More Print Control Commands

It may take a little practice to get the paper positioning perfect. We need to be able to do it right, especially for matching lines and boxes on pre-printed forms such as invoices, bills of sale, purchase orders and the like.

Some users find it easier to position the paper in the ball park, then finish positioning by reference to the match mark on the pin feed holder, one of the tractor pins, something else that moves with the paper, or some point over which the paper travels. Practice will make perfect.

Matchmark

77 mm

Figure 3-3

Once the paper is in position, cycle the printer OFF, then on again. This electronically sets the top of form memory (known in the biz as TOF) at the current paper position, Despite what follows, the printer always remembers where the top of the next sheet of paper is, even if WE don’t. It has a memory like an elephant.

Type in this new program:

 

9 PR # l

(Apple only)

20

FOR N = 1 TO 66

 

3 0 P R I N T N

 

40

NEXT N

 

49

PR #0

(Apple only)

and RUN.

Well, that was singularly unexciting. What did it tell us? Where is the top of the next form?

1.It told us that the paper length is EXACTLY 66 rows. No more and no less.

2.Since the numbers all line up in a nice column, and there’s no vertical spacing between them, the printer does not automatically insert mar- gins at the top or bottom of a page.

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