from: KVAZAR/RUSH,GOMEL (0232) 498-371
then: ZX-LEGION,MINSK
-----------------------
This article was written by Pavel Gu-
Levich, based on his personal experience, and
originally intended for Brest
newspapers "ESNO". Since publishers have
she shows no signs of life,
it was decided to publish it in a new white
Russian magazine "ZX-ELEMENT".
ABOUT PROPORTIONAL PRINTING
GRAPHICS ON THE PRINTER
(reflections on the 5th graphics mode
in SM-6337 and possibly others)
----------------------------------------
© P. Gulevich
When printing graphic images,
In most programs I encountered the problem
that the copy received on paper is stretched along
vertical, and the aspect ratio was
obviously not 1.33, as on the Spectrum screen, although
tya, naturally, the number of dots on paper
it was just like on the screen. Such pictures
I didn't like it so much that some
for a while I typed only texts, deciding that
it's all about my old printer. But now
I solved this problem and at any time with
with the help of my Scorpio's Magic I can
make a copy of any fragment on paper
programs, and without distortion.
At first I suspected mine was no longer new
printer, thinking that it has something wrong with the step-
kami, or are processed incorrectly
mands in a soldered circuit. But after
how some paintings fell into my hands -
ki, with the same defects, printed on
other printers, after looking through the reference book, I
kam, I realized that in almost all programs
(ArtStudio, Screen Print, The Artist...),
something is wrong with the printing procedure.
Browsing through different printer drivers
programs, it became clear that everything that came to me
Utilities with print drivers at your fingertipsgra-
fics use ESCs: K, L, U, which give
respectively 480, 960, 990 points on 8
inch line, which does not correspond to the ver-
the tick density of the needles on the head is
tera. And only in one of the Spectrophones to me
I came across information where another was mentioned
graphics output method:
ESC * m c1 c2 ...
where: m - mode code; с1,с2 - number of bytes
graphics. A total of 8 graphics modes are described,
providing the output of points from the horizontal
density from 480 to 1152 (dp8i).
By the way, the last mode is 7 for 1152, at 6337
doesn't work. Two bytes c1 and c2 specify the number
lo bytes supplied to the printer before translation
lines, which corresponds to the number of points
horizontally (if you print bitmap
ritsey then it is 256 bytes, i.e. ESC * m 0.1).
Immediately after this command on the control panel
need to send a sequence of bytes
graphics.
Moreover, if we set m=5,
then horizontal density is used
576 dots per 8 inches, which is exactly the same
corresponds to vertical. However, I was surprisedThe fact was that almost all programmers wrote
Advanced procedures for bit-by-bit screen output
printer, used the command: ESC K c1,
which prints with a density
480, which corresponds to the 0th mode at
universal way to set the printing mode -
via ESC * and therefore the picture is semi-
was elongated.
One got the impression that
the people who wrote these drivers did not have enough
accurate information on the command system is based
tera. Moreover, the descriptions of the method
yes graphics with direct indication
I never found the mode in IBM Tech
help-e neither via XT nor AT, volume 2.5 Mbt,
where a description of all hardware support is given
ki and description of IBM PC/AT ports. And even in
"IBM Technical Support Bibles"
Winn Roche, where the most complete
in my opinion, a list of printer commands for all
systems, including the printing method described
graphics using the ESC * command,
indicated almost all modes, including
and for 24-pin printers, but not a word
no mention is made of the 5th mode, the most suitable
suitable for printing pictures, not about the 7th,
which is exactly twice as dense as the fifth and
could allow printing on the same area
di paper, but with gradations of brightness. (One-
to ArtStudio brightness gradation, redesigned
by mereceives in the same 5th mode with
increasing the image area by 4 times and
making it the same size as the image
on a standard monitor).
And although the print command directly
a special indication of the mode is 1 byte longer,
than a command that specifically specifies mode 480,
replacement is quite possible. So without much
problems, I made a replacement in the re-
editor's chat ArtStudio-256 (for ZS Scor-
pion). To do this, you need to replace the codes
Print instructions located in the file
'studiomc', in the address area #7С40 (below
him). Change other editors and may
other versions of ArtStudio will be required
search in the program code in sequence
numbers: #1B,#4B; #1B,#4C; #1B,#59; and
replacing them with the code: #1B,#2A,#05. This way
So I even managed to change the procedure
seals of the shadowman Scorpus:
___
8-can: /
EOOD 06 20 1B 2A 05 00 03 00_| don't try
E015 03 1B 41 08 00 00 00 00_| change
____/
After entering this by hand, turn on the printer and from
any BASICa (128/48) went to him:
LPRINT CHR$ ... 27.65.8 (interlinear).
After this, before turning off the printer or
computer (reset is possible), graphics will be printed
be produced as it should. Only texts
chatted from the monitor will be compressed vertically
is it possible, since there will be almost no space between the lines
gap, but it even saves paper.
After all the changes made, re-
part in the modified editor is made
no distortion, with half aspect ratio
of the given picture: 87/65=1.33, which corresponds
256x192 is available. And when printing a circle,
it no longer looks like an oval.
modify for this mode. Try
however, when changes are made to the program code,
frames do not damage anything that could
damage the operation of the utility, because additional
body byte in the new command, sometimes it can
turn out to be unacceptable, and change such
suspicious bytes are not desirable. The same
who writes graphics printing procedures themselves -
I advise you to use only mode 5.
I'm not very knowledgeable about other prints -
rah, and therefore I admit that the refusal to use
use of the 5th mode is due to the fact that it
notprocessed by some other mod-
printing devices. But that's not enough
probably, and even if this is so, nothing
it is worth entering the program settings menu you-
selection of the graphics printing mode, since choosing
There are different types of fonts in text editors.
------------
Thank you, Pavel, for such detailed and
detailed recommendation. I think that
for many users who have encountered
your article will be very similar to the problem
relevant.
Dear readers, please inform the editor-
information about your discoveries and observations,
send letters, call, we are always together
we can solve any problem, no matter what it is
didn't seem difficult.
See you in the next issues.
------------------------------------------
Share your thoughts about the article