chapter 6

MS-DOS AND YOUR PRINTER

Whenusingyourprinterwithan IBMPC,PC-XT,or PC-ATorcompatible,
youwillprobablybe usingPC-DOSorMS-DOSas an operatingsystem.A
numberofsoftwaretricksmaybe usefulhere.This chapterisnot, however,
asubstitutefortheoperatingsystemmanualssuppliedwithyourcomputer.
Tolearn how toprint files, etc.it is best to readthe relevantparts of these
manuals.

INSTALLING APPLICATION SOFTWARE WITH

YOUR PRINTER

Men installingapplicationsoftware,youmayfmd thatyour printeris not
specificallymentionedinthe lists of printersgiven for installation.How-
ever, this should pose no problem. Read this section, and guidelines
providedwithyour softwareon printerinstallation.
Ifyou haveyourprinterset upin standardmode,thenchoosean EpsonFX-
850or EX-800Color asyour printerto be selected.
If neitherof theseare mentioned,chooseoneof the following(in order of
preference):StarNX-1000Color/LC-10Color,StarND-10/15,EpsonLX-
850/LX-810.
If youhave yourprinter setup withthe EDS switchesto emulatean IBM
ProprinterIII, simplychoosethis from the listof printers availablein the
applicationsoftwarelist.
Ifthe IBMPropnnterIII isnotmentioned,selectPropnnterII orProprinter.
Ifyoursoftwarepackagedoesnotmentionpfintembyname,butasksinstead
whatfeatures yourprinter is capableof, the mostcommon questionsare:
“Canyour printerperformabackspace?”and “Canit do ahardwareform
feed?”.You shouldanswer“Yes” toboth thesequestions.
Othersoftware packagesmay well allowyou to install specificfeatures.
Spreadsheetprogramswilloftenask forthe maximumnumberofcolumns
tobe printed.This is givenbelow.
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