question about "fonts" (I think) ...

  • Thread starter Thread starter mcalhoun
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mcalhoun

I recently purchased an HP DeskJet 3820 and an HP PCL Technical
Reference Manual (on CD-ROM, in PDF format ONLY!) I'm finding it
difficult to SCAN a PDF manual (after I set the character size large
enough that my old/tired eyes can read what's written, my monitor
only shows about a half-page at a time!-(

Until recently I used dot-matrix printers, and they had provisions
for such things as "double-wide" and "double-high" letters, several
levels of number-of-characters-per-inch, pica vs. elite, bold, etc.,
but the PCL manual doesn't seem to use the same words (or perhaps
I just haven't found them yet).

In particular, I'm trying to change the SIZE of the letters printed
on paper. The old double-high PLUS double-wide didn't get much on a
page, but I could see the letters from a distance -- just right for
printing lecture notes, for example.

Can anyone suggest how to change letter size on a modern printer?
Is this a "font" question, a "scale" question, or something else?

--Myron.
 
Myron,

The old terms such as CPI, Double Wide, Double High, etc, are no longer
used now that we have scaleable fonts.

In printing terms, before scaleable fonts were created using computers,
the term "Font" meant 1 typeface in 1 size, such as "Times Roman 12
point." Points: the size reference used by printers. There are 72
points per inch.

Open WordPad (Start>All Programs>Accessories), you'll see a box with the
name of the default font, probably Arial. Next to this is a box with a
number. That's the font default point size. Type something then open
the size box and select a different size. Type something and you'll see
the difference. For a size bigger than any shown in the size list type
a larger number in the size box.

Hope this explains it well enough. A lot simpler than calculating
trajectories based on Burning rate, Bullet weight, Barrel length, etc.
Keep up the good work.

Bob


| I recently purchased an HP DeskJet 3820 and an HP PCL Technical
| Reference Manual (on CD-ROM, in PDF format ONLY!) I'm finding it
| difficult to SCAN a PDF manual (after I set the character size large
| enough that my old/tired eyes can read what's written, my monitor
| only shows about a half-page at a time!-(
|
| Until recently I used dot-matrix printers, and they had provisions
| for such things as "double-wide" and "double-high" letters, several
| levels of number-of-characters-per-inch, pica vs. elite, bold, etc.,
| but the PCL manual doesn't seem to use the same words (or perhaps
| I just haven't found them yet).
|
| In particular, I'm trying to change the SIZE of the letters printed
| on paper. The old double-high PLUS double-wide didn't get much on a
| page, but I could see the letters from a distance -- just right for
| printing lecture notes, for example.
|
| Can anyone suggest how to change letter size on a modern printer?
| Is this a "font" question, a "scale" question, or something else?
|
| --Myron.
| --
| Five boxes preserve our freedoms: soap, ballot, witness, jury, and
cartridge
| PhD EE (retired). "Barbershop" tenor. CDL(PTXS). W0PBV. (785)
539-4448
| NRA Life Member and Certified Instructor (Home Firearm Safety, Rifle,
Pistol)
 
mcalhoun said:
Can anyone suggest how to change letter size on a modern printer?
Is this a "font" question, a "scale" question, or something else?
Click to expand...

The last, really. It's about reformatting. In the old days, you could
send plain text to the printer and it would handle the layout.

Today, it's rare to have a print job that's plain text with just a few
formatting codes. Often, it's a page-sized bitmap that has been
generated in the computer and is sent as just a graphic dump. Or it can
be a complex page description language program that is executed by the
printer.

Okay, back to formatting: just changing the font size isn't enough; if
you make the fonts larger without reflowing the text, the characters
will just overlap. PDFs are built specifically to preserve the
appearance of a document, which is pretty much the opposite of what you
want. Convert the PDF to plain text, then import it into a word
processor or graphic layout program which handles the formatting and
allows you to change the font size.

The choices for converting PDF to text and reformatting will depend on
what operating system you're using.
 
In particular, I'm trying to change the SIZE of the letters printed
on paper. The old double-high PLUS double-wide didn't get much on a
page, but I could see the letters from a distance -- just right for
printing lecture notes, for example.
Click to expand...

In a PDF file you can only change the zoom for viewing, not the page
size, and the text won't reflow. But you can make it print to fill up
the page in Acrobat by selecting "Fit to page" under the print menu.
(Won't help if the page size is already A4 or letter though).
Can anyone suggest how to change letter size on a modern printer?
Is this a "font" question, a "scale" question, or something else?
Click to expand...

It depends on the application you're using to print the file. It
should handle all the font and sizing settings. E.G., if you have a
text file, there will be a font setting on the toolbar in a Windows
app; even Notepad and Wordpad. I think they will default to 10 pt
Times for Wordpad and 12 pt FixedSys for Notepad, but you can change
these to any available font, and Truetype fonts, like Times, to any
size. The text will reflow.

If you just want the text from a pdf, you can copy it, using the "Text
select tool", a "T" icon. If the text is in columns, you can select a
column by holding the left click down on the icon and choosing the
"column select", a T inside a box. Then you select a rectangular area
(eg, a column) to get all the text in it.
 
The old terms such as CPI, Double Wide, Double High, etc, are no longer
used now that we have scaleable fonts.
Click to expand...

OK, so basically "scaling" is what I'm looking for. Thanks.

Hope this explains it well enough. A lot simpler than calculating
trajectories based on Burning rate, Bullet weight, Barrel length, etc.
Click to expand...

I can't hit the walls of a barn, even when I'm inside it, so just try
to teach otherw how to do it. "Do what I SAY, not what I DO!"

--Myron.
 
Can anyone suggest how to change letter size on a modern printer?
The last, really. It's about reformatting. In the old days, you could
....[snip]....
Okay, back to formatting: just changing the font size isn't enough; if
you make the fonts larger without reflowing the text, the characters
will just overlap. PDFs are built specifically to preserve the
....[snip]....
The choices for converting PDF to text and reformatting will depend on
what operating system you're using.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I misled several responders when I mixed my real question
(how does one change character size on a modern printer) while referring
to my PCL manual in PDF. I wasn't hoping to print my manual (although
I'd much rather have a paper manual vs. an on-line manual!), I don't
think my printer would last that long (it's a BIG manual). I was
asking what I should LOOK FOR in that manual so I could change the
character size when I print OTHER stuff.

Although my wife uses/teaches them regularly, I don't even HAVE an
"application program" (WORD, etc.) that knows about page layout and
I have no interest in learning one. Instead, I create what I want
printed with an editor (usually "vi"), formating the text so the lines
and pages will fit whatever page format I'm going to use, I instruct
the printer (with my own software, since HP's DOS-oriented software,
with its minimal capabilities, is a joke) as to character size, lines/
page, etc., and then I "throw" the text file to the printer with the
good old DOS command "PRINT TextFileName".

I will confess to having written a preprocessor (between the PRINT
command and what the printer actually sees) which can accept some
simple escape-oriented commands in the text to control the printer from
what's in the text file or to set the printer to an always-wanted mode
(right now, for example, my black cartridge is about empty but my
color cartridge is still like what it was when I bought the printer,
so I'm printing everything in "composite black" instead of "black".

Anyway, several people said what I needed to look for was "scale",
so once I find that in the manual, I'll just add a few more escape-
commands and my printer should do just what I want it to do.

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to answer.

--Myron.
 
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