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Epson FX-185 User Manual - Page 69

Modes for Pitches, Pica and Elite Modes

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If you look through Appendix A, you'll notice that none of the FX's characters use dots in consecutive main and intermediate columns in the same row. There is a reason for this: the printer's speed. The FX recalls a character's dot-matrix pattern from ROM and prints it in 1/160th of a second. At that speed, the print head is simply moving too fast to pull the pins back and forth in time to print an overlapping dot. This fact is critical when you design characters, as you will see in Chapter 15. Modes for Pitches Several of the FX printer's modes produce characters in different widths, or pitches. You may recognize two of these pitches as standard character widths used on typewriters; a third produces a narrower character. Each of these three is covered in one of the subsections below, followed by a discussion of how the FX assigns priorities to its print modes. We discuss other pitch modes later. Pica and Elite Modes At start-up the FX prints 10 characters per inch (cpi). This is the same pitch as that of a typewriter's Pica character set. The FX can also print characters in an Elite pitch (12 cpi). When you print in Pica on the FX-80, you can get up to 80 characters on a line; changing to Elite Mode gives you 96. When you print in Pica on the FX-100, you get up to 136 characters per line; Elite Mode gives you 163. Changing the print pitch between Pica and Elite does not change the number of columns in each character, nor does it change the pattern used to create each character. It simply moves the columns closer together or farther apart to change the width of each character. To see how this works, compare the Pica and Elite letters shown in Figure 3-5. Since the columns used to print Elite characters are packed more closely than those for Pica, more of them fit on one line of print. Notice that Elite pitch compresses spaces as well as characters. Elite Mode (which produces Elite pitch) is set with an ESCape "M". Try it in this program: NEW 1Ø LPRINT CHR$(27)"M" 2Ø LPRINT PICA BELOW" COMPARE ELITE PITCH WITH THE 52

Section	Page
FRONT MATTER	1
PREFACE	3
Conventions Used in this Manual	3
TABLE OF CONTENTS	7
LIST OF FIGURES	13
LIST OF TABLES	17
INTRODUCTION	18
Inside the Printer	19
Inside This Manual	19
PROGRAMMER'S EASY LESSON	24
First Steps	24
Ticket Program	25
Ticket Program Description	27
CHAP 1-THE FX PRINTERS	30
Additional Supplies and Accessories	33
Printer Location	33
Printer Preparation	34
Paper separator	34
Covers	35
Manual-feed knob	36
DIP switches	37
Ribbon installation	40
Paper Loading	41
FX-80: built-in tractor feed	41
FX-80 and FX-100: friction feed	45
FX-80 and FX-100: removable tractor unit	46
Top-of-form position	49
Paper-thickness lever	49
Starting Up	49
Control panel	52
The FX tests itself	52
CHAP 2-BASICS AND THE PRINTER	54
BASIC Communications	55
Character strings	56
BASIC print commands	56
ASCII and BASIC basics	57
Control codes	58
Escape-CHR$(27)-and other CHR$ commands	59
Change Commands	61
Reset Code	62
Mode cancelling codes	62
Delete and Cancel	63
Alternate Formats for ESCape Sequences	63
Summary	64
CHAP 3-PRINT PITCHES	66
Dot-Matrix Printing	66
Main columns	67
Intermediate positions	68
Modes for Pitches	69
Pica and Elite Modes	69
Compressed Mode	70
Mode priorities	72
Pitch Mode Combinations	73
Expanded Mode	73
Multiple print pitches on one line	75
Summary	76
CHAP 4-PRINT QUALITY	78
Bold Modes	78
Double-Strike Mode	78
Emphasized Mode	79
Proportional Mode	81
Mixing Modes	82
Summary	83
CHAP 5-DRESS-UP MODES AND MASTER SELECT	86
Four Modes	86
Underline Mode	86
Script Modes: Super and Sub	88
Italic Mode	89
More Mode Combinations	90
Master Select	90
Master Select combinations	93
Summary	95
CHAP 6-SPECIAL PRINTING FEATURES	98
Backspace	98
Overstrikes	98
Offsets	99
Unidirectional Mode	100
International Characters	102
Special Speeds	105
Half-Speed Mode	106
Immediate-Print Mode (FX-80 only)	106
Summary	107
CHAP 7-LINE SPACING AND LINE FEEDS	110
Line Spacing	110
Preset line spacing	110
Variable line spacing	112
Microscopic line spacing	115
Line Feeds	115
Summary	118
CHAP 8-FORMS CONTROL	120
Form Length Control	120
Form feed distance	120
Not-so-standard forms	122
Paper Perforation Skip	124
Skip command	124
DIP switch skip	126
Single-Sheet Adjustment	126
Summary	127
CHAP 9-MARGINS AND TABS	130
Margins	130
Left margin	130
Margins and pitches	131
Right margin	133
Both margins	135
Tabs	135
Horizontal tab usage	136
Variable horizontal tabs	138
Vertical tab usage	139
Ordinary vertical tabs	140
Vertical tab channels	143
Summary	145
CHAP 10-INTRODUCTION TO DOT GRAPHICS	148
Dots and Matrixes	148
Print Head	149
Graphics Mode	151
Pin Labels	152
First Graphics Programs	154
Straight line	155
Slash	156
Large caret	156
Wave pattern	157
Diamond pattern	158
Summary	159
CHAP 11-VARIETIES OF GRAPHICS DENSITY	160
Graphics Programming Tips	160
Graphics and the Reset Code	161
Graphics and low ASCII codes	161
Density Varieties	162
High-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode	163
Low-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode	165
Quadruple-Density Graphics Mode	166
More densities	166
More Graphics Programming Tips	167
Reassigning alternate graphics codes	167
Nine-Pin Graphics Mode	169
Pin Combination Patterns	171
Repeated patterns	172
Repeated DATA numbers	173
Summary	174
CHAP 12-DESIGN YOUR OWN GRAPHICS	176
Planning Process	176
Strata Program	177
Three-Dimensional Program	180
First version of 3D program	182
Other versions	187
Summary	188
CHAP 13-PLOTTER GRAPHICS	190
Arrays	190
Dimension and arrays	193
Filling arrays	193
Circle Plotting	194
Ones become dots	195
Pin firing sequences	196
Code solutions	197
Higher resolution	198
Reflections	200
Exploding galaxy	201
Big bang	202
Summary	205
CHAP 14-SYMMETRICAL GRAPHICS PATTERNS	206
Pin Pattern Calculation	209
Graphics Width Settings	210
Pattern Printout	210
Variations	212
Summary	214
CHAP 15-USER-DEFINED CHARACTERS	216
Preparation	217
Character Definition	217
Design	218
Dots into Data	219
Attribute byte	220
Proportional print	220
Printing User-Defined Characters	222
Downloading Command	224
Defining More Characters	224
Redefining Control Codes	225
Mode Strings	228
Strata	229
Summary	229
CHAP 16-COMBINING USER-DEFINED CHARACTERS	232
Large Letters: Double Wide	232
Large Letters: Double High	234
Giant Letters: Double High and Double Wide	234
Core Sets	240
Line Graphics	242
Summary	243
CHAP 17-BUSINESS APPLICATIONS	244
Preparation	244
Barchart	244
Statement Form	248
999 REM: The End	255

Match case Limit results 1 per page

If you look through Appendix A, you’ll notice that none of the FX’s

characters use dots in consecutive main and intermediate columns in

the same row. There is a reason for this: the printer’s speed. The FX

recalls a character’s dot-matrix pattern from ROM and prints it in

1/160th of a second. At that speed, the print head is simply moving

too fast to pull the pins back and forth in time to print an overlapping

dot. This fact is critical when you design characters, as you will see in

Chapter 15.

Modes for Pitches

Several of the FX printer’s modes produce characters in different

widths, or pitches. You may recognize two of these pitches as standard

character widths used on typewriters; a third produces a narrower

character. Each of these three is covered in one of the subsections

below, followed by a discussion of how the FX assigns priorities to its

print modes. We discuss other pitch modes later.

Pica and Elite Modes

At start-up the FX prints 10 characters per inch (cpi). This is the

same pitch as that of a typewriter’s Pica character set. The FX can also

print characters in an Elite pitch (12 cpi). When you print in Pica on

the FX-80, you can get up to 80 characters on a line; changing to Elite

Mode gives you 96. When you print in Pica on the FX-100, you get up

to 136 characters per line; Elite Mode gives you 163.

Changing the print pitch between Pica and Elite does not change the

number of

columns

in each character, nor does it change the

pattern

used to create each character. It simply moves the columns closer

together or farther apart to change the width of

each

character. To

see how this works, compare the Pica and Elite letters shown in

Figure 3-5. Since the columns used to print Elite characters are packed

more closely than those for Pica, more of them fit on one line of print.

Notice

that

Elite pitch compresses spaces as well as characters.

Elite Mode (which produces Elite pitch) is set with an ESCape “M”.

Try it in this program:

NEW

1Ø LPRINT CHR$(27)"M"

2Ø LPRINT

COMPARE ELITE PITCH WITH THE

PICA BELOW"