyte/sec
the high end is seen in newer PC's with ports supporting
ECP/EPP/IEEE1284.

_______________

Subject: 04.02 RS232 (serial) Interface

The RS232 "standard" is one of those wonderful computer things
everyone talks about and uses, but hardly anyone understands.
This is a new attempt at explaining it, based upon the previous
text, but with some more data about pinouts and other information.

The RS232 serial interface transfers asynchronous data bit by
bit, one at a time. The bytes are separated from each other by
one start bit and one or two stop bits. Besides the data lines
this interface defines a couple of control lines between the
two devices (see diagram below).  This interface is able to
transfer data simultaneously in both directions, allowing for
printer status or error messages to be easily passed back to
the computer.

The RS232 standard defines two types of equipment, DTE (computer,
terminal, most printers) and DCE (some printers, modems). When
connecting two DTE's you would need a null-modem cable, that is
a cable which swaps TxD and RxD around and connects some control
lines on both sides. The type of cable needed, especially which
pins must be connected with each other, depends on the devices
you want to connect. Note that some devices don't support all
control lines.

There exist different connectors for the RS232 serial line. The
standard type is called DB-25 (two lines of pins, one with 12 and
the other one with 13 pins). There is another type called DB-9 (e.g.
the HP LaserJet 4P is equipped with this type), this connector
doesn't support all control lines, but it may well be connected
with a DB-25 connector on the computer side.

And here are the pinouts for both DB-25 and DB-9 connectors (pins
not mentioned are unused). The first number given is for the DB-25
type, the second number in parentheses is for the DB-9 type if
supported. The text describes the common name for the pin and the
signal direction from the device in question.

  1 (-)  Frame Ground (DB-9 type: use the connectors box instead)
  2 (2)  TxD: Transmitted Data (out)
  3 (3)  RxD: Received Data (in)
  4 (1)  RTS: Request To Send (out)
  5 (-)  CTS: Clear To Send (in)
  6 (4)  DSR: Data Set Ready (in)
  7 (5)  Signal Ground
  8 (-)  DCD: Data Carrier Detected (in)
 19 (-)  Reverse Channel (out)
 20 (8)  DTR: Data Terminal Ready (out)

Finally the pinout for a null-modem cable (with TxD and RxD
swapped). In this diagram only the DB-25 pins are mentioned
(use the pinout above for a DB-9 cable).

   1 __ Frame Ground __ 1
   2 __  TxD -> RxD  _> 3
   3 <_  RxD <- TxD  __ 2
   4 -+     connect      +- 4
   5 <+    RTS & CTS     +> 5
   7 __ Signal Grnd. __ 7
   6 <+     connect      +> 6
   8 <+    DSR & DCD     +> 8
  20 -+     with DTR     +- 20

Note: when using this cable type (all control lines disabled)
the computer can't determine whether the printer is on or off.
Well, at least by means of the resp. control line; it is
possible to check the printer state by using ETX/ACK
handshake protocol. On the other hand some systems have
problems when you connect the control lines correctly and the
printer is off at boot time. (The system thinks that there is
no serial line. There are some UNIX systems that block the
open() system call until the printer is switched on.

Typical data transfer rates (for printer connections) are 9600
baud, 19200 baud and 38400 baud (baud is bits per second).
Theoretically this interface may transfer data with up to
115200 baud (this is the maximum speed newer UART's can do, but
with many systems you can't select this speed in a standard way -
it's often necessary to program the UART by yourself). Although
I'm told that the Lexmark IBM 4039 and Lexmark Optra printers
support this speed, I haven't seen it with my own eyes. :)

_______________

Subject: 04.03 RS422 (serial) Interface

The RS422 serial interface transfers synchronous data in blocks
of bytes each of which begins with a synchronize byte and
ends with a final character. For synchronization a sync line is
supplied. There are separate lines for data transfer in each
direction with two lines for each direction with complementary
polarity. This interface is typically used for AppleTalk
connections.

Transfer rates are up to 230.4 Kbaud for a 300 meter (~328.08
yard) cable. The maximum length is up to 1200 meters.

_______________

Subject: 04.04 HP-IB (parallel) Interface

HP-IB ("Hewlett-Packard Interface Bus") alias GP-IB ("General
Purpose IB") alias IEEE-4888. Old and largely outdated interface
created by HP and used for printers, plotters, disks, tape drives
and measurement devices of various kinds, mostly by HP computers
(HP3000 and HP9000 series, though not standard in current models),
available also for PCs. Today used mainly for measurement devices,
but HP-IB printers may still turn up in surplus sales. Using one
in a PC requires either an HP-IB card or a parallel/HP-IB converter,
both of which are hard to find and may cost more than the peripheral
device. The connector resembles Centronics but locks with screws
rather than clips.

_______________

Subject: 04.05 HP-IL (serial) Interface

HP-IL ("Hewlett-Packard Interface Loop"), was created by HP
for their handheld and portable computers and calculators.
Abandoned by HP a few years back, but HP-IL printers, notably
the HP2225B ThinkJet, still turn up occasionally. It can be
recognized by two small, rounded, trapezoidal-shaped connectors
with two pins each. An HP-IL card for ISA-based PCs exists but
is very hard to find these days, so if you find such a printer
it's probably best to sell it to someone with an old HP-IL-based
HP computer (HP41, HP71B, HP75 and HP-110 at least).

_______________

Subject: 04.06 SCSI Interface

SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) is best known as a mass
storage interface, but SCSI-based printers also exist, including
at least one Apple LaserWriter model and some really big and fast
mainframe-class printers that can handle 100-200 ppm or more (at
least Siemens and HP have such).

_______________

Subject: 04.07 Infrared Interface

Infrared interfaces have been used mainly in printers for HP
calculators, but recently such have been announced for laptops
as well, including an infrared-Centronics converter, so it may
become more important in the future.

An organization called the Infrared Data Association (IrDA)
has produced specification that are being adopted as industry
standards. Several laptop and PDA vendors have come out with
models supporting the IrDA specs, and many more manufacturers
appear to be waiting in the wings. The IrDA spec provides for
fully bi-directional communications at distances of 1 meter,
at speeds up to 115,200 bits per second. An enhanced
specification with much higher speeds is currently under proposal.

Recently (at the 1995 CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany) HP
presented the new HP LaserJet 5P and 5MP models with an IrDA-
compatible interface. Presumably other printer companies will
follow soon..

_______________

Subject: 04.08 Network Interfaces

Network interfaces directly built into a printer are the most
efficient way to transfer print jobs from any host in a network
(LAN) to the printer. If the network is set up accordingly you
may send print jobs from any host to the printer (with serial or
parallel connected printers you have to route your print job to
the host the printer is connected to). Standard connectors are
10base2, 10baseT and 10base5 (also called AUI).

In addition to the basic Ethernet connections, there are also 4Mb
and 16Mb Token Ring (both STP and UTP) as well as LocalTalk.

Your network interface must support a communication method that
is compatible with your network operating system(s). Examples
include TCP/IP, AppleTalk, SPX/IPX, and DLC (a lower level
interface frequently used in IBM LAN Server/MS LAN Manager/NT
AS environments).

The maximum transfer speed depends on the network type (4, 10, 16
Mbit or 100 Mbit or more) and on the processing speed of the
printer. With network interfaces you may well reach the maximum
possible printer throughput, this is normally not the case with
serial interfaces and maybe even not with parallel interfaces.

_______________

Subject: 04.09 Interface Convertors

For connecting devices with different interfaces you may use a
converter that maps one interface to another. It is possible
to convert a serial RS232 interface into a Centronics parallel
interface, or to convert a serial RS422 interface into a serial
RS232 interface. Commercial solutions for these converters are
available.

It is also possible to connect a printer without network
interface to a network by means of a printer server. The best
choice is a converter from network interface to a parallel
interface (at least if you don't need bidirectional
communication) since then you have the maximum possible
throughput. With a converter to a serial interface you on the one
hand lose transfer performance, but on the other hand you may get
data back from the printer. In both cases you have the advantage
that you can place the printer anywhere in your local network
(typically near you), with a serial or parallel interface it's
normally necessary to place the printer nearby the host it is
connected to.

_______________

Subject: 05 Printer Drivers

A printer driver is the software which allows a particular
computer or program to make the best of the features a printer
might have. It is frequently possible to find a driver for a
particular piece of software or operating system on BBS/FTP sites
from both the company who developed the software/operating system
and the company which manufactured the printer itself. That is,
you can find specific drivers for DOS, MS Windows, AutoCad, etc.
on a printer company BBS and those same drivers might show up on
Microsoft's BBS, or that of the Autocad folks.

_______________

Subject: 05.01 Operating System specific

_______________

Subject: 05.01.01 Macintosh

_______________

Subject: 05.01.02 MS-DOS

With MS-DOS you may print a text file by copying it
to the special name "prn" (or its synonym "lpt1")
such that:

     COPY ASCII.TXT PRN

If your software program lets you "Print to a File",
you will probably need to use the /B switch on COPY
for the file to print properly to LaserJets and many
other printers. For example:

     COPY OUTPUT.BIN PRN /B

For sending a program's output to the printer you may
be able to redirect stdout to the printer. For example:

     PROGRAM ... > PRN

All three ways mentioned above perform printing in the
foreground. That means that you can't continue to work
until printing is (nearly) finished.  By using the MS-DOS
command PRINT printing is done in the background while you
may continue with your work. The system maintains a printing
queue that can be manipulated with PRINT.

Note that the file to print must contain either plain text or
control sequences for the printer connected to the PC. For
converting any application specific file format into
printable data you need the driver supplied with either the
application or the printer. If there isn't one for your
printer you're out of luck.

With the command MODE you can configure the printer port,
and you can redirect printing from the standard parallel
port (LPT1) to any serial port (e.g. COM1). Normally this
command is issued from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

_______________

Subject: 05.01.03 MS-Windows, Windows-NT

By installing a printer driver with these systems all
programs running under Windows or Windows-NT can use
the printer without knowing too much about the printer
connected to the system. If the print manager is active,
a program's printout is stored in a file instead of being
sent directly to the printer. When printing is finished
the print manager queues this file and sends it to the
printer as a background job. Meanwhile the program may
continue to interact with the user.

_______________

Subject: 05.01.04 OS/2
Thanks to Rod Smith (RSMITH@PSYCH.COLORADO.EDU) for the
following information:

Printing from OS/2 involves (potentially) three separate
printing systems:  OS/2, MS-Windows 3.1, and DOS.  Each OS
has its own way of handling printing (global drivers for OS/2
and Windows programs, and drivers embedded within specific
DOS programs), and OS/2 doesn't attempt to "trick" DOS or
Windows programs into thinking one printer is hooked up when
another actually is.  (One exception to this is the ability of
FaxWorks to accept output from DOS or Windows programs for the
IBM Proprinter and to convert this into a fax.)  OS/2 does,
however, provide a common print queue and spooler, so it is
possible to start print jobs from several programs at once and
not get jumbled output.

When installing a printer for OS/2, then, it is necessary to set
up separate drivers for OS/2, Windows, and each DOS program which
will print.  Typically, the Windows printer drivers that come with
the printer will work fine from OS/2's Windows subsystem, using
either "real" Windows 3.1 with OS/2 "for Windows" or with IBM's
re-compiled Win-OS/2 that comes with OS/2 "fullpack" versions. 
Simply install these drivers according to the instructions, and
you'll be set.  Similarly, drivers that come with the printer or
the program should be used for DOS programs.

There are a few tricks and caveats, however, in DOS and Windows
printing from OS/2.  First, OS/2 implements some "virtual" printer
ports, such as LPT1.OS2:, which should be used whenever possible. 
Doing so will allow OS/2 to handle printer output more effectively
than if the program attempted to print directly to the equivalent
"real" port (LPT1:, for instance).  Similarly, it's best to turn
off any "direct port access" options that Windows or the program
may offer.  Windows' Print Manager should also be disabled, since
OS/2 includes its own print spooler, and this will typically
function more effectively than the Windows 3.1 spooler.  In fact,
printing with the typical Windows settings (Print Manager active
and to LPT1:) will result in MUCH worse performance than when doing
this from DOS/Windows, whereas printing as suggested above may
result in BETTER printing performance than from DOS/Windows.

OS/2 will typically reset the printer between print jobs, and
this can cause problems with some (usually DOS) programs. 
Specifically, some DOS programs may send codes to the printer
to enable some special feature, print a page, then close the
printer file and open it again for the next page but not send
the codes again.  OS/2 will interpret this as two print jobs,
and will reset the printer to the default mode between jobs,
resulting in correct printing of the first page and incorrect
printing of subsequent pages.  If the program offers a "print
to file" option, using this and then sending the file to the
printer (either via a PRINT command from an OS/2 command prompt
or by a WPS drag-and-drop operation, selecting "printer specific
codes" from the prompt that pops up) may offer a workaround.

When OS/2 installs, it often sets up a generic text printer as
the default Windows printer driver.  This results in some
applications being unable to use TrueType fonts.  Changing the
default Windows printer back to whatever it had been before
fixes this problem.

For OS/2 native use, a few applications send text directly to
the printer; for instance, issuing a PRINT command from the
OS/2 command line will do this.  Most OS/2 applications,
however, use a printer driver which is much like a Windows
printer driver in concept; the application sends standardized
codes to OS/2, and the driver handles the formatting for a
specific printer.  OS/2 native drivers exist for most printers,
but there are some caveats.  Many color inkjet drivers for OS/2
are reportedly of much lower quality than the equivalent Windows
drivers.  Using a PostScript driver along with the freeware
GhostScript interpreter reportedly helps with many of these
printers.

The drivers that come with OS/2 for certain non-Hewlett Packard
600 dpi laser printers only support up to 300 dpi printing. 
If the printer uses the PCL 5e language, using drivers for the
HP LaserJet 4P or some other PCL 5e HP printer may actually
produce better results than using the driver identified for
that printer, though some of the driver options (for instance,
toner saving mode or downloadable fonts) may not work, so some
experimentation may be needed to get an optimal setup.  Because
of this, OS/2 users looking for a 600 dpi laser would be well
advised to restrict their search to models which are capable of
handling PCL 5e.  If satisfactory drivers for a given printer
don't come with OS/2, check the printer manufacturer's BBS or
ftp or web site.  Also check these sources for compatible
printers (e.g., HP for most laser printers).

For sending output to a parallel port, OS/2 uses a driver
called PRINT01.SYS.  (This driver operates on a lower level
than the specific printer drivers.)  On installation, OS/2
configures this driver to use a "polling" I/O method, the
same as DOS uses.  Adding the parameter "/IRQ" to the
PRINT01.SYS reference in OS/2's CONFIG.SYS file switches
this driver to use an interrupt-driven method. 

In theory, interrupt-driven printing provides lower CPU
overhead and should therefore work better in a multitasking
system such as OS/2.  Some hardware, however (including
printer ports in computers, cables, and even printers)
doesn't work well with OS/2's interrupt-driven mode. 
Similarly, sound cards are sometimes configured to use
the same IRQ as the printer port, thus causing problems
with interrupt-driven printing. 

Thus, OS/2 users may want to try both methods and see
which works best; simply change the line in CONFIG.SYS
and reboot.  Note that this change will affect printing
from OS/2, Windows, and DOS programs under OS/2, but will
not affect printing when rebooting to another OS.

OS/2 includes a built-in spooling mechanism.  When printing
very large files, it's possible to actually overrun the
available disk space with these spool files.  If you get a
message about lack of disk space when printing a large document,
try printing it in smaller sub-sections.  If this is impossible
or if this happens repeatedly, and if you have several
partitions, it may be possible to change the location of the
OS/2 spool file.  This is controlled by an entry in OS/2's .INI
files, however, and so requires use of a special .INI file
editing program, and this is potentially dangerous, and so is
not recommended for novices.

_______________

Subject: 05.01.05 UNIX

In nearly all UNIX systems printing is done by the
built-in spooler system. In rare cases you may print
directly by sending a file or any program's output to
the device where the printer is attached. Since UNIX
is a multiuser system, someone else may do the same thing
at about the same time resulting in garbage output. So you
should always use the system's spooler command. Not to
mention the fact that printer device files are often
accessible only with root privileges.

The two most common spooler systems are the Berkeley Spooler
(lpr) and the AT&T Spooler (lp). The spooler command queues
the print job and informs the spooler daemon about it. The
spooler daemon eventually starts the backend program associated
with the printer (if the printer is idle at that moment).

The backend program performs some initial setup for the device
(stty or the like) and then it sends the print job to the printer
(some backends programs scan the data during printing and convert
single linefeeds into carriage return linefeed pairs - this may
also do the device driver itself).

Note that the file to print must contain either plain text or
control sequences for the printer in question. For converting any
application specific file format into printable data you need the
driver supplied with either the application or the printer. If there
isn't one for your printer you're probably out of luck.

_______________

Subject: 05.01.06 NeXTStep

See the Vendor Section under Subject: 10.48 for information
on GS Corporation "a NEXTSTEP/OpenStep software developer
focusing on input/output and publishing/web tools and solutions."

_______________

Subject: 05.01.07 Others

_______________

Subject: 05.02 Program specific

_______________

Subject: 05.02.01 AutoCad

AutoCad is written and supplied by AutoDesk (which has offices in
several countries). They have various Internet and CompuServe
addresses, and have a hot-line telephone support service for
people who buy the software. Most AutoDesk outlets are
distributors, and they have many representative retailers who
on-sell their software. Even in Perth, Western Australia there
are at least three Authorized AutoDesk resellers (not bad for a
total population of just over 1,000,000 with I guess about 10,000
users!).

The newer AutoCad packages have very rigidly defined interface
protocols and if you are a printer or plotter manufacturer you
can obtain a developer's kit from AutoDesk which explains EXACTLY
how to write driver software to be compatible with AutoCad. Many
bigger manufacturers are supported directly by AutoDesk (mostly
plotters, eg OCI, Ioline, etc), but there are hundreds of
manufacturers who have written AutoDesk drivers for their
printers/plotters/whatever.

AutoDesk also manufactures a "small-user" cad package called
AutoSketch. It has a similarly rigidly defined (but much simpler)
interface protocol, and I think it directly supported Epson 9-pin
printers, but don't quote me on that!

_______________

Subject: 05.02.02 GRAFSMAN

For information on drivers for GRAFSMAN from Soft-tek
International, contact <support@soft-tek.com>,
or call 316 838-7200.

_______________

Subject: 05.02.03 Lotus 1-2-3

_______________

Subject: 05.02.04 WordPerfect

   BBS:        801 225-4444
               801 222-4325/4369 - US Robotics/HST Modem
   CompuServe: WPFILES or WPUSERS forums.
   FAX:        800 228-9960 or 801 228-9920
   FTP:        <ftp://ftp.wordperfect.com> or IP: 151.155.3.17

_______________

Subject: 05.02.05 Others

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Subject: 06 Printer Supplies

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Subject: 06.01 Supplies in general

For dot-matrix printers, daisywheel printers and typewriters you
need to replace ribbons (ink-impregnated or carbon) regularly,
sometimes the printhead or the daisywheel needs changing too.

For inkjet printers the ink cartridge must be replaced (or
refilled) when empty, sometimes the complete printhead must be
changed for this. See the FAQ Refilling Inkjet Cartridges for
more information. You can get the latest version of that FAQ via
email from <adorable@cerf.net>.

Laser and LED printers regularly need new toner and
photoconductor drums (sometimes these two are assembled and must
be changed together). For some models a fuser kit or similar
exists for additional regular maintenance.

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Subject: 06.02 Refilling and Recycling

_______________

Subject: 06.02.01 Re-inking ribbons

Most cloth ribbons can be successfully re-inked without damage to
the printers, although one has to be very careful about the ink
used. Many printers rely on the ink also containing a light oil
to keep the print head lubricated, and ordinary pen ink hasn't
got this in it! There's one story making the rounds about a guy
who had to spend nearly $1000 to replace a very expensive 48 pin
print head because he re-inked his own ribbons with fountain pen
ink! The moral of this story is: unless you know what you are
=====
End of Part 2 of 5
