Epson LX-86TM OPEN “LPT1 : ” AS #1, PRINT #1, OPEN “LPT1: ” AS #1 : WIDTH $1, DOS, “ N o w, change your opening statement to include the appropriate WIDTH statement:

he 255 is a special number that prevents the computer system from inserting a CR-LF into the line. Unless, of course, there’s one in your program.

The extra line feed-CHR$(10)--that accompanies each carriage return--CHR$(13)-- is no problem except when you need to use CHR$(13) in a graphics program. Getting rid of the extra CHR$(10) is rather complicated. First you open the printer as a random file:

OPEN “LPT1 : ” AS #1

Although this allows you to send any code to the printer, you can no longer use the LPRINT command. Instead, you must use a PRINT

# 1 command :

PRINT #1, “ N o w I c a n p r i n t , a n y t h i n g ”

This does allow you to print anything, but it ignores any previous WIDTH statements.

If you want to print more than 80 characters per line in a graphics program, you must therefore change your opening statement to include the appropriate WIDTH statement:

OPEN “LPT1: ” AS #1 : WIDTH $1, 255

And for the programs in this manual, don’t forget to use PRINT #l wherever we use LPRINT.

This won’t work for those of you who have the original release of the Disk Operating System (DOS 1.0). It can’t run a printer like a file. IBM has, however, issued a free update; take a disk to your dealer to get your copy.

Another printer problem with DOS 1.0 is that it doesn’t send CHR$(7) to the printer; it just rings the computer’s bell. This has also been corrected in subsequent versions.

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