( ) ECPage2 Design & Print Laserjet PCL Form & Macro Design ASCII Version Program Documentation INTRODUCTION ECPage2 Design & Print is a DOS based page design and printing program that permits you to design pages or forms in PCL code (you don't write a line of code), from the simple to extremely complex, using the scalable proportional fonts in the Hewlett Packard LaserJet 3, 4L or 4. Proportional font text can be used in right, left or center justification as desired. In addition, boxes - both plain border and shaded can be used, with an optional choice of fill patterns or gray scale. Lines, both horizontal and vertical can be placed as desired. With ECPage2 'near Type-Set' quality designs can be created and printed on your HP Laserjet printer. In addition to printing on paper, the page designs can be printed in plain ASCII format to a diskfile. All PCL formatting is within the ASCII file, so the page, when printed from the diskfile, will look as it does when printed from within the program - as long as the same fonts are available in the printer. Storing blank forms on disk saves the cost of maintaining an inventory of pre-printed forms and allows them to be changed or modified easily. The ASCII files are relatively small, and quickly printed by just using COPY /B to copy them to the laser printer. Programmers or advanced users may want to use the ASCII diskfile as a Laserjet macro file. This could, for example, allow the form to be filled out from a database report. The ability to create these 'Macro' files was one of the main objectives behind this program. THE PROGRAM Both the 'Shareware' version and the registered version contain the same features. The ECPage2 is not a 'WYSIWYG' program (What you see is what you get). Rather you lay out the page in rows and cols, indicating what you wish to go where. This permits text, boxes and lines to be placed accurately within hundredths of an inch on the page, and each may extend ECPage2 Documentation Page 2 over another. For example, text may be placed inside a gray scale filled box. The program is quick to learn and very easy to use - no steep learning curve. If you should need it on-line help is just a keystroke away ([F1) from any screen. You could almost run the program without this manual - but don't - read these directions first for a better understanding of the program. The creation of 'Near Type-Set Quality' forms, letterhead masters, announcements, invitations, flyers, brochures, price lists, invoices, service tags and menu's are just a few possible uses of ECPage2 Design & Print. The output will rival programs costing hundreds of dollars and yet is so easy to use even a novice computer user can be creating with near 'Desktop Publishing' quality in minutes. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Minimum Requirements: -------------------- XT Or greater (AT 286, 386, 486 or PS/x recommended) keyboard (mouse not needed) 640 KB Ram (512+KB Available) 3+MB available on hard drive DOS 3.1 or later Video monitor (Color EGA/VGA recommended) Hewlett Packard Laserjet Model 3, 4L or 4 A complex page printed with an XT type computer may take several minutes to generate the PCL code; on a AT class, such as a 386-33, just a few seconds, depending on page design.) You need a Hewlett Packard Laserjet model 3, 4L or 4 to use the internal scalable fonts within those printers. Limited font cartridge and Hewlett Packard Type Director scalable soft font support is provided for users with a Laserjet IIP/IID or true clone who are using a supported cartridge (25in1,Z1A,S2) or Type Director soft fonts. ECPage2 Design & Print is not a Microsoft 'Windows 3.x' program, but may be run in 'Windows' as an exclusive full screen text program. A mouse is not needed. Reserve [CTRL]+[ESC] shortcut keys. Program filename is EPAGE.BAT and the startup directory should be \ECPAGE2. For RAM use 0 KB required, 640KB desired, no extended or expanded memory. Window title is ECPage2 then select a ICON as desired, such as the blank page icon. ECPage2 Documentation Page 3 INSTALLATION All the files from the program's archive file, ECPAGE21.EXE should be installed in the same directory, \ECPAGE2. Use PKUNZIP (V1.1 or later) to 'Unzip' the file ECPAGE2.ZIP. Your CONFIG.SYS should have a FILES=30 or greater. ECPAGE2 is started by typing the command EPAGE while in the \ECPAGE2 directory, or place \ECPAGE2 in your PATH statement. After installing the program and starting it, go to the menu choice 'Install LJ Printer' and select your model of Laserjet. Answer [Y]es to creating a default font file. Need help? Pressing the [F1] key at any point provides a pop-up help reference screen. Make sure you install the actual printer you will be using. Installing fonts for a LJ4 will not print them out properly on a LJ3. MENU SUMMARY The main menu contains these choices: Page layouts ------------ This is where you create page designs, edit existing designs or delete them. Print The Page -------------- This is where you will print the design to paper or to a disk file. Scalable Font Utility --------------------- This is where you create a font ID# in a typeface and point you specify. It uses the internal Laserjet scalable fonts. Install LJ Printer ------------------ Here you install the printer model you will be using. ECPage2 Documentation Page 4 Font File Maintenance --------------------- Here you can view, edit the set-up string of a font or delete an un-needed font ID#. Exit Program ------------ Exit the program to DOS. ABOUT THE FONTS This program contains no fonts. They are internal in scalable form within your Laserjet 3 or 4. The program just contains character width data for the proportional fonts. 'Truetype' or 'Postscript' fonts are not currently supported, nor are .PCX files. When you create a form (page) you should decide which font styles and point sizes you will use prior to page layout. In the menu choice 'Scalable Font Utility' you then create them, actually you are creating a character width file for those fonts. Each font used will have a unique ID number that you specify that will reference a particular type face and point size font. When you want to use that font you just specify that ID number. When the page is printed that font will be used. Un-needed font ID's may be deleted in the menu choice 'Font Maintenance'. You may create as many font ID's in as many styles and sizes as you need in the 'Scalable Font Utility'. Point sizes may be used from 1.01 to 99.75 points. To verify which font ID#'s you have already created, use 'Font Maintenance'. In 'Font Maintenance' you can also delete un-needed ID's. While you can select to view or edit a font ID#'s set-up string, normally you would have no reason to. New font ID#'s are created in 'Scalable Font Utility, not in 'Font Maintenance'. During printer installation you can create a brief set of default font ID's for use. These font ID's can be deleted as desired. A printer can be installed again to re-create a starting set of font ID#'s. ECPage2 Documentation Page 5 At the 'Scalable Font Utility' screen you can press [F2] or [F3] to print out a font ID# listing of available fonts. [F2] prints out the list using the listed font, [F3] uses a fixed pitch as larger size fonts will not print out properly within the [F2] report spacing. You may want to record a page/form title on the report for future reference, should you need to rebuild a font file for that page/form. Press [F5] for a table view of currently available font ID#s'. To create a new scalable font size go to the 'Scalable Font Utility' screen and enter the new ID# to reference it - keep it unique. Then select the font typeface family from the scrolling table of available choices for your printer. Finally enter a point size. Then press [ENTER] to create the font ID# entry. If it is a duplicate ID# a message will so notify you - repeat the procedure with a new ID# - you may press [F5] to verify existing font ID numbers. FOR LJ2 USERS ONLY If you are creating a scalable 'Type Director' font you will be next prompted for it's order of download ID number. Make sure when you create the SAME style and size font in Hewlett Packard's Type Director you download it with the same download order ID# (1,2,3 ect.). The font's ID number and it's download order ID number are not the same. You reference the font with it's ID#, you download the soft font to the printer in it's download order number. Remember, with soft fonts every time you turn on the printer you will have to download the soft fonts again. The starting set of font ID#'s created during 'Install LJ Printer' are available in Pacific Data Products '25 in 1' CF-120 cartridge. Many are also available in HP's Times/Helv Z1A & S2 cartridge. If they are not available in your cartridge don't use them - default fixed pitch printing will result. Justification problems may also result if other font cartridges are used. The fonts name may be the same but it's character width may well vary - creating spacing problems. When printing in Landscape, the font rotation may affect the justification slightly of some of the cartridge portrait fonts - if this occurs you may want to try another font. If you are using a LJ3 or 4 but want to use some of the decorative 'Type Director' scalable soft fonts - install a LJ2 but do not 'Create a Default Set of Fonts'. Use the 'Scalable Font Utility' to create the 'Type Director' soft font ID's you need with their download order ID. ECPage2 Documentation Page 6 Then re-install your normal printer and answer 'NO' to 'Create a default set of fonts?' Use the 'Scalable Font Utility' to create any added LJ3/4 fonts you will need. A word of caution, deleting font ID's that have been used in a text line of a page design will result in default fixed pitch printing and lack of justification for that line, if the page is printed later. This will also occur if you try to use a font that is not available within your printer. If once printed to disk successfully, the font information is contained within the ASCII PCL file, so later font ID changes in ECPage2 will have no effect on copying a diskfile for printout to a valid printer (unless you reprint the page from within the program - the proper font ID's must be used when printing or reprinting with ECPAGE2 to either paper or a diskfile for PCL code generation). Printing, including diskfiles, must be done with a printer installed (in 'Install LJ Printer') that is valid for the page fonts used; printing on a LJ3 when you have used LJ4L fonts will result in default fixed pitch printing. For example, printing a form that used an ALBERTUS font (in the LJ4) on a LJ3 will result in fixed pitch printing - with incorrect text justification - since that font is not in the LJ3. Fonts that are available in the LJ3 AND LJ4 can be used interchangeably - such as CG Times or Univers. If you are using a Laserjet 2 P/D with cartridge or soft fonts, those fonts must be available within the printer when printing; soft fonts must have been downloaded before printing either from ECPage2 or by reprinting the diskfile. ENHANCEMENTS In addition to text with proportional fonts, lines - both horizontal and vertical - and boxes may be used. A LJ IIP/D or better is needed. Line widths are specified in dots (1/300"), from 1 - 99 dots, 5 is a average width line, 1 is very fine, 15 is fairly heavy. Boxes may also be used, with a plain or shadow border, with a specified border width. The boxes may be filled with various percentages of gray scale or patterns. Text, boxes and lines may overlap as desired. As with text, boxes and lines may be positioned in whole or whole and hundredth's of a row and column. ECPage2 Documentation Page 7 PAGE STORAGE Pages are stored under a page title. When prompted to enter the page title - either enter the page title or simply press [Enter], which will pop-up a scrolling selection table - select the desired page from the table by placing the high-light bar on it and press [Enter]. The high-light bar is moved with the up and down cursor arrows and/or PgUp PgDn keys. The table lists the page title, creation date and the 'Owner' of the page. To EDIT a page, you select it from the scrolling table of stored page titles. To ADD a new page, press [Ins] at the scrolling table. When you create a new page title you specify a name with upto 12 alpha-numeric characters. The 'Owner' (creator) of the stored page is also entered. Once a new page title has been entered you may select it with the high-light bar for editing. To DELETE a page title, place the high-light bar on it and press [DELETE], then confirm the delete as prompted. PAGE LAYOUT ELEMENTS The basic steps involved in laying out a page are quite simple. You need to envision the page as rows and columns and plan on placing the page elements at the desired row and column. For this program there are a standard 6 rows and 10 columns to the inch. For accurate positioning you can specify the rows and column positions to hundredths of a row or column. Text, boxes and lines can overlap if needed. For example, text can be placed within a box. Using a type setting ruler may assist you in laying out complicated forms. To work on a page design, select the main menu choice 'Page Layouts'. You will be then prompted to enter the page title - do so if has already been created, or just press [ENTER] to bring up a selection table. Place the high-light bar on the specific page title and press [ENTER] to select it. A page can also be deleted by placing the high-light bar on it and then pressing [DELETE], then confirm the delete. ECPage2 Documentation Page 8 To add a new page to layout press [INS]. You will be asked to supply a page title and page owner's name. You can then select this page title for layout. On the 'Page Layout Screen' each line entry reflects what type entry it is, these entries are in Row/Col order. To create a new entry (page element) press [INS]. To view/edit an existing entry, place the high-light bar on the entry and press [ENTER]. To delete an entry, place the high-light bar on the item and press [DELETE], then confirm the delete as prompted. When you press [INS] to add a new entry, a pop up screen will ask you what type of entry is desired. Select either a [T]ext, [S]hadow Box, [B]ox, [H]orizontal line or [V]ertical line. A form specific for the entry will pop up, asking for row & col position, as well as other entry specific information. To quit a layout, press [ESC] to exit out to the main menu. Select 'Page Layouts' again to work on the same or another page layout. TEXT Text may be positioned in right, left or center justification as desired. You may position the text line in whole rows or columns or in whole and hundredth's of a row or column. This permits very precise text positioning. Upto 200 alpha-numerics can be used on one line. How much of that line that prints out will be dependent on point size and page orientation, either portrait or landscape can be used. A small point size, such as 6, will permit many characters on a line; a large font, such as 36 points, will print far fewer characters per line. Press [F4] for a page guideline screen. At the 'Page Layout Screen' pressing [INS] for a new page element entry will pop up the 'Entry Type' form. Select [T] for a text line. A second pop up form will prompt you for specifics, text line (upto 200 characters), row and column point, type of justification (R C L) and font ID. If you need to create a new font ID for a new font, just press [F2] to jump directly to 'Scalable Font Utility'. Be careful not to specify a justification that will run the text line off the page. At Column 80, for example, you can print a text line using [R]ight justification. [C]enter or [L]eft justification would run it off the page. ECPage2 Documentation Page 9 To use the scalable proportional fonts in your Laserjet, you need to plan out which fonts you want to use and create them in the 'Scalable Font Utility'. Assign each font a unique ID# and then reference that ID# when you want to use that font in a text line. As noted above, during entry of a [T]ext line, you can press [F2] to go directly to the 'Scalable Font Utility' to create a new font ID#. BOXES Boxes can be plain bordered or with a 'Shadow' on them for a '3D' appearance. The width of the box border line can be specified from 1-99 'Dots' (1/300th"). The width of the shadow is related to the width of the box border. At the 'Page Layout Screen' pressing [INS] for a new page element entry will pop up the 'Entry Type' form. Select either [B] for a plain border box or [S] for a shadowed box. A second pop up form will prompt you for specifics, starting row & col, box length (across from the starting column), fill pattern and box height (down from the starting row), and width of the border line from 1-99 dots (1/300'). Boxes can be filled with various percentages of gray scale or line patterns. A special pattern selection, 'CB' creates a scalable square 'Check-Off' box. Boxes, other than a 'CB' pattern box, extend DOWN from the starting row position and RIGHT from a starting column position. Boxes may overlap other page elements; text may be placed in a box, or one box may be placed within another larger box. A 'WF' pattern (white filled) box may be placed within a larger pattern or gray scaled box to create a interior white area. White filled boxes do not have a border/shadow - they are blank areas. To create a box, either bordered or shadowed, without any pattern, select 'NONE' as the fill pattern. ECPage2 Documentation Page 10 CHECK-OFF BOXES A 'CB' (Check-Off Box) pattern box is square and unlike the normal box, it extends up from the starting row position so as to match a text line that may be placed next to it. A CB may be sized to fit the font point size. a CB box sized 1 row by 1 column will be fine for text upto 12 points in size, it could be .5 row by .5 column for a smaller point size, such as 4 or 6 points. Larger fonts may need a larger CB, such as 2 rows by 2 columns for text fonts in 14 to 18 points. LINES Lines can be placed horizontally or vertically, depending on need. The width of the line can be specified in dots (1/300"). Lines may intersect boxes or text as desired. As with boxes, lines extend down (vertical lines) from the specified starting row. The lines length or height (down) are specified in rows and columns. At the 'Page Layout Screen' pressing [INS] for a new page element entry will pop up the 'Entry Type' form. Select either [H] for a horizontal line or [V] for a vertical line. A second pop up form will prompt you for specifics, starting row & col, line length (across from the starting column) or height (down from the starting row), and width of the line from 1-99 dots (1/300'). GENERAL PAGE LAYOUT All the page design elements can be positioned within hundredth's of a row and column. Elements can be positioned over each other for complex page designs. Look at the sample page 'SAMPLE' that is included. It contains examples of each layout element. With text, lines or boxes, printing on rows 45+ in 'Landscape' or 60+ in 'Portrait' can result in some text not being printed or partially printed. However, with the printer control panel set to 'Legal' paper size you can print down to row 78 in portrait mode or to column 130 in landscape mode. ECPage2 Documentation Page 11 Start out designing a simple page and work on toward more complex designs, help, if needed is just a [F1] keystroke away. PRINTING WITH ECPAGE2 These printing instructions assume that your printer is using the factory defaults for the control panel settings. However, set control panel to 'Legal' for legal size forms. To print, select the menu choice 'Print The Page'. You will be prompted for a page title, as if you were going to 'Page Layout'. Either enter a page title or press [Enter] to pop up a scrolling selection table. At the 'Print Set-up' screen press [F10] only if you need to change the page orientation to 'Landscape' from the default 'Portrait'. Then select either printer or diskfile output, press [Enter]. If you selected a diskfile you will be prompted for a file name. The default is 'Pageprnt', type over it with any desired file name. The extension is fixed at .ECP, you don't enter the extension. Select 'M' if you will be using the file as a macro overlay, otherwise select 'D'. Macro files have no form feed at the end of the file. Press [Enter] If you selected printer (PRTR) output you will be prompted for a printer port, LPT1 is the default - if another is desired (LPT2, LPT3, COM1 or COM2) - toggle to that selection. Make sure any selected printer is ready and loaded with paper. Press [Enter] to continue. On a slower XT class system, a complex page may take a few minutes to print - be patient. PRINTING DISKFILES To print out a saved diskfile, just COPY it to your printer, using the /B (Binary) switch, for example: COPY /B YOURPAGE.ECP LPT1: If needed, specify the full path, for example: COPY /B C:\ECPAGE2\YOURPAGE.ECP LPT1: ECPage2 Documentation Page 12 If you created the page using LJ4L fonts, printing on a LJ3 or LJ2 will result in fixed pitch with improper text justification. However, if the fonts are available in both printers this limitation does not apply. The common fonts to both a LJ3 & LJ4L/4 would be UNIVERS and CG TIMES. HINT: You may want to print (store) all your forms on disk and print them out later as desired, perhaps as a Laserjet macro or called from a batch file or program. Printing to disk allows this option. ADVANCED PRINTING HINTS If you should ever need to, specific PCL codes can be sent to the printer as part of your page layout by placing them at a row 1, column 1 position and entering them in a text line. Make sure they are the first page element in the table. The font ID and justification can be anything - it does not affect the PCL command you entered. The character for the PCL codes is entered by holding the [ALT] key down and entering, on the right hand numeric keypad: 027 (zero two seven). For example the PCL code for printing 5 copies is: &l5X If the code prints out on paper you did not enter it correctly - verify letter case. Your printer manual will contain more information and a listing of these PCL codes, but unless you are an advanced user you should not use them. They have to be used in proper sequence and entered in an exact format for proper results. PRINTING PROBLEMS & LAYOUT HINTS Probably the most common problems are using a font not available within a printer - text will be in a default fixed pitch style with improper justification. Also, if using soft fonts, printer memory may not have allowed all of them to be actually loaded - fixed pitch printing will result in that instance. Placing text near a page edge and using a justification that forces the text off the page will result in missing text. ECPage2 Documentation Page 13 Printing with too large a font (point size) may not allow all of a desired text line to print out - reprint after using a smaller point size. Right justified alignments of a row of numbers may appear 'off' slightly if several font styles or point sizes are used in the column of numbers - stick to one style & size for best alignment. If you are laying out a vertical text string, as in the 'SAMPLE' page, notice that thin letters, such as the letter 'I' have been offset slightly to the right, by .25 column, from the other wider letters. This is because thin letters will not line up centered below wider letters, they will be flush left. Slightly offsetting them to the right gives a better appearance. Good looking pages will have lots of 'White Space' and just a few font styles on a page. Forms are usually more complex, but try to keep them easily readable. Refer to books on Desktop Publishing for design tips. BACKING UP YOUR FILES All your data files have an extension of .DAT and the related key files have a file extension of .K01. Either back up all the files within the \ECPAGE2 directory, recommended, or just back up the *.DAT and *.K01 files in \ECPAGE2. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS ECPAGE2 is started from the batch file EPAGE.BAT, the actual executable program is ECP.EXE. There are several options that can be used to start ECP.EXE. You may edit EPAGE.BAT to modify these options if needed. V=0000 is a video timeout feature. 0000 represents the number of minutes before the screen blanks out (pressing any key restores it). 0000 is a default for no blankout. V=0010 would blank out the screen after 10 minutes of no activity, V=0030 would be 30 minutes, ect. /B=NO or /B=YES disables or enables keyboard error beeps /C disables [Control][Break] exit from the program /F Enables fast video, may cause 'Snow' on early CGA's /E If using a True 'Enhanced' keyboard. /L=NO or /L=YES disables or enables keyboard locks (Running in Desqview Window may require /L=YES and /B=YES) ECPage2 Documentation Page 14 The batch file may be edited as needed with these options. As shipped EPAGE.BAT will work fine in almost all circumstances. ERROR MESSAGES Error messages are usually self explanatory. Make a note of them and also find an error created log file in \ECPAGE2 called Clarion.DMP. If you can't determine the cause of a problem, contact me by Compuserve Mail (70062,431), or regular mail, with the error message, the Clarion.DMP file and information as to what you were trying to do with the program at the time. I'll check out the problem. It has been the norm that most error messages are related to hardware problems, lack of disk space, memory errors, ect. CONCLUSION If you got this far you're ready to begin - have some fun trying out these features and creating pages on your Laserjet. Start off simple then work your way up to complex designs - there is no real limit to the number of elements you can have on a page. REGISTRATION If you find this program useful to you please register it today, the fee is nominal and will support further enhancements as they develop. As a registered user you can upgrade at no added cost and can receive support if it should be needed. It is expected that un-registered versions will either be registered or removed from use after an evaluation period. Continued un-registered use is not allowed. See Register.Doc, included with the program files, for registration information. When you register a password will be sent to unscramble the file REGISTER.ZIP (included with these program files) which will convert this 'Shareware' version to a registered user version. ECPage2 Documentation Page 15 To use this password, at a DOS prompt in the directory \ECPAGE2 enter the following command: REGISTER Substitute for in the above example the password supplied when you register, you don't type in the '<>' brackets - just the password in UPPER case. You must have a version of PKUNZIP 1.1 or later to unzip this password - PKZIP/PKUNZIP is widely available from normal 'Shareware' sources or from PKWARE. It is asked that you maintain the password in a confidential manner. Upgrades will use the same password unless it has been abused. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The program, ECPage2, and it's related materials are (C) copyright protected. Unauthorized distribution of the registered user version or registration password is prohibited. The ownership of all Trademarks mentioned including those of Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, PKWARE and IBM is hereby acknowledged. (C) Copyright 1993, 1994 David R. Erickson, Fairbanks, Alaska. All Rights Reserved - World Wide.