Software
Naming and using commands
In order to use printer commands, you should know how they are recognized by your software program. The most common way of naming codes or commands is with one of two numbering systems, decimal or hexadecimal.
The decimal system is the standard numbering system based on units of ten, using the numerals
The hexadecimal, or hex, system is based on units of 16, and is often used by programmers. Instead of using only the numerals 0 through 9, the hex system also uses the letters A through F. For example, the decimal numbers 9, 10, 11, and 12 are 09, 0A, 0B, and 0C in hex.
Since the most frequently used hexadecimal numbers are between 0 and FF hex (0 to 255 in decimal), it’s common to write hexadecimal numbers that are less than 16 with a zero in front, as shown above.
In this book, hex numbers are distinguished from decimal numbers by the word hex after them (for example, 1B hex). Other common ways of denoting a hexadecimal number are the following:
IBH $1B &1B &H1B < 1 B > H
The Command Summary and the Quick Reference Card give both the decimal and hex numbers for each command.
Unidirectional printing
The LQ printers have the advanced capability of printing text and graphics bidirectionally. For exact alignment of some graphic images you may want to select unidirectional printing. See ESC U in the command summary.
Word processors
In many ways, word processors demand the most from your printer. When you create and print a document, you may use many print styles and fonts, reformat pages, add headers and footers, and use bold, italic, and other effects.