Paper Sizes Dialog Box

A number of sets of paper-size commands can be set up for the minidriver. To specify paper-size commands, select Paper Info/Size... from the Printer Data menu and display the initial Paper Sizes dialog box. Alternately, you can select an existing set of paper-size commands by highlighting the desired set of sizes in the Paper Sizes list box in the minidriver’s Printer Data window (scroll to display the paper sizes set on the list if necessary) and double clicking the selection to display the Paper Sizes dialog box.

The Paper Sizes dialog box specifies printer data, such as whether a particular paper size is driver-defined or predefined, the paper dimensions, the cursor origin, the unprintable-region dimensions, and so on.

The Diconix 150 Plus printer supports two paper sizes. The first is 8.5 x 11 and the second is defined by the user.

The HP LaserJet IIP printer supports the following four paper sizes and four envelope sizes:

Note  The examples in the following topics are based on the first paper size initialized for each minidriver. In both instances, this is the standard letter size (8.5 x 11) paper.

When you finish entering data in the Paper Sizes dialog box:

Predefined (Paper Sizes)

The Predefined button, when set, allows selection of a single paper size from the Name listbox of predefined names supplied by RasDD or the minidriver. Click the adjacent Name list box and select a single paper size. This information will be presented to the user.

Diconix 150 Plus: Select the name: Letter 8.5 x 11 in.

HP LaserJet IIP: Same as Diconix 150 Plus.

Driver Defined (Paper Sizes)

The Driver Defined button identifies a driver defined paper size. If the Driver Defined button is set, enter the name of the paper size in the adjacent Name box. This information will be presented to the user.

Diconix 150 Plus: The paper size is predefined. This button is not selected.

HP LaserJet IIP: Same as Diconix 150 Plus.

X Size (Paper Width)

The X Size control specifies the page width. If the paper size is Predefined, UniTool provides this value. If the paper size is defined by the user, specify this value in master units.

Diconix 150 Plus: The X Size box contains 8160 (8.5 inches x 960 dots per inch).

HP LaserJet IIP: The X Size box contains 2550 (8.5 inches x 300 dots per inch).

Y Size (Paper Height)

The Y Size box control specifies the page height. If the paper size is Predefined, UniTool provides this value. If the paper size is defined by the user, specify this value in master units.

Diconix 150 Plus: The Y Size box contains 6336 (11 inches x 576 dots per inch).

HP LaserJet IIP: The Y Size box contains 3300 (11 inches x 300 dots per inch).

Portrait Mode and Landscape Mode

The Paper Sizes dialog box contains separate group boxes for configuring the printer for portrait and landscape modes. Both group boxes contain a Select box, an Unprintable Regions box, a Cursor Origin box, and Vector Offset box. The following topics describe the boxes in more detail.

Select Paper Size

The Select String box command selects the paper size identified in Name. Laser printers usually require a device command to select a page size.. For nonlaser printers, use a device command to set the page size if the command is available. In either case, if a page size selection command is used, check the PS_EJECTFF box in the fGeneral dialog box.

Diconix 150 Plus: The default paper size is 8.5 x 11 inches. No command is required.

HP LaserJet IIP: These printer-specific commands prevent problems on particular printers as follows:

To specify a combination of these commands, type the following in the Select String box: 

\x1B&l2a4d1e42F
 

Unprintable-Region Dimensions

Many printers cannot print text and graphics on some portion of the page. This area of the page is referred to as the unprintable region. For example, most laser printers have an unprintable region that varies with different page sizes. Many narrow carriage dot matrix printers can only print eight inches of text or graphics. Additionally, the use of sheet feeders on many nonlaser printers can introduce an unprintable region on the top and/or bottom of the page.

To obtain correct output for the different combinations of printer models, paper sizes, and paper sources, the minidriver must specify information about the size and placement of the unprintable regions of a printer.

For more information about limitations imposed by a specific printer model, see Model Data.

For more information about limitations imposed by a paper-feed method, see Paper Sources Dialog Box.

The Unprintable Regions control specifies the size of the unprintable regions at the top, bottom, left, and right side of a particular paper size. The unprintable region for a paper size is that region where output is clipped as a result of physical limitations imposed by the printer’s hardware.

To generally determine the location of the printer’s physical boundaries:

  1. Create an ASCII text file using a line width that exceeds the paper width and a page length that exceeds the paper height.

  2. Copy the file to the printer.

  3. Measure the distance from the left edge of the paper to the left edge of the text.

  4. Measure the distance from the right edge of the paper to the right edge of the text.

  5. Measure the distance from the top of the paper to the first line of text.

  6. Measure the distance from the bottom of the paper to the last line of text.

To determine the unprintable region:

  1. Convert the four values obtained above into master units.

  2. Enter these values in the unprintable-region controls.

After your minidriver is installed, test the accuracy of the values that you entered in the Unprintable Regions boxes. To do this, use PRNTTEST.EXE, which is included in the Printer Compatibility Test Suite, and run the printable region test. The other method requires a Windows graphics or desktop publishing package as follows:

  1. Open a Windows graphics or desktop publishing application that renders straight lines around the entire length and width of the page.

  2. Render four lines: two horizontal lines and two vertical lines as follows:

    • Top horizontal line one inch below the top of the page

    • Bottom horizontal line one inch above the bottom of the page

    • Left vertical line one inch from the left edge of the page

    • Right vertical line one inch from the right edge of the page

  3. Print the page.

  4. Examine the intersections of the vertical and horizontal lines.

The lines in the upper-left corner must intersect one inch below the top of the page and one inch from the left edge of the page. If not, adjust the cursor origin. For example, if the horizontal line at the top of the page is 1.125 inches from the top, and the horizontal line at the bottom of the page is .875 inches from the bottom, increment the Y cursor origin by .125 inches.

Note  If the cursor origin is set in the Paper Sizes dialog box, check the MD_USE_CURSOR_ORIG box in the fGeneral dialog box of the ModelData dialog box.)

Diconix 150 Plus: The hardware limits the printable page width to 6.875 inches. Set the left, right, top, and bottom unprintable regions to 0. The size of the unprintable top and bottom margins can vary depending on the paper source. The sizes of the unprintable top and bottom regions are expressed in the paper-source data structure.

Because this limit is imposed by the printer model, not by the paper size, list the Page Size Limit (width) in the ModelData data structure and not in the PAPERSIZE data structure. (This same limit applies to any paper size and is not specific to letter-sized paper.)

HP LaserJet IIP: The hardware limits the printable-page width to 8.047 inches. This means that the left and right unprintable regions on this printer measure ((8.5 - 8.047)/2) inches or .2267 inches. Converted to horizontal-master units, this value is expressed as (.21875 * 300) or 68. Enter 68 in the Left and Right boxes of the Unprintable Regions control.

The printer hardware also limits the printable page height to 10.995 inches. This means that the top and bottom unprintable regions on this printer measure ((11 - 10.5)/2) inches or .25 inches. Converted to vertical master units, this value is expressed as (.25 * 300) or 75. Enter 75 in the Top and Bottom boxes of the Unprintable Regions control.

Cursor Origin

(Not currently supported; values should be set to zero.)

Vector Offset

(Not currently supported; values should be set to zero.)

Page Protection

The Page Protection commands enable or disable page protection. The KB Required box specifies the amount of memory, in kilobytes, to allocate for page protection when protection is enabled.

Diconix 150 Plus: Does not support page protection. The Enable and Disable boxes are empty, and the KB Required box contains zero.

HP LaserJet IIP: Same as Diconix 150 Plus.

wYSizeUnit

(Not supported by Windows NT.)

General Paper-Sizes Dialog Box

Click the fGeneral button to display the fGeneral dialog box. The fGeneral dialog box contains the following check boxes:

Control

Description

PS_CENTER

RasDD centers the printable region on the page.

PS_ROTATE

RasDD swaps the x- and y- paper-size dimensions. If this control is set, RasDD does not swap the margin widths.

PS_EJECTFF

RasDD can eject a page of this paper size using the form-feed command instead of y-movement commands.

Diconix 150 Plus: None of the boxes are checked.

HP LaserJet IIP: Same as Diconix 150 Plus.

Paper Type Dialog Box

Click the fPaperType button to display the fPaperType dialog box. The fPaperType dialog box matches paper sizes (legal, letter, and so on) to paper sources (trays, bins, or other paper-feed mechanisms).

Note  The corresponding bit must be set in both the PAPERSIZE and PAPERSOURCE data structures for the combination to be valid. The name assigned to each bit is provided for convenience.

The controls in this dialog box specify the paper size that corresponds to the paper source as follows:

Control

Description

PS_T_STD

Standard paper

PS_T_LARGE

Large paper

PS_T_ENV

Envelope

PS_T_LRGENV

Large envelope

PS_T_ROLL

Paper roll

Diconix 150 Plus: Check the PS_T_STD for the 8.5 by 11-inch paper size. This control is also selected for the tractor-feed and sheet-feed paper sources in the Paper Sources dialog box.

HP LaserJet IIP: Check the PS_T_STD is selected for the 8.5 by 11-inch paper size. This control is also selected for the upper paper tray, lower paper tray, and manual feed paper sources in the Paper Sources dialog box.