2.3 Starting UniTool and Creating a Minidriver

Once you have installed the files, you can start UniTool and begin creating
a minidriver. To start UniTool:

1.  From the Program Manager File menu, choose the Run command.

2.  Type unitool in the Command Line text box.

3.  Choose the OK button.

Once you have started UniTool, from the File menu, choose the New command.

bitmap:  uni1

After you choose the New command, the Type of New File dialog box appears
in the main window:

bitmap:  uni2

Choose the MiniDriver button. UniTool displays a second dialog box that
prompts you for the name of your minidriver, the name of the directory in
which it will be stored, and the name of the source minidriver. The Source
Minidriver list box contains the names of six types of minidrivers:

o   Base Driver

o   Epson 9-Pin Driver

o   Epson 24-Pin Driver

o   IBM 24-Pin Driver

o   HP Driver for HP printers that use Printer Control Language (PCL)

o   HP PaintJet Driver

The selection you make depends on the type of printer for which you are
developing a minidriver. If the printer's resolution and command set are
compatible with that of a 9- or 24-pin Epson or IBM printer, choose the
corresponding entry from the list box. Similarly, if the printer supports
Hewlett Packard printers that use PCL, choose HPPCL Driver. However, if the
printer's resolution or command set is unique and differs significantly
from the available choices, choose Base Driver.

The following illustration shows the dialog box after it was initialized
for the Kodak Diconix 150 Plus minidriver:

bitmap:  uni3

The new minidriver will be named DICONIX.DRV, its source files will be
stored in the C:\DRIVER\MINIDRIV\DICONIX directory, and these files will
actually be modifications of the files for the 9-pin Epson minidriver. (The
Diconix printer emulates both Epson and IBM printers; however, the default
emulation and the factory switch settings are Epson compatible. Therefore,
the Epson 9-Pin Driver was chosen as the minidriver source. However, unlike
most 9-pin printers that are Epson compatible, the horizontal and vertical
resolutions supported by the Diconix differ from the horizontal and
vertical resolutions supported by the Epson printer. This means that it
will be necessary to specify new master units for the Diconix minidriver.)

Once you've created your new minidriver directory and installed the
appropriate files, you can begin initializing your minidriver's data table.
If you've selected the Base Driver as your starting point, or if your
printer does not support the same resolutions as one of the compatible
minidrivers, it will be necessary to specify master units. See Chapter 3,
Specifying Master Units and Minidriver Data, in order to accomplish this
task. If, on the other hand, your printer uses the same resolutions as one
of the source minidrivers, you can immediately begin specifying control
information. See Chapter 4, Specifying Control Information, in order to
accomplish this task.