[comp.fonts] Need HP soft font proportional spacing data for LJII

mbeck@ai.mit.edu (Mark Becker) (09/28/90)

Hello *

I'm cross-posting to two different newsgroups, figuring that someone
must have already done this with the environment I'm dealing with
(IBM-PC and HP LJ-II).

I have two HP proportional soft fonts for the LJII (AD and AF).  The
editing software in use needs the proportional spacing data (i.e; the
character width) to correctly format text to the printer.  It works
out that my software has data on only a few of the available fonts.

I *know* the width data must be buried in that pile of binary
somewhere.  Has anyone written software to retrieve it?

On a similiar note... I don't see a reverse data channel from the
printer to the computer.. and I'd like to get the proportional spacing
data from the ROM's.  Same problem: the software has only a few of the
fonts stored in internal tables.

If the font spacing data is available, I'd appreciate a pointer.

Information will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Mark
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henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (09/30/90)

In article <11064@life.ai.mit.edu> mbeck@ai.mit.edu (Mark Becker) writes:
>I have two HP proportional soft fonts for the LJII (AD and AF).  The
>editing software in use needs the proportional spacing data...
>I *know* the width data must be buried in that pile of binary
>somewhere...

Sort of.  You won't like it.  For some reason, HP's widths specify setting
its proportional fonts ridiculously loose.  (The ones I've looked at do
this, anyway.)

>On a similiar note... I don't see a reverse data channel from the
>printer to the computer...

There is none.  Even when it physically exists, i.e. serial lines, the
only characters the printers will ever send are XON and XOFF.  Talk
about brain damage (in the designers, not the printers :-)).
-- 
Imagine life with OS/360 the standard  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
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