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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.