Your user-defined characters can be utilitarian or imaginative, anything from a scientific symbol to script letters for your initials. Just follow the simple steps below.

The characters you define must follow the same rules that govern the rest of the characters printed by the FX-286. Also, they can be in draft mode only. In Figure 7-1 are four pica letters with a grid of lines behind them so that you can see how they are designed.

As you look at these characters, notice the three rules that govern their design: The column on the right side is always left blank so that there will be spaces between the characters on a line; a character can use the top row or the bottom row, but no character uses both the top and the bottom row; and a dot can be placed on a vertical line only when the columns next to that line are not used.

Figure 7-1. FX-286 dot-matrix charactersDesigning Process

Suppose that you want to print the scientific symbol for the planet Mercury. Although the FX-286 has a number of special symbols, Mer- cury’s symbol is not one of them. You can, however, create and print such a symbol with ease. First, use a grid like the one in Figure 7-2to plan where to place the dots.

7-2