
                          ECPage V3.14  Design & Print

                        Laserjet PCL Form & Macro Design

                              Program Documentation


                                  INTRODUCTION















          What is ECPage?



          ECPage Design & Print is a DOS based page or form design
          and printing program that permits you to design pages or
          forms in pure PCL code (you don't write a line of code -
          the program does that for you), from the simple to
          extremely complex; using the scalable proportional fonts
          in the Hewlett Packard LaserJet 3, 4L, 4, Epson
          ActionLaser 1500, or other PCL5 clone that can properly
          emulate (100%) a HP LJ series 3 or 4.


          Proportional font text can be used in right, left or
          center justification as desired.  In addition, boxes -
          both plain border and shaded can be used, with an optional
          choice of fill pattern or gray scale.  Lines, both
          horizontal and vertical can be placed as desired.  With
          ECPage 'Near Type-Set' quality designs can be created and
          printed on your laser printer.
                                                                              P1
          








          In addition to printing on paper, the page designs can be
          'printed', in PCL code format, to a diskfile.  All PCL
          formatting is within the PCL file so the page, when
          printed from the diskfile, will look as it does when
          printed from within the program - as long as the same
          fonts are resident within the printer.

          Storing blank forms on disk saves the cost of maintaining
          an inventory of pre-printed forms and allows them to be
          changed or modified easily.  The PCL files are relatively
          small, and quickly printed, either at the command prompt
          or in a batch file by just using COPY /B to copy them to
          the laser printer.

          Programmers or advanced users may want to use the PCL
          diskfile as a Laserjet macro overlay file.  This could,
          for example, allow the form to be filled out from a
          database report.  For this purpose a diskfile (MACRO)
          without a form feed at the end and bracketed with PCL
          MACRO OVERLAY commands can be created instead of the
          normal diskfile, which does have a form feed to eject the
          printed page.

          THE PROGRAM

          Both the 'Shareware' version and the registered version of
          ECPAGE contain the same features, however the registered
          version can be updated to use additional font styles.

          The ECPage is not a 'WYSIWYG' program (What you see is
          what you get).  Rather you lay out the page in rows and
          cols, inches or cm, indicating what you wish to go where.
          This permits text, boxes and lines to be placed accurately
          within hundredths of an inch on the page, and each may
          extend over another.  For example, text may be placed
          inside a gray scale filled box.  The program is quick to
          learn and very easy to use - no steep learning curve.

          If you should need it on-line help is just a keystroke
          away ([F1) from any screen.  You could almost run the
          program without this manual - but don't - read these
          directions first for a better understanding of the
          program.                                                            P2
          





          The creation of 'Near Type-Set Quality' forms, letterhead
          masters, announcements, invitations, flyers, brochures,
          price lists, invoices, service tags and menu's are just a
          few possible uses of ECPage Design & Print.  The output
          will rival programs costing hundreds of dollars and yet is
          so easy to use even a novice computer user can be creating
          with 'Desktop Publishing' quality in minutes.

          HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

          Minimum Requirements:
          --------------------
          XT Computer (AT 286/386/486 PS/x recommended)
          keyboard  (mouse not needed)
          640 KB Ram
          5MB available on hard drive
          DOS 3.1 or later
          Video monitor (Color EGA/VGA recommended)
          HP Laserjet Model 3,4L,4, Epson ActionLaser 1500 or other
          PCL5/PCL5e laser.
          (Must emulate a HP III or above 100%)

          A complex page printed with an XT type computer may take
          several minutes to generate the PCL code; on a AT class,
          such as a 386-33, just a few seconds (depending on page
          design.)

          You need a PCL5 laser printer such as the Hewlett Packard
          Laserjet model 3, 4L, 4, Epson AL 1100, 1500, 1600 or a
          true PCL5 clone to use the internal scalable fonts within
          those printers.  Limited font cartridge and Hewlett
          Packard Type Director scalable soft font support is
          provided for users with a Laserjet IIP/IID, Epson AL1000
          or true PCL4 clone who are using a supported cartridge or
          Type Director soft fonts.

          ECPage Design & Print is not a Microsoft 'Windows 3.x'
          program, but may be run in 'Windows' as an exclusive full
          screen text program.  A mouse is not needed.  Reserve
          [CTRL]+[ESC] shortcut keys.  Program filename is EPAGE.BAT
          and the startup directory should be \ECPAGE.  Needs
          maximum available conventional memory (640 desirable), but
          no expanded/extended.  Window title is ECPage then
          browse/select a ICON as desired, such as the blank page
          icon.  A sample ECPAGE.PIF is included for Windows 3.1              P3
          







          INSTALLATION

          Installation of files to a \ECPAGE directory is
          recommended, but not a requirement.  All the files from
          the program's self-extracting archive file, ECPARC.EXE
          should be installed in the same directory, \ECPAGE (then
          type: ECPARC to extract files).  Your CONFIG.SYS should
          have a FILES=30 or greater.  ECPage is started by typing
          the command EPAGE while in the \ECPAGE directory.  You
          should have at least 512K or more of free memory available
          after loading DOS.

          After installing the program and starting it, go to the
          menu choice 'Install LJ Printer' and select your model of
          Laserjet.  Answer [Y]es to creating a default font file.
          Need help?  Pressing the [F1] key at any point provides a
          pop-up help reference screen.  Make sure you install the
          actual printer driver you will be using.  Installing fonts
          for a LJ4 will not print them out properly on a LJ3.  If
          you are using a PCL5 clone select the model HP which your
          printer emulates directly.

          UPGRADING

          If you are upgrading from an earlier version of ECPAGE,
          see the file: UPGRADE.DOC.  Your earlier version designs
          can be transferred into ECPage Version 3.14.


          MENU SUMMARY

          HINT:  As you go through the program, press [F1] for
          specific help in each area of the program.  This will help
          you get started as easily as possible.

          The main menu contains these choices:

          Page layouts
          ------------
          This is where you create page designs, edit existing
          designs or delete them.  This is the main area of the
          program.                                                            P4
          






          Print The Page
          --------------
          This is where you will print the design to paper or to a
          disk file.  Here you can specify landscape or portrait
          mode.


          Scalable Font Utility
          ---------------------
          This is where you create a font ID# in a typeface and
          point size you specify.  You can also print a list of your
          current font set.  Generally, fonts are the internal laser
          printers internal scalable fonts, although soft font
          support is available.


          Install LJ Printer
          ------------------
          Here you install the printer driver for the printer you
          will be using.


          Font File Maintenance
          ---------------------
          Here you can view, edit the set-up string of a font or
          delete an un-needed font ID#.


          Copy A Page Design
          ------------------
          Here you can copy an existing page design to a new file.
          You specify which file to copy or select it from a
          scrolling table, then specify a new name for the copy.


          Exit Program
          ------------
          Exit the program to DOS.

          Also, pressing [F4] beings up the screen for setting basic
          defaults.                                                           P5
          






          ABOUT THE FONTS

          This program contains NO fonts.  They are internal in
          scalable form within your laser printer. The program just
          contains character width data for those scalable
          proportional fonts.  'TrueType' or 'Postscript' fonts are
          not currently supported, nor are .PCX files.

          When you create a form (page) you should decide which
          fonts and point sizes you will use prior to page layout.

          In the menu choice 'Scalable Font Utility' you then create
          them, actually you are creating a character width file for
          those fonts.  Each font used will have a unique ID number
          that you specify that will reference that particular type
          face and point size font.

          When you want to use that font you just specify that ID
          number.  When the page is printed that font will be used.

          Un-needed font ID's may be deleted in the menu choice
          'Font Maintenance'.  You may create as many font ID's in
          as many styles and sizes as you need in the 'Scalable Font
          Utility'.  Point sizes may be used from 1 to 99.75 points.

          To verify which font ID#'s you have already created, use
          'Font Maintenance'.  In 'Font Maintenance' you can also
          delete un-needed ID's.  While you can select to view or
          edit a font ID#'s set-up string, normally you would have
          no reason to.  New font ID#'s are created in 'Scalable
          Font Utility, not in 'Font Maintenance'.

          During printer driver installation you can create a brief
          set of default font ID's for use. These font ID's can be
          deleted as desired.  A printer driver can be re-installed
          as often desired to re-create a starting set of font
          ID#'s.

          Normally you would install fonts for another printer only
          if you want to print the same form design on more than 1
          model of printer.  If you just work with a LJ4L, you would
          not have any reason to install a LJ3 or another default
          set of fonts.                                                       P6
          


          NOTE: If you make changes to the font selection file, ie,
          you add a soft font, change a symbol set, etc, they will
          be lost when you re-install a new 'Default' set of fonts.
          However, you can save these new fonts to the default font
          file by pressing [F10] on the Fonts Maintenance selection
          table.  Then specify if for LJ2 or LJ3/LJ4L/L4 default
          font set.

          At the 'Scalable Font Utility' screen you can press [F2]
          or [F3] to print out a font ID# listing of available
          fonts.  [F2] prints out the list using the listed font,
          [F3] uses a fixed pitch as larger size fonts will not
          print out properly within the [F2] report spacing.  You
          may want to record a page/form title on the report for
          future reference, should you need to rebuild a font
          selection file for that page/form.  Press [F5] for a table
          view of currently available font ID#s'.

          The 'Main Menu' option [F4] 'Defaults' will allow you to
          specify which Symbol Set should be the default one used
          when creating 'Scalable' font ID's to use in ECPage.
          To create an ID# for a new scalable font size go to the
          'Scalable Font Utility' screen and enter the new ID# to
          reference it - keep it unique.  Then select the font
          typeface family from the scrolling table of available
          choices for your printer.  Finally enter a point size.
          Then press [ENTER] to create the font ID# entry.  If it is
          a duplicate ID# a message will so notify you - repeat the
          procedure with a new ID# - you may press [F5] to verify
          existing font ID numbers.

          FOR LJ2 USERS ONLY

          If you are creating a scalable 'Type Director' font ID#,
          make sure you create exactly the same font with 'Type
          Director' and download it prior to use.

          Remember, with soft fonts every time you turn on the
          printer you will have to download the soft fonts again.
          Also consider that larger font sizes require a great deal
          of printer memory.

          The starting set of font ID#'s created during 'Install LJ
          Printer' are available in Pacific Data Products '25 in 1'
          CF-120 cartridge.  Many are also available in HP's
          Times/Helv Z1A & S2 cartridge.  If they are not available
          in your cartridge don't use them - default fixed pitch
          printing will result.

          Justification problems may also result if other font
          cartridges are used.  The font's name may be the same but
          it's character width may well vary - creating spacing
          problems.                                                           P7
          


          If you are using a LJ3 or 4 but want to use some of the
          decorative 'Type Director' scalable soft fonts - install a
          LJ2 but do not 'Create a Default Set of Fonts'.  Use the
          'Scalable Font Utility' to create the  'Type Director'
          soft font ID's you need.  Then re-install your normal
          printer and answer 'NO' to 'Create a default set of
          fonts?'  Use the 'Scalable Font Utility' to create any
          additional LJ3/4 fonts you will need.

          A word of caution, deleting font ID's that have been used
          in a text line in a page design will result in default
          fixed pitch printing and lack of justification for that
          line, if the page is printed later.  This will also occur
          if you try to use a font that is not available within your
          printer.

          Once printed to disk successfully, the PCL5 Internal
          scalable font information is contained within the PCL
          file, so later font ID changes in ECPage will have no
          effect on copying the diskfile for printout to a valid
          printer (unless you reprint the page from within the
          program - the proper font ID's must be used when printing
          or reprinting with ECPage to either paper or a diskfile
          for PCL code generation).

          Printing, including to disk file, must be done with a
          printer driver installed (in 'Install LJ Printer') that is
          valid for the page fonts used; printing on a LJ3 when you
          have used LJ4L fonts will result in default fixed pitch
          printing.  For example, printing a form that used an
          ALBERTUS font (in the LJ4) on a LJ3 will result in fixed
          pitch printing - with incorrect text justification - since
          that font is not in the LJ3.  Fonts that are available in
          the LJ3 AND LJ4 can be used interchangeably - such as CG
          Times or Univers.

          If you are using a Laserjet II P/D with cartridge or soft
          fonts, those fonts must be available within the printer
          when printing; soft fonts must have been downloaded before
          printing either from ECPage or by reprinting the diskfile.


          ENHANCEMENTS

          In addition to text with proportional fonts, lines - both
          horizontal and vertical - and boxes may be used.  These
          require a LJ IIP/D or better printer.                               P8
          


          Line widths are specified in dots (1/300"), from 1 - 99
          dots, 5 is a average width line, 1 is very fine, 15 is
          fairly heavy.

          Boxes may also be used, with a plain or shadow (shaded)
          border, with a specified border width.  The boxes may be
          filled with various percentages of gray scale or patterns.
          Text, boxes and lines may overlap as desired.  As with
          text, boxes and lines may be positioned in whole or whole
          and hundredth's of a row and column, inch or cm, according
          to your 'Defaults' setting.

          PAGE STORAGE

          Pages are stored under a page title.  When prompted to
          enter the page title - either enter the page title or
          simply press [Enter], which will pop-up a scrolling
          selection table - select the desired page from the table
          by placing the high-light bar on it and press [Enter].
          The high-light bar is moved with the up and down cursor
          arrows and/or [PgUp] [PgDn] keys.  The table lists the
          page title, creation date and the 'Owner' of the page.

          To EDIT a page, you select it from the scrolling table of
          stored page titles.

          To ADD a new page, press [Ins] at the scrolling table.
          When you create a new page title you specify a name with
          up to 12 alpha-numeric characters.  The 'Owner' (author)
          of the stored page is also entered.  Once a new page title
          has been entered you may select it with the high-light bar
          for editing.

          To DELETE a page title, place the high-light bar on it and
          press [DELETE], then confirm the delete as prompted.

          You may also COPY a page design from a Main Menu
          selection.

          PAGE LAYOUT ELEMENTS

          The basic steps involved in laying out a page are quite
          simple.  You need to envision the page as rows and columns
          and plan on placing the page elements at the desired row
          and column.  For this program there are a standard 6 rows
          and 10 columns to the inch (if you are using the Row & Col
          layout option.  For accurate positioning you can specify
          the rows and column positions to hundredths of a row &
          column, inch or cm.                                                 P9
          


          Text, boxes and lines can overlap if needed.  For example,
          text can be placed within a box.  Using a type setting
          ruler may assist you in laying out complicated forms.
          You can also select to use inches or metric units (cm)
          instead of rows and cols.

          On the 'Main Menu' press [F4] to enter your default choice
          of layout measurement, RowCol, Inches or Metric (cm).  You
          can change as desired, but note: This only affects how the
          printer driver prints the design - it does not update the
          design records to reflect a change of units.

          If you have a design laid out using rows & cols and have
          an entry at row 8 - for example - changing the units to
          [Inches] with [F4] will now print the element at 8" (or 8
          cm if you select metric units) instead of at row 8.  It's
          up to you to make the needed changes to reflect the change
          from Row & Col to the corresponding inch or cm position.
          Pick the method you are most comfortable with and stick
          with it.

          To work on a page design, select the main menu choice
          'Page Layouts'.  You will be then prompted to enter the
          page title - do so if has already been created, or just
          press [ENTER] to bring up a selection table.  Place the
          high-light bar on the specific page title and press
          [ENTER] to select it.

          A page may be deleted by placing the high-light bar on it
          and then pressing [DELETE], then confirm the delete as
          prompted.

          To add a new page to layout press [INS].  You will be
          asked to supply a page title and page owner's name.  You
          can then select this page title for layout.

          On the 'Page Layout Screen' each line entry reflects what
          type entry it is, these entries are in Row/Col order.  To
          create a new entry (page element) press [INS].  To
          view/edit an existing entry, place the high-light bar on
          the entry and press [ENTER].  To delete an entry, place
          the high-light bar on the item and press [DELETE], then
          confirm the delete as prompted.

          When you press [INS] to add a new entry, a pop up screen
          will ask you what type of entry is desired.  Select either
          a [T]ext, [S]hadow Box, [B]ox, [H]orizontal line or
          [V]ertical line.  A form specific for the entry will pop
          up, asking for row & col position, as well as other entry
          specific information.                                              P10
          


          To quit a layout, press [ESC] to exit out to the main
          menu.  Select 'Page Layouts' again to work on the same or
          another page layout.

          TEXT

          Text may be positioned in right, left or center
          justification as desired. You may position the text line
          in whole, ie 2,4 etc, rows or columns, inches or cm's or
          in whole and hundredth's of a row or column, inch or cm,
          ie 2.15, 4.25 etc.  This permits very precise text
          positioning.  Upto 200 alpha-numeric characters can be
          used on one line.  How much of that line that prints out
          will be dependent on point size and page orientation,
          either portrait or landscape can be used.  A small point
          size, such as 6, will permit many characters on a line; a
          large font, such as 36 points, will print far fewer
          characters per line.

          At the 'Page Layout Screen' pressing [INS] for a new page
          element entry will pop up the 'Entry Type' form.  Select
          [T] for a text line.  A second pop up form will prompt you
          for specifics, text line (upto 200 characters depending on
          point size), row and column placement, type of
          justification (R C L) and font ID.  If you need to create
          a new font ID for a new font, just press [F2] to jump
          directly to 'Scalable Font Utility'.

          Be careful not to specify a justification that will run
          the text line off the page.  At Column 80, for example,
          you can print a text line using [R]ight justification.
          [C]enter or [L]eft justification would run it off the
          page.

          To use the scalable proportional fonts in your Laserjet,
          you need to plan which fonts you want to use and create
          them in the 'Scalable Font Utility'.  Assign each font a
          unique ID# and then reference that ID# when you want to
          use that font in a text line.   As noted above, during
          entry of a [T]ext line, you can press [F2] to go directly
          to the 'Scalable Font Utility' to create a new font ID
          line.

          BOXES

          Boxes can be plain bordered or with a 'Shadow' on them for
          a '3D' appearance.  The width of the box border line can
          be specified from 1-98 'Dots' (1/300th").  The width of
          the shadow is related to the width of the box border.              P11
          




          If you create a 'Border' box AND use a line width of '99',
          then NO border will be printed around the box, it will
          just be your fill pattern.  This does not apply to the
          'Shadow Box' style.

          At the 'Page Layout Screen' pressing [INS] for a new page
          element entry will pop up the 'Entry Type' form.  Select
          either [B] for a plain border box or [S] for a shadowed
          box.  A second pop up form will prompt you for specifics,
          starting row & col, box length (across from the starting
          column), fill pattern and box height (down from the
          starting row), and width of the border line from 1-99 dots
          (1/300').

          Boxes can be filled with various percentages of gray scale
          or line patterns.  A special pattern selection, 'CB'
          creates a scalable square 'Check-Off' box.

          Boxes, other than a 'CB' pattern box, extend DOWN from the
          starting row position and RIGHT from a starting column
          position.  Boxes may overlap other page elements; text may
          be placed in a box, or one box may be placed within
          another larger box.

          A 'WF' pattern (white filled) box may be placed within a
          larger pattern or gray scaled box to create a interior
          white area.  White filled boxes do not have a
          border/shadow - they are blank areas.

          To create a box, either bordered or shadowed, without any
          pattern, select 'NONE' as the fill pattern.

          CHECK-OFF BOXES

          A 'CB' (Check-Off Box) pattern box is square and unlike
          the normal box, it extends up from the starting row
          position so as to match a text line that may be placed
          next to it.   A CB may be sized to fit the font point
          size.  A 'CB' box sized 1 row by 1 column will be fine for
          text upto 12 points in size, it could be .5 row by .5
          column for a smaller point size, such as 4 or 6 points.
          Larger fonts may need a larger CB, such as 2 rows by 2
          columns for text fonts in 14 to 18 points.                         P12
          




          LINES

          Lines can be placed horizontally or vertically, depending
          on need.  The width of the line can be specified in dots
          (1/300").  Lines may intersect boxes or text as desired.
          As with boxes, lines extend down (vertical lines) from the
          specified starting row.  The lines length or height (down)
          is specified in rows and columns, inches or cm.

          At the 'Page Layout Screen' pressing [INS] for a new page
          element entry will pop up the 'Entry Type' form.  Select
          either [H] for a horizontal line or [V] for a vertical
          line.  A second pop up form will prompt you for specifics,
          starting row & col, line length (across from the starting
          column) or height (down from the starting row), and width
          of the line from 1-99 dots (1/300').

          ENTRY COMMENTS And LISTING REPORT

          On any entry form (Text, Line, Box etc,) you can press
          [F7] to enter a brief comment as to what this entry is
          for.  If you press [F3] to print a listing of elements,
          this comment will be listed there.  If you later EDIT this
          form and it's comment, by pressing [F7], remember to
          continue going thru the form and finally 'Press [Enter] to
          save.  HINT: Pressing [CTRL] + [ENTER] will jump over all
          the fields and exit, SAVING the form.  Pressing [CTRL] +
          [ESC] will always back out without saving the form or
          changes you made this edit.


          GENERAL PAGE LAYOUT

          All the page design elements can be positioned within
          hundredth's of a row and column, inch or cm.  Elements can
          be positioned over each other for complex page designs.
          Look at the sample page 'SAMPLE' that is included.  It
          contains examples of each layout element.  Delete it when
          you are finished with it.

          Note that laying out a design that includes elements that
          extend beyond the printable area will not print correctly.
          If part of an element extends beyond, that part may not
          print.  Some justification problems can occur if a text
          string is too large (either in length or point size) for a
          specified point.                                                   P13
          




          MOVING/COPYING ELEMENTS

          You can either move a single element or a group of
          elements.  Notice that each element has a Reference Point.
          Edit the element(s) and change the Rp (Reference Point) to
          a 'B' for example, leaving the others as 'A'.  HINT: Some
          elements may be better grouped together with the same
          'RP'.  This will enable them to be moved or copied as a
          group.

          Next, press [F9] and enter the desired Rp to process, for
          example B.  This will enable all type B reference points
          to be processed.  The actual shift amount will be based on
          what your default 'Units' setting is, Rows & Cols, Inches
          or Cm's.

          You can now specify how many 'Units' you wish to move the
          specified Rp's.  You can specify either a Row shift, a Col
          shift or both.  To shift in the opposite direction, after
          you enter the desired shift amount then use the '-' minus
          key rather than [Enter] to complete that field.  (The
          amount will now show a trailing minus sign.

          When you press [Enter] to complete the process all the
          desired Rp's will be shifted one or both directions.  This
          may be repeated as often as needed.

          To COPY existing elements, it's basically the same
          procedure, with this exception, use a '+' plus sign as the
          Rp on the desired element(s) you want to copy.  Now when
          you press [F9] to move, enter '+' as the desired Rp to
          process.  If you also enter a optional Row & Col value
          (+/-) the copied elements will be shifted from the current
          position to that position.  The newly created elements
          will have a Rp of 'Z' to identify them.  You can later
          change this as desired.  The original '+' Rp will not be
          changed, so you can repeat the process over and over.  In
          this way you can quickly populate a form with many similar
          elements - just use new positions for each copy operation.
          You can change the '+' Rp's back to their original or any
          other letter.

          Start out designing a simple page and work on toward more
          complex designs; help, if needed is just a [F1] keystroke
          away.                                                              P14
          








          PRINTING WITH ECPage

          These printing instructions assume that your printer is
          using the factory defaults for the control panel settings.
          However, set the control panel to 'Legal' or A4 for
          printing on those size forms.

          To print, select the menu choice 'Print The Page'.  You
          will be prompted for a page title, as if you were going to
          'Page Layout'.  Either enter a page title or press [Enter]
          to pop up a scrolling selection table.

          At the 'Print Set-up' screen press [F10] only if you need
          to change the page orientation to 'Landscape' from the
          default 'Portrait'.  Then select either printer or
          diskfile output, press [Enter].

          If you selected a diskfile you will be prompted for a file
          name.  The default is 'Pageprnt', type over it with any
          desired file name.  The extension is fixed at .ECD for
          diskfiles and .ECM for 'Macro' files.  Select 'M' if this
          will be for a 'Macro' file or 'D' for a diskfile.  A
          'Macro' type file does not have a form feed at the end of
          it and contains PCL commands to use it as a MACRO.  See
          end of manual for MACRO information.  Press [Enter] to
          continue.

          If you selected printer (PRTR) output you will be prompted
          for a printer port, LPT1 is the default - if another is
          desired (LPT2, LPT3, COM1 or COM2) - toggle to that
          selection.  Make sure any selected printer is ready and
          loaded with paper.  Press [Enter] to continue.  You will
          now enter the number of copies desired - enter from 1-99.

          On a slower XT class system, a complex page may take a few
          minutes to print - be patient, take a break while it
          generates the code.                                                P15
          








          PRINTING DISKFILES

          To print out a saved diskfile, just COPY it to your
          printer, using the /B (Binary) switch, for example:

          COPY /B YOURPAGE.ECD LPT1:

          If needed, specify the full path, for example:

          COPY /B C:\ECPAGE\YOURPAGE.ECD LPT1:

          If you created the page using LJ4L fonts, printing on a
          LJ3 or LJ2 will result in fixed pitch with improper text
          justification.  However, if the fonts are available in
          both printers this limitation does not apply.  The common
          fonts to both (LJ3 & LJ4L/4) would be UNIVERS and CG
          TIMES.

          HINT:  You may want to print (store) all your forms on
          disk and print them out later as desired, perhaps as a
          Laserjet macro or called from a batch file or program.
          Printing to disk allows this option.  A 'Macro' type
          diskfile does not have a form feed in it so it will not
          work as well for printing directly from disk.

          NOTE: The diskfiles, once created, print very quickly no
          matter what type computer you are using.

          If you elect to print a MACRO diskfile, you will be
          prompted to enter a MACRO ID# and whether or not to leave
          it enabled.  The macro created is ready to use.  Just COPY
          /b it to your printer and every text page will be
          'Overlaid' with the macro.
                                                                             P16
          



          ADVANCED PRINTING HINTS

          If you should ever need to, specific PCL codes can be sent
          to the printer as part of your page layout by placing them
          at a row 0, column 0 position and entering them in a text
          line.  Make sure they are the first page element in the
          table.  The font ID and justification can be anything -it
          does not affect the PCL command you entered.

          The <ESCAPE> character for the PCL codes is entered by
          holding the [ALT] key down and entering, on the right hand
          numeric keypad: 027 (zero two seven).  For example the PCL
          code for 5 copies is:  (Substitute any number between 1
          and 99 for the 5)

               <ESCAPE>&l5X

          If the code prints out on paper you did not enter it
          correctly - verify letter case.

          Your printer manual will contain a listing of these PCL
          codes, but unless you are an advanced user you should not
          use them freely.  They have to be used in proper sequence
          and entered in an exact format for proper results.

          PRINTING PROBLEMS & LAYOUT HINTS

          Probably the most common problem is using a font not
          available within a printer - text will be in a default
          fixed pitch style with improper justification.  A 300 DPI
          setting is also recommended.  Placing text near a page
          edge and using a justification that forces the text off
          the page will result in missing text.  Printing with too
          large a font (point size) may not allow all of a desired
          text line to print out - reprint after selecting a smaller
          point size.

          If you have specified a font but it does not print out and
          you know the font is available within the printer, check
          that the symbol set is valid for that font.  This is
          especially true for soft and cartridge fonts.  Do a font
          printout with the softfonts downloaded and any cartridge
          installed to verify which symbol set is used.  You could
          then, in FONT MAINTENANCE' change that font ID# symbol set
          to the correct one, ie, from (8U to (10U or ???.                   P17
          



          Placing a vertical line at COL 80 for example, will not
          show up as it will extend past the right margin by the
          width of the line.  Use 79.99 in this case or as needed,
          depending on line width.

          With soft fonts, if you exceeded your printer's memory, a
          font may not actually be available in the printer and
          fixed pitch printing will occur for that font.

          Right justified alignments of a row of numbers may appear
          'off' slightly if several font styles or point sizes are
          used within the column of numbers - stick to one style &
          size for best alignment.

          If you are laying out a vertical text string, as in the
          'SAMPLE' page, notice that thin letters, such as the
          letter 'I' have been offset slightly to the right, by .25
          column, from the other wider letters.  This is because
          thin letters will not line up centered below wider
          letters, they will be flush left.  Slightly offsetting
          them to the right gives a better appearance.

          Good looking pages will have lots of 'White Space' and
          just a few font styles on a page.  Forms are usually more
          complex, but try to keep them easily readable.  Refer to
          books on Desktop Publishing for design tips.  Review the
          'Sample' page layout for information, then delete it if
          desired.

          If you are using extended characters (above 126), CGTimes
          may give *Slightly* better right justification.

          MEMORY ISSUES

          ECPage needs at least 512K to run normally.  V3.14 can
          swap files to disk if memory is too low to run all
          options.  If you have extended memory available, but are
          low on conventional memory you can create a 750 - 1MB ram
          disk and have the swap file placed on the ram disk - much
          faster than to a fixed disk.  To enable this option you
          need a SET= command in EPAGE.BAT to point to the ram disk.
          The command is: SET CLATMP=[Drive:\]

          Example:  SET CLATMP=E:\                                           P18
          



          This is assuming you have a ram disk set up and it is
          labeled by DOS as E.  Change drive letter as needed.  Note
          EPAGE.BAT has this command in it, just REM'ed out.  To use
          it, remove the REM's and set up the proper RAM DISK.

          BACKING UP YOUR FILES

          All your data files have an extension of .DAT and the
          related key files have an extension of .K01 or .K02.
          Either back up all the files within the \ECPage directory,
          recommended, or just back up the *.DAT and *.K0? files in
          \ECPage.

          NETBIOS PRINT SPOOLERS

          On networks using NETBIOS (Not NOVELL) you can send a call
          to INT2A to force the spooler to start printing if you
          select YES for NETBIOS SPOOLER in the ECPage Defaults
          (press [F4] on the 'Main Menu' screen.)  Without this
          option, the spooler won't start until it times out or you
          exit ECPage to DOS.

          For NOVELL always use a form of CAPTURE L=1 P=0 NFF NB
          TI=5   (Use whatever is equivalent in your Netware
          version, with the correct P=0 parameter).  Note that
          ECPage is not a multi-user program.


          USING THE MACRO DISKFILE PRINT OPTION

          (BEFORE STARTING NOTE:  Use care to enter these PCL
          commands correctly, using the same upper/lower case ; all
          these PCL commands will end with a UPPER CASE letter.  As
          with a normal diskfile, the specified fonts MUST be
          available within the target printer.  Do not mix
          orientations, use PORTRAIT with PORTRAIT, or LANDSCAPE
          with LANDSCAPE, NOT PORTRAIT and LANDSCAPE)

          A special note is in order about the creation and use of
          the 'Macro' diskfile printing option in ECPage.                    P19
          




          MACRO are handled very much like soft fonts, they are
          downloaded to the printer and specified with an ID#,
          followed by a termination command specifying 'Temporary or
          Permanent' status.

          When a MACRO is loaded onto your laser printer (do so by
          using the COPY /B command, as in COPY /B PAGEPRNT.ECM PRN:
          ) EVERY page subsequently printed will be 'Overlaid' by
          the macro's page format.  This will continue until you
          power off the printer, you or your software sends a RESET
          (<Esc>E), a MACRO disable (<ESC>&f5X) command or you do a
          hard RESET.

          You could have hundreds of MACRO OVERLAY forms loaded onto
          your laser printer - basically limited by available
          printer memory, enabling them as desired and then
          disabling them until needed again.

          Macros can be one of the most useful and exciting features
          of your laser printer.  You can have a form design active
          as a MACRO OVERLAY and use your data-base application's
          report to print under it, filling in the blanks on the
          MACRO OVERLAY form, then disable it and enable another
          MACRO OVERLAY and fill it in, etc.

          As created by ECPage V3.14, a MACRO diskfile will be
          generated that includes the commands to enable it (if that
          is specified).  Therefore, you just need to COPY /B it to
          your printer to use it AS IS (if you'll just have one
          loaded at a time).

          PROBLEM: some programs will reset the printer before
          beginning their print jobs.  This will disable the macro
          overlay.  To use it, you will have to re-enable it at the
          start of the print job.  Do so by sending the printer a
          control command to enable the MACRO through your program -
          by whatever method is provided.  If you have created a
          Macro file in ECPage with an ID# of 1 for example, enable
          the MACRO OVERLAY with: <ESC>&f1y4X by sending this as a
          printer command from within your application.  This is
          especially true for Windows applications.  (For Windows,
          you may need to use the generic text driver.)

          For example, in Q&A Write the command is *PRINTER
          \027&f1y4X*  Here <Esc> is entered as \027.                        P20
          



          If you are going to be using more than 1 MACRO OVERLAY on
          your printer at a time, ie, YOURFIL1.ECM, YOURFIL2.ECM,
          etc. assign unique ID#'s when they are 'Printed' with
          ECPage.

          They should be created as 'Disabled' so that each can be
          'Enabled' by ID# from within your other application (word
          processor or data-base, etc) as it is needed ; and
          Disabled when you are through with it.

          Use the COPY /B format to load all the macros onto your
          Laserjet.

          Now you can use your word processing program or database
          to enable the desired MACRO by it's ID number, and when
          done, disable it and enable another if desired.  The
          actual method for sending these printer control commands
          from within your other application will depend on the
          specific application.  Consult your other programs
          reference materials on how to use printer control
          commands.

          Normally you create <ESC> by holding down ALT and entering
          027 (zero-two-seven) on the NUMERIC keypad.  If you are
          using MS-DOS's 'Editor' you will have to first press
          CTRL+P then create the <ESC> character with ALT 027.

          The two printer control commands you are going to need are
          these:

          The command to enable MACRO OVERLAY 1 (ID# 1) is:
          <ESC>&f1y4X

          The command to disable the last enabled MACRO is:
          <ESC>&f5X

          This assumes that the MACRO ID# is number 1.  Change the 1
          to whatever the MACRO ID# is for the desired MACRO.

          Once you have gotten used to using MACRO OVERLAYS you will
          find more and more uses for them.  Your printer manual may
          have some further information on using MACRO OVERLAYS or
          you can consult the HP PCL5 Technical Reference Manual.            P21
          



          COMMAND LINE OPTIONS

          ECPage is started from the batch file EPAGE.BAT, the
          actual executable program is ECP.EXE.  There are several
          options that can be used to start ECP.EXE.  You may edit
          EPAGE.BAT to modify these options if needed.

          V=0 is a video timeout feature.  '0' represents the number
          of minutes before the screen blanks out (pressing any key
          restores it).  '0' is a default for no blankout.  V=10
          would blank out the screen after 10 minutes of no
          activity, V=30 would be 30 minutes, etc.

          /B=NO or /B=YES disables or enables keyboard error beeps
          /E if using an 'Enhanced' Keyboard
          /C disables [Control][Break] exit from the program
          /F Enables fast video, may cause 'Snow' on early CGA's
          /L=NO or /L=YES disables or enables keyboard locks
          (Running in Desqview Window may require /L=NO and /B=NO)
          The batch file, EPAGE.BAT, may be edited as needed with
          these options.

          As shipped EPAGE.BAT will work fine in almost all
          circumstances.

          ERROR MESSAGES

          Error messages are usually self explanatory.  Make a note
          of them and also find an error created log file in \ECPAGE
          called CLARION.DMP.  If you can't determine the cause of a
          problem, contact me by Compuserve Mail (70062,431), or
          regular mail, with the error message, the CLARION.DMP file
          and information as to what you were trying to do with the
          program at the time.  I'll check out the problem.  It has
          been the norm that most error messages are related to
          hardware problems, lack of disk space, memory errors, etc.

          CONCLUSION

          If you got this far you're ready to begin - have some fun
          trying out these features and creating pages on your
          Laserjet.  Start off simple then work your way up to
          complex designs  - there is no real limit to the number of
          elements you can have on a page.                                   P22
          
          REGISTRATION

          If you find this program useful please register it today,
          the fee is nominal and will support further enhancements
          as they develop.  As a registered user you can upgrade at
          no added  cost and can receive support if it should be
          needed.  The registered version supports many more font
          styles - use bold or bold-italic, for example.

          The registered version will also include ECData, a
          companion program that uses your ECPage created MACRO
          files and downloads them to your printer.  It also has a
          15 field database that allows you to 'Fill In' your
          print-outs.  If, for example, you wanted to print out some
          package labels, each addressed to a different party,
          ECData could handle it.  ECData can import data from your
          existing database in Comma Delimited ASCII, DIF or dBase
          II/III format.

          Also included with the registered version is a utility to
          change how characters are sorted and lower/upper case
          translations are handled.  This optional utility can be
          useful to international users who use extended characters
          in their language.

          The registered version also includes a set of 6 Helvetica
          soft-fonts, a download utility and a new LJ2 driver to use
          them.  This option is for users with a LJ II without the
          cartridge support available in the standard LJ2 driver.

          It is expected that un-registered versions will either be
          registered or removed use after an evaluation period.
          Continued un-registered use is not allowed.

          See REGISTER.DOC, included with the program files, for
          registration information.  When you register a password
          will be sent which will convert this 'Shareware' version
          to a 'Registered' single user version.  Low cost site and
          enterprise wide licenses are available.

          It is asked that you maintain the password in a
          confidential manner.  Upgrades will use the same password
          unless it has been abused.

          The program, ECPage, and it's related materials are (C)
          copyright protected.  Unauthorized distribution of the
          registered user version or registration password is
          prohibited.

          (C) Copyright 1993, 1994 David R. Erickson, Fairbanks,
          Alaska,  All Rights Reserved - World Wide.

          The ownership of all Trademarks, including those of
          Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Epson and IBM is hereby
          acknowledged.                                                      P23
          













                                    WARRANTY

              Limited warranty terms are in the file, WARRANTY.DOC.

                                     LICENSE

                   License terms are in the file, LICENSE.DOC

           David Erickson, P.O. Box 82910, College, Alaska 99708-2910

           Compuserve ID 70062,431  Internet 70062.431@compuserve.com




             Revised November, 1994 For V3.14

 ECPage and ECData are Trademarks Of Erickson Consulting.                    P24

                                  INDEX LISTING







          Backups   19                                   Registration   23
          Boxes, PCL  11,12                              Support, Tech   22
          Boxes, Check-Off   12                          Symbol Sets   7
          Boxes, Fill Pattern   12                       Text Elements   11
          Command Line Options   22                      Text, Vertical   18
          Comments, Element   13                         Upgrades   4
          Copy Elements   14                             Warranty   24
          Diskfiles   16                                 Windows 3.1   3
          Error Messages   22
          Fonts, Generally   4, 16
          Fonts, Cartridge   7
          Fonts, ID Number   6, 8
          Fonts, LJ2 Fonts   7
          Fonts, Point Sizes   6
          Fonts, Saving Default Set   7
          Fonts, Scalable   5, 7
          Fonts, Type Director   8
          Hardware Requirements   3
          Installation   4
          Layouts, Page   10, 13
          License   24
          Lines, PCL   13
          Listing Report   13
          Macros, LaserJet   2, 15, 19, 20, 21
          Memory Usage   18, 19
          Moving Elements   14
          Network, Netbios Printing   19
          NEW changes to ECPage   26
          Pages, New/Delete/Edit   9, 10
          PCL, Code   2
          PCL, File   8
          Printers, Selection   6, 8
          Printing, Diskfiles   16
          Printing, Hints   17
          Printing, Landscape   15
          Printing, Output Selection   15
          Printing, Prob.  17, 18, 20                                        P25
          



                          New Changes To Version 3.14A

          SETTING BASIC DEFAULTS
          You set some basic system defaults by pressing [F4] on the
          'Main Menu' screen.  These are as follows:

          1)  Set Units, here you specify if you desire the layouts
          to be in RowCol, Inches or Metric CM.  Note that this
          setting determines how the row & col positions in your
          designs are printed.  An element could be at Row 8, 8
          Inches or 8 CM depending on this setting.

          2)  Set Default Symbol Set:  Here you can specify the
          desired symbol set to be specified when generating
          scalable character widths.  These need to be available
          within your printer or the results may be printing in a
          fixed pitch or other than specified font.

          3)  Use NetBios Spooler:  In some network situations,
          printing will not begin until the spooler 'Times Out' or
          you exit the program.  Setting this to YES will send a
          call to the spooler to start it at the end of a print job.
          For NOVELL you should use CAPTURE L=1 and do your printing
          to LPT1.  With Novell you set this to NO.

          4)  Use a CR/LF in PCL CODE:  The normal diskfiles contain
          PCL code without any delimiters between elements, so in
          effect you have one large string.  This makes viewing the
          code difficult and may cause problems in some situations.
          Setting this field to YES will place a CR/LF at the end of
          each element.  This may cause an extra form feed after a
          print operation.

          USING THE QWIK MODE
          On the 'Page Layout Elements' screen you can press [F6] to
          toggle between normal edit mode and Qwik Mode.  Normal
          edit mode brings up the full entry form for each element,
          when you press [ENTER] to edit a element.  If you toggle
          [F6] to QWIK MODE, a brief form is used instead, just
          permitting changes to the RP field.  This is most useful
          when tagging elements to be moved or copied.  Note also,
          the entry field is set for immediate entry, so when you
          enter a character, the entry is finished and it
          saves/exits.  You do not make the entry and then press
          [Enter] to complete it.  As it's name indicates, it's for
          QWIK entries.                                                     P26
          

