Original_To:  BITNET%"notabene@taunivm"
Original_cc:  SZUCHMAN
Date:         Tue, 22 Dec 92 12:31:00 GMT
From:         "Mark D. Szuchman, History,
              Florida Int. Univ." <SZUCHMAN@SERVAX.BITNET>
Subject:      2M dash available in NB4
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.notabene


The following report on laserjet printer tables is based on
several assumptions about the current NB4 PRN files and the
previous PRN files used by NB3. The first assumption, which
I carry with considerable confidence, is that the current
laserjet printer drivers are not fully fashioned.  For
example, those who have experimented with their features
will have noted that the automatic vertical leading (AL 1)
would give a typesetter pause, that the box drawing
capabilities are not enabled, or that, as a consequence, the
perfect 2m dash is no longer available.  For professional
reasons, I have given the 2m dash a great deal of thought
and experimentation.  I am happy to report that I have
regained the 2m dash in NB4 in its full glory under both
proportional and fixed space conditions.  The solution was
deceptively simple.

My printing environment is the following:  HP-IIP with the
SuperCartridge 2 from IQ Engineering.  Drivers for the
printer and cartridge come with NB4.  An improvement in the
printer driver installation in NB4 is that one no longer is
limited to the modular approach, which had forced the user
into loading the whole of the printer-cum-fonts
capabilities.  Now that we can select individual ranges of
fonts associated with the same printer, I have several
drivers available, each relatively small in size and there-
fore less burdensome on the computer's memory, leaving me
more to use for my text files.

First, save the existing NB4 laserjet drivers on a diskette
for safekeeping and re-copying if needed.  Now call up on
the screen the default or some other preferred laserjet
driver of your choice.  Also call up the Roman-8 substitute
PRN in NB3 called "HP2-SUB.PRN."  This would be best done
with a split screen.  Bring the cursor down in each file
until just below the two lines that begin with the left- and
right-pointing chevrons with their equivalents (square-root
sign and superscripted 2, respectively).  You will notice
that in the NB4 driver the lines below deal with box charac-
ters and have nothing to the right of the equal sign.  NBI
IS EITHER PLANNING SOMETHING FOR THESE SYMBOLS OR -- AND
HERE I HAVE MY OWN SUSPICIONS OF INNOCENT OVERSIGHT -- THEY
NEGLECTED TO PROVIDE THE NEEDED EQUIVALENTS.  By contrast,
you will find the equivalents and their escape sequences in
the NB3 file.

What to do next?  You guessed it!  Define the portion of the
NB3 file with the box drawing characters up to the alpha
symbol and transfer the material to the NB4 driver.  Next,
define the box characters in NB4 that have nothing to the
right of the equal sign, up to the alpha symbol, and delete
them.

Save the file in NB4, activate the printer driver, and you
should have the box drawing characters.  But more important,
with Ctrl+Alt Gray minus Gray minus you should be able to
print a true 2m dash with the same linear crispness as one
had with NB3.

Mark D. Szuchman, History, FIU
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU