[comp.sys.ibm.pc] Need help with Epson printer command

bobc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Bob Calbridge) (05/01/89)

Can anyone tell me how to properly use nine pin graphics on an Epson printer?
My manual only gives the abreviated description of it.  I had assumed that
you enter the numbers in pairs with the lower byte coming first and the second
byte representing the firing of the ninth pin.  Didn't work.  

Also, is there something that prevents you from using the value 255 in a 
graphic column?  I tried and it didn't work.  It seemed to revert to test mode
again.  

I would also appreciate a more detailed description of how to enter user
defined characters and how to invoke them properly.  The text on this area was
quite limited and the Basic Examples used were no good and in some places
contradictory.

Thanks,
Bob

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cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) (05/03/89)

In article <7967@killer.Dallas.TX.US>, bobc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Bob Calbridge) writes:
> Can anyone tell me how to properly use nine pin graphics on an Epson printer?
> My manual only gives the abreviated description of it.  I had assumed that
> you enter the numbers in pairs with the lower byte coming first and the second
> byte representing the firing of the ninth pin.  Didn't work.  

Nope.  You can't get to the ninth pin.  You can only use 8 pins in graphics
mode.  The ninth pin is for underlining.  Note that you will have to 
change your line spacing so that you can resume graphics mode printing
directly under the 8 pins of data you have just printed.

The Epson 24-pin printers allow you to access all 24 pins of data, and
the work in the manner you describe: top 8, middle 8, bottom 8.

> Also, is there something that prevents you from using the value 255 in a 
> graphic column?  I tried and it didn't work.  It seemed to revert to test mode
> again.  

Make sure that the program you are using doesn't have some special meaning
for 255.  BASIC interpreters used to be notoriously for their peculiar
interpretations of "special" characters.

> I would also appreciate a more detailed description of how to enter user
> defined characters and how to invoke them properly.  The text on this area was
> quite limited and the Basic Examples used were no good and in some places
> contradictory.
> 
> Thanks,
> Bob

The Epson manual for the LQ series printers are quite good in this
area -- I'm surprised that the 9-pin printer manuals aren't adequate.
If you don't have the Epson manual for your printer, they are usually
available cheap or free from Epson.  Epson America is located in
Torrance, CA, in the 213 area code.
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toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) (05/04/89)

In article <1293@optilink.UUCP> cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes:
>In article <7967@killer.Dallas.TX.US>, bobc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Bob Calbridge) writes:
>> Can anyone tell me how to properly use nine pin graphics on an Epson printer?
>
>Nope.  You can't get to the ninth pin.  You can only use 8 pins in graphics
>mode.  The ninth pin is for underlining.  [...]

I have an FX-85, 86e, and FX-1050 and they support 9 pin printing.  Perhaps
older versions (FX-80 and MX-80) didn't.  I have never tried it though.  

>> Also, is there something that prevents you from using the value 255 in a 
>> graphic column?  I tried and it didn't work.  It seemed to revert to test mode
>> again.  
>
>Make sure that the program you are using doesn't have some special meaning
>for 255.  BASIC interpreters used to be notoriously for their peculiar
>interpretations of "special" characters.

When you are dealing with graphics, just about all languages have a problem
because the DOS printer driver does some interpretation for you!
Typically you have to put the printer driver in "Raw mode".  Or you have
to write the data to a file and use the "copy /b file prn" command.  
The alternative is to use direct BIOS calls.

Tom Almy
toma@tekgvs.labs.tek.com

kevinh@hpvcfs1.HP.COM (Kevin Hudson) (05/04/89)

>/ hpvcfs1:comp.sys.ibm.pc / cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) / 10:59 am  May  2, 1989 /
>> Can anyone tell me how to properly use nine pin graphics on an Epson printer?
>> My manual only gives the abreviated description of it.  I had assumed that
>> you enter the numbers in pairs with the lower byte coming first and the second
>> byte representing the firing of the ninth pin.  Didn't work.  

>Nope.  You can't get to the ninth pin.  You can only use 8 pins in graphics
>mode.  The ninth pin is for underlining.  Note that you will have to 
>change your line spacing so that you can resume graphics mode printing
>directly under the 8 pins of data you have just printed.

On the contrary, nine pin graphics works fine for me. The escape sequence
is as follows: <esc> ^ m n1 n2  where m is the graphics density (0=single,
1=double), and n1= (# of columns) MOD 256 and n2= INT(# of columns/256).
The number of columns will be half the number of data bytes for nine pin
graphics. To turn the bottom pin on, the second byte of each pair must
be >= 128. (The ninth pin is the bottom pin.)


>> Also, is there something that prevents you from using the value 255 in a 
>> graphic column?  I tried and it didn't work.  It seemed to revert to test mode
>> again.  

>Make sure that the program you are using doesn't have some special meaning
>for 255.  BASIC interpreters used to be notoriously for their peculiar
>interpretations of "special" characters.

I strongly second this point. Basic can also be hosing your graphics data
(if it sees a CR character, for instance, even in the graphics data, it 
throws in a LF for free!).

>> I would also appreciate a more detailed description of how to enter user
>> defined characters and how to invoke them properly.  The text on this area was
>> quite limited and the Basic Examples used were no good and in some places
>> contradictory.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Bob

This can be a long one. I can send you email if you need this info.

Kevin Hudson
HP Vancouver Division
(206) 896-2534

ralf@b.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Ralf Brown) (05/04/89)

In article <5061@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) writes:
}In article <1293@optilink.UUCP> cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes:
}>In article <7967@killer.Dallas.TX.US>, bobc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Bob Calbridge) writes:
}>Nope.  You can't get to the ninth pin.  You can only use 8 pins in graphics
}>mode.  The ninth pin is for underlining.  [...]
}
}I have an FX-85, 86e, and FX-1050 and they support 9 pin printing.  Perhaps
}older versions (FX-80 and MX-80) didn't.  I have never tried it though.  

9-pin graphics work just fine on my FX-80.  I'm pretty sure the MX-80 only
has 8-pin graphics.
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allbery@ncoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) (05/09/89)

As quoted from <1293@optilink.UUCP> by cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer):
+---------------
| In article <7967@killer.Dallas.TX.US>, bobc@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Bob Calbridge) writes:
| > Can anyone tell me how to properly use nine pin graphics on an Epson printer?
| > My manual only gives the abreviated description of it.  I had assumed that
| > you enter the numbers in pairs with the lower byte coming first and the second
| > byte representing the firing of the ninth pin.  Didn't work.  
| 
| Nope.  You can't get to the ninth pin.  You can only use 8 pins in graphics
| mode.  The ninth pin is for underlining.  Note that you will have to 
| change your line spacing so that you can resume graphics mode printing
| directly under the 8 pins of data you have just printed.
+---------------

I seem to remember the FX-286 allowing 9-pin graphics as described above --
except that only the low bit of the 2nd byte was used to describe the 9th
pin, NOT the whole byte.

Needless to say, this may be a FX-286-only feature....

++Brandon
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timothym@tekigm2.MEN.TEK.COM (Timothy D Margeson) (05/10/89)

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