Copyright: Copyright Graphic Impact 1993, 1994


PrintSwitch Help
PrintSwitch 2.1d
 (c) Copyright 1993, 1994 Graphic Impact

If You Have More Than One Installed Windows Printer Or Fax Modem, You Need PrintSwitch!

PrintSwitch is a useful Sharewareutility that makes changing your default Windows printer and its settings as easy as one click or HotKeypress! Automatically configures itself for your system and displays all currently installed printers. Shows current default selection and paper orientation in normal or icon state and automatically senses any changes. Also allows access to printer setup, toggling Print Manager on & off, Print Manager priority settings and toggling paper orientation. User configurable for horizontal or vertical format, screen position, button font size, button width, button color & HotKey key assignment. It also has options of remaining on top of all running programs and starting as an icon. If you have more than one installed printer and change them regularly, this utility is for you! Great for networks, printers with multiple connections and fax modems!

Shareware Registration, Distribution, Network & Corporate Site Pricing
  French Speaking Europe
 All Other Countries Including U.S.
 Shareware Distribution

Program Information
 Files Included With PrintSwitch
Installation & De-installation Instructions, Upgrading
General Usage & Options, HotKeys
How To Get A Message To The Author
Trouble Shooting And Known Bugs
Warranties And Legal


Files Included With PrintSwitch

These are the files that are included and their functions. An asterisk (*) indicates that this is a file necessary to the function of the program. A pound symbol (#) indicates that this file is installed by default in the Windows System directory.

*PSWITCH.EXE 	- main program file.

*PSWITCH.HLP 	- this help file.

#*PSETUP.DLL 	- dynamic link library.

#*MESSRECD.DLL 	- dynamic link library.

#*PPORIENT.DLL 	- dynamic link library.

#*HOTKEY.DLL 	- dynamic link library.

#*DISKSTAT.DLL 	- dynamic link library.

#*VBCTL3D.VBX 	- custom control.

#*3DLABEL.VBX 	- custom control.

#*INICON2.VBX 	- custom control.

#*VBMSG.VBX 	- custom control - Copyright (C) 1993, JOSWare, Inc.

*RESTART.EXE 	- program that PrintSwitch uses to update its display.

README.TXT 	- initial instructions.

SITE.WRI 	 - order form/agreement for corporate site license.

INSTALL.EXE 	- install program.

INSTALL.INF 	 - installation initialization file.

VBINST.DLL 	 - dynamic link library for install program.

1 	 - disk identifier for install program.

FILE_ID.DIZ 	 - standard BBS description file.

DESC.SDI 	 - description file used by some BBS's.

VENDOR.DOC 	 - instructions for BBS operators and disk vendors.


Installation & De-Installation Instructions
Installation & De-Installation Instructions, Upgrading

To install

Run INSTALL.EXE. It will copy all distribution files to the directory of your choice (.VBX and .DLL files will be placed in your Windows/System directory) and a Program Manager group will be created. For optimal ease of use, it is recommended that you have PrintSwitch automatically load when Windows is started. Requires VBRUN300.DLL, not included - (Can be downloaded from Compuserve, also available from most BBS's).

To de-install

Delete PSWITCH.INI from your windows directory. Delete all files that are listed in Files Included With PrintSwitch.Delete any PrintSwitch references that you may have added to the load line of WIN.INI. Delete any PrintSwitch icons & program groups.

When upgrading from a prior version

If you are upgrading from an older version of PrintSwitch OR have another program installed that uses an old version of MESSRECD.DLL, you will get an error message "sub or function not defined" when starting or closing PrintSwitch. You must delete ALL copies of the outdated version of MESSRECD.DLL from your system and reinstall the newest version. It should be dated 10/5/93 or newer and be 1,792 bytes in size. It should be reinstalled in your Windows/System directory. Other programs that used the old version will not be affected by the update.


VBRUN300.DLL
VBRUN300.DLL is the Visual Basic Runtime Library Version 3.0 and is required to run any Visual Basic 3.0 program. (VBRUN200.DLL and VBRUN100.DLL are for version 2 and version 1 programs respectively).


General Usage & Options
General Usage & Options, HotKeys

When you start PrintSwitch it will automatically configure itself by adding all currently installed Windows print drivers and multiple connections, it will sense the status of Print Manager, its priority setting and the paper orientation of the current default printer.

HotKey combinations may be used from within any active application with PrintSwitch minimized to an icon, set to normal size or invisible. An abbreviated list of HotKey functions is available for reference from the Help menu. You may change the hot keys by selecting Define Hotkeys from the Options menu (see below). Default HotKeys are highlighted below.

Printer Selection

Changing printers is as easy as clicking the button you desire. You may also use the HotKey combination Ctl-Shift-P or click on the program icon with the right mouse button to cycle through the printers from top to bottom. You may also use the Up/Down arrow keys when the program is normal size in vertical or horizontal format.

Paper Orientation

Changing paper orientation is accomplished with the orientation button between the Printer Setup and Print Manager buttons or you may use the HotKey combination Ctl-Shift-O. The program icon will also change accordingly to display a P for Portrait and L for Landscape modes.

Printer Setup

You may access setup for the current printer with the Printer Setup button or you may use the HotKey combination Ctl-Shift-S.

Print Manager

Clicking the Print Mgr button with the left mouse button or using the HotKey combination Ctl-Shift-M toggles Print Manager on and off. The button and program icon changes to indicate Print Manager's status. If you click it with the right mouse button, the Print Manager priorities menu will appear (see below).

Toggling Window Size

You may change between Icon and Normal program states as you normally would or use the HotKey combination Ctl-Shift-R.

Toggling Visibility

You may toggle PrintSwitch from Visible to Invisible with the HotKey combination Ctl-Shift-V. If you exit Windows while PrintSwitch is invisible, it will be invisible when Windows is restarted. You can use Task Manager to switch to PrintSwitch while it is invisible but if it is then terminated and restarted it will still be invisible.

The Options menu provides the following choices:

Always On Top

When this option is checked (Default), PrintSwitch will remain on top of all running programs when iconized or normal size. You may also use the HotKey combination Ctl-Shift-T to toggle this setting.

Startup Minimized

When this option is checked, PrintSwitch will always start up as an icon.

Screen Position

Clicking on this menu choice will present you with a sub-menu of default screen positions. The Remember Last Position setting will cause PrintSwitch to appear in the screen position that it was in when it was last closed.

Define HotKeys

Clicking on this menu choice will present you with a screen to change the HotKey key choices. You may use any key from A to Z or any number from 0 to 9. PrintSwitch must be restarted after modification of the HotKeys.

Button Font Size

Clicking on this menu choice will present you with a sub-menu of 3 font sizes. This is useful if you have an installed printer driver that is too long to display on its respective button. The 6 point selection may only be available at higher video resolutions.

Bigger Buttons and Smaller Buttons

Clicking repeatedly on these menu choices or using the shortcut keys F4 for bigger and F3 for smaller (vertical format only) will resize the buttons horizontally to make room for extremely long driver names. Use this in conjunction with the Button Font Size settings above to customize PrintSwitch for your individual needs.

Default Button Colors

Clicking on this menu choice will present you with a palette of colors from which to choose the background and text color of the button assigned to the current default printer (vertical format only). The selected colors will become effective upon exiting the palette.

Horizontal Configuration

Clicking on this menu choice or clicking on the Title Bar with the right mouse button will toggle between vertical and horizontal formats. Please note that the menu choices of the vertical format become invisible for the horizontal format and any shortcut keys assigned to the menu selections will not be functional. Use the HotKeys instead. To toggle printers click on the diagonal arrow buttons or use the keyboard up/down arrow keys. The horizontal format is sized vertically to the same dimensions as the title bar/menu bar of most desktop shells (i.e. Norton Desktop, Program Manager, etc.). Use the key combination Alt + keyboard arrow keys to position it exactly where you want in very small increments. To adjust the size of the horizontal format, switch to vertical format and use the Bigger Buttons or Smaller Buttons menu or shortcut keys, as mentioned above, to adjust the size and then toggle back to see the result.

Print Mgr Priority

Clicking on this menu choice or clicking the Print Mgr button with the right mouse button (vertical format only) will present you with a sub-menu of Print Manager priorities. You may also use the shortcut keys F7, F6 and F5 for High, Medium and Low respectively (vertical format only). These settings will only be effective if they are made while Print Manager is NOT running. If Print Manager is running and you change the priority, it will be ignored until Print Manager is terminated and restarted.

All settings are saved in PSWITCH.INI in your Windows directory.


How To Get A Message To The Author

You may send the Author a fax with your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, complaints, etc. Fax the report to the Author via the number below. Please include a brief description of your system if you have a technical question, problem or bug to report. You may also leave any questions, comments or suggestions for the author on Compuserve:

Michael Haschka - Compuserve 73027,3307  OR  America Online at MikeH1259  OR  Fax (805) 482-6213

The author's mailing address is:

Graphic Impact

Attn: Michael Haschka

5241 Mission Oaks Blvd., Suite 377

Camarillo, CA  93012-5425  USA


Trouble Shooting And Known Bugs

Obsolete .DLL Warning

If you are upgrading from an older version of PrintSwitch OR have another program installed that uses an old version of MESSRECD.DLL, you will get an error message "sub or function not defined" when starting or closing PrintSwitch. You must delete ALL copies of the outdated version of MESSRECD.DLL from your system and reinstall the newest version. It should be dated 10/5/93 or newer and be 1,792 bytes in size. It should be reinstalled in your Windows/System directory. Other programs that used the old version will not be affected by the update.

Why Doesn't My Application Print To The Correct Printer When I Use PrintSwitch?

Some applications (including AmiPro, Quicken for Windows & Norton Desktop editor, just to name a few) do not sense a change to the Windows default printer WHILE THEY ARE RUNNING. The specific tecnical name for this message that these applications do not recognize is WM_WININICHANGE. If your application has this problem, you will note that it doesn't sense a change even when you use Windows Control Panel! These applications usually provide a dialog to change to a specific printer TEMPORARILY AND FOR THAT APPLICATION ONLY.

Most other error messages received during usage of PrintSwitch should be fairly self explanatory. If not, refer to the How To Get A Message To The Authorsection for ways to reach the author.

PLEASE REPORT ALL BUGS, INCOMPATIBILITIES AND GPF'S TO THE AUTHOR


Warranties And Legal

MICHAEL HASCHKA AND GRAPHIC IMPACT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  The customer's sole remedies are set forth in the warranty clause above. The liability of Michael Haschkas and Graphic Impact for damages shall not exceed the current registration fee for the product. In no event will Michael Haschka or Graphic Impact be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages even if Michael Haschka or Graphic Impact have been advised of the possibility of the same. MICROSOFT WINDOWS, WINDOWS, MICROSOFT, SMARTDRIVE and VISUAL BASIC are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other product names are copyright and registered trademarks/trade names of their respective owners.


Shareware Distribution

PLEASE SEE VENDOR.DOC INCLUDED WITH THE PROGRAM


All Other Countries Including U.S.

PrintSwitch is not PUBLIC DOMAIN NOR FREE SOFTWARE! It is provided for limited use for the purpose of evaluation only. Non-registered users of this software are granted a limited license to use an evaluation copy for trial use on a private non-commercial basis for the expressed purpose of determining whether PrintSwitch is suitable for their needs. At the end of the 30 day trial period you MUST register your copy or discontinue using this product! When you register, you will receive a version of PrintSwitch which omits the shareware notices, technical support, a free upgrade to the next major revision and automatic notification of new versions.

The registration fee is a very nominal $10 plus shipping for single users. You may register via Compuserve, America Online, by mail or fax (credit card orders only via AOL & fax). We accept VISA and MasterCard. To register by mail or fax use the Order option from the Help menu and choose United States And All Other Countries. To register on Compuserve (no shipping charges) type GO SWREG and search on #1013. The registration fee will be charged to your Compuserve account.

 AS A BONUS WHEN YOU REGISTER: If you register via the mail or fax (i.e. not on CompuServe) we will send you a certificate for a discount on a great collection of shareware on CD-ROM. This certificate entitles you to one issue of the 'JCSM Shareware Collection' for $9.95 plus shipping ($2 in the US, $3 in Canada, $5 elsewhere).  This is a great price on a great collection of shareware!

The prices for network or multi user site versions are as follows:

2 to 9 computers .......... at $8 each

10 to 24 computers ...... at $7 each

25 to 49 computers ...... at $6 each

50 to 99 computers ...... at $5 each

100 or more computers .... $500 one time fee

A corporate site license order form and agreement is included in the archive as SITE.WRI.

If you have any questions please see How To Get A Message To The Author


 French Speaking Europe

PrintSwitch is not PUBLIC DOMAIN NOR FREE SOFTWARE! It is provided for limited use for the purpose of evaluation only. Non-registered users of this software are granted a limited license to use an evaluation copy for trial use on a private non-commercial basis for the expressed purpose of determining whether PrintSwitch is suitable for their needs. At the end of the 30 day trial period you MUST register your copy or discontinue using this product! When you register, you will receive a version of PrintSwitch which omits the shareware notices, technical support, a free upgrade to the next major revision and automatic notification of new versions.

The registration fee is a very nominal 165 FF for single users. We accept credit cards. To register by mail or fax use the Order option from the Help menu and choose French Speaking Europe.

Please contact us for French European network or multi user site pricing:

WindowShare SARL

B.P. 2078

57051-METZ cedex 2

France

Fax:(+33)87 32 37 75

Vox:(+33)87 30 85 57

Minitel 3615 WinShare

If you have any questions for the author please see How To Get A Message To The Author


Shareware
Shareware gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register.