Chapter 3
USING WE PR//vER
WITH COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE
There is an abundance of commercial software available: spreadsheet
programs, word-processing programs, graphics programs, and more. This
printer will work with any program that supports a Star, Epson or IBM
dot-matrix printer. Before using the printer with commercial software,
however, there are two things you must do:
l Install the software so that it supports the printer
l Set the printer’s DIP switches to match the software
INSTALLING YOUR SOFTWARE
Most commercial software includes an installation program or routine
that you can run to customize the software to fit your hardware system.
Start by reading the explanation of the installation program in your software
manual.
Printer menu
The installation program usually offers a menu of printers from which
to choose. If you find this printer on the menu, select it.
If this printer is not listed, look for the Epson LQ-800 or IBM Proprinter
X24. If these are not listed, look for another Star, Epson or IBM printer.
A few of the choices you may see are given below in order of preference:
Star
NB-15
Epson LQ-800 IBM Proprinter X24
NB24-10
LQ-1000 Proprinter II
NB24- 15
LQ- 1500 Proprinter
Some menus are less explicit about model names but offer general de-
scriptions such as “Star printer”, “Epson printer”, “IBM dot-matrix printer”,
“dot-matrix ASCII printer”, “Centronics-type printer”, “Draft printer”,
or “Standard printer”. Any of these selections should work. If you are not
sure of the right selection, it does not hurt to experiment. If you choose
wrong, you will get strange printing results, but don’t worry; just try a
different selection. Don’t pick any printer described as a daisywheel printer
or laser printer.
A few installation programs may ask you not to select a printer but to
describe what your printer can do. The answers to the most often asked
questions are: Yes, this printer can do a backspace; and Yes, it can do a
hardware form feed.