Notes from the distant past.
The Star NX-1000 works really well with emTeX! The emTeX prtfx.bat batch file prints a DVI file to the printer (if it is on the parallel printer port) at a very good resolution, given the limits of the printer.
If we look up c:\emtex\doc\english\dvidrv.doc, we find this:
The following dvidot parameter files for printing on dot matrix
printers are supplied:
Parameter| Printers | Resolution| Environ.|+font-files file | (incomplete list) | h x v DPI | variable|default (*) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- fx80 | EPSON FX and RX series| 240x216 | DVIFX | fx fx80l | EPSON FX and RX series| 120x72 | DVIFX | fx fx100 | EPSON FX and RX series| 240x216 | DVIFX | fx (etc)
we can use fx80 for the higher resolution or fx80l for lower (draft). We can use the pcxfx.bat to make a PCX file of what would have gone to the printer.
We could construct a command to use DVIDRV.EXE to print, but E. Mattes did it for us — we just type:
C:\our-dir> prtfx boxex
(If boxex is our file) and it prints at the higher resolution, including calling metafont to make the needed fonts and then convert them to bitmaps.
The docs say:
The following batch files for used for running the printer drivers: prtlql prtp6l prthpdj prthpljh prtmx prtsty prtlqm prtp6m prthpdjh prtfx prtbj10e prtitoh prtlqh prtp6h prthplj prtfxl prtbj300 prtfaxwk
So there we have it! For what it is worth, this is what prtfx.bat looks like:
@echo off dvidrv dvidot fx80 @fx /po=prn /h=12in %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
So, it invokes DVIDRV and DVIDOT with the fx80 parameter file, sends the output to prn and assumes the paper is 12in high (a standard fanfold paper height). Then it reads in the command line parameters.
The fx-related config files are in c:\emtex\data:
c:\> dir emtex\data\fx*.* fx.cnf 385 8-09-20 9:46 fx80.dot 383 8-09-20 9:46 fx80l.dot 409 8-09-20 9:46 fx100.dot 387 8-09-20 9:46 fx100l.dot 413 8-09-20 9:46
So, what does fx80.dot look like? Well, it’s binary, but we can look at the cnf file:
% fx.cnf (240x216 DPI using FX fonts)
+dvi-file={,$DVIDRVINPUT:}@i
+font-libraries=$DVIDRVFONTS:fx_{base,more}
+font-files=$DVIDRVFONTS:pixel.fx\@Rrdpi\@f{.pk,.pxl}
+graphics-files={,$DVIDRVGRAPH:}{@Rrdpi\,}@PBf{@Ef,.msp,.pcx,.bmp}
+resolution-x=240 +resolution-y=216
+font-resolution-x=240 +font-resolution-y=216
+font-scaling=1
+metafont-mode=epsonfx,epsonfxl
+max-drift=2
So it mentions the resolution, the metafont mode(s), gives some environment variables and other information. the .dot files are made by DRVDOT.EXE and it has its own comprehensive documentation — but we don’t need that for this printer!
Because PICTVIEW can convert images to monochrome PCX files and PCX files are a ‘native’ format for emTeX, we can use emTeX to print bitmaps. However, I suggest that BM2FONT may also be useful.
DSPACE 