Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!lll-winken!uunet!uvm-gen!pegram
From: pegram@uvm-gen.UUCP (pegram r)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Printer questions
Message-ID: <1315@uvm-gen.UUCP>
Date: 24 Oct 89 20:23:31 GMT
References: <46482ed3.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Sender: nobody@uvm-gen.UUCP
Organization: EMBA Computer Facility, Univ. of Vermont, Burlington.
Lines: 31

From article <46482ed3.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>, by rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer):
> In article <1312@engage.enet.dec.com> wallace@oldtmr.dec.com (Ray Wallace) writes:
>>In article <30200003@inmet>, hedger@inmet writes...
>>>Does the ST use a standard printer interface ? 
>>
>>Yes. It uses the standard "Centronics Parallel Printer Interface".
> 
> If the question referred to the software end of things, the "print screen"
> desktop function (ALT-HELP, isn't it?) assumes an Epson-compatible.  Does
> anyone know if there's a "sanctioned" way to make the ST assume otherwise?
> Did the foolish Atari printer-control accessory (which didn't stay on my
> boot-disk long) allow this?  I seem to recall it had options for something
> along those lines...
> 
> (I have an Epson-compatible; I'm just curious...)
  Excuse all the garbage, but this is the first time that I've
contributed to this net.  The answer to your question is yes, one can
substitute another driver for the default called up by Alt-Help.  In
fact Tom Hudson published his program to do just that in the first
issue of Start.  It steals the Alt-Help vector and allows the use of a
DEGAS printer driver (resident) instead.  In Start magazine #3 Hudson
also published a DEGAS printer driver creation program that allows for
the creation of a lot of drivers.  It might be tricky to use on laser
printers and almost certainly wouldn't work with the Atari laser.
Bob Pegram @uvm.edu

PS 
Anybody ever figure out why Atari said the printer should be Epson
compatible, but it can only dump properly (correct linefeed size) when
in IBM graphics printer mode? (or do I have really strange early ROMs?)
RBPIII