LaserMaster - General Information

DocumentID: 646930
Revision Date: 29-Feb-96 8:19:18 PM

The information in this document applies to:
WordPerfect® 5.1 for DOS

Problem

Solutions: A LaserMaster controller card goes into your computer to allow WordPerfect to scale fonts on Canon or HP type printers similar to a PostScript printer. While printing, WP gives complete control of the print job to the controller card; therefore, you will lose access to the keyboard and computer while the job is out of WP's control. The LaserMaster fonts are actually scaled on the fly and created from outline fonts; therefore, the printing speed is faster than that of a normal laser printer. It may still appear slower than a PostScript printer since many PostScript printers have more fonts built in, but if both printers have to scale the fonts, the LaserMaster is usually faster. The LaserMaster card increases the resolution of the printer by using a process called TurboRes. This process actually modulates the laser beams and alters the shape of the pixels. Only the horizontal resolution of the printer is increased through this process. The vertical and horizontal resolution is enhanced by using smaller fractions of dots to allow a cleaner line. The controller sends information through both a parallel printer cable and a video cable. WP supports the following LaserMaster models: LaserMaster LC2 300 X 300* LaserMaster 1000 400 X 400 1000 X 1000** LaserMaster GlassPage 2048 X 1024 LaserMaster LX6 300 X 300 600 X 600 800 X 800 * Does not support line draw. ** Does not support legal landscape. Model/ Double Megabytes Resolution Duplex Buffering Legal A-4 Letter LX6/2 LR 300X300 No No Yes Yes Yes TR 400X400 No No No Yes Yes LX6/4 LR 300X300 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes TR 400X400 No No Yes Yes Yes LX6/6 LR 300X300 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes TR 600X600 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes TR 800X800 No No Yes Yes Yes LX6K/6 LR 400X400 No Yes Yes Yes Yes TR 800X800 No No Yes Yes Yes TR1000X1000 No No No Yes Yes DDPI is the direct interface language to control the printer. WP will lock if DDPI is not loaded. It does not support color, but it does support pattern fills. It is also used in the video boards to create screen fonts. DDPI can be added to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or installed manually every time the system is started. To start it manually enter C:\LM\UTILS\DDPILX xxx where xxx represents the default address where the LaserMaster card installed. If you use the LMLX utility to change your path, you will need to initialize the LaserMaster board by loading the microcode and running DDPI. There are three models of the LaserMaster CAP Card: the LC2 (first card made), LX6(300 X 300dpi), and LX6(600 X 300dpi). LaserMaster versions before 4.2 are not compatible with WP. The cards can scale fonts from 4pt to 1199pt (except the LC2 card cannot outline fonts less than 13pt). The default fonts are Charter on the LC2 card and Swiss on the LX6. If the user selects a font that cannot be found, the card will access the default font; however, the spacing will be for the font selected. This will cause the spacing to appear wrong along with the typeface. If this happens, check the path and look in the LM\LXOS directory for the needed font. The user can move fonts from one directory to another by using the LMLX utility. If the printer locks while printing, the problem is usually with the DDPI. Have the user run the LXLOAD utility. You may also receive the message "Error: Insufficient memory #273" when printing with the LaserMaster driver if you have failed to execute LXLOAD and DDPILX. WP expects these programs to be loaded to print to a LaserMaster printer. The LaserMaster Unity 1000 is not a typical LaserMaster printer. It does not require any TSR to be executed to print. It is LaserMaster's version of a 1000dpi PostScript printer. Customers can select any PostScript printer driver to print to this printer. The LC2 in landscape has a memory limitation of 2200 pixels across, which translates into a limit of 7.33 inches across the page. The LaserMaster 1000 (Plain-Page Typesetters) has a 1000 X 1000 TurboRes. A typical page prints in 20 seconds. It has a typeface package with 135 scalable typefaces (35 Abode PostScript typefaces). It can scale type on the fly from 1pt to 1200pt. It works with all PC or PS/2 compatibles. LaserMax is available for Apple systems. The LaserMaster 1000 does not support HP-PCL, and it uses the same toner cartridges as the HP LaserJet Series II, LaserJet III or Apple LaserWriter II. Its input capacity is 200 sheets, and its output capacity is 100 sheets. The LX6 cannot print white text on a black background. The Series III Professional has from 2M to 6M of memory available. It is available in 400 X 400 or 800 X 800 TurboRes. The Series III Professional comes with software to allow sizing, outlines, fill patterns, character rotations, and font manipulation. It has a typeface package with 135 scalable typefaces (35 Abode PostScript typefaces). It comes in five models: LX6T, LX6, LX4T, LX2T-35, and LX2T-135. The GlassPage 1280 actually displays the typeface and spacing on the screen as they would print; it also shows rotation of the fonts accurately. In order to use it, the customer must have one of the above LaserMaster cards, 640K of memory, and 1M of disk space. Font files for LaserMaster have a .LXO extension. If you are using Bitstream fonts, the customer must convert them to the LaserMaster format using the LaserMaster font utility program, and then mark the "Converted Bitstream (PS 35)" category in WP under Cartridges and Fonts. The user must use a newer version of the font utility or the filenames will be incorrect. These converted fonts are not PostScript compatible. Line draw only works with fixed pitch. The Orator font is designed as a Small Caps font for documents that are scanned, has no descenders, and is based upon 100% of Cap Height; therefore, it may not appear properly on the printed page. The maximum number of fonts in memory is 255. LaserMaster announced recently that the Bitstream fonts are being replaced with (135) URW fonts. Characters created graphically by WP are supported only in portrait orientation. Below are the fonts and the drivers that they will be found on for the LaserMaster LX6 (600dpi). Other cards may be slightly different. LaserMaster cards come with 135 internal fonts, but the WP drivers are slightly different. The regular drivers only include some of the internal fonts. The other fonts are listed on the Additional driver under the Soft Font category. Regular Driver Additional Driver Courier (Bold, Italic) Activa ITC Galliard Dutch (Bold, Italic) Baskerville ITC Garamond Book ITC Bookman Light (Italic) Bernhard Modern ITC Garamond Bold ITC Bookman Demi (Italic) Bitstream Amerigo ITC Korinna ITC Zapf Dingbat Bitstream Cooper ITC Lubalin Graph ITC Avant Garde Gothic Demi Bitstream Charter ITC Souvenir (Oblique) Blippo Black ITC Tiffany ITC Zapf Chancery Italic Bodoni Kaufmann Bold ITC Avant Garde Gothic Book Broadway Letter Gothic (Oblique) Brush Script Mermaid New Century Schoolbook (Bold, Clarendon News Gothic Italic, Bold Italic) Cloister Black Optima Palatino (Bold, Italic, Converted Bitstream P.T. Barnum Bold Italic) Dom Casual Park Avenue Swiss (Bold, Italic, Exotic Pica Bold Italic) Franklin Gothic Prestige Swiss Narrow (Bold, Oblique Futura (Light, Provence Bold Oblique) Medium) Script Symbol Goudy Old Style Serifa Goudy Bold/ Extra Bold Slate Hammersmith Swiss Monospaced Handel Gothic Swiss (Black, Hobo Condensed, ITC American Light Typewriter Compressed) ITC Avant Garde Symbol A Gothic (Bold, Monospaced Medium) University Roman ITC Benguait Windsor ITC Bolt Bold Zapf Humanist ITC Cheltenham Zapf Calligraphic ITC Clearface Zapf Elliptical Zurich (Black, Condensed, Light) WP does not control the form selection when you're using LaserMaster. The CONFIG.LM file controls the paper size. If the printer is not printing on manually-fed legal paper correctly, have the customer go into the CONFIG.LM file and insert Alt-27 &12H after the **LEGAL= code. Then save the file. The customer should run DDPI again after this. Odd paper sizes must have an appropriate tray. No manual feed is allowed. The controller will assign the paper locations so a sheet feeder should not be defined. The LaserMaster cannot print on paper larger than legal size. It has a minimum margin of .3" on all sides.

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Product specifications, packaging, technical support and information (*Specifications*) refer to theUnited States retail English version only. Specifications for other versions may vary. All Specifications, claims, features, representations, and/or comparisons provided are correct to the best of our knowledge of the date of publication, but are subject to change without notice.OUR MAXIMUM AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU AND THAT OF OUR DEALERS AND SUPPLIERS IS LIMITED. IT SHALL NOTEXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION. SEE LEGAL DISCLAIMER.